James, Fred (Oral history)

British rating served aboard HMS Goodall, 1944-1945. Sunk by torpedo, 29/4/1945.

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Bermondsey, London and Bromley, 1924-1942: social circumstances; education; work as engineering apprentice, 1939; food rationing; Anderson air raid shelter; black out; stories of German air raids; call up in to Royal Navy, 12/1942. Aspects of training at HMS Ganges Shore Station, Shotley, 1/1943-3/1943: story of fight with recruit; story of being punished for adapting uniform; food rations and use of canteen; drill and necessity of 'doubling' across parade ground; training in whaler; swimming test. Attending gunnery course at Isle of Sheppey, 1943: opinion of Bofors, Oerlicken and pom pom guns; air target practice; assault course. Period at Chatham Barracks, 1943: gas mask training; acting as prisoner's escort; routine duties. Voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth to New York, 1943. REEL 2 Voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth to New York, 1943. Period at Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1943: conditions of service; relationship with US civilians; story of fight with US sailors and subsequent hospitalisation. Period in Fargo Barracks, Boston, 1943. Recollections of service as rating aboard HMS Goodall, 10/1943-4/1945: training in dockyard; opinion of Captain James Fulton; mess; laundry facilities and duties; cruising station duties on depth charges; method of setting and charging depth charges; action station on starboard Oerlicken by funnel; working up trials at Bermuda, 12/1943; return for engine repairs to Boston; escorting convoy AX273 to GB, 1/1944; refit at Pollock Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland; move to base at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, 3/1944; escorting ships to Iceland; story of tanker torpedoed while escorting convoy and ineffectiveness of 3" guns in attempt to sink remnants, 4/1944; escorting HMS Nelson, 6/1944; exercises with Polish submarine; convoy to Gibraltar, 10/1944; fitting of anti-acoustic torpedo equipment; sinking of HMS Bullen off Capr Wrath, 6/12/1944, including loss of rescue whaler and dropping depth charges. REEL 3 Continues: sinking of HMS Bullen off Cape Wrath, 6/12/1944, including success in sinking U 297 and attempt to rescue Bullen crew; escorting convoy to Murmansk, Soviet Union, 4/1945; strange behaviour of dogs at Murmansk. Recollections of being sunk by U 968 off Murmansk, 29//4/1945: awareness of presence of U Boats; effects of torpedo hit and detonation of forward 3" magazine; period of unconsciousness and waking up in sea; hanging on to Carley raft; sea oil fire and retardant foam used by HMS Honeysuckle; rescue by Soviet motorboat; question of sinking of ship; subsequent period in hospital at Murmansk, 5/1945; voyage aboard HMS Cassadra to GB, 5/1945; survivor's leave, 5/1945-6/1945. Service aboard HMS Carnarvon Bay, ca 1945-1946: attack of rheumatic fever; demobilisation, 1946. Post-war career and question of effects of war service.