Oakley, Kenneth George (Oral history)

British seaman served aboard HMS Neptune in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 1940-1941; served aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in Mediterranean, 1941 including sinking in Alexandria Harbour, Egypt, 12/1941; served with F Commando, Royal Naval Commandoes, Combined Operations in GB, Mediterranean, 1942-1944; served with beachmaster's bodyguard on Queen Red One Sector, Sword Beach, Normandy, France, 1944

REEL 1 Background in Dawley, GB, 1921-1939: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of enlistment and training as seaman with Royal Navy in GB, 1939-1940: enlistment as regular at Hanley, 10/1939; training at HMS Royal Arthur, Skegness. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Neptune, 7th Cruiser Sqdn, Mediterranean Fleet in Mediterranean, 6/1940-9/1940: voyage aboard HMS Carlisle from GB to Mediterranean, early 1940; joining cruiser in Alexandria, Egypt; function of 'scran bag'; advice about keeping clothes clean and dry; punishment for misdemeanours; further details of 'scran bag'; relations with French naval personnel after surrender of France at Alexandria, Egypt, 6/1940-7/1940; duties as blacksmith's mate; action station on 4 Inch Anti-Aircraft Gun; opinion of Italian Air Force attacks on the ship; in action during Battle of Calabria, 7/1940; later return to GB for refit via Red Sea, 12/1940. Aspects of operations as seaman aboard HMS Neptune, 7th Cruiser Sqdn, South Atlantic Command in South Atlantic, 9/1940-12/1940: pursuit of German commerce raider Admiral Scheer in South Atlantic, 12/1940. REEL 2 Continues: search of French Kerguelen Islands; supplementing ship's rations; transporting General Charles De Gaulle; capture of German merchantmen off coast of Africa. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Neptune, 2nd Cruiser Sqdn, Home Fleet in GB coastal waters and with 7th Cruiser Sqdn, Mediterranean Fleet in Mediterranean, 1/1941-10/1941: storm damage to ship; reasons for not joining hunt for German battleship Bismarck; attack on ship by German Air Force fighter aircraft off east coast of GB; voyage to Mediterranean after working up trials, 6/1941; attitude to leaving ship, 10/1941; method of sorting out bad feeling between mutually antagonistic seamen. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, Mediterranean Fleet in Mediterranean, 1941: drafting to battleship, 10/1941; attitude to serving aboard battleship; action station; bombardment of Axis forces on coast of North Africa; sight of sinking of HMS Barham, 25/11/1941 and subsequent arrest of ship's photographer for disobeying order not to photograph incident; Italian Navy mining of ship in Alexandria Harbour, 19/12/1941; attempts to deceive Axis about their success and effect on morale of sinking. REEL 3 Continues: reaction to explosion; effect on morale of Christmas pantomime aboard ship. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Duchess of Bedford from Egypt to GB via South Africa, 3/1942: ashore in Durban, South Africa; guarding German prisoners of war aboard HMT Duchess of Bedford; sight of Perla Siedle Gibson the 'Lady in White' singing at Durban, South Africa. Aspects of training with Royal Naval Commandoes, Combined Operations in GB, 1942: drafting to Beith; training at HMS Quebec, Inveraray; allocation to F Commando. Recollections of operations as seaman with F Commando, Royal Naval Commandos, Combined Operations in GB and Mediterranean, 1942-1944: nature of landings at Algiers, French Algeria; clash between unit members and American patrol, 11/1942; return to GB; uniform worn by Royal Navy Commandos; voyage aboard HMT Sobieski from GB to Suez Canal, Egypt; character of landings at Avola, Sicily, Italy, 7/1943. REEL 4 Continues: how his landing craft was hit by Axis artillery fire during landings on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943; using Bren Gun to fire on German Air Force Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft; return to GB via Malta; clash with military policeman over his uniform at Shrewsbury Railway Station, GB; dealing with psychological effects of the hit on the landing craft during landings on Sicily, Italy; impressions of specialist tanks being introduced in Scotland; obtaining home leave during journey south; in holding camp at Cowplain, GB. Recollections of operations with beachmaster's bodyguard with Royal Naval Commandos, Combined Operations on Queen Red One Sector, Sword Beach, Normandy, France, 6/6/1944-10/7/1944: boarding ship for landings, 4/6/1944; address by officer on landing craft, 5/6/1944; nature of beach landing, D-Day, 6/6/1944; casualties on beach. REEL 5 Continues: wounding of comrade Sid Coxton; sound of Piper Bill Millin of Lovat Scouts playing bagpipes on beach; dealing with congestion on beach; wounding of Lieutenant Commander Edward Gueritz, 26/6/1944; attending burial of dead at Hermanville, 9/6/1944; evacuation of Sid Coxton in DUKW from Arromanches-les-Bains; story of assistant beachmaster requested to wear white jacket during landings; story of being reprimanded for urinating in wrong place on Sword Beach; reconnaissance of large house on beach and its loss as potential headquarters; duties as beachmaster's bodyguard; sight of rocket firing landing craft firing in direction of Merville Battery; degree of German opposition in sector; scrounging for food; return to GB, 10/7/1944.