Walker, Raymond (Oral history)

Canadian seaman served on HMCS Reindeer in Canadian coastal waters, 1940-1941; served with Combined Operations in GB, at Dieppe, Mediterranean and during Normandy landings, 1941-1944; served aboard motor torpedo boats in North West Europe, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Background in Sydney Mines, Canada, 1923-1940: family; opinion of GB; father's employment. Enlistment and service in Canadian waters, 11/1940- 12/1941: story of enlistment underage in Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and father falsifying birth certificate, 11/1940; reasons for enlistment; training as a stoker/mechanic in Halifax , Nova Scotia; story of Canada purchasing destroyers and yachts form United States; joining HMCS Reindeer and convoy duties; escort duties on St Lawrence river, 1940-1941; mechanical training course and volunteering for service with Combined Operations in GB. Recollections of period with Combined Operations, 1/1942- 1944; arrival in GB; voyage in troopship across North Atlantic; movements in GB; landing craft duties; use of landing craft; training, 1/1942- 7/1942; relationships with civilians; Dieppe operation, 8/1942, including, volunteers being chosen, move to HMS Vernon, Plymouth, fire fighting training, address by Commander Robert Ryder VC, orders to steal an E-Boat during operation, evasion advice, story of mothership hit by shellfire and air attacks, return to Scotland, view of operation, effect of fire on mothership, orders not to speak of operation and question of effects of experience; training with Americans in GB; landings in Algiers, 11/1942; question of lack of American training; leave in Algiers; German Air raids on port; reaction to German aircraft being shot down; question of effectiveness of Dieppe operation; return to GB and further training; voyage to Egypt via South Africa on board 'Strathneighbour', 6/1943; duties; crossing equator; picking up South African troops; landing in Sicily, 10/7/1943; story of stoker being wounded during Sicilian landing; duties ferrying prisoners of war from Oran to Scotland. REEL 2 Continues: question of acquiring POW's property; move to Canada, 11/1943; leave; reaction of civilians to homecoming; move to west coast of Canada; joining 'Prince David' landing craft carrier, 12/1943; voyage through Panama Canal to New York, 1/1944; duties ferrying American troops to GB; move to Isle of Wight; story of meeting Canadian troops; question of relations with US personnel ; relations with Commonwealth troops; D-Day landings in Normandy, 6/6/1944, including, preparations, landing a French Canadian regiment on Juno beach, weather, bombing, view of rocket firing landing craft, hitting mines, story of seaman in water, story of being stranded on beach, salvation army, returning to 'Prince David', question of organisation of operation, story of rum ration on beach, question of effect of experience; move to Wales; marriage and birth of daughter, 5/1944; story of compassionate leave to move wife from London and missing 'Prince David' return to Scotland, charge and punishment. Recollection of service in Motor Torpedo Boats, Belgium coast, 1944-1945: volunteering for MTB service; move to Ostend, Belgium; operations intercepting German supply vessels; comparison between MTBs and German E-Boats; armament of MTBs; duties; speed; story of race with RAF launches; story of being fired on by support frigate; decommissioning at Great Yarmouth; escorting German E-Boats to surrender, 5/1945. Return to Canada via Scotland; story of being arrested by shore patrol in New York; demobilisation, 8/1945. REEL 3 Continues: Background to return to civilian life; opinion of Commonwealth.