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Description: | British seaman served aboard HMS Implacable in English Channel, North Sea and Mediterranean, 1914-1915; served as wireless telegraphist aboard HMS Leda based at Scapa Flow and operating in North Sea, 1916-1917; served aboard HMS Patrol in North Sea and Atlantic, 1917-1918; served aboard HMS Sprightly based at Holyhead and operating in Atlantic, 1918; served aboard HMS Swallow in Black Sea, 1919-1920; served aboard HMS Vindictive on China Station, 1925-1928
REEL 1: Background in Norwich and London, 1898-1913. Aspects of recruitment as boy seaman with Royal Navy at Admiralty, 14/7/1913: reasons; procedure during prior visits to Stratford Recruiting Office; question of length of service; question of social origins of recruits. Recollections of periods training aboard HMS Inconstant, HMS Black Prince and HMS Impregnable at Devonport, 7/1913-1/1914: training ships; kitting out; instructional courses; pay; smoking ban and punishment canings; swimming lessons and test. Recollections of period aboard HMS Crescent based at Queenstown, 1/1914-5/1915: royal connections with ship; comparison with civilian lifestyle; food and messing system; hammocks; mess accounting system; pay.
REEL 2 Continues: decision to join seamans' branch; ship's wheel duty; barefoot; climbing over masthead; education classes; church parades and hymn parodies; Aggie Weston Sailors Rests; relationship with officers and aspects of class system; storing hammocks. Aspects of period at Chatham Barracks, 5/1914: segregation from men and questions of homosexuality and moral welfare; roll call; approach of war, 1914; coaling HMS Juno at Sheerness. Recollections of service aboard HMS Implacable, 8/1914-2/1915: method of posting; friend killed during explosion of HMS Bulwark, 11/1914.
REEL 3 Continues: duties as gunnery officer's runner; relationship with officers and saluting drill; gun drill, 9 pdrs used on HMS Crescent and armament aboard HMS Implacable; volunteering for training as wireless telegraphist, 1915; operations as part of 8th Battle Squadron in English Channel and North Sea; practise coastal bombardment on deserted section of French coast; question of secrecy and captain's briefings; voyage out to Mudros, Lemnos, 2/1915. Aspects of coastal bombardments in Dardanelles area, 2/1915-4/1915. Aspects of landings at X Beach, 25/4/1915: rifle casualty; rowing whaler final stage to land troops ashore after picket boat tow.
REEL 4 Continues: journeys ashore; beach terrain; return of wounded; opinion on Gallipoli strategy; troops landed; reports from beach party; wounded taken aboard. Aspects of service aboard HMS Swallow in Black Sea, 1919. Various aspects of service aboard HMS Implacable based in Egypt and Italy, 5/1915-3/1916: training as wireless telegraphist including aerials used and learning Morse Code; story illustrating post war developments in short wave radio; war replacement of straw hats; Italian fleet; letter contact with GB; return to decommission at Chatham, GB, 3/1916. Recollections of service as wireless telegraphist aboard HMS Leda based at Scapa Flow, 3/1916-4/1917: hard line allowance system; story of sinking of HMS Skipjack and damage to nearby HMS Leda whilst attempting to sink floating mine with rifles at Oban; daily routine of mine sweeping patrols in channels around Scapa Flow and wireless silence observed; circumstances of leaving HMS Vindictive, 1928.
REEL 5 Continues: minimal recreations; hard line allowance system; canteens; decommissioning of HMS Leda following mine damage at Oban. Aspects of period initially as spare operator with HMS Patrol based at Gillingham and Queenstown, 4/1917-1/1918: attachments to escort ships covering East Coast convoys; wireless silence and watch routine observed at sea; opinion of Campbell and reports of Q Ship operations. Aspects of period aboard HMS Sprightly based at Holyhead, 1/1918-11/1918: prior continuous wave wireless course; continuous anti submarine patrols in Irish Sea; communication with accompanying blimp; story of receiving coded signal of armistice and drunk blimp crew, 11/11/1918; length of service. Aspects of period aboard HMS Patrol attached to various escort ships on East Coast convoys, 4/1917-1/1918. Recollections of period aboard HMS Swallow in Black Sea, 1919-1920: voyage out as draft; cruise showing flag in support of White Russian forces and visit to Sevastopol
REEL 6 Continues: relationship with White Russian troops; story of being drunk ashore at Batum; reports of Coronol and Falklands Battles, 1914; visit ashore in Constantinople, Turkey. Various aspects of naval service, 1919-1925: period with Reserve Fleet ships at Sheerness; visit ashore and view of cemetery desecrated by Greeks at Smryrna, Turkey; appearance of White Russian troops; question of British role in Black Sea area. Recollections of service aboard HMS Vindictive, 1925-1928: incident of ratings singing 'Red Flag' at Portsmouth and captain's reaction; origin of reputation as 'unhappy ship' consequent refusal to extend period of service and return as time expired to GB from China Station, 3/1928; loss of possible status as naval pensioner; penalty for overstaying final leave; savings with Dockyard bank; discharge and subsequent civilian career.
REEL 7 Continues: subsequent civilian career. Aspects of period initially as spare operator aboard HMS Patrol based at Gillingham and Queenstown, 4/1917-1/1918: attachments to escort ships covering East Coast convoys; convoy discipline; story of beaching abandoned torpedoed ship; cats whisker radio; convoy routine; absence of German interference in convoys; prior sea training with HMS Crescent at Queeenstown, 1914. Aspects of service aboard HMS Sprightly based at Holyhead, 1/1918-11/1918: anti submarine patrols in Irish Sea; use of depth charges for fishing; use of blimps. Illustrations of various developments in wireless technology, 1915-1928. Aspects of service aboard HMS Vindictive on China Station, 1926-1928: interception of Japanese signals; use of dictaphone; use of codes and call signs.
REEL 8 Continues: interception of Japanese signals; concession system and recreations ashore at Shanghai; recreations during summer visits to Wei Hei Wei; water polo activities; question of recreations and missed cultural opportunities whilst ashore; question of relationship with naval personnel of other nationalities; method of credit trading with Chinese civilians; typical souvenir purchases; shore accommodation; trip up Yangtze River to Nanking; opinion of Duke of Kent; origin of reputation as 'unhappy ship' and consequent refusal to extend period of service and return as time expired to GB, 3/1928; visit to Tientsin.
REEL 9 Continues: incident of thieving by Chinese civilians from ship during visit to Tientsin; cancellation of visit to Korea; noticeboard; use of catapult to launch seaplanes and prior experiments in Solent; relationship with RAF personnel; fleet exercises; pre 1914 naval race; ignorance of events in China; radio and newspapers; effects of climate at Singapore. Various aspects of naval service, 1913-1928: ship canteen system; VD problem and preventative measures. role of chaplains; story relating to VD case; story relating to isolation at Scapa Flow; drinking habits. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Claxton, Henley Charles | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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recording
British chief petty officer served…
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