D'Arcy, Michael (Oral history)

British civilian seaman worked with tenders in Scapa Flow, GB, 1941; served as ordinary seaman aboard HMS Primordial, Royal Naval Patrol Service based at Scapa Flow, 1941-1942; served as officer aboard HMS Vansittart on Atlantic Convoy, 1943; served aboard HMS Gore in North Atlantic, Western Approaches and English Channel, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in St John's Wood, London, 1923-1939: social circumstances; education; work as office boy, 1937-1939; recruitment following German invasion of Poland as messenger for Air Raid Precautions Unit, 1/9/1939; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; duties as messenger at Headquarters, ARP, Baker Street; transfer to Report and Control Centre, ARP, Marylebone Library, 9/1939; Anderson and Morrison air raid shelters; blackout; rationing. Recollections of duties as guard with R&CC, ARP, Marylebone Library, 9/1939-10/1940: shift system; exercises; landmine incident; guard duties; role of wardens. Work as office clerk for Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Company in Fulham, and Caithness House, Fraserbergh, Scotland, 10/1940-6/1941: duties; move of HQ to Scotland, 12/1940. REEL 2 Continues: accommodation; accommodation at Caithness House; concert party for 'Comforts for Forces' fund; testing fire escape equipment; learning trade in factory. Work as cook aboard Hazeal fishing boat and as tender in Scapa Flow, Orkney Isles, 6/1941-9/1941: interest in joining Royal Navy; duties whilst inshore fishing; voyage to Scapa Flow; work for Drifter Office at Lyness; role as tender to Home Fleet; conditions; seeking transfer as deckhand to drifter about to be taken over by Royal Navy. Recollections of period as deckhand aboard Primordial, Royal Naval Patrol Service based at Scapa Flow, 9/1941-11/1942: composition of crew; role as tender to battleships; story of being fitted with Lewis gun prior to voyage outside Scapa Flow; duties; coaling ship; removing ashes. Relationship with RN personnel; question of being put forward for commission. Attending Admiralty Selection Board at Portsmouth, 1942: train journey; accommodation in Sailors' Rest, Southsea; interview; question of lack of formal naval training. Recollections of attachment to preliminary course of combined operations at HMS Europa Shore Station, Lowestoft, 12/1942-2/1943: billets; drill; cross country runs; seamanship training and value of prior experience; passing Admiralty Selection Board, ca 1943. Recollections of attending HMS Alfred Shore Station at Hove and Lancing College, ca 2/1943-5/1943: similarity of seamanship courses; signals training; navigation; lectures on history of RN; relationship with and origins of cadets; 4" gun drill. REEL 4 Continues: question of cadets returned to unit; examinations and passing out as acting sub-lieutenant, 5/1943. Period attending navigation course at Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 6/1943-7/1943: use of sextant and method of working out position; officers' mess; drinking habits. Recollections of asdic course at HMS Osprey Shore Station, Dunnoon, ca 7/1943: background to specialisation in asdic; principles and operation of asdic set; cleaning wax out of ears to improve hearing; interpretation of asdic echoes; use of mechanical plot to determine relative course and speed of ship and submarine; setting depth charges and dropping patterns. REEL 5 Continues: simulated anti-submarine exercises; use of 'doppler' effect to determine course of submarines. Period on practical A/S training based at Campbeltown, ca 7/1943-8/1943: nature of exercises; use of hedgehog mortar firing dummy bombs; qualification as A/S control officer. Recollections of posting as officer under training to HMS Vansittart, B7 Escort Group on Atlantic convoy, 8/1943: joining ship at Londonderry, Northern Ireland; nature of ship; officer's cabin; relationship with officers; opinion of Commander Grettan; watch system and duties as junior office of watch; role monitoring convoy discipline; zig-zag patterns; automatic and controlled asdic sweeps; procedure on receiving asdic echo; bridge routine and role of personnel including uniform, helmsman, signaller and captain. REEL 6 Continues: role as officer under training; local leave at St Johns, Newfoundland; return convoy; story of guarding broken down merchant ship, method of towing her back and subsequent salvage payment. Voyage aboard Queen Mary to New York, US, 9/1943. Period at Barbazon Plaza Hotel, HMS Saker Shore Station, New York, 9/1943: reception; US hospitality. Period at Monteroy Hotel, Asbury Park, New Jersey, 9/1943-10/1943: practice in use of sextant and celestial navigation; US hospitality. Recollections of joining HMS Gore at Charleston Naval Yard, Boston, 10/1943: nature of ship including welded construction, 3" guns, bunks, US fittings and officers' cabins beneath bridge. REEL 4 Continues: nature of ship including wardroom, diesel electric engines, 144 asdic set, echo sounder, depth charge fittings, hedgehog mortar, 3" and Oerlicken armament; opinion of Lieutenant Commander Reeves-Brown, First Lieutenant Anthony Terry, Lieutenant Anthony Terry, Lieutenant Bill Mock, Gunnery Officer Lieutenant C L P S Taylor, Chief Engineer Lieutenant J G Woodburn, Navigating Officer Sub lieutenant John Tyack, Midshipman Philip Thornton, Coxswain Chief Petty officer Wheeler, Yeoman of Signals Leading telegraphist Ken Taylor, Leading Seaman Royce Chadwick-Benson and Asdic operators; initial officer accommodation in naval yard; responsibility of safety and updating of confidential books; role as foc'sle divisional officer; question of lack of watch keeping certificate and joint watches with Lieutenant Bill Mock. REEL 8 Continues: preparations for sea; commissioning ship; sea trials accompanied by dockyard personnel; story of problem with breech of 3" gun and accidental firing of live shell over Boston; engine and gunnery trials; success in A/S exercises using US equipment at Cisco Bay Training Centre. Working up trials at Bermuda, 11/1943-12/1943. Voyage via Argentia, Newfoundland to GB, 12/1943-1/1944. Recollections of period with 1st Escort Group based at Pollock Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1/1943-2/1944: opinion of Commander Clive Gwimmer; role as hunter-killer A/S group guided by briefings from Admiralty; officers wardroom parties and drinking habits; recreations ashore in Belfast; engagement to be married; depot ship HMS Caroline; question of removal of US fittings; effectiveness of water evaporation condensers. Recollections of anti-submarine sweep with 1st EG in Bay of Biscap and off Azore, 2/1944-3/1944: training exercises en route. REEL 9 Continues: training exercises en route; account of sinking of U 91, 25/2/1944, including asdic contact made by Chadwick-Benson, hearing U Boat engines through hydrophone, call to bridge, use of series of single asdic sound waves sent by Morse key, success in identifying U Boat at 8,000 yards, notifying Gwimmer on high frequency wireless, method of launching 'C' pattern depth charge attack, picking up asdic echo astern, opening fire with 3" gun and Oerlcken on surfaced U 91, ceasing fire as German crew abandoned ship, use of scrambling net to pick up survivors, abandoning remaining survivors in water following orders from Gwimmer; and photograph of U 91 during action; question of interrogation and accommodation of German prisoners; medical clinics run by German doctor; relationship with German officers; account of action with U 358, 1/3/1944-2/3/1944, including initial depth charge and hedgehog attacks, depth and manoeuvring of U 358 and attempt to exhaust air supply. REEL 10 Continues: account of action with U 358, 1/3/1944-2/3/1944, including us e of simultaneous 'creep' attack guided by HMS Affleck and effects of depth charge attack; detachment to carry German prisoners to Gibraltar; reports of subsequent sinking of HMS Gould and U 358; repairs at Oran; civic reception on return to Belfast; reactions to loss of HMS Gould and replacement by HMS Whittaker. Recollections of A/S operations based at Pollock Dock, Belfast, 3/1944-5/1944: nature of patrols; refuelling from oil tanker; background to loss of HMS Whittaker including taking survivors aboard, loss of officers, boarding party aboard HMS Whittaker, method of getting food to boarding party using Carley float and handing HMS Whittaker over to tug; news of death of brother serving with RAF. Operations in English Channel, 5/1944-12/1944: prior period anchored off Anglesey; sealed orders; role securing invasion area from U Boats, 6/6/1944. REEL 11 Continues: initial role in A/S screen; escorting night supply convoys; A/S sweeps; sinking of HMS Capel and HMS Affleck, 26/12/1944. Aspects of operations, 12/1944-5/1945: partial break up of group; story of intercepting German U Boat surrender signal; taking U Boat surrender in Western Approaches, ca 6/5/1945; paying off at Hartlepool, ca 5/1945-6/1945. Period aboard HMS Bentley, ca 7/1945-9/1945: circumstances of posting; preparations for Far East service at Cardiff; VJ Day, 8/8/1945; voyage to decommission in US, ca 8/1944-9/1944; prior marriage, 10/1944. Period aboard HMS Cygnet based at Devonport, 10/1945-6/1946: promotion to lieutenant; joining ship on re-commissioning; role as radar training ship; question of taking regular commission; procedure on demobilisation, 6/1946. Post-war career: background to return to work for Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Company. REEL 12 Continues: review of career with Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Company; value of naval experience; membership of Royal Naval Assoc and Captain Class Assoc; contact with former crew members of HMS Gore.