Brown, Peter (Oral history)

2099120086
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1557215151
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.
1103912114
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.
979918380
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 schoolchild in China, GB and Australia, 1926-1944; seaman served aboard HMS Belfast in Mediterranean and Pacific, 1945-1947.

Content description

REEL 1: Aspects of period in China, 1926-1937: family background; problem of contracting whooping cough and asthma age 7; description of education at China Inland Mission, Chefoo (Yantai); sporting activities and holidays; servants; moved to Torbay, GB, 1937. Aspects of period in GB, 1937-1940: further education and academic qualifications; reaction to outbreak of war, 9/1939; description of air raid shelter and drill at school; story of playing part of casualty during air raid training exercise, 1940; story of journey with other children aboard Duchess of Richmond to Montreal, Canada; description of journey to Sydney, Australia, 7-8/1940. Aspects of period in Australia and GB, 1940-1944: education and sporting activities; daily life in Sydney; story of Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour, 5/1942; communication with father. REEL 2 Continues: story of father's internment camp in Shanghai; returned to GB and volunteered for Royal Navy in Plymouth; called up, 1944; story of seeing US troops training for D-Day and invasion fleet in Torbay. Aspects of training with Royal Navy in GB, 7/1944-4/1945: posted to shore establishment HMS Royal Arthur, Skegness; kitted out; drill; rank; billeted in Butlin's holiday camp; selected for officer training; posted to shore establishment HMS Raleigh at Torpoint, Cornwall, for gunnery training; Christmas leave; attitude to naval lifestyle and training; description of physical training and acuity tests; posted to HMS Diomede, Rosyth; description of boat drill, navigation and gunnery tests in Firth of Forth; story of failing final board and being returned to fleet in Portsmouth, 2/1945; posted to Gosport; description of working parties in naval mines; volunteered for British Pacific Fleet and posted to HMS Belfast. Aspects of operations aboard HMS Belfast in Mediterranean and Pacific, 1945-1947: ship refitted in Rosyth; duties as captain's runner; description of captain's quarters, accommodation and messing arrangements; opinion of food; size of crew; armaments; opinion of Cpt. Dick; story of being appointed captain's sentry; sailed to Malta; description of sea trials and exercises repelling mass air attacks and motor torpedo boats; story of bugler sounding call to bathe. REEL 3 Continues: off-duty activities in Valetta; reaction to HMS Belfast having best gunnery record; issued with tropical kit; description of voyage to Sydney, Australia; reaction to news of atomic bombs dropped on Japan, 8/1945; description of VJ celebrations in Sydney; joined British Pacific Fleet as flagship with 4th Cruiser Sqd on China station, 11/Sep/1945; story about staff car catching fire; rendezvoused with US fleet; story about typhoon; duties on China station under US command; various memories of Cpt. Dick and role in helping to contact father in Shanghai; story of reunion with father in Shanghai; memories of Christmas in Hong Kong, 1945; story of inviting Cpt. Dick to dinner with family; story of sailing with father from Shanghai to Sydney, 1946. REEL 4 Continues: story of visiting father in hospital in Sydney; rank and promotions; pay parade; story of final meeting with Cpt. Dick; duties as quartermaster leading seaman aboard HMS Euryalus; length of service; final posting on fishing protection vessel in English Channel; story of stopping French fishing boat; attached to HMS Vernon; demobilized in Portsmouth, 2/1948; civilian life and employment; joined Royal Naval Association, 1987; further memories of service with British Pacific Fleet, 1945-1946; relations with Japanese civilians; further description of duties aboard HMS Euryalus; story of Japanese students visiting HMS Belfast in Yokohama.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1945-1989 (production), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Yeoman, Lyn (recorder)
Brown, Peter (interviewee/speaker)
Production date: 2013
Dimensions: whole: Duration 120, Number Of Items 4
Catalogue number: 33192

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Brown, Peter
Royal Navy, HMS Belfast, Light Cruiser, (1938)
Associated places

China
Australia
Mediterranean
Pacific Ocean

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Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

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