Description
Object description
British civilian member of Southern Railway Home Guard at Waterloo Station, London, GB, 1940-1942; seaman trained at HMS Ganges, Shotley in GB, 1942-1943; served aboard HMS Wild Goose, 2nd Escort Group in GB coastal waters, North Atlantic and Arctic, 3/1943-6/1944; served aboard HMS Tyler, 5th Escort Group in North Atlantic and Mediterranean, 7/1944-11/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Kingston on Thames, GB, 1923-1939: family; employment with Southern Railway; degree of awareness of situation in Europe during 1930s. Recollections of period as member of Southern Railway Home Guard at Waterloo Station, London, GB, 1940-1942: joining Local Defence Volunteers (LDV), 6/1940; narrow escape from German bomb; location of office building in station; duties with Home Guard; problems with rats on station; commanding officer; drilling and patrolling; arms training; strongpoint near station; problems from bombing of rail network; reasons for not using station shelters; provisions to deal with incendiary bombs.
REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of enlistment and training as seaman with HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1942-1943: preference for naval service; journey to HMS Ganges; issue of uniform; instructor; discipline problem faced as class leader; messing arrangements; background to becoming class leader and duties; swimming; drilling; pattern of training; work as captain's assistant; importance of boat work; punishments; climbing mast.
REEL 3 Continues: recruits' unwillingness to climb to button of mast; gunnery training; use of seamanship manual; allocation to Chatham Division; allocation to Seaman Branch. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Wild Goose, 2nd Escort Group in GB coastal waters, North Atlantic and Arctic, 3/1943-6/1944: drafting to stand by ship in Glasgow; role as bosuns' mate; steering ship during ship building trials, 3/1944; move to Tobermory; ship's complement; training at Anti-Submarine Training School, Tobermory including reaction to trips in submarine; methods of detecting submarines; use of Asdic; near loss of buoy jumping crew.
REEL 4 Continues: prior recollections of period as class leader at HMS Ganges, Shotley; description of HMS Wild Goose; character of mess; canteen messing arrangements; action station in shell room; joining 2nd Escort Group; impressions of Captain Frederic Walker; loss of sloop HMS Woodpecker, 27/2/1944; role of 2nd Escort Group; method of attacking German submarines; role of Captain Frederic Walker in directing attacks on submarines; duration of patrols.
REEL 5 Continues: description of sinking of six German submarines U-592, U-762, U-238, U-734, U-424 and U-653 during patrols in North Atlantic, 31/1/1944-15/3/1944; work in shell room; further details of sloop HMS Woodpecker; conditions on board ship at sea; protective clothing worn and appearance; leaving ship and attempt to join Fleet Air Arm, 1944. Recollections of period as seaman aboard HMS Tyler, 5th Escort Group in North Atlantic and Mediterranean 7/1944-11/1945: joining frigate; fate of Captain Frederic Walker; comparison between American built warships and British; duties on board; ashore in Naples, Italy; question of lack of suitability of American built Captain's Class for service in Arctic.
REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of operations as seaman aboard HMS Wild Goose, 2nd Escort Group in Arctic, 3/1944-4/1944: nature of escort duties; conditions in Arctic; loss of sloop HMS Kite to German submarine U-344 near Bear Island, 21/8/1944. Return of HMS Tyler to US and return to GB aboard HMT Queen Mary, 11/1945. Attitude towards service with Royal Navy, 1942-1945.