Description
Object description
British officer served as Instructor Officer on board HMS Hermes during Falklands War, 1982. Served with Naval Public Affairs Branch, later Media Relations Specialisation in GB, the Gulf, Kosovo and Oman, 1987-2002
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of family and educational background. Recollections of period with Royal Navy, 1969-1982: reasons for joining navy, 1969; education policy; tutoring on Ark Royal, 1975; attitude towards service on Ark Royal; description of training at Dartmouth, 1969; work as instructor at HMS Ganges, 1970s; variety of cadets; naval traditions; move to HMS Caledonian, Rosythe; attitude of Navy towards marriage; lecturing students on background to Cold War.
REEL 2 Continues: description of Lieutenants course at Greenwich; postings to HMS Ark Royal and Nelson; posting to RAF Henlow; teaching at Naval Engineering College, Plymouth. Recollections of period on board HMS Hermes, Falklands, 1982: learning of Falklands crisis; posting to HMS Hermes as replacement Instructor Officer; preparations at Portsmouth Dock; attitude towards Naval history and tradition; cutting back of fleet; attitude of Royal Navy towards Falklands crisis.
REEL 3 Continues: Instructor Officers duties; responsibility for press on board Hermes; arrival of aircraft; expectations of blockade of Falklands; opinion of Sea Wolf missile; media personnel on board ship; treatment of media personnel by Navy; members of Press Association on board, Peter Archer and Martin Cleaver; difficulties for media personnel on board Invincible; problems for media in getting stories back to base.
REEL 4 Continues: description of Marisat transmission system on board tanker, Olmeda; living conditions for media personnel; attitude of Commander Tony Moran towards media; films shown for ships entertainment; departure from Portsmouth; story of getting Bernard Hesketh's film off of Hermes before departure; lack of guidance for role as press liaison; attitude of Navy towards media; attitude of Captain Middleton towards the media; decision to be helpful to media; lack of official rules for dealing with the media.
REEL 5 Continues: further loading of ships at Lands End; relations with French; weather conditions in Bay of Biscay; description of anti flash suit; drill for Action Stations; story of being given sole responsibility for the media; training of Marines; test firing of Sea Cat missiles; arrival at Ascension Island; Marine training on Ascension; arrival of Admiral Sandy Woodward and assembly of Task Force; role as PA to Admiral; initial attitude of Admiral Woodward towards press; change in Admiral Woodward's attitude towards the media; transmission of radio reports from the Olmeda.
REEL 6 Continues: role of tanker, Olmeda; setting up of Marisat system by Peter Heaps; journalistic style of Brian Hanrahan; press attention for Harrier pilots; reconnaissance by Russian aircraft; arrival of Argentine reconnaissance aircraft; journalistic styles of Brian Hanrahan and Michael Nicholson; story of Admiral Woodward attempt to use Brian Hanrahan for psychological operations; attempts of media personnel on board to remain objective; reporting style of Michael Nicholson.
REEL 7 Continues: announcement of start of war; reaction to hearing of RAF Vulcans' role in bombing Stanley airstrip; launching of Harriers from HMS Hermes; origins of Brian Hanrahan's line 'I counted them out and I counted them all back again'; broadcasting news of Harrier attacks from Olmeda; success of Vulcan bombers in bombing Stanley airstrip; damage inflicted around airfield by Harriers; Captain Middleton's attitude towards role of Fleet Air Arm aircraft; story of how Flt Lt Tony Penfold shot down an Argentine Mirage; inter service rivalry.
REEL 8 Continues: filming of events of 1/5/1982; film of HMS Brilliant and Broadsword in stormy weather to add drama; story of how Flt Lt Penfold shot down Mirage flown by cousin of Ossie Ardiles; types of Argentine aircraft used in war; atmosphere on board Hermes, 1/5/1982; attitude towards war; similarity of war to training exercises; defending against Exocet missiles; questioning Admiral Woodward about reasons for bombing Stanley; war situation on 2/5/1982.
REEL 9 Continues: events of 2/5/1982; fear of submarine attack; reads from ships log; anticipation of Argentine attack; receiving news of sinking of the Belgrano; story of sinking of Belgrano; attitude towards embargo on reporting sinking until 3/5/1982; attitude towards the sinking; question of Total Exclusion Zone; questions asked about sinking of Belgrano.
REEL 10 Continues: lack of triumph felt at sinking of Belgrano; life below decks after start of war; food and drink; banning of personnel sleeping below water level; lack of action on 3/5/1982; attack on HMS Sheffield, 4/5/1982; arrival of wounded on Hermes; question of filming of casualties; problems of smoke inhalation and use of inflammatory materials; interviewing of Sam Salt by Nicholson and Hanrahan; organising Bernard Hesketh a helicopter trip to film burning Sheffield; reaction of crew of Hermes to showing of film.
REEL 11 Continues: experiences of crew on board Sheffield; impact of loss of Sheffield; beginning of 'phoney war' period; plans if British were to lose an aircraft carrier; lack of news for media during 'phoney war' period; embargo on reporting loss of two Harriers in accident; discussion with BBC and ITV about embargos; contacts with Christopher Lee at BBC; tensions between journalists and Royal Navy; difficult role mediating between Navy and Media; controversy over reporting of Argentine problem with unexploded bombs.
REEL 12 Continues: attitude of Naval colleagues towards his relationship with media; how he was blamed for reporting of 'uncleared information'; method of clearing information; actions against Argentine air force; Brian Hanrahan's reports on attack on Pebble Island; reporting attack on World Service; reporting on unexploded Argentine bombs; embargo on reporting Argentine UXBs; role and style of Ian McDonald, MOD; desire of Nicholson and Hanrahan to get ashore for landings; secrecy surrounding landing site; Naval responsibility for journalists; controversy over leaking of news of landings.
REEL 13 Continues: criticism of him for his role with the media; story of how Nicholson and Hanrahan left Hermes to cover landings at San Carlos; crash of overloaded helicopter carrying SAS; role of keeping ships diary; question of Admiral Woodward's use of aircraft; opinion of sidewinder missile; establishment of airfield near San Carlos; maintenance of aircraft carriers; offer of US aircraft carrier if one destroyed; media confusion over military terms; continuing attacks on Stanley airfield; change of Harrier role from fighter to bomber.
REEL 14 Continues: taking photograph of Harrier taking off in the rain; bomber role of RAF Harriers; story of Flt Lt Mark Hare who was shot down and captured; arrival of more troops; anticipation of action on Argentine National Day, 25/5/1982; setting and invigilating examination for a chief petty officer; call to Action Stations on evening of 25/5; attack on Atlantic Conveyor; witnessing sinking of Atlantic Conveyor; continuing to write ships diary during attack.
REEL 15 Continues: issue of fireproof overalls; photographing burning Atlantic Conveyor; attitude of Captain Middleton towards imparting news to crew; hearing of sinking of HMS Coventry; morale; arrival of two more journalists including the Guardian's Gareth Parry; land based exocet fired into hangar of HMS Glamorgan; story of death of officer whose letters home resulted in anti war play 'Letters from the Falklands'; news of disaster at Bluff Cove; sight of battered HMS Plymouth and Glamorgan; end of war; sight of damaged aircraft returning from missions.
REEL 16 Continues: reaction to end of war; issue of decorations for Falkland Islands War; receiving news that HMS Hermes would be returning to GB; concerns that might restart; story of how Russian cruiser sailed alongside Hermes on journey home; question of performance of British Navy during Falklands War; impact of war on Britain; development of carrier fleets in navies after Falklands War; political consequences of the war; support from France, Chile and America; welcome for Hermes on arrival at Portsmouth; success of his exam candidates on board Hermes.
REEL 17 Continues: duty of writing war diary; content of diary; use of diary post-war; storing original documentation of Falklands War; question of self censorship; attitude towards news coverage of war; question of censorship; myths surrounding the war; Russian situation during the war; attitude towards the Cold War.
REEL 18 Recollections of period with Naval Public Affairs Branch (Media Relations Specialisation), 1987-2002: setting up of Naval Public Affairs Branch, 1984; organisation of Public Affairs Branch; RAF and Army attitude towards Media; role of NPAB; growth of Branch throughout 1980s and 1990s; joining branch on leaving regular Navy; role of branch in peacetime; links with NATO, civil service and public information organisations; posting to Gulf, 10/1990; working with journalists, HMS Cardiff and HMS London; attitude of Government Information Service to the journalists; relations between Navy and Michael Nicholson; coverage of war by Nicholson.
REEL 19 Continues: stories covered in build up to war; question of women on board ships; relationship with GIS; attitude towards GIS ban on filming General de la Billiere's visit to HMS Argos; return to GB; description of Army and Navy pool systems; selection of Michael Nicholson for Naval pool; methods of ITN cameraman, Eugene Campbell; story of how Nicholson got film ashore by helicopter; relations between Nicholson and Navy; restrictions for journalists with Army and Navy pools; lessons learnt re media relations; use of press by Iraqis.
REEL 20 Continues: participating in BBC Radio 4 non stop analysis of Gulf War; controversy over oil released into Gulf; question of success of Scud and Patriot missiles; attitude towards vaccinations issued to servicemen and women; question of Gulf War Syndrome; return to Gulf for bombing campaign, 1998; escorting party of journalists including Kate Adie; HMS Nottingham's role in monitoring Iraq's observance of sanctions.
REEL 21 Continues: ITN film on Iraq's method of getting round oil sanctions; criticism of him for his support for ITN film; relations between Navy and media; attitude of ordinary Naval officers towards media; relations between American military and media; involvement with Battle Management Group, 1992/1993 during Bosnian conflict; posting to Kosovo, 1999; background to situation in Kosovo; role within joint Albanian/Serb radio and TV group; press briefings; putting out news broadcasts; news in relation to Psychological, media and tactical operations; belief that role of MRS should be media operations.
REEL 22 Continues: impressions of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA); KLA decommissioning; working with the Army; posting to Oman to escort media for Operation Saif Sareer; role of MRS branch today.