Watson, Fred (Oral history)

British merchant seamen served aboard Framlington Court and Tiresies, 1938-1939; served as motorboat coxswain with Barrage Balloon Section, Hull, GB, 1940-1941: served with Motorboat Section, 204 Sqdn, RAF in Gambia, 1941-1942; served with Motorboat Section at Cromarty, 1942-1943; served as rear gunner with 576 Sqdn, RAF, Bomber Command based in GB and operating over France and Germany, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Findhorn and Dunphail, 1922-1938: social circumstances; education. Period attending seamanship course at Gravesend Sea School, 1938: syllabus; discipline; conditions. Period as boy seaman aboard Framlington Court, 1938: nature of Court Line ships; first impressions on joining ship; messdeck; duties on wheel and lookout; chipping off rust and painting ship; effects of lack of freeboard when fully laden; question of seasickness; food and meat packed in brine. REEL 2 Continues: food and cooking arrangements; washing clothes in bucket and story of socks falling in soup whilst drying in galley; food; composition of crew; German policy of purchasing British merchantmen; anti-British sentiments of German seamen; story of fight with German semen and consequent arrest by police in Argentina; story of attempts to extinguish smouldering fire in coal cargo; repair of damaged ship's side; method of loading and unloading grain cargo. Recollections of period as boy seaman aboard Tiresies, 1939: nature of Blue Funnel Line ships; background to successful job application. REEL 3 Continues: nature of ship; food and conditions of service; rigorous medical checks required during visit to Japan; visit to International Settlement, Shanghai, China, 2/9/1939, including story of meeting uncle serving with British Army, threatening posture of Japanese troops and coming under fire from Japanese motorboat whilst returning to ship; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; Bismark scare; painting ship grey; fitting of specially adapted cargo tanks into Japan; taking aboard liquid rubber and palm olive in Malaya; voyage in convoy back to GB, 10/1939; souvenirs from Far East. Voyage aboard Diomedes to Newcastle on Tyne, ca 11/1939. Period at Altyre, ca 11/1939: work on local estate; background to volunteering to join RAF at Inverness. REEL 4 Recollections of periods on basic training at RAF Padgate and RAF West Kirby, 8/1940-9/1940: relationship with ex-boxer instructor; hut accommodation; drill; weapons training and prior experience of shooting; background to prior volunteering for Air Sea Rescue Service and attestation, ca 6/1940. Period on coxswains course with ASRS at Calshot, 2/1941-5/1941: signal training; inshore navigation; handling pinnaces and seaplane tenders. Period with Barrage Balloon Section, Hull docks, 9/1940-2/1941: auxiliary staff employed on balloons; organisation of balloons moored to barges in Humber; role maintaining links with barges using motorboat; story illustrating incompetence of NCO of him sinking motorboat; story of being disciplined for opening fire on German aircraft attacking balloons. REEL 5 Continues: story of being disciplined for opening fire on German aircraft attacking balloons. Period with Motorboat Sections, RAF Cromarty, ca 4/1942-12/1943: promotion to corporal as coxswain of seaplane tender; crew members; duty laying out flare path in dinghies; towing out and landing seaplanes; bomb scows used to carry depth charges and bombs to seaplanes; assisting in evacuation of casualty from convoy; application for air crew service. Recollections of posting to Marine Section, 204 Sqdn, Bathurst, Gambia River Estuary, 8/1941-3/1942: troopship voyage out; hospitalisation with appendicitis; anti-malaria precautions; hut accommodation; snakes. REEL 6 Continues: crocodile hunts in bomb skows; duties towing flying boats; unofficial activities ferrying sailors; cigarettes; relationship with African civilians. Background to application for flying duties, 1943: prior failed applications; change to central assessment of applications; selections tests and decision to train as air gunner. Attending course at Elementary Gunnery School, Bridlington and Bridgnorth, 11/1943-12/1943: lectures; story of being caught inadequately cleaning billet; status as cadets; recreations; story of meeting officer from 204 Sqdn. Recollections of training with No 4 Air Gunners School, Morpeth, 1/19443/1944: practice in use of reflector sight in rear turret mock ups in hangar; importance of accurately judging deflection and value of clay pigeon shooting experience; parachute training; dinghy and swimming training; demonstration of effects of oxygen starvation; firing with Lewis gun from Anson onto ground targets on coastal firing range. REEL 7 Continues: firing with Lewis gun from Anson onto ground targets on coastal firing range and story of gunner failing to stop firing and hitting nearby Nissen huts; firing at drogue towed by aircraft; ground straffing exercise against wooden targets towed by miniature railway; firing at sea target; question of failed cadets. Period at18 Operational Training Unit, Finingly, 4/1944-6/1944: role of unit in training bomber crews; nature of Wellington; informal formation of crews; lectures escape as POW and escape equipment carried; formation of crew as Rear Gunner with Pilot Sergeant Ken Moore, Navigator Ian Miller, Wireless Operator Rolly Goodes, Bomb Aimer Stan Hammond, Mid Gunner Frank Harvey; nature of 'Nickel' operations dropping propaganda leaflets and acting as D Day diversion over Northern France, 5/1944; German night fighter attacks on return flight; Wellington tail turret layout and method of firing Browning machine guns. REEL 8 Continues: rear turret sight; attending gunnery course. Period at 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit, Lindholme, 7/1944-8/1944: nature of Halifax; problems with electrical rather than hydraulic turrets; camera gun exercises with Spitfires. Period at No 1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, 8/1944: nature of Lancaster; 'corkscrew' evasive manoeuvre; dinghy drill; demonstration of effects of oxygen starvation; arrival of Flight Engineer Jimmy Grindley. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during operations as rear gunner with D/2 Wellington of A Flight, 576 Sqdn, RAF, Bomber Command based at RAF Elsham Wold and RAF Fiskerton, 8/1944-1/1945: reception; name tags worn; opinion of Squadron Leader Dennis Rooke and Wing Commander 'Shrub' Sellick; story of being disciplined for riding bicycle; ruses employed by prostitutes to claim money from deceased air crew; relationship with commissioned air crew and role of gunnery leader; hut accommodation; daily check of aircraft and rear gun turret. REEL 9 Continues: checking of rear turret and removal of perspex panel to improve vision; mission briefings including meteorology and nature of target; use of Lancaster in co-operation with army against German positions and tanks; target maps; last meal before take off; flying kit including oxygen mask, electric flying suit and gloves; lorry journey to aircraft dispersal zone; collection of parachute; take off procedure and send off from base personnel; role searching for German night fighters. REEL 10 Continues: role searching for German night fighters and risk of them attacking from below using angled cannon; German fighter and anti-aircraft dispositions; effects of German anti-aircraft fire; bombing run; target H2S photos; background to using unofficial route home to evade German night fighters; opening fire on JU88 and their resemblance to Beaufighters; reluctance to use chemical toilet; story illustrating good luck superstition of urinating on Lancaster rear tyre prior to take off; effects of cold in flight conditions; issue of amphetamine tablets and sweets; danger of German intruder fighter attacks during landing; airfield lights and FIDO fog dispersal system installed at Fiskerton; necessity of holding off while damaged aircraft landed first. REEL 11 Continues: effects of burst tyres on landing; lorry journey from aircraft dispersal zone; debriefing in Operations Room and importance of plotting casualties; story of Flight Engineer Jimmy Grindley firing revolver on being disturbed by early morning visit to hut of Committee of Adjustment to collect casualties effects; low level daytime raid on German gun emplacements at Le Havre, France, 10/9/1944; anti-aircraft barrage and use rear gun during low level daytime raid on German troops at Calais, 24/9/1944; aircraft intercom; problem with 'coning' and predicted flak from German searchlights and anti-aircraft. REEL 12 Continues: problem with 'coning' and predicted flak from German searchlights and anti-aircraft; use of radar deflection 'window' and incendiaries; story of bomb trapped in bomb bay after night raid on Essen, Germany, 23/10/1944; story of birthday on daytime raid on Cologne, 28/10/1944; story of landing on to of Lancaster after landing lights were switched off during final approach at Fiskerton; opinion of US Flying Fortress illustrated by humorous song; story of being diverted after raid on Germany, 22/12/1944, including chaotic situation prior to landing at RAF Charter Hall and stealing Christmas trees on return to base. REEL 13 Continues: raid on Royan, France, 5/1/1944; personal morale and question of superstition; last raid of tour on Munich, 7/12/1945. Review of RAF service: administrative course; commission; role as recruiting officer; service in air traffic control branch; question of effects of wartime service.