Interview with William Laurie

British boy telegraphist trained at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1935-1937; boy telegraphist and telegraphist served aboard HMS Eagle on China Station, 1937-1939; served aboard HMS Black Swan, Rosyth Escort Force, Home Fleet in GB coastal waters, North Sea and Norway, 1/1940-12/1940; petty officer served aboard submarine HMS Taku, 1st Submarine Flotilla in GB coastal waters and Mediterranean, 11/1941-2/1943; served aboard HMS Taku, 4th Submarine Flotilla in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 3/1943-4/1944; served aboard submarine HMS Trident, 4th Submarine Flotilla in Indian Ocean, 12/1944-9/1945

REEL 1 Background in Chepstow and Cardiff, GB, 1920-1931: family; education. Aspects of period as schoolboy with Royal Naval Hospital School in Greenwich and Holbrook, GB, 1931-1935: accommodation at Greenwich; changes in organisation on move to Holbrook; uniform; seamanship training received; discipline; origins of pupils; contrast in schooldays at Greenwich and Holbrook. Aspects of training as boy telegraphist at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1935-1937: arrival at HMS Ganges; allocation to telegraphist training; daily routine; duties as instructor boy; discipline and attitude to it; accommodation and messing arrangements; contact with family; opinion of food. Aspects of period as boy telegraphist and telegraphist aboard HMS Eagle on China Station, 1937-1939: drafting to aircraft carrier at Devonport; initial impressions of carrier; duties in wireless office; wireless office routine; continuing education; action station; mess life; discipline. REEL 2 Continues: changes in service on promotion to telegraphist; role of carrier; recreational activities; duties ashore in Tsehin; impressions of Chinese; ashore in China and Hong Kong; case of venereal disease; awareness of situation in Europe; duties on wireless station at Singapore; reaction to declaration of Second World War during return voyage to GB, 9/1939. Aspects of operations as telegraphist aboard HMS Black Swan, Rosyth Escort Force, Home Fleet in GB coastal waters, North Sea and Norway, 1/1940-12/1940: drafting to anti-aircraft cruiser, 1/1940; convoy escort duties; bomb damage to ship during Norwegian campaign, 4/1940; anti-aircraft role of ship during campaign in Norway; German Air Force attacks on ship; Captain Albert Poland's reaction to German Air Force's bombing of ship off Norway, 27/3/1940; return to GB, 28/3/1940; leaving ship after mining and promotion, 11/1940. Aspects of training with Submarine Service in GB, 1941: reasons for volunteering for submarines. REEL 3 Continues: submarine training at HMS Elfin, Blyth; drafting to submarine HMS Oberon; attending petty officer telegraphist course. Recollections of operations as petty officer telegraphist aboard submarine HMS Taku, 1st Submarine Flotilla in GB coastal waters and Mediterranean, 11/1941-2/1943: drafting to submarine, 11/1941; accommodation; clothing worn; water restrictions; toilet facilities; provision and storage of rations; messing arrangements; watch keeping in wireless room dealing with signals traffic; watch system worked; duties during attack; discipline and crew relations; recreational activities during patrols. REEL 4 Continues: joining flotilla in Alexandria, Egypt; patrols in Mediterranean; method of attacking Axis shipping; under depth charge attack; incident when submarine attacked Italian Navy experimental Asdic vessel; sinking of German troop transport; thirty six hours lying on bottom after attack; landing commandoes at Benghazi, Libya; contact with family; sinking of submarine depot ship HMS Medway, 30/6/1942; move to Haifa, Palestine; conditions on board; size of crew; rum ration; relations with submarine's captain and crew. Aspects of operations as petty officer telegraphist aboard submarine HMS Taku, 4th Submarine Flotilla in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 3/1943-4/1944: return to GB to join 4th Submarine Flotilla, 3/1943; patrols off coast of Norway, mining of submarine, 4/1944. Aspects of operations as petty officer telegraphist aboard submarine HMS Trident, 4th Submarine Flotilla in Indian Ocean, 12/1944-9/1945: drafting to submarine in GB, 10/1944. REEL 5 Continues: award of Distinguished Service Medal; character of T Class submarines; operations in Malacca Strait; conditions on board; duration and nature of patrols; landing American agents; stopping junks and sinking them; hearing message of atomic bombs being dropped on Japan, 8/1945; on station using radio beacon to guide aircraft into Singapore, Malaya, 8/1945; return to GB; contact with family; arrival in Gosport, GB, 9/1945. Aspects of period as petty officer with Submarine Service in GB and Australia, 1946-1955: joining submarine HMS Trump, 1946; duties of submarine; duties aboard submarine depot ship HMS Maidstone in Malta, 1948-1950; duties as Chief Regulating Petty Officer at HMS Dolphin, Gosport, 1950-1953; joining submarine HMS Tactician in Australia, 1953-1955; refitting in Singapore; return to general service, 11/1955. REEL 6 Continues: reasons for return to general service as wireless instructor; end of service and leaving Royal Navy, 1960; civilian career with British Broadcasting Corporation after leaving Royal Navy; adjusting to civilian life; reasons why submarine HMS Taku was his happiest ship; service on board submarines and language used amongst submariners; flying of Jolly Roger; attitude to service in submarines.