Interview with Thomas John Townsend

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Description

Object description

British seaman served aboard HMS Amethyst during Yangtse incident in China, 1949

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Cefn Hengoed, GB, 1930-1945: family circumstances; education; character of local 12th (Swansea) Bn Glamorganshire Home Guard; reasons for joining Royal Navy, 1945. Aspects of period of training as boy seaman at HMS Ganges, Shotley in GB, 1946: nature of training; opinion of discipline; timing of meals; nature of punishments; instances of instructors who had mental breakdowns. Aspects of period as boy seaman aboard HMS Theseus in Mediterranean and Far East, 1946-1947: joining ship at Portsmouth; romantic ideal of Bay of Biscay; reaction to visiting places in Mediterranean and Far East. REEL 2 Continues: story of having fortune told in Ceylon; loss of aircraft on tour of Australia. Aspects of period as boy seaman and seaman aboard HMS Amethyst in Far East, 1947-1949: drafting to ship in Hong Kong, 1947; role of ship with the fleet, 1947-1949; patrols off Federation of Malaya during Malayan Emergency; intercepting illegal immigrants; guard duties on buses in Singapore, Federation of Malaya; visit to Hiroshima, Japan; gravestones taken to Shanghai, China; impressions of Shanghai, China; discovery of bodies tied to buoy by police in Shanghai, China. Recollections of period as seaman aboard HMS Amethyst during Yangste incident in China, 1949: question of not expecting trouble; moving at action stations as a precaution; shell hits from Communist guns; aid given to wounded. REEL 3 Continues: warning to HMS Consort; passing of HMS Consort; reaction to sight of crewman with head wound; state of crew; disposal of dead; leading seaman's advice about maintaining morale; pots shots taken at ship by Chinese People's Liberation Army; demand by Chinese People's Liberation Army that crew should sign paper to say that they had fired first; method of taking fuel on board; character of negotiations; mood amongst crew; stillness aboard ship with power turned off; attempt to deal with rats; reaction to decision to break out; his action station on damage control party during escape; reaction to escape; reception in Hong Kong; feting of ship on voyage back to GB; weathering storm in Mediterranean; reception in Devonport, 11/1949. REEL 4 Continues: reception at Cefn Hengoed; psychological after effects of incident. Recollections of service with Royal Navy, 1950-1960: role of HMS Ulster as 'crash boat', 1950-1952; collecting torpedoes after firing exercises; duties of HMS Cockade, Rosyth during Korean War; period with HMS Blackcap, Royal Naval Air Station Stretton, near Warrington, 1954; drafting to HMS Eagle and opinion of ship; Exercise Mainbrace with United States Navy; naval survey ship duties aboard HMS Seagull; fishery protection duties aboard HMS Wasperton; aggressive of Icelandic gunboats, 1959; wife's declining of married quarters at HMS Cochrane; attitude to having served in Royal Navy. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Amethyst during Yangste incident in China, 1949: location of damage control party; jealousy shown be service personnel and civilians towards him. REEL 5 Continues: reception he gave Communist Party of Great Britain canvasser in Cefn Hengoed; attitude towards Chinese.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Townsend, Thomas John (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2000-03-06
Dimensions: whole: Duration 125, Number Of Items 5
Catalogue number: 20143

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Interview with Thomas John Townsend

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