Interview with Alan Francis Brocking

934948243
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1087306037
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.
1683386565
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.
389763359
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.
36320568
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 boy seaman trained as HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1959; boy telegraphist trained at Royal Navy Signals School, HMS Mercury, East Meon, GB, 1960-1961; communication rating served with Admiralty in London, GB, 1962-1963; served aboard HMS Aisne in GB coastal waters and during Indonesian Confrontation in Far East, 1/1964-4/1967; served aboard HMS Eurylas in GB coastal waters, Indian Ocean and Hong Kong, 1972-1973; petty officer served with Royal Navy n GB, North Ireland and North Sea, 1973-1984

Content description

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1944-1959: family; education; employment. Aspects of training as boy seaman at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1959: attitude towards training at HMS Ganges; daily routine; attempt to build radio; sporting activities and swimming lessons; stitching name into clothing; pattern of training; treatment of boy seaman who refused to enter swimming pool; class punishment for raiding camp shop; nature of parade ground punishment; results of petty officer’s participation in British Broadcasting Corporation radio show; description of climbing mast; rowing activities. REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as boy telegraphist at Royal Navy Signals School, HMS Mercury, East Meon, GB, 1960-1961: learning Morse Code; volunteering for Electronic Warfare Branch; description of Y Work conducted at sea; training on direction finding equipment; story of meeting future wife, 1961. Aspects of period as communications rating with Royal Navy at Admiralty, London, GB, 1962-1964: degree of threat during Cuban Missile Crisis, 10/1962; listening to Russian and Japanese Morse Code; technique for reading Morse Code; duties at Admiralty, London; question of suffering from seasickness. REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period as communication rating aboard HMS Diomede during Third Cod War in North Atlantic, 1975-1976: Royal Navy's participation in Third Cod War, 1975-1976 including tactics employed by Icelandic gunboats; damage to HMS Diomede from Icelandic gunboats; question of amount of fish caught by fisherman and waste; weather conditions; amusing story of fisherman thinking that ship was equipped with 'ray gun'; question of political interference in Cod War. Aspects of operations as communication rating aboard HMS Aisne, Far East Fleet in GB coastal waters and during Indonesian Confrontation, 1/1964-4/1967: joining HMS Aisne, 1/1964; question of what makes a happy ship; move from Malta to Far East, 1964; nature of patrols during Indonesian Confrontation; amusing story of flooding of messdeck; rest period in Fraser's Hill, Malaysia; damage to ship during exercise off Scotland, GB, 1965; learning to ballroom dance during repairs at HMNB Chatham; return to Singapore, Malaysia, 1965 swimming in Far East; patrol in restricted Indonesian 12 mile limit, 2/1967; visit to Penang Island, Malaysia. REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as communication rating aboard HMS Eurylas in GB coastal waters, Indian Ocean and Hong Kong, 1972: background to joining frigate in Portsmouth, GB, 1972; amusing story of unidentified meat in Dakar; activities during minor refit in South Africa; participation in Beira Patrol; social activities in Hong Kong; amusing story of bringing home trunk from Hong Kong; effect on naval career of family; attempt to find employment after 12 years service. Aspects of period as petty officer with Royal Navy in GB, North Ireland and North Sea, 1973-1984: duties in North Sea at time of Falklands War, 1982; role aboard HMS Vigilant patrolling of Northern Ireland, 1979; memories of Provisional Irish Republic Army bombing at Warrenpoint, North Ireland, 27/8/1979; visit to Crossmaglen, North Ireland; psychological strain of service in Northern Ireland. REEL 5 Continues: background to leaving Royal Navy return to civilian life, 1984; civilian employment; membership of HMS Ganges Association.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
King, Fiona (Recorder)
Brocking, Alan Francis (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2020-05-15
Dimensions: whole: Duration 150, Number Of Items 5
Catalogue number: 35081

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