O'Leary, Terry (Oral history)

British telegraphist served at HMS Sphinx & HMS Nile Shore Stations, Egypt, 1943-1944; served aboard Greek ship Ionia in Mediterranean and Aegean, 1944-1945; served aboard HMS St Austell Bay in Mediterranean, 1945-1946. Served as NCO with 1st Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles in GB, Korea and Hong Kong, 1948-1952

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Kensington and Shepherds Bush, London, 1924-1939: family background and social circumstances; brief residence at Rillington Place and awareness of Christie murders; education; hospitalisation with peritonitis, 1935. Evacuation to West Town and Chelvey, ca 8/1939-7/1940: billet family and their poaching; part-time work on dairy farm; reactions to countryside; drinking scrumpy cider; school arrangements; first girlfriend and relationship with local school children; killing turkeys; question of homesickness; leaving school and return to London. Period in Shepherds Bush, London, 1940-1943: scenic railway site; collecting shrapnel from anti aircraft guns. REEL 2 Continues: parents' service as ARP wardens; blackout; Anderson shelter; effects of German bombing raids; view of low flying Dornier; question of food rationing; activities with 337 Sqdn, Air Training Corps, Lime Grove, 1940-1941, including background to recruitment, uniform, training in navigation and recruitment and participation in film 'The Lion has Cubs'; work as machinist in engineering factory, 1941, including works air raid shelter and dismissal after dispute over pay; difficulty in obtaining work due to imminent conscription; work as office boy for Fairey Aviation shadow factory manufacturing aircraft parts, 1941-1942. REEL 3 Continues: work as office boy for Fairey Aviation shadow factory manufacturing aircraft parts, 1941-1942; recreations including smoking cigarettes, cinema and teetotalism; clothes worn; call up as wireless telegraphist for Royal Navy, 9/1942, including prior tests, medical and treatment for hernia prior to acceptance; work as office boy working of food rations at Hammersmith Hospital, 1942-1943; call up, 5/1943. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during training at HMS Royal Arthur Shore Station, Skegness, 5/1943-11/1943: first impressions; kitting out; chalet accommodation; morning routine and PT; food rations; 'tiddly' adaptations to uniform; drill and instructors; seamanship training including rowing whalers and boat drill. REEL 4 Continues: Morse code training; swimming test; naval and 'Q' cipher codes; naval attitude to 'bull'; relationship with recruits, instructors and officers; Sunday divisions; canteen; recreational visits to Skegness including prior inspection and issue of contraceptives; lectures; station card; relationship with woman; weekend leave; Morse code tests and passing out as ordinary telegraphist; assignment to home port Chatham. Period at Chatham Barracks, 11/1943-12/1943: joining routine; conditions of service; drill. REEL 5 Voyage aboard Dublin Castle to Port Said, Egypt, 12/1943: presences aboard of Palestine Police draft; conditions; question of seasickness; route. Period at HMS Sphinx Shore Station, Post Said, 12/1943: relationship with Egyptian civilians and cases of attempted stealing; tent accommodation; attack of sand fly fever; fly problem. Recollections of period as wireless telegraphist at HMS Nile Shore Station, Alexandria, 1/1944-6/1944: location of wireless station in lighthouse; watch system; nature of mechanical high seed Morse code transmission system; role monitoring land line Morse transmissions from Cairo; monitoring distress frequency; recreations and drinking habits; relationship with WRENS; qualifying as telegraphist after attending signals course; background to forming shore party to quell muting aboard Greek battleship Georgis Averoff at Port Said'. Period as telegraphist on special service aboard Greek troop carrier Ionia in Mediterranean and Aegean, 7/1944-7/1945: first impressions; composition of crew; formation of convoy and escorts. REEL 6 Continues: troops and supplies carried; minefield problems on approach to Piraeus, Greece, 10/1944; reception on landing with Greek crew; death of German fifth columnist; voyage to Salonika; khaki uniform and equipment worn as naval shore party; role controlling harbour traffic as harbour wireless station; prior training in wireless telephony and voice procedure; billets; activities of ELAS insurgents; view of fight between Greek ELAS and Royalist factions; relationship with Greek civilians; role of boom defence vessels; Bren gun defence of shore wireless station; recreations in harbour; VE Day, 8/5/1945; question of concealment of British involvement in Greece, 1944-1945. Period in Alexandria prior to voyage aboard Giuseppe Garibaldi to Malta, 8/1945. Period as telegraphist aboard HMS St Austell Bay based at Malta and Gibraltar, 8/1945-2/1946: nature of ship as anti-aircraft frigate; wireless room and communications mess deck; canteen messing, cook of day and food; hammocks. REEL 7 Continues: visits ashore to 'Gut'; rum ration; importance of personal hygiene including washing clothes and bedding; latrines; relationship with crew and dispute with stoker over burning signal flags; relationship with petty officers and officers; move to Gibraltar; visits ashore; voyages acting as wireless beacon and weather ship off Azores; cleaning ship; voyage to Adriatic ports; salvage pay for ship towed into harbour; desire for active service; leaving ship, 2/1946; train journey across Europe to GB. REEL 8 Period at HMS President II Shore Station, Whitehall London, 5/1946-8/1946: home billets; monitoring messages from Newfoundland; prior period in over-crowded conditions at Chatham Barracks, 2/1946-5/1946; demobilisation, 8/1946. Background to re-enlistment into Royal Ulster Rifles, 10/1946. Period basic training with Royal Ulster Rifles Depot, Ballymena, Northern Ireland, 10/1946-12/1946: reception; conditions of service; light infantry drill pace; weapons training; preparing for kit inspections; PT; relationship with recruits and instructors. Period with North Irish Training Bde, Omagh Barracks and Ballykinlar Camp, 1946-1948: continuation training; promotion to lance corporal, 3/1947; lectures in history of RUR; training role; promotion to corporal, 9/1947; relationship with recruits and learning Gaelic commands; relationship with officers and confusion of inexperienced officer over drill commands; meeting future wife; move to Ballykinlar, 2/1948; story of inadequate recruit during Sten gun training. REEL 9 Recollections of period with A Coy, 1st Bn, RUR at Ballykinlar Camp and Colchester Barracks, 1948-1950: amalgamation parade; pipe band; question of relationship between Protestant and Catholic soldiers; routine training; guard of honour; marriage, 1/1949; move to Colchester, 1950; state of barracks; attending stretcher bearer course and question of transfer to Royal Army Medical Corps; training at Thetford; mobilisation of reservists for Korean service. Voyage aboard Empire Pride to Pusan, Korea, 10/1950-11/1950: troops aboard; drowning of attempted deserter; training and conditions ; route. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during operations with D Coy, 1st BN, RUR in Korea, 11/1950-2/1951: reception from US band at Pusan; move to Uijongbu; detachment of D Coy on anti-guerrilla operations in Kapjong sector; story of being fired at by US train guards while on traffic control duty; cod weather and uniform. REEL 10 Continues: period at Uijongbu; train journey to Pyongyang, 28/11/1950; situation; local defence role attached to 8th King's Own Royal Irish Hussars north of Pyongyang; opinion of Centurion tank; relationship with tank crews; defensive arrangements covering main supply route; effect of Chinese offensive, 12/1950; retreat and story of destroying immobile Centurion; situation during retreat through Pyongyang; destruction of stores and munitions; crowded road; problems steering Centurion in snowstorm; situation on taking up defensive positions; digging defensive positions in Imjin River area; story of abortive night patrol to contact US unit and capture of subsequent patrol, 3/1/1951-4/1/1951; slit trenches; Chinese night attacks and story of nearly opening fire on retreating British troops, 4/1/1951. REEL 11 Continues: attack by Chinese troops, 4/1/1951, including story of shooting apparently drugged Chinese officer, situation, mortar and Vickers support and breakdown of local attack; erecting barbed wire; ambush by Chinese troops during retreat, 4/1/1951; method of aiming rifle at night; personal morale; casualties; unit role guarding main supply unit; prevention of Korean refugees passing through lines; inadequate boots; US food rations; developing frostbite and trench foot, 2/1951; evacuation to US hospital, 2/1951; medical treatment; flight to Japan, 2/1951. Period in Kure Hospital, 2/1951-4/1951: success of medical treatment; trip to Hiroshima. Period as orderly room sergeant at Battle Training School, Haramura Barracks, 4/1951-9/1951: duties; role of unit; rat problem; desire to rejoin unit. Period with A Coy, 1st BN, RUR in Korea and Hong Kong, 10/1951-8/1952: rejoining unit in Korea; typhoon; voyage to Hong Kong, 10/1951. REEL 12 Continues: nature of sergeants' mess including drinking habits and 'party pieces'; observation post duty on Chinese border; night border patrols; tactical exercises. Voyage back to GB, 8/1952-9/1952: story of effeminate steward; rotue; reception from family and unseen son. Demobilisation, 10/1952. Post-war career: work for engineering firms and steelworks; career in printing industry; acclimatisation to civilian lifestyle; membership of veterans associations; reads conduct assessment from officer of RUR.