Quested, Ron (Oral history)

British seaman served as radio officer with Merchant Navy in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 1944-1949

REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1927-1944: family background; employment as welder and fitter; reasons for joining Merchant Navy; description of training at Telegraph College, 1944; story of joining Merchant Navy with brother, 28/Sep.1944. Recollections of operations with Merchant Navy in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 1944-1949: description of first ship SS Samnebra; opinion of Liberty ships; description of trip to Belfast and cargo; comments on the Clan Line; story of loading TNT at Birkenhead; description of convoys to Port Augusta, Sicily; contacts with US and Polish forces; situation in Naples; comments on Phillipville, North Africa; story of joining convoy to Baltimore, US; description of convoy system; duties as radio officer including listening for distress signals; story about explosion on ship in convoy; description of Saturday morning gunnery practice; reception on arrival in Baltimore; reaction to Normandy landings and end of war in Europe; description of various cargoes including tank landing craft and copper ingots; further description of North Atlantic convoys; story of returning to Millwall Dock, GB, 8/Dec/1945; further comments on duties as radio officer including weather reports, DF bearings, Azimuth bearings and safety messages; description of further post-war training in Chiswick, GB; various memories of serving aboard MV British Zeal and Burnhope; signed off, 1947; change in number of radio officers required; story of being challenged by captain about DF bearings; story of transferring to SS Tourac; length of time aboard ships. REEL 2 Continues: story about alcoholic captain committing suicide aboard the Tourac during trip to New York; story about alcoholic captain crashing ship in Suez Canal; story about French Foreign Legionnaire stowaway; story about attempted suicide of alcoholic chief steward in Casablanca; signed off, 1949; description of ships Trigonosimus and City of Newport; signed off, 5/1950; reflections on six years at sea; description of trips to Argentine; story about friends in Abudhan; reaction of family to joining Merchant Navy; war service of other family members; description of Ford Motor Company apprenticeships; reason for distribution of family in Merchant Navy; story of brother joining Arctic convoys; description of last convoy, RA64, 3/1945; question of reduced risks following end of war; various memories of twin brother; further training and leave following end of war; story of celebrating Christmas at sea and celebrations in US; story of visit to John W Brown Museum, 1999; comments on DEMS gunners. REEL 3 Continues: story about hearing news of end of war and returning home; reflections on period of wartime service including loss of ships and crews; description of training as Sea Cadet including Morse code and Aldis lamp; reasons for preferring to join the Merchant Navy over the Royal Navy; attitude to role as radio operator; story about Freedom of the City for Merchant Navy; story about collecting cargo in Haifa, Palestine, 1946.