Fetherston-Dilke, Charles (Oral history)

British midshipman served aboard HMS Rodney, Home Fleet, 1939-1940; served aboard HMS Jervis, 7th Destroyer Flotilla, 1940; served aboard HMS Juno, 1940; served as navigating officer aboard HMS Malcolm, 8 Escort Group, 1941; served aboard HMS Hurricane, B1 Escort Group, 1941-1943; served aboard HMS Riou, 1943-1944; served aboard HMS Hotham, 1944; served as instructor at HMS Vernon Torpedo School, 1945; served as torpedo officer aboard HMS Ajax, 1946-1948; served as instructor with Tactical Section, HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, 1948-1949; served as fleet torpedo/anti-submarine officer aboard HMS Duke of York and HMS Dido, Reserve Fleet, 1950-1952; served as squadron TAS officer aboard HMS Cossack, 8th Destroyer Sqdn in Far East, 1952-1954; served as instructor at HMS Vernon, 1954-1955; served attached as fleet TAS officer to Royal Danish Navy, 1955-1957; served as fleet operations officer, South Atlantic and South American station aboard HMS Afrikander Shore Station, South Africa, 1960-1961; served as military representative of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Pairs, France, 1962-1964; served in command of HMS St Vincent Shore Station, 1964-1966; served as Deputy Director of Defence Plans (Navy) at Ministry of Defence, 1966-1968

REEL 1 Background in Leamington Spa and Maxstow Castle, 1921-1929: family and social circumstances; education and passing naval examination at Bilton Grange Preparatory School, 1929-1934. Recollections of period as cadet at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, 1934-1938: first impressions; daily routine; sporting, beagling and sailing activities; naval history; seamanship;; discipline and relationship with senior boys; opinion of masters; uniform; relationship with cadets including Geoffrey Plaice; role of term officer; passing out. Training cruises aboard HMS Vindictive in West Indies, 9/1938-11/1939. R ecollections of period as midshipman aboard HMS Rodney, Home Fleet, 4/1939-2/1940: first impressions of ship; status as midshipman; duties running ship's boat in harbour. REEL 2 Continues: nature of gunroom; duties in port as midshipman of watch and commander's assistant; duties at sea on bridge and in engine room; navigation training; duties in transmitting station; seamanship training; keeping midshipman's journal and awareness of approach of war; reactions to outbreak of war whilst on sweep for German ships, 3/9/1939; refuelling; period at Scapa Flow; visit to Derrflinger wreck; sweeps into Atlantic; comparison with German ships; attachment to drifter and story of dropping depth charge in Loch Ewe; reactions to sinking of HMS Royal Oak. Recollections of period aboard HMS Jervis, 7th Destroyer Flotilla based at Immingham, 2/1940-4/1940: first impressions; action station as rate officer on director; preference for service on destroyers; opinion of Captain Philip Mack; escorting East Coast convoys; collision with merchant ship. REEL 3 Continues; escorting convoys to Norway and evacuation of French troops, 4/1940. Recollections of period with HMS Juno operating with Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria, Egypt, 4/1940-9/1940: sudden nature of move; naval bombardment of Italian positions on Libyan coast; presence at Battle of Calabria, 9/7/1940, including retirement of Italian ships, duties in charge of 4.7 gun and bombing from Italian aircraft; assisting in decoding signals; Italian torpedo aircraft attack while escorting convoy to Greece; recreations in Alexandria. Period studying for examinations for qualification as sub-lieutenant aboard HMS Malaya, 9/1940-11/1940: story of man overboard; formal nature of gunroom. Voyage as acting sub-lieutenant back to GB, 11/1940-12/1940: skirmish with Italian ships aboard HMS Ramillies whilst Spartivento, 27/11/1940; passage on Franconia. Effects of German air raids during period attending various courses at Gunnery School, HMS Excellent, Torpedo School, HMS Vernon I and II at Portsmouth and Roedean School, Navigation School, HMS Dryad and Signal School, HMS Mercury, 1941. Recollections of period as navigating officer aboard HMS Malcolm, 8 Escort Group at Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 1941: opinion of Commander Howard-Johnston; nature of wardroom and drinking habits; relationship with officers; duties as navigating officer and officer of watch; role escorting Atlantic convoys. REEL 4 Continues: sinking and rescue of German survivors of U651, 29/6/1941; refuelling at Iceland; question of convoy discipline; bad weather; picking up merchantmen survivors and introduction of rescue ships; recreations ashore. Recollections of period aboard HMS Hurricane, B1 Escort Group, Londonderry, 12/1941-9/1943: role as captain's secretary and gunnery officer; nature of ship; convoys to Gibralter; rescue of German survivors of U506; reactions to German invasion of Soviet Union; promotion to lieutenant; relationship with officers and lower deck; opinion of Captain Bill Bayldon; use of HFDF; radar; depth charges; use of 'foxer' to baffle acoustic torpedoes; hedgehog mortar projector; asdic. Recollections of commissioning HMS Riou at Boston, US, 12/1943-1/1944: US programme of building destroyer escorts; voyage out; billets; nature of ship including metal fittings, cafeteria messing system, bunks, laundry, turbo-electric engines and 3" guns. REEL 5 Continues: 3" guns and armament; question of lack of torpedoes; speed of construction; role as 1st lieutenant and organisation of ship stores; commissioning ceremony, ca 1/1944; opinion of Lieutenant Commander Michael Faning; sea trials; background to replacement by Lieutenant Cherry, 1/1940. Recollections of period as 1st Lieutenant aboard HMS Hotham, 2/1944-10/1944: opinion of Lieutenant Commander Sydney Ailes; role as 1st Lieutenant; sea trials; anti-submarine and anti-aircraft trials at Bermuda, 3/1944-4/1944; escorting HMS Indomitable to GB; rolling characteristics of ship; period based at Pollock Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland; nature of refit; working p exercises and view of Spitfire opening fire; move to Portsmouth; escorting HMS Rodney; anti-E-Boat patrols; view of D Day air armada whilst patrolling off Cape Harfleur, 5/6/1944; escorting convoy of tank landing ships to Arromanches, Normandy, France; rescue and medical treatment of survivors from mined Maid of Orleans; story of nude French women visiting ship whilst landing tanks behind German lines at Loquire, Brittany. REEL 6 Continues: escort and anti-E-Boat role. Recollections of period at Torpedo School, HMS Vernon I & II at Portsmouth and Roedean School, 11/1944-7/1945: torpedo mechanism; torpedo control systems; torpedo attack simulator; depth charge pistol mechanism; use of Squid mortar projector; demolition explosives training; contact, magnetic and acoustic mines; electrical training; diving in Portsmouth harbour; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; passing out. Period as instructor in Torpedo Department, HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, 7/1945-12/1945: defusing beached mines; question of career as regular officer. Recollections of period as torpedo officer aboard HMS Ajax, 1946-1948: responsibility for ship's electrical systems; nature of ship; opinion of Captain Cuthbert and Commander Foster-Brown; South American cruise and escorting return home of German POWs from Graf Spee back from Montetevideo. REEL 7 Continues: story of drunken sailor at Montevideo; story of accidental firing of Hedgehog in Charleston Naval Yard, Boston, 1943; move to join Mediterranean Fleet based at Malta; situation ; covering minesweeping operations after destroyers were mined in Corfu Channel; use of rifles to detonate surfaced mines and consequent hearing damage; patrols attempting to prevent Jewish illegal immigrants gaining entry into Palestine; story of interception of Exodus; 'showing the flag' cruises; story hunting expedition in Salonika, 1947; story of meeting Greek displaced person; training as shallow water diver; story of close escape from mine detonation; story of meeting HMNZA Achilles and circumstances of her arrival at Grand Harbour, Valetta; crew morale; former Japanese POW officers; reaction to scrapping of ship; opinion of Captain Brian De Courcy Ireland. REEL 8 Period as instructor with Tactical Section, HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, 6/1948-11/1949: torpedo attack simulator; torpedo tactics; opinion of Lieutenant Commander John Adams; Commonwealth students. Period on anti-submarine course at HMS Osprey Shore Station, Portland, 1/1950-6/1950: sea exercises; story of Lieutenant Peter Roberts VC. Period as fleet torpedo/anti-submarine officer aboard HMS Duke of York and HMS Dido, Reserve Fleet based at Portsmouth, 6/1950-5/1952: nature of ships; role visiting ships checking state of underwater weapons. Recollections of period as squadron TAS officer aboard HMS Cossack, 8th Destroyer Sqdn serving during Korean War in Far East, 8/1952-4/1954: opinion of Captain Wally Adair; nature of ship; base at Kure, Japan; patrols in Yellow Sea; role screening aircraft carrier; shore bombardments; mine threat and story of interrogating Chinese prisoners captured on minelaying motor saipan; story of bombarding coastal railway line; visits ashore at Kure. Voyage aboard HMS Michael back to GB, 4/1954-6/1954. REEL 9 Period on instructing staff of HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, 8/1954-7/1955: duties; promotion to commander, 6/1955. Period attached as fleet TAS officer to Royal Danish Navy based at Copenhagen, Denmark, 9/1955-9/1957: question of learning Danish; duties; Danish attitude to RN; story of near collision with Britannia during royal visit; joint exercises; question of reports on state of Danish navy. Recollections of attending Joint Services Staff College, Latimer, 1/1958-7/1958: syndicates; lectures; story of flight in Javelin aircraft during visit to RAF base; joint service demonstrations; purpose of course. Recollections of period as TAS specialist on directing staff of RN Tactical School, Woolwich, 9/1958-7/1960. Period as fleet operations officer to South Atlantic and South American station aboard HMS Afrikander Shore Station, Cape Town, South Africa, 8/1960-11/1961: size of station; story of amusing incident during Nigerian independence celebrations; controversy over visit aboard HMS Lynx to Luanda; duties monitoring movements of ships on station; rescue operations after volcano eruptions at Tristan da Cunha. REEL 10 Continues; promotion to captain, 12/1961. Period in command of submarine depot ships HMS Maidstone, HMS Adamant and HMS Forth, 5/1962-7/1962. Recollections of period as military representative of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Pairs, France, 8/1962-3/1964: composition of British delegation; briefing from First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Casper John; question of Cuba crisis. Period in command of HMS St Vincent Shore Station, Gosport, 8/1964-8/1966: role training recruits; providing hornpipe party fro Dutch royalty; disciplinary policy; pride in training role; musical bands; absence of homosexuality. Period as Deputy Director of Defence Plans (Navy) at Ministry of Defence, London, 9/1966-9/1968: question of promotion to admiral; nature of role and opinion of Dennis Healey; retirement on death of father to run Maxstow Castle, 1968. Post-service career: role as Justice of peace; death duties; restoration and modernisation of castle; service as county councillor; acting as High Sheriff and Vice Lord Lieutenant of Works.