description
Object description
British boy seaman trained at HMS St George, Isle of Man in GB, 1940; boy seaman served aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in GB coastal waters, Atlantic and Mediterranean, 1941-1942; seaman served aboard HMS Kipling in Mediterranean, 1942 including sinking 12/5/1942; hospitalisation in Egypt, Palestine, South Africa and GB, 1942-1943; seaman served aboard HMS Dauntless in GB coastal waters, 1943-1945; served on Torpedoman’s Course at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, GB, 1945; served on shore duties at HMS Mayina in Ceylon, 1945; served on shore duties at HMS Garuda, Coimbatore in India, 1945-1946; hospitalisation at Park Pruitt Hospital, Basingstoke in GB, 1946-1947; served as seaman on Quartermaster’s Course at Victoria Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1947-1948; served aboard HMS Duke of York in GB coastal waters, West Indies and Mediterranean, 1948-1949; served on shore duties at HMS Hornet in GB, 1949-1950; petty officer served aboard HMS Liverpool in Mediterranean, 1950-1951; served aboard HMS Magpie in Mediterranean, 1951-1952; served on shore duties at HMS Gamecock in GB, 1952-1954; served aboard HMS Barrington in GB coastal waters, 1954-1956; served on bosun’s course at Navigation School at HMS Dryad in GB, 1956-1957; officer served aboard survey ship HMS Cook in Pacific, 1958-1959; served aboard HMS Barrington in GB coastal waters, 1959-1960; served aboard HMS Redpole and HMS Carron in GB coastal waters, 1960-1961; served aboard HMS Darsham and HMS Lantern, Minesweeper Flotilla in Hong Kong, 1961-1964; served on shore duties at Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1964-1965; served aboard HMS Barrage in GB coastal waters, 1965-1968; served aboard HMS Berry Head in GB coastal waters and Far East, 1968-1971; served aboard HMS Victory at Portsmouth Dockyard, GB, 1971; served on shore duties at Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1971-1975
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Bishop Walham, Waltham Chase and Rugby in GB, 1924-1939: family; education; employment; interest in Royal Navy. Recollections of enlistment and training as boy seaman with HMS St George on Isle of Man, GB, 1939-1941: enlistment, 8/1939; attitude to wartime service; journey from Rugby to Isle of Man; sewing names into uniform; description of kit issued with; issue of hammock; squad drill; discipline and instructors; replacement and purchase of kit from own money.
REEL 2 Continues: hygiene and personal appearance; lack of experience of sewing; squad drill; accommodation at HMS St George; pattern of seamanship training; landship training; training on knots; signal flag training; thoroughness of seamanship training; education; navigation training; field training; six inch gun drill; afternoon activities in summer; use of sea terms on shore establishment; swimming tests; boxing milling.
REEL 3 Continues: discipline; status of lead boy; role as call boy; blows calls on bosun’s whistle; going on leave from Isle of Man; rations; physical training; allocation of port divisions; in barracks in Portsmouth, 1/1941. Recollections of operations as boy seaman aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in GB coastal waters, Atlantic and Mediterranean, 1941-1942: character of HMS Queen Elizabeth; start of journey from Portsmouth to join ship.
REEL 4 Continues: train journey to Rosyth; ship’s camouflage; working up period at Scapa Flow; duties as lookout; boys’ mess deck; recreational activities on board; general messing; seaman’s nicknames for certain meals; duties as duty cook; scrubbing mess; availability of Kai; use of hammock; lack of air conditioning; role of captain of the heads; ablution facilities; move to tropics, 4/1941; unsuitability of tropical clothing worn; washing clothes and airing of hammocks.
REEL 5 Continues: use of locker; reaction to first firing of guns; watch system worked; action station; treatment of boy seamen aboard large ships; shore leave and pay; use of free time; memories of Able Seaman Foster; convoy protection duties in Atlantic including sight of HMS Hood, 4/1941; punishment for missing duty; lack of ship recognition training; clothing worn in Atlantic; ship’s armament and changes in profile.
REEL 6 Continues: Operation Tiger to Malta, 5/1941; reward for spotting Italian reconnaissance aircraft; Axis air attacks in Mediterranean; role of ship in reinforcing Eastern Mediterranean Fleet; losses of ships during Operation Tiger; air defence during Axis night air attacks; arrival in Alexandria, 12/5/1941; presence of immobilised Vichy French ships in Alexandria; character of Alexandria harbour; popularity of Alexandria amongst seamen; reasons for his lack of trips ashore; mail from home and use of Aerograms.
REEL 7 Continues: ship’s concerts and films; air raid warnings; look out duties during Axis air raids; sight of mining of French liberty boat; decision to sling his hammock on shelter deck and subsequent reversal; hiring Egyptian boats to go ashore; swimming around ship; routine lookout duties; description of ‘Tobruk ferry’; composition of groups sailing for Crete, 20/5/1941; losses of and damage to Royal Navy ships during Crete evacuation; cheering in of HMS Kiping; ship losses during Crete evacuation; sight of HMS Orion entering harbour and burial of dead on board; investigation into loss of personal effects from HMS Orion.
REEL 8 Continues: continuing education; presence of Admiral on board ship; duties as cook of the mess; sight of aftermath of torpedoing of HMS Barham, 25/11/1941; how ship’s barber took photographs of sinking of HMS Barham; question of number of photographs taken of sinking of HMS Barham; escape of U-boat; warning of threat of underwater swimmers in harbour, 18/12/1941; arrival of Italian human torpedoes in harbour, 18/12/1941; boom defence facilities; mining of HMS Valiant, 18/12/1941; mining of HMS Queen Elizabeth, 18/12/1941.
REEL 9 Continues: timing of minings, 18/12/1941; explosion and how ship settled on harbour bed; how Admiral Morgan later awarded medals to Italian human torpdeomen; maintaining deception that ship had not been mined; removal of ammunition from ship; loading anti-aircraft ammunition; casualties in engine room; Christmas celebrations, 12/1941; repairs to ship; refloating of ship, Easter Sunday; further Italian attempts to attack ship; anti-frogmen precautions; duties as sideboy; character of Admiral Cunningham.
REEL 10 Continues: reaction to loss of HMS Hood, 5/1941; hospitalisation ashore. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Kipling in Mediterranean, 1942: initial drafting to shore establishment HMS Spinx; arrival on board ship; character of HMS Kipling; action and defence stations; duties on 4 inch gun; gun crew; protective clothing worn; anti-aircraft work in Alexandria Harbour; departure of Australian ships to meet Japanese threat; contrast in conditions aboard destroyer and battleship; canteen messing; conditions aboard destroyers; ablutions; keeping clothes clean; religious services; relaxed atmosphere between other ranks and officers; discipline.
REEL 11 Continues: escorting convoy from Alexandria to Lebanon and Syria; painting ship; religious service on board, aiding hospital ship bombed by Axis aircraft close to Alexandria; effect of return of Admiral Cunningham to GB; orders to intercept Axis convoy, 11/5/1942; watch system worked; duties in crows’ nest; sighting of aircraft; rapid move to action station; orders to collect survivors of HMS Lively.
REEL 12 Continues: vulnerability of destroyer to stern attacks; personnel preparations for potential sinking; German Air Force Junkers 88 attacks on ship; value of twenty minutes after bombing to sinking; description of Carley Float; regaining consciousness in Carley Float; period in sea; awareness of nature of wounds; picking up by HMS Jervis; visiting sick bay and laying on deck for seventeen hours; burials at sea on route to Alexandria. Recollections of hospitalisation in Egypt, Palestine, South Africa and GB, 1942-1943: arrival in hospital; nature of wounds; treatment received.
REEL 13 Continues: problems with ablutions; visit by chaplain; arrival of casualties from Tobruk; removal from hospital ship, 7/1942; move to army hospital in Palestine; removal to Port Tewfik; problems with plaster cast; removal in hospital ship to South Africa; in hospital in Durban, South Africa; joining hospital ship Circassia; arrangements with wounded seaman in cabin; arrival in GB, 10/1942; conditions in Haslar Naval Hospital; move to Park Pruitt Hospital near Basingstoke; conditions at Park Pruitt; plastic surgery for wounds; last operation before return to duty.
REEL 14 Continues: passing for leading seaman in barracks at Portsmouth on discharge from hospital; use of naval terms in Portsmouth barracks; interview as potential candidate for officer training at Portsmouth. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Dauntless in GB coastal waters, 1943-1945: drafting to ship at Rosyth, 12/1943; character of cruiser; duties as painter’s mate; special duties in cable locker; promotion to leading seaman; role of cruiser as officer training ship; messing arrangements; duties swinging lead and using sounding machine; duties as Captain’s coxswain; action stations; reasons for visit by King George VI to ship at Scapa Flow.
REEL 15 Continues: attending board to pass for petty officer; reasons for captain’s not advancing him to petty officer; potential for advancement during wartime. Aspects of period on Torpedoman Course at HMS Vernon in Portsmouth, GB, 1944-1945: request to train as torpedoman; description of Whitehead Torpedo; visit to Newmarket races with Able Seaman Porter during leave at end of course. Aspects of period as seaman on shore duties at HMS Mayina in Ceylon, 1945: voyage from GB to Ceylon aboard SS Empress of Scotland, 6/1945; arrival in Ceylon; recreational activities.
REEL 16 Continues: memories of General Election at HMS Mayina. Aspects of period as seaman on shore duties at HMS Garuda, Coimbatore in India, 1945-1946: background to drafting to Fleet Air Arm station; duties;recreational activities; discovery of semi-precious stones in dried up river bed; encounter with cobra; escorting prisoner on VJ Day, 8/1945; story of escorting commanding officers’ furniture during railway journey to Bombay; return to GB, 4/1946. Aspects of hospitalisation at Park Pruitt Hospital in GB, 1946-1947: nature of plastic surgery for wounds sustained aboard HMS Kipling, 1942.
REEL 17 Continues: lack of effects of wounds; attitude to period of hospitalisation. Aspects of period as seaman on Quartermaster’s Course at Victoria Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1947-1948: attending quartermasters’ courses; responsibilities of quartermasters including discipline; wide variety of quartermaster coxwain’s duties; description of issuing of rum ration; amusing ways that ‘old hands’ managed to acquire more rum; how rum ration was used by ship’s crew.
REEL 18 Continues: Christmas celebrations, 12/1948; sea service as part of course aboard HMS Rochester and HMS Fleetwood. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Duke of York in GB coastal waters, West Indies and Mediterranean, 1948-1949: drafting to ship; duties steering ship; his disciplining for being improperly dressed; incident of having to shoot seagulls; amusing story of ships’ cats behaviour; bathing in Atlantic; West Indies cruise; Mediterranean cruise; placing Christmas trees on Christmas Eve, 24/12/1948; incidents of forgetting to wind chronometers and breaking leave.
REEL 19 Continues: training with Field Gun Team and effects of injury, 1949. Aspects of period as petty officer on shore duties at HMS Hornet in GB, 1949-1950: promotion to acting petty officer; duties; intention to leave service after 12 years; marriage. Recollections of period as petty officer aboard HMS Liverpool in Mediterranean, 1950-1951: character of ship; joining ship in Malta, 7/1950; role as chief quartermaster; visit to ship by Marshal Tito in Split, Yugoslavia, 1951; tropical kit worn; effect of clash with navigator over entering harbour in Malta; encounter with Prince Philip as coxswain of motorboat; incident of loss of boats’ rudder; passing educational certificates.
REEL 20 Continues: wife’s visit to ship on Christmas Day, 25/12/1950. Aspects of period as petty officer aboard HMS Magpie in Mediterranean, 1951-1952: background to joining ship; taking over Egyptian tug in Suez Canal; steering ship during rapid move down Suez Canal; escort for hockey team going ashore; disciplinary actions against crew members; naval regatta; duties on board; amusing story of trying garlic for first time; disciplinary matters on board.
REEL 21 Continues: theft of copper wire from ship by dockyard workers in Malta; treatment of crewman who hit petty officer; question of theft from navy; duties with shore patrol in Algiers; visit by Prince Philip to ship, 1952. Aspects of period as petty officer instructor on shore duties with HMS Gamecock in GB, 1952-1954: drafting to station; instructional duties; visit of former captain of HMS Kipling to station; recreational activities. Recollections of period as petty officer aboard HMS Barrington in GB coastal waters, 1954-1956: character by boom defence vessels; reasons for rapid drafting to ship; relaxed atmosphere on board; salvaging of sunken French destroyer Maille Breze in River Clyde.
REEL 22 Continues: removal of skeletons, shells and personal effects from the Maille Breze; character of crew and discipline on board; boom defence exercises in Loch Ewe; vitualling ship and feeding crew; lack on navigational aids on board; coal burning ships; bartering for fish; types of work carried out; incident of ship running aground and subsequent court martial of captain.
REEL 23 Continues: passing examinations for career advancement; story of sailing vessel to Greenock to pay off ship, 11/1956; escorting crew on train journey from Glasgow to Portsmouth via London; 10/11/1956; attitude not to being sent to Suez. Aspects of period as officer on bosun course at Navigation School at HMS Dryad in GB, 1956-1957: pattern of training received; demolition and signal training; boom defence training at HMS Safeguard; volunteering to handle visitor boat.
REEL 24 Continues: practical examination at end of course. Aspects of period as officer aboard survey ship HMS Cook in Pacific, 1958-1959: drafting to ship; flight from GB to New Zealand, 31/12/1957-1/1/1957; responsibilities as bosun including demolitions and gunnery; New Year celebrations on board on arrival; leaving Auckland; calling in at Soloman Islands.
REEL 25 Continues: survey work on Soloman Islands; precautions against malaria; keeping watch to get watch certificate; keeping record of birds seen; Christmas in Port Moresby, New Guinea, 25/12/1958; finding triangulation point on island; firing gun salute on Queen’s Birthday; fishing for sharks; popularity of visits to Hong Kong; memories of Jenny’s side party in Hong Kong; ten day visit to Sydney, Australia.
REEL 26 Continues: story of second misfiring of guns on leaving Sydney; discovery of new feature on route to Fiji Islands; reasons for return to Auckland, New Zealand; amusing story of discovery of ship’s crest in bar near Mount Cook; return to GB. Recollections of period as officer aboard HMS Barrington in GB coastal waters, 1959-1960: appointment to ship; re-fitting of ship in Rosyth; story of poor weather during passage from Rosyth to Loch Ewe. Recollections of period as officer aboard HMS Redpole and HMS Carron in GB coastal waters, 1960-1961: appointment to ship, 2/1960; role of ship as training vessel; duties; three week cruise to Norway and Germany.
REEL 27 Continues: construction of explosive model for children party on board; reasons for transfer to HMS Carron; role as gunnery officer; obtaining training for anti-submarine Squib device; participation in life raft trials in Atlantic during poor weather; repairs to ship for trip to St Malo; escorting royal yacht on River Thames. Recollections of period as officer aboard HMS Darsham and HMS Lantern, Minesweeper Flotilla in Hong Kong, 1961-1964: character of minesweepers; minesweeping techniques; using confiscated Chinese junk for target practise.
REEL 28 Continues: accommodation; commissioning coastal class minesweeper HMS Lantern; dealing with illegal immigrants in junks; filming of ‘Lord Jim’; visits by US Navy; typhoon drill; experiences of Typhoon Wanda; recreational activities; return to GB.
REEL 29 Continues: Aspects of period on shore duties at Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1964-1965: role as seaman’s divisional officer; dealing with disciplinary matters; process of detention in cells; role as range officer on shooting range; how homosexuality was dealt with by Royal Navy; playing cricket; unveiling of painting in officers’ mess by Sir Richard Vian. Aspects of period as officer aboard HMS Barrage in GB coastal waters, 1965-1968: background to appointment in similar circumstances to first appointment.
REEL 30 Continues: promotion to Lieutenant; initial accommodation for family; routine worked on west coast of Scotland; prior recollection of Duke of Argyll’s search for treasure during previous appointment on board HMS Barrington; incident when HMS Barhill broke her moorings during storm on River Clyde; leaving ship, 1968. Aspects of period as officer aboard HMS Berry Head in GB coastal waters and Far East, 1968-1971: character of ship; in reserve fleet at Portsmouth; modifications to ship; commissioning of ship in Portsmouth Dockyard; sea trials; painting ship at sea during voyage from Gibraltar to South Africa.
REEL 31 Continues: ashore at Durban, South Africa; piping aboard Pearl Gibson the ‘Lady in White’; month long stay at Mombasa, Kenya; visit to Gan Island; basing of ship at Singapore; precautions against Communist terrorists in accommodation; background to two week detachment as bosun officer to target towing tug Typhoon; joining Typhoon and reception from captain; conditions on board; target towing role of crew; last night on board Typhoon.
REEL 32 Continues: return to GB, 1969; period of care and maintenance at Plymouth; role as first lieutenant during ship’s pre-reserve refit; duties whilst tied to buoy. Aspects of period as officer aboard HMS Victory at Portsmouth, GB, 1971: conducting tours; dealing with VIP visits. Aspects of period as officer in Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth in GB, 1971-1975: duties as bosun of the barracks; character of barracks; cleaning contractors; duties as officer of the day; dealing with bereavements; dealing with wife of murdered seaman.
REEL 33 Continues: Traflagar Nights; question of last appointment being shore based. Attitude to service with Royal Navy.
