Description
Object description
British boy seamen served with Merchant Navy aboard SS Framlington Court in North and South Atlantic, 1938; served aboard SS Teiresias in North and South Atlantic and Far East, 9/1939-11/1939; served aboard SS Diomed in North Sea, 11/1939; NCO served as motorboat coxswain with Marine Craft Section attached to No 17 Balloon Centre, Humber Barrage, Balloon Command, RAF at Kingston upon Hull, GB, 9/1941-2/1942: served with Marine Craft Section at RAF Cromarty, GB, 4/1942-12/1942; served with Marine Craft Section attached to 204 Sqdn, RAF in Gambia, 1/1943-8/1943; NCO and officer served as rear gunner with 576 Sqdn, No 1 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 8/1944-1/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Findhorn and Dunphail, GB, 1922-1938: social circumstances; education; attending seamanship course at Gravesend Sea School, 1938 including syllabus, discipline and conditions. Aspects of period as boy seaman with Merchant Navy aboard SS Framlington Court in North and South Atlantic, 1938: nature of Court Line ships; initial 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; issue of 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 merchant vessel; anti-British sentiments of German merchant seamen; story of fight with German merchant seamen 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 with Merchant Navy aboard SS Teiresias in Far East, 9/1939-11/1939: nature of Blue Funnel Line ships; background to successful job application.
REEL 3 Continues: nature of merchant vessel; food and living conditions; rigorous medical checks required during visit to Japan; visit to Shanghai International Settlement, Shanghai, China, 2/9/1939, including story of meeting uncle serving with British Army, threatening posture of Imperial Japanese Army troops and coming under fire from Imperial Japanese Navy motorboat whilst returning to ship at Shanghai, China; declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; Admiral Graf Spee scare, 9/1939; painting ship grey; fitting of specially adapted cargo tanks into Japan; taking on board liquid rubber and palm olive cargo in Malaya; voyage in convoy back to GB, 10/1939; souvenirs acquired in Far East; voyage aboard SS Diomed in North Sea to Newcastle upon Tyne, 11/1939. Aspects of period as civilian on Altyre Estate, GB, 12/1939-7/1940: work on estate; background to volunteering to join Royal Air Force at Inverness, 6/1940.
REEL 4 Continues: Recollections of training with Royal Air Force at No 3 Recruit Centre, RAF at RAF Padgate and No 5 Recruits Centre, RAF at RAF West Kirby, GB, 8/1940-9/1940: relations with ex-boxer instructor; hutted accommodation; drill; weapons training and prior experience of shooting; background to prior volunteering for Royal Air Force Marine Craft Section and attestation, 6/1940. Aspects of period on coxswains course with Air-Sea Rescue Service, RAF at RAF Calshot, GB, 2/1941-5/1941: signal training; inshore navigation; handling pinnaces and seaplane tenders. Aspects of period as NCO with Marine Craft Section attached to No 17 Balloon Centre, Humber Barrage, Balloon Command, RAF at Kingston upon Hull, GB, 9/1941-2/1942: auxiliary staff employed with barrage balloons; organisation of balloons moored to barges in River Humber; role maintaining links with barges using motorboat; story illustrating incompetence of NCO in sinking of motorboat; story of being disciplined for opening fire on German Air Force aircraft attacking balloons.
REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of period as NCO with Marine Craft Section, RAF at RAF Cromarty, GB, 4/1942-12/1942: 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 period as NCO with Marine Craft Section attached to 204 Sqdn at Bathurst, Gambia, 1/1943-8/1943: troopship voyage from GB to Bathurst, Gambia; hospitalisation with appendicitis; anti-malaria precautions; hutted accommodation; snakes.
REEL 6 Continues: crocodile hunts in bomb scows; duties towing squadron Short Sunderland Flying Boats in River Gambia; unofficial activities ferrying Royal Navy seamen; cigarettes; relations with African civilians; background to application to volunteer for aircrew, 1943 including prior failed applications, change to central assessment of applications, selections tests and decision to train as air gunner. Aspects of training as air gunner with No 1 Elementary Air Gunnery School, RAF at RAF Bridlington and RAF Bridgnorth, GB, 11/1943-12/1943: lectures; story of being caught inadequately cleaning accommodation; status as cadets; recreational activities; story of meeting officer from 204 Sqdn. Recollections of training with No 4 Air Gunnery School, RAF at RAF Morpeth, GB, 1/1944-3/1944: 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 Avro Anson onto ground targets on coastal firing range.
REEL 7 Continues: story of air 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 fate of failed cadets. Aspects of period as air gunner with No 18 Operational Training Unit, RAF at RAF Finningley, GB, 4/1944-6/1944: role of unit in training bomber crews; nature of Vickers Wellington; informal formation of crews; lectures on escaping if made prisoner of war and escape equipment carried; formation of crew as rear gunner with pilot Pilot Officer Ken Moore, navigator Flight Sergeant Ian Miller, wireless operator Flying Officer Roland 'Roly' Goodes, bomb aimer Sergeant Stan Hammond, mid-upper gunner Sergeant Frank Harvey; nature of 'Nickel' operations dropping propaganda leaflets and acting as D Day diversion over Northern France, 5/1944; German Air Force night fighter attacks on return flight; tail turret layout in Vickers Wellington and method of firing Browning Machine Gun.
REEL 8 Continues: rear turret sight; attending gunnery course. Aspects of period as rear gunner with No 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF at RAF Lindholme, 7/1944-8/1944: nature of Handley Page Halifax; problems with electrical rather than hydraulic turrets; camera gun exercises with Supermarine Spitfire. Aspects of period as air gunner at No 1 Lancaster Finishing School, RAF at RAF Hemswell, 22/8/1944-27/8/1944: characteristics of Avro Lancaster; 'corkscrew' evasive manoeuvre; dinghy drill; demonstration of effects of oxygen starvation; arrival of Flight Engineer Jimmy Grindley. Recollections of operations as NCO and officer with A Flight, 576 Sqdn, No 1 Group, Bomber Command in GB, 8/1944-1/1945: reception at RAF Elsham Wolds; name tags worn; opinion of Squadron Leader Basil Templeman-Rooke and Wing Commander Boyd 'Shrub' Sellick; story of being disciplined for riding bicycle; ruses employed by prostitutes to claim money from deceased air crew; relations with commissioned air crew and role of gunnery leader; hutted accommodation; daily check of aircraft and rear gun turret.
REEL 9 Continues: checking of rear turret and removal of Perspex panel to improve vision; operational briefings including meteorology and nature of target; use of Avro Lancaster in ground support operations 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 received from station personnel; role searching for German Air Force night fighter aircraft.
REEL 10 Continues: risk of German Air Force night fighter aircraft attacking from below using angled cannon; German Air Force night fighter and anti-aircraft dispositions; effects of German anti-aircraft fire; bombing run; target H2S Radar photos; background to using unofficial route home to evade German Air Force night fighter aircraft; opening fire on German Air Force Junkers Ju 88 aircraft their resemblance to Bristol Beaufighter; reluctance to use chemical toilet; story illustrating good luck superstition of urinating on aircraft's rear tyre prior to take off; effects of cold in flight conditions; issue of amphetamine tablets and sweets; danger of German Air Force intruder fighter attacks during landing; airfield lights and Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) system installed at RAF 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 by 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 German searchlight 'coning' and predicted anti-aircraft fire.
REEL 12 Continues: 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 operation to Cologne, 28/10/1944; story of landing on top of Avro Lancaster after landing lights were switched off during final approach at RAF Fiskerton; opinion of United States Army Air Force Boeing B-17 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, 5/1/1945; personal morale and question of superstition; last raid of tour on Munich, Germany, 7/1/1945. Reflections on service with Royal Air Force: administrative course; commission; role as recruiting officer; service in air traffic control branch; question of effects of wartime service.