Shrimpton, Bob 'Ping' (Oral history)

British civilian in Fleet, GB, 1939-1942 including service with Home Guard; seaman served as asdic operator aboard L'Comprise in Atlantic, 1942; served aboard HMS Belfast in Arctic, during Normandy landings and in Far East, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Fleet, 1925-1939: family; character of Fleet; parent's employment; education; sporting activities; character of Empire Day; early interest in Royal Navy; presence of retired officers in area; membership of Scouting movement; father's interest in motorcycling; anticipation of outbreak of Second World War, 1939; memories of Munich Crisis, 1938. Recollections of period as civilian living in Fleet, 1939-1941: reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; introduction of flag days; hording of supplies; fitting blackout curtains; precautions against air raids; community spirit. REEL 2 Continues: leaving school, 9/1939; employment in engineering firm; fire watching duties; amusing story of driving Bren gun carrier into a press in factory; atmosphere in factory; lack of air raid shelters in factory; delay in receiving war news; attitude towards Hitler and Mussolini; conditions during winter, 1939-1940; adapting to rationing; following events of the Battle of River Platte; role of Scout Movement in aiding Home Guard; attitude of troops returning to Dunkirk; importance of Churchill's voice; community feeling towards war; case of retired officer who marked up map of defences; strength of Home Guard; draining of Fleet pond; German Air Force attacks on Fleet area; attitude towards Germans. REEL 3 Continues: further details of items found during draining of Fleet Pond; supplementing rations; governmental nutritional advice; need for adaptability amongst civilians; job in factory; atmosphere in factory. Aspects of period with Headquarters Coy, Fleet Home Guard, 1940-1942: role as grenade thrower; drill for operating grenade thrower; training exercises; initial equipment in Home Guard; strength of his company; training exercise which involved raid on RAF Odiham; estimation of projected role of Home Guard; training with and cleaning rifles; bayonet practice; equipment of Home Guard. REEL 4 Continues: grenade practice; anti-gas training; uniform worn; visit by senior officer. Recollections of period as civilian living in Fleet, 1941-1942: civilian reaction to loss of HMS Hood, 5/1941; listening to Lord Haw Haw; visits to cinema; military units based in Fleet area; civilian relations with troops based in Fleet area; effect on schoolmaster of loss of his son on HMS Barham; growing realisation that battleships were not unsinkable. Recollections of enlistment and training with Royal Navy, 1942: volunteering for Royal Navy in Reading; mother's reaction to his joining Royal Navy; character of medical; awareness of recruitment officer that he was taking an underage volunteer. REEL 5 Continues: reporting to HMS Collingwood; character of CW candidates; issue of uniform and equipment; question of how some of recruits not prepared for basic training; daily routine; assessment of recruits; physical training; training with knots; boat training; reaction testing; weapons training; unarmed combat training; character of instructors and treatment of recruits; layout of camp; accommodation in Nissen huts; emphasis of cleanliness; structure of command; learning naval insignia; lack of anti-gas training; relations with fellow recruits; rations available. REEL 6 Continues: guard duties; sporting activities; boxing activities; method used by instructors to settle disputes amongst recruits; method of administering inoculations. Recollections of period training as asdic operator at HMS Nimrod, 1942: posting to HMS Nimrod at Campbeltown c8/1942; ablution facilities; character of accommodation; use of trawlers and yachts for asdic training; lectures prior to sea training; interpreting underwater sound; recording of underwater sounds; operation of Asdic equipment; meeting with schoolfriend, Reg Squires. REEL 7 Continues: asdic training on board trawlers in Irish Sea; distinguishing between different engine noises; range of asdic; dealing with underwater obstacles; use of asdic for echo sounding; crew of the trawlers; length of training and degree of confidence; importance of physical coordination and fitness; brief drafting to HMS Osprey, 9/1942. Recollections of operations as asdic operator aboard French destroyer, L'Comprise in Arctic, 1942: initial role fitting asdic training; division of crew between French and British personnel; initial state of cleanliness on board ship; attitude of French seaman to war; character of the ship; reaction of crew to instillation of asdic equipment and asdic operators; convoy duties from GB to Russia via Iceland; degree of preparations for Arctic service; evading German reconnaissance aircraft; fatigue experienced during first convoy. REEL 8 Continues: dealing with fatigue; results of asdic during first convoy; use of asdic during attacks on submarines; method of regaining contact with submarine after loss of contact; role of ship off Bear Rock; return to Portsmouth and drafting to HMS Belfast. Recollections of operations as asdic operator aboard HMS Belfast, 1942-1945: arrival on board and familiarisation with ship; actions station and watch duties; opinion of officers; character of the ship; ship's camouflage; organisation of crew on board ship. REEL 9 Continues: Admiral's staff on board ship; relations between Admiral and Captain of ship; role of midshipmen; naval ratings; adjusting to hierarchy of ship; reasons for ship being a happy one; role of Royal Marines; relations between seaman and marines; naval branches on board; organisation of branches; personal responsibilities; use of daily roster. REEL 10 Continues: watch system; state of readiness; accommodation on board ship; his mess deck; use of hammocks; personal hygiene; character of showers; central messing; rum ration; rations available; items available from NAAFI; rations available to officers; medical personnel on board; occasion when he was sent to sickbay. REEL 11 Continues: coping with cold weather conditions; fitting arctic steam pipes; role of masters at arms; naval discipline on board ship; Sunday divisions; religious facilities; rum ration; traditions of make and mend, 'All hands to clean ship' and 'Crossing the line'; activities whilst off duty; communication with family and need for security; question of what makes a happy ship. REEL 12 Continues: convoy duties to Arctic; forming screen to intercept Scharnhorst; sight of Scharnhorst by light of star shell; Scharnhorst's turning away from action with flotilla; tracking Scharnhorst by radar; role of ship during action against Scharnhorst; procedure for reporting sight of Scharnhorst; arrival of the Home Fleet; sight of Scharnhorst sinking; reaction of ship's crew to sinking of Scharnhorst; realisation of importance of sinking of Scharnhorst; sight of German POWs on board ship; realisation of the vulnerability of capital ships; reaction to lack of sinkings in convoy; arrival back in Scapa Flow; return to convoy escort duties; dealing with boredom at sea; method of refitting ships; care and maintenance parties. REEL 13 Continues: updating asdic equipment and other modifications to ship at South Shields, early 1944; process of decommissioning; adjusting to leave; arrival of new crew and working up period; loading up with ammunition, rations and medical supplies; orders to escort landing craft to Normandy, 4/6/1944; Captain's method of calming rough seas around landing craft; opening fire on German positions at Arromanches, D-Day, 6/6/1944; accuracy of ship's gunnery; sight of D-Day landings, 6/6/1944; sight of monitor HMS Boxer; importance of ship's maintaining their station; technique for dealing with German submarines; duties on D-Day, 6/6/1944; Allied air activity, 6/6/1944; reaction to lull in fighting four days after landings; role of ship off Normandy, 6/1944; return to Portsmouth and Scapa Flow, 7/1944; sinking of HMS Swift by magnetic mine; dealing with infantry casualties; role of ship as flag ship; sailing for Far East, 7/1944. REEL 14 Continues: change in personnel for Far East commission; shipping in Mediterranean, 1944; arrival in Indian Ocean, early 1945; convoy protection in Pacific, 1945; Japanese experience of submarine warfare; detecting Japanese submarines; story of drinking with Fiji Police; contact with US Navy; reaction of crew to end of war in Europe, 5/1945; reaction to dropping of the atomic bombs, 8/1945; move to Shanghai, 8/1945; conditions in Shanghai; contracting tropical disease from Japanese POWs in Singapore. Story of hospitalisation, return to GB and reasons for medical release, 1945. Demobilisation process, 1945. REEL 15 Continues: Attitude to having served with HMS Belfast during Second World War. Formation of HMS Belfast Association and preservation of HMS Belfast.