Trott, Basil Arthur (Oral history)

British boy seaman and seaman served aboard HMS Exeter in Atlantic, 1939-1940

REEL 1 Recollections of period as boy seaman and seaman aboard HMS Exeter in South Atlantic, 1936-1939: initial impressions of ship; duties on South American Station; messing arrangements; opinion of ship's captain; weekly routine; practising action stations; return to GB, 8/1939; placing of ship on war footing, 9/1939; patrolling off South American coast, 9/1939-12/1939. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Exeter during Battle of River Plate, 12/1939: Commodore Harwood; method of firing of ship's guns; Graf Spee's use of radar to target her guns; reaction to sighting of Graf Spee; taking up action station in Y turret. REEL 2 Continues: cramped conditions in turret; reaction to prospect of being in action; under fire from Graf Spee; loss of power to Y Turret; sight of casualties after action; damage to ship; dealing with casualties in signals remote control room; burial of casualties at sea; captain's issue of rum on evening of battle; noise in turret during action; participation in march on return to London, 1940; importance of Battle of River Plate.