Lowndes, Tony (Oral history)

British officer served as Royal Marine with 802 Flotilla, in GB and during D-Day Operations, 1944; served with 34th Amphibious Support Regt, Royal Marines in India, 1945-1946

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Surbiton, Kingston Upon Thames and New Malden, London, 1922-1942: family background; review of father's military service, 1914-1918; social circumstances; education and OTC training with Kingston Grammar School, 1936-1940; question of sporting activities; hobbies; effects of outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; fire watching; school air raid exercise; air battles; food rationing; work as junior clerk with bank premises department, 4/1941-11/1942; German air raids; recruitment and service with Kingston Home Guard, 11/1941-11/1942, including kitting out, training, factory guard duties and role as runner; background to volunteering under 'Y' Scheme to join Royal Marines, 3/1942; acceptance after interview with Admiralty Board, 3/1942; medical. REEL 2 Continues: issue of badge to indicate status on 'y' Scheme; weekend introductory course at Royal Navy College, Dartmouth; story of first drink with father; call up, 11/1942. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during training with 484 Squad, Royal Marine Depot, Lymstone and Dalditich Camp, 11/1942-1/1943: train journey and reception; hut accommodation; issue fo squad card and briefing booklet; reads Kipling poem, 'What is a Marine'; learning song, 'Life on the Ocean Wave'; kitting out; assignment to Chatham as Home Port; preparing for parade and kit inspections; learning to wash uniform; swearing; relationship with recruits including desertion case and absence of bullying; pride in unit; morning routine; food rations; drill. REEL 3 Continues: drill; red diamond insignia awarded to best recruits; weapons training including rifle, bayonet, hand grenade and sticky anti-tank grenade; PT including assault course and boxing; gas mask training; canteen; visits to Woodberry; church parade; duties in officers' mess; move to Dalditich Camp, 1/1943. REEL 4 Continues: hut accommodation and latrines; field and tactical training including movement, camouflage, digging slit trenches and patrols; question of readiness to take commission. Recollections of period as cadet with 19 Course, Royal Marines Small Arms School, Browndown Fort, Gosport, 1/1943-2/1943: nature of fort; size of course; weapons training including Bren gun, 2" and 3" mortar, Sten gun and anti-tank rifle; live firing exercise; story illustrating cold conditions. Recollections of period training as cadet with 19 Course at Royal Marine Military School, Thurlestone Hotel, 2/1943-7/1943: military law; cross country runs. REEL 5 syndicate lectures; sand table exercises; tactical live firing exercises and story of cadet firing smoke shell to frighten adjutant's horse; route marches; unarmed combat training; conditions of service; role as duty officer; opinion of instructors; nature of leadership and relationship with NCOs; nature of final 3 day exercise on Dartmoor; passing out parade; kitting out as officer. Recollections of training for landing craft duty based at Southsea, Portsmouth, 8/1943-9/1943: role of RM in crewing landing craft; theoretical training in landing craft; semaphore training. REEL 6 Continues: Morse code training; hospitalisation with glandular fever and removal of tonsils. Recollections of course in landing craft and combined operations at HMS Northney Shore Station, Hayling Island, 9/1943-1/1944: nature as former holiday camp; food rations; going 'ashore'; seamanship training including 'rule of road' and coastal navigation; nature of Landing Craft Assault (LCA), Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) and Landing Craft Personnel/Vehicle (LCVP); use of kedge anchor; practicing in tidal creek and landing on beach; lack of loads during training. Recollections of periods training at Burnham on Crouch, Brightlinsea, ca 1/1944-3/1944: nature of LCA training; story of getting rope wound round LCA propeller and consequent separation from flotilla during exercise. REEL 7 Continues: German incendiary air raids. Recollections of period with 802 (LCVP) based at Brighton and Shoreham Harbour, ca 3/1944-4/1944: composition of unit; story of carrying Canadian troops on sea trip to Rye; sailing in fog; lessons of D Day exercise at Braklesham; role of flotilla base ship; role as second in command of unit. Period based at HMS Northney Shore Station, Hayling Island, ca 4/1944-6/1944: nature of training; composition of LCVP crew and role of officers; relationship with NCOs, ORs and officers; review by George VI; working up exercises; lodgings with future wife; trip to collect scaffolding poles cargo; sealing of camp, 3/6/1944; briefing for D Day operations, 10.00, 4/6/1944, including assignment to base ship Ascania; orders to deliver scaffolding poles to be used as beach markers, and plans for crossing English Channel under own steam accompanied by trawler. REEL 8 Continues: deteriorating weather conditions and postponement of D Day; checking LCVP engines, fuel and Lewis gun; sleeping overnight on LCVP. Recollections of crossing English Channel and operations on Juno Beach, Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: LCVP formation; sea conditions in Solent; rendezvous with trawler at NAB tower; following trawler; sea conditions; acting as coxswain; discovering leak and falling behind flotilla; scaffolding cargo; refuelling prior to jettisoning fuel cans; sue of bilge pumps; approach to beach; capsizing whilst using kedge anchor in landing on Juno Beach; reception on delivering scaffolding poles to Beach Headquarters; period based aboard beached LCT; self heating soup; anti-aircraft night barrage; loss of pistol; notifying Ascania of location; situation on each, 6/6/1944-10/6/1944; letter to mother; evacuation to Ascania, 10/6/1944; contact with padre; role ferrying passengers and German POWs; night patrols detonating explosive charges to deter attacks by German midget submarines; question of air situation. REEL 9 Continues: effects of storm, 19/6/1944-22/6/1944; problem with diesel oil from sunk US landing craft; move into tented camp at Bernieres sur Mer; German railway gun shell fire; digging in tents; relationship with French civilians; view of Allied air raid on Caen; loss of LCM Flotilla during storm in Channel; return home with LC|VP carried aboard Landing Ship Infantry (LCI). Period at HMS Northney Shore Station, Hayling Island, 8/1944-1/1945: leave and role as duty officer; drill and tactical training; attending navigational course; lack of unit role; taking drafts to postings; vaccinations; closure of flotilla office, 1/1945. Periods at Westcliffe on Sea, Burnham on Crouch, Stansgate, Tilbury and Portsmouth, 2/1945-5/1945: current affairs debates; nature of training; exercises with LCAs and comparison with LCVPs; pistol training. REEL 10 Continues: sailing LCAs to Tilbury; attending gunnery course at Eastney Barracks, Portsmouth; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; nature of gunnery course. Recollections of period training on Landing Craft Gun Medium (LCGM), Flotilla at Llyn and HMS Turtle Shore Station, Poole, 5/1945-8/1945: planned role of LCGM in beach landings; isolated nature of Iceland Camp; move to Burma Camp, 6/1945; nature of gunnery training; social life; role as RM officer in directing 25pdr gun fire on LCGM; attending course at HMS Excellent Gunnery School, Whale Island, 7/1945-9/1945; abandonment of LCGM concept; attending course at School of Artillery, Larkhill, 8/1945. training on 25pdr and 17pdr anti-tank gun; misfire; return to Burma Camp and formation of crews and composition RM element; VJ Day celebrations, 15/8/1945; move to HMS Turtle, Poole, 8/2945; live firing exercises from LCGM off Dorset coast; abandonment of LCGMs. Recollections of period with HMS Robertson Shore Station, Sandwich, 9/1945-11/1945: purchase of tropical kit; embarkation leave; cancellation of draft to India; escorting draft; flight in Airspeed Oxford. REEL 11 Continues: leave periods; news of posting to India; story of acquiring permission to marry and marriage, 10/1945. Period at Chatham, 11/1945. Voyage aboard Orduna to Bombay, India, 11/1945-12/1945. Recollections of period with 34th Amphibious Support Regt, RM at Madh Island, 12/1945-4/1946: absence of unit on arrival; nature of amphibious Landing Vehicle Tracked 4A (LVT 4A) armed with 75mm howitzer, flamethrower or 4.5" rockets; hut accommodation; food rations; visits to Bombay; relationship with Indian civilians; deployment as infantry during mutiny of Royal Indian Navy; move into Bombay museum; extension of conflict; background to end of mutiny; arrival of reinforcements; ignorance of RAF mutiny; return to Madh Island; story of experimental rocket shoot on Indian village. REEL 12 Conditions during voyage aboard Stratheden to GB, 4/1946. Period in camp prior to demobilisation, 5/1946. Post-war career: question of remaining with RM; successful career with Metropolitan Police, 1946-1977, including reasons for joining, medical, value of RM experiences, story of using unarmed combat skills during confrontation with armed suspect in Putney, 1952 and similarity of police and service lifestyles; period as security manager of British Airways, 1977-1982; part-time ole checking airport security arrangements for International Air Transport Assoc, 1982-1990 including basic principles of airport security and lack of cooperation from US.