Interview with John Henry Harvey-Jones

British midshipman served aboard HMS Diomede, 8th Cruiser Sqdn in Pacific and South Atlantic, 1941-1942; served aboard HMS Ithuriel, 13th Destroyer Flotilla in Mediterranean, 3/1942-11/1942, including bombing and beaching off Bône, French Algeria; served aboard HMS Quentin, 3rd Destroyer Flotilla in Mediterranean, 11/1942-12/1942, including sinking off Cape Bon, Tunisia, 2/12/1942; served aboard HMS King George V, Home Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1943; officer served aboard submarine HMS Voracious in North Sea and Mediterranean, 4/1944-11/1944; served aboard submarine HMS Sea Scout, 8th Submarine Flotilla in Indian Ocean, 12/1944-8/1945

REEL 1 Background in GB and India, 1924-1937: family; education; desire to become lawyer. Aspects of period as cadet at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, 1937-1941: joining Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, 1937; opinion of education received; passing out of college, 1941. Aspects of operations as midshipman aboard HMS Diomede, 8th Cruiser Sqdn in Pacific and South Atlantic, 1941-1942: joining ship in Vancouver, Canada; role of ship hunting German Navy commerce raiders in Pacific; relations with American civilians on western seaboard prior to United States of America's entry into Second World War; duties in South Atlantic. Aspects of operations as midshipman aboard HMS Ithuriel, 13th Destroyer Flotilla in Mediterranean, 3/1942-11/1942: appointment to ship; move to Mediterranean for Operation Torch, the landings in North Africa, 11/1942; bombing by German Air Force and beaching of ship off Bône, French Algeria 27/11/1942. Aspects of operations as midshipman aboard HMS Quentin, 3rd Destroyer Flotilla in Mediterranean, 11/1942-12/1942: joining ship in Bône, French Algeria, 11/1942; in action against Italian convoy, 2/12/1942; torpedoing of ship by German submarine, U-162 off Cape Bon, Tunisia, 2/12/1942 REEL 2 Continues: abandoning ship; loss of possessions; return to GB. Aspects of period as midshipman aboard HMS King George V, Home Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1943: drafting to battleship at Scapa Flow; attitude to service on big ships; leaving ship and promotion to sub-lieutenant. Aspects of operations as officer aboard submarine HMS Voracious in North Sea and Mediterranean, 4/1944-12/1944: attitude to service aboard submarines; lessons learnt during submarine service; shortage of water aboard submarines; conditions on board submarines; number of torpedoes carried; firing of torpedoes; restrictions on speed and manoeuvrability; problems with weather conditions during 1st War Patrol in North Sea, 30/6/1944-18/7/1944; operations during 2nd and 3rd War Patrol in Aegean Sea, 9/1944-11/1944; contact with Special Boat Service caiques. Aspects of operations as officer aboard submarine HMS Sea Scout, 8th Submarine Flotilla in Indian Ocean, 12/1944-8/1945: joining submarine in Ceylon. REEL 3 Continues: opinion of captain Lieutenant James Kelly; reasons for being placed under open arrest; treatment of captain Lieutenant James Kelly on return voyage to GB; passage of submarine across Indian Ocean; treatment of crews of sunken small craft; ashore in Perth, Australia; operating off Dutch East Indies; age of submarine; conditions on board; attitude to prospect of being captured by Japanese. Aspects of various appointments with Royal Navy, 1945-1957: accidental sinking of his submarine, 1945; learning Russian language at University of Cambridge; counter espionage duties in Bremen, Germany; relations with Soviets; intelligence duties; question of leadership in British military and society; memories of Admiral Bruce Fraser. REEL 4 Continues: illustration of how reports were handled; attitude to service aboard HMS Amethyst during Korean War; pattern of appointments, 1950s; reasons for leaving Royal Navy, 1957. Aspects of civilian employment with Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in GB, 1957: joining company as work study manager; opinion of management; attitude towards career; dealing with incinerator problem; role as Divisional Director, 1968-1973; appointment to main board of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), 1973; changes to board; changing role of non-executive board members; managing company through 1970s; his managements style; appointment of company chairman. REEL 5 Continues: calibre of management in Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI); opinion of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's policies during the miners' strike.