Checketts, Harold (Oral history)

British ordinary seaman served aboard HMS Prince of Wales, 1941; served on meteorological duties at Ceylon and Maldives Islands, 1942-1943; served at Meteorological Office, General Headquarters, Portsmouth, 1944-1944; served as able seaman aboard HMS Colossus, 1944-1946

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Pershore area, 1920-1941: family farm at Peopleton; education and attending university. 1938-1940; call up question of commission; training as ordinary seaman at HMS Ganges Shore Station, 7/1940-9/1940; posting to Devonport Barracks; clearing bilges of US destroyer; German air raids; move to Bristol; story of near electrocution. Recollections of service as ordinary seaman aboard HMS Prince of Wales, 1/1941-12/1941: joining ship on completion at Birkenhead Dry Dock; nature of starboard messdeck; relationship with leading seaman; picket boat duties; move to Scapa Flow; enjoyment of posting; leg injuries; duties in forward transmitting station; working up exercises; operations with HMS Hood and account of clash with Bismarck and Prinz Eugen at Battle of Denmark Strait, 24/5/1941, including speed of ship, situation, action stations in forward transmitting station, delay in firing caused by slowness of Hood in getting range. REEL: 2 Continues: account of clash with Bismarck and Prinz Eugen at Battle of Denmark Strait, 24/5/1941, including personal morale, effects of Bismarck shells, news of sinking of Hood, period shadowing Bismarck, return to Reykjavík, Iceland, success in reducing Bismarck speed and question of presence aboard ship of dockyard workers; repairs at Birkenhead; transporting Churchill to meet Roosevelt in US, 8/1941; Operation Halberd escorting convoy to Malta, 9/1941; preparations for deployment to Far East; reputation of ship; voyage out to Singapore and joining with HMS Repulse, 12/1941; peacetime atmosphere in Singapore, 12/1941; opinion of Soviet Union; recreational visits ashore at Singapore; effects of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, 7/12/1941; move north with Repulse; account of being sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers. 10/12/1941, including view of approach of Japanese spotter aircraft while scrubbing deck, action stations in forward transmitting station, nature of attack, question of 5.5” anti-aircraft guns, torpedo hit on screws and resulting list, question of firing 14” guns and state of Repulse. REEL 3 Continues: account of being sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers. 10/12/1941, including loss of power to 5.5” AA guns and redundancy of action station, situation after sinking of Repulse, coming up on deck, jumping across to HMS Express, question of Japanese suspension of attacks, rescue of survivors from sea, reactions to arrival of RAF aircraft, voyage back to Singapore and casualties. Period at Singapore, 1941-1942: naval padre; role manning machine guns above office of Commander in Chief; conditions during evacuation aboard Erinpura. Period at Colombo, Ceylon and Maldives Islands, 1942-1943: initial role escorting drafts; view of Japanese air attacks on harbour, 5/4/1942; duties in Meteorology Office; learning to plot weather reports; accommodation; local leave; detachment to run weather station on Maldives; use of weather balloons and theodolites to judge wind speeds; weather readings; inappropriate clothing and stores; attack of cellulitis; return to Colombo; question of refusing commission and return to GB, 12/1943. REEL 4 Period at Meteorological School, Royal Navy, Lee on Solent, 1/1944: reception from father on leave; meteorological training; watching waves to record degree of swell. Recollections of period at Meteorological Office, General Headquarters, Southwick House, Portsmouth, 5/1944-6/1944: composition and role of unit; providing meteorological reports from Supreme Command; role of Captain John Stagg; watch system; method of plotting information received by teleprinter from weather stations and subsequent creation of weather charts; links with weather stations across GB; awareness of approach of D Day; intelligence on French weather conditions received from Bletchley Park; awareness of importance of weather maps, 6/1944; question of air raids and V1 attacks; question of accuracy of weather reports; reports from Atlantic weather ships and aircraft. REEL 5 Period at Lee on Solent, 9/1944-10/1944. Period as able seaman aboard HMS Colossus, 10/1944-3/1946: nature as light fleet carrier; meteorological duties; working up trials; voyage out to Far East, 5/1945; visit to Australia; repairs for storm damage at Sydney, Australia, 7/1945-8/1945; period at Leyte Gulf, Philippines; rescuing people from houseboats during storm; reaction to use of atomic bomb; picking up former prisoners of Japanese; voyage back to GB and demobilisation, 3/1946. Post-war career as teacher and lecturer.