Butt, David Patrick (Oral history)

British signaller served aboard HMS Aisne, 1953-1954; served with Headquarters, NATO, Malta, 1954-1956; served aboard HMS Reward, 1956-1958, served aboard HMRY Britannia, 1958-1959; served aboard HMS Cassandra in Far East, 1960-1962; served as yeoman of signals with Naval Signal Office, Whitehall, London, 1962-1965

REEL 1 Recollections of background in North Finchley, London, 1935-1952: family background and social circumstances; education; effects of war, 1939-1945, including air raid shelters, German air raids, V1s, story of suspected German spy, rationing and sweets, seeing father home on leave, visits to Devon, holidays in Cleethorpes, VE Day, 8/5/1945 and street party; influence of uncle's service in HMS Ganges Shore Station, Royal Navy. REEL 2 Continues: influence of uncle's service in HMS Ganges Shore Station, Royal Navy; interest in joining Merchant Marine; background to recruitment into RN, 1951. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during training as boy signaller at HMS Ganges Shore Station, Shotley, 1/1952-6/1953: train journey; reception in annexe; kitting out; relationship with instructors, instructor boys and boy recruits; barracks accommodation; washing, ironing and labelling uniform; washing and importance of personal hygiene; food rations; drill. REEL 3 Continues: PT and cross country runs; lectures; assessment and selections as leading boy on move into main camp; question of parcels and letters form home; question of home sickness; swimming lessons and tests; preparing for kit and room inspections; reactions to 'bull'; treatment of inadequate boy recruit; punishments; inspections parades; opinion of instructors; role as leading boy; selections as guard commander. REEL 4 Continues: role as guard commander; weekly mast drill; seamanship training including knots and splices, cutters and whalers, heaving lines, rules of road, lifeboat drill, damage control and story of accident during fire control exercise; visual signal training including initial aptitude test, Morse code and semaphore. REEL 5 Continues: visual signalling training including flag signalling system, voice procedure, coding, fleet work manoeuvring convoy formations and assessment; recreations; divisions parade and church parade; acting as beaters on rabbit hunt; erecting sandbag beach defences during East Coast floods, 1952; importance of competitive approach illustrated by training in coaling ship and field gun race. REEL 6 Continues: punishments; canteen; passing out parade. Period as extra signaller aboard HMS Rocket acting as relay ship during Spithead Fleet Review in Solent, 6/1953-7/1953. Recollections of period as signaller aboard HMS Aisne, 12th Destroyer Sqdn, Home Fleet, 7/1953-8/1954: status of Chatham as Home Port; reception; nature of communications messdeck; hammocks; role of leading signaller in mess. REEL 7 Continues: role of leading signaller in mess; general messing system, cooks of mess and food; cocoa; watch system; signal duties on bridge and relationship with officers; status of midshipman; duties on flag deck and after control station; cleaning ship; anti-submarine, torpedo and gunnery exercises; fleet convoy exercises; courtesy visits to GB coastal ports and resorts; visits to various countries. REEL 8 Continues: visit during Olympic Games to Helsinki, Finland including shadowing Soviet ship, presence of government observers and visits ashore; role providing safety cover during Queen Elizabeth flight to Canada; question of seasickness; crew morale and relationship with ratings; recreations and sporting activities; naval regatta in Scapa Flow; question of drinking habits and fights during visits ashore. Period in Chatham Barracks, 8/1954-11/1954. Period with communications staff t NATO Headquarters, Florianna, Malta, 11/1954-4/1956: flight out and reception; accommodation at Camarata Barracks, Valetta; question of discipline and conditions of service as NATO personnel. REEL 9 Continues: signal duties and question of security clearance; opinion of Commander in Chief Lord Mountbatten; watch system and signals personnel; recreations; NATO exercises. Period on leading signaller course at HMS Mercury Signal School, Petersfield, 4/1956-2/1958. Recollections of period as able signaller aboard HMS Reward, 8/1956-2/1958: nature of ship as ocean going tug; duties; role towing targets for naval gunnery practices; stories of towing ships and floating dock; effects of bad weather during voyage as supervising tug to collect HMS Vanguard from Gibraltar; towing ropes; promotion to leading signaller and retention on ship; background to applying for posting to HMS Britannia. REEL 10 Continues: supervising towing of HMS Vanguard to GB; story of tow line breaking whilst towing target drogue. Recollections of period aboard HMS Britannia, 2/1958-10/1959: special uniform; joining ship at Portsmouth; permanent and temporary crews; first impressions of ship; painting ship; nature of communications messdeck and story of fitted wood panelling; method of issuing orders and dress of day; world tour with Duke of Edinburgh including hi personal staff, purpose of trip, role of female working party in cleaning ship at Hong Kong, reception during visits to South Pacific Islands and Borneo, football matches and opinion of Duke of Edinburgh; nature of royal quarters; role of royal yacht in providing periods of privacy for royal family; itinerary of Duke of Edinburgh tour. REEL 11 Continues: review of various short trips; story of accident during firework display; visit to Cowes, Isle of Wight; question of signal duties and role typing out news bulletins; cruise with Queen Elizabeth and royal family to Canada including Queen's flight out to avoid seasickness, ship's rolling characteristics, opening St Lawrence seaway, reception, opinion of Prince Charles and Princess Anne, local leave with relative, story of losing anchor, attached Canadian naval personnel, reception from French Canadians at Ottawa and visits to US; autumn royal family visits to Western Islands; question of secondary function as hospital ship; question of Queen's royal duties and relaxations aboard ship; question of joining permanent crew. REEL 12 Continues: story of dressing with bunting flags on entering ports illustrating Queen's sense of humour; opinion of Princess Margaret. Period in Chatham Barracks, 10/1959-4/1960. Recollections of period aboard HMS Cassandra on Far East service, 4/1960-3/1962: adoption of ship by Daily Mirror; growing beard during voyage out to Singapore; party and visit by 'Cassandra' journalist; cancellation of visit to Australia to counter possible invasion by Egypt of Kuwait; return to Singapore; enjoyment of Far East service; visits ashore at Hong Kong; relationship with Australian naval ratings; missing exercise through football knee injury; detachment for naval exercise aboard HMS Belfast including crowded messdecks, relationship with signallers and preference for small ships; background to crew flying back to GB, 3/1962. Attending signals yeoman course at HMS Mercury Signal School, Petersfield, 3/1962-8/1962. REEL 13 Period at Naval Signal Office, HMS President Shore Station, Whitehall, London, 9/1962-9/1965: role of unit; duties; question of effects of promotion to yeoman; question of signing on for extra service including prior marriage, 8/1952, slow promotion and likelihood of overseas service; question of post service career and securing position wit engineering firm. Procedure on leaving Royal Navy at Portsmouth Barracks, 9/1965. Post-service career: career as office manager with engineering and petrochemical firms; value of naval experience; membership of Royal Naval Association.