Portman, Berkeley Charles Berkeley (Oral history)

British midshipman served aboard HMS Repulse in GB coastal waters and North Atlantic, 1939; officer served aboard HMS Ramillies in Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, 1940-1942; served as beachmaster with K1 Naval Commando, Combined Operations in GB and Italy, 1943; served aboard HMS Black Swan, 51st Escort Group in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 12/1943-12/1944

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1919-1936: family; education. Aspect of training as cadet with Royal Navy, 1936-1938: special entry into Royal Navy, 1936; cadet training aboard HMS Erebus, Portsmouth, 1937; further training aboard cruiser HMS Vindictive, 1937-1938; drafting as midshipman on completion of training to HMS Nelson, 1938-1939. Aspects of period as midshipman aboard HMS Repulse in GB coastal waters and North Atlantic, 1939: memories of Captain Ernest Spooner; attitude towards midshipmen by officers and lower deck; relations with German crew on board cruiser Deutschland at Gibraltar; confidence in Royal Navy on declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; escort duties in North Atlantic, 1939. Aspects of operations as officer aboard HMS Ramillies in Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, 1940-1942: drafting to ship; impressions of battleship; duties as sub-lieutenant of gun room; duties in Mediterranean; torpedoing of ship by Japanese midget submarine at Diego Suarez, French Madagascar, 30/5/1942. Recollections of operations as beachmaster with K1 Commando, Combined Operations in GB and Italy, 1943: attitude to joining beach commandoes; opinion of training at Troon, GB. REEL 2 Continues: role of beachmasters; voyage from Scotland to Mediterranean; speech by General Bernard Montgomery; landing at Cape Passero, Sicily, Italy, 7/1943; method of preparing beach for landings; contracting malaria; strength of German opposition at Salerno, 9/1943; visit to battlefield inland of Salerno, Italy; duties taking landing craft back to GB including destruction of his Landing Craft Tank (LCT) in bad weather in Bay of Biscay. Aspects of operations as officer aboard HMS Black Swan, 51st Escort Group in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 12/1943-12/1944: joining ship as first lieutenant at Troon; escort duties in Mediterranean; duties as first lieutenant on board ship; reasons for loss of hearing; torpedo training course at HMS Vernon after leaving ship, 1944-1945; story of how he left the Royal Navy after being declared unfit for sea service due to deafness, 1948.