Description
Object description
British seaman served aboard HMS Widemouth, HMS Newfoundland, HMS Squirrel, HMS Centaur and HMS Bermuda, 1952-1962
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in India, 1935-1947: lifestyle at Sambah; faunae; Indian servants; father's war service; move to Bangalore; parents' divorce; education at St George's College, Mussoorie, 1944-1946; father's re-marriage. Voyage aboard Empire Ken to GB, 11/1947-12/1947. Periods in Bridlington and Glapwell, 1947-1951: first impressions of GB; question of progress of education; background to volunteering to join Royal Navy, 1/1951.
REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine as boy recruit at HMS Ganges Shore Station, Shotley, 1/1951-6/1952: reception and kitting out; barrack room; marking personal equipment; food rations; seamanship training; masthead drill; swimming test; drill; cutter training; gun drill on 4" turret; rifle range; gun laying; gas mask training; PT and sport; relationship with recruits and instructors; punishments.
REEL 3 Continues: question of contact with officers; educational and seamanship classes; afternoon routine; signals training; evening routine; disruption to training caused by hospitalisations. Recollections of period as boy seaman aboard HMS Widemouth Bay, 6/1952-12/1952: first impressions; boys' mess deck; hammocks; watch system; painting canvas; sailors needles; cleaning ship; lookout duty; question of seasickness; canteen messing system and cook of mess; cruise into Arctic waters; watch duties; firing Squid projector and depth charges.
REEL 4 Continues: visits ashore during visit to Norway; taking up smoking; periods at Harwich; interest in radar. Recollections of service aboard HMS Newfoundland, 1/1953-8/1956: becoming ordinary seaman and men's' messdeck; cleaning ship; voyage out to Trincomalee, Ceylon on East Indies station; hockey activities; watch system and routine duties; action stations as loader in A 6" gun turret; effect of 6" guns firing; director firing system; minimal firing practice in 6" gun; move to cruise off Korea, 3/1953; situation; relationship with lower deck and causes of fights; relationship with petty officers and officers.
REEL 5 Continues: return to Trincomalee, 5/1953; escorting royal party; goodwill visits to various countries; rating as able seaman; shore visit recreations at Singapore; recreations and gambling; question of drug use; ship's photographer; laundry service; nature of goodwill visits including hockey match and civilian hospitality; return to GB and decommission, 5/1954; staying with ship on re-commission and return to Far East station; relationship with new crew; goodwill visits while based at Singapore; parade in Bangkok, Thailand; action stations as loader on Bofors gun crew; question of ear protection; visit to Australia and hitch hiking exercise.
REEL 6 Continues: policing area of atomic tests; decommission at Singapore and flight back to GB, 8/1956; long leave spent in Glapwell. Period aboard HMS Squirrel, 11/1956-6/1958: fishing protection role off South Coast and arrest of French fishing boats within 3 mile limit; wooden construction of ship; routine duties and attitude to promotion; 14 man crew; cooking rota; visits to various ports; cricket activities. Period training as radar operator at HMS Dryad Shore Station, 6/1958-11/1958: interest in radar; operation of 960 and 293 sets and plot table; operation of air radar system; limited theoretical training and role of radar mechanics; communications training.
REEL 7 Continues: speech training using wire tape recorder. Period as radar operator aboard HMS Centaur, 11/1958-11/1960: bunk beds; cafeteria messing system; rum ration; action station as reporter and plotter on 293 radar set and plotting table in operations room; circumstances of series of fatalities during commission; vertigo attacks; tour round Far East; bombing raids on insurgents in Aden; loss of helicopter; story of expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjero, Tanganyika.
REEL 8 Continues: 'crossing the line' ceremonies; opinion of captain; decommissioning in GB. Recollections of period aboard HMS Bermuda, 12/1960-5/1962: status as senior rating; responsibility within bosun's party for wiring and splicing; methods of splicing wires and ropes; goodwill visits in West Indies including visit to Hamilton, Bermuda; discharge as time expired, 5/1962. Post-service career: studying to obtain qualification in marine radio; career as radio officer in Merchant Marine, 1964-1965; marriage; work in factories in Middlesbrough area.