Interview with Robert Pearson

Sound: © IWM (32968)

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All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
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Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
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Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1696222551
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

British artificer and petty officer served with Royal Navy in GB and aboard HMS Vengeance in Mediterranean, 1944-1950; officer trained as pilot with Fleet Air Arm in GB, 1950-1952; served with 801 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Glory off Korean Peninsula, 11/1952-5/1953

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Shepperton and Bognor Regis, GB, 1929-1944: family; education; early interest in aviation; excitement for children during Second World War; story of friend who was injured by explosion of discarded detonator. Aspects of period as apprentice artificer and petty officer with Royal Navy in GB, 1944-1950: joining Royal Navy as apprentice aircraft artificer; work on Fairey Swordfish; duties with maintenance crew; types of aircraft worked on; application to learn to fly; sea training aboard HMS Vengeance. REEL 2 Continues: amusing story of suffering from seasickness during defaulters parade; dangers of aircraft carrier flight decks; hearing of success of application for flying training. Recollections of training as pilot with Fleet Air Arm in GB, 1950-1952: background to becoming cadet; memories of Admiral Basil Place VC; opinion of Percival Prentice aircraft; loss of cadets during course; story of instructing cadets in later service. REEL 3 Continues: character of instructor; preference for fighter aircraft; sensation of flying high performance piston engined aircraft; first flight in Supermarine Seafire; story of friend's first flight in Supermarine Seafire; clashes with commanding officer; Assisted Dummy Deck Landings (ADDLs); reaction to first take off from aircraft carrier; incident of ditching aircraft into sea. REEL 4 Continues: duties after ditching; appointment to join 807 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm in Mediterranean; story of performing Rocket Assisted Take Off Gear (RATOG) take off in Hawker Sea Fury at Malta. Recollections of operations as pilot with 801 Naval Air Sqdn aboard HMS Glory, Fleet Air Arm off Korean Peninsula 11/1952-5/1953: amusing story of accepting food from Japanese woman on train to Sasebo, Japan; incident of his shooting up Korean funeral party; method of attacking bridges; accuracy of radar predicted anti-aircraft fire; targets attacked; close ground support. REEL 5 Continues: rejoining 801 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm in GB, 1953. Aspects of period as pilot with Fleet Air Arm, 1953-1958: flying jet aircraft; incident of problem with rudder during spinning of jet aircraft; leaving Fleet Air Arm, 1958; attitude to having served with Fleet Air Arm.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
McDonough, Richard (Recorder)
Pearson, Robert (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2010-06-29
Dimensions: whole: Duration 150, Number Of Items 5
Catalogue number: 32968

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Pearson, Robert
Place, Basil Charles Godfrey
Royal Navy
Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm
Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, Naval Air Sqdn, 801
Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, Naval Air Sqdn, 807
Royal Navy, HMS Vengeance, Light Fleet Carrier, (1944)
Royal Navy, HMS Glory, Light Fleet Carrier, (1943)
Associated places

England, United Kingdom
Shepperton, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Mediterranean Sea
Malta
Korean Peninsula
North Korea
South Korea
Japan
Sasebo, Kyushu, Japan
Associated subjects

Aircraft, British: Hawker Sea Fury
Associated keywords

Cold War
Associated themes

Air Operations, 1945-1999: Korean War, 1950-1953
Cold War, 1945-1991: Korea, Federation of Malaya and Vietnam, 1945-1991
Naval Operations: Fleet Air Arm

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Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Associated subjects

Associated keywords

Associated themes

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