John White Tape’s 1,2, 3, & 4

Interviewed by Ray Freeman some time in the1980’s Mr Whites recollection of past events are rather colourful, they are at times embellished with stores he heard & like all memories need to be treated with caution.

 

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Track 1            Father & Grandfather worked in the railway good yard, then on lorries. Grandfather was a Councillor & also a Methodist preacher at the Primitive

                        Methodist Church which was next to the Gulidhall. In 1902 he would walk or cycle to the villages to preach. The three Methodist churches later

                        amalgamated into one in the Market Square. Grandfather met George VI & Queen Elizabeth in the late 30’s

 

                        Recall the start of WWII & the 1939 Regatta, Destroyers in the harbour & search -light displays. Filling in of Coombe Mud for Coronation Park,

                        played in remains of  WWI submarine & other old boats dumped their by Philips Shipyard. Joined  steelworks department at Philips during the

                        war,  Description of boat building, steel  frames, bulkheads, keels etc. Mine-layers (non-magnetic) built of wood at Noss &  Sandquay

                        Description of bombing of Noss, injuries & damage, effects of the blast & after  effects. Navel ships gunned at Dittisham, sailors drowned when

                        they jumped overboard & got stuck in mud.

 

Track 2            Activities in the Home Guard, Warfleet to the Water Tower, evening & weekend  manoeuvres’. Coastal defences at the Battery & gun placements.

                        Transatlantic? Cable (to Channel Island) to Compass Cove then on to the Repeater Station at Warfleet manned by A.T.C officers.

                        Activities of Commando group, Landing craft in the river, manoeuvres’ in woods  opposite Noss, confusion between Home Guard &

                        Commandos. Exercise to attack Castle, searchlight switched on & off, E- boat in river escaping.

                        Suspect spy living in cottage on Gallants Bower seen to be watching shipping  activities, allegedly seen by Coastguards signalling to boats in

                        Channel, eventually  arrested & disappeared.

 

Track 3            Exercises at Slapron, damage to landing craft by torpedo which stern & gun turret, ammunition boxes, kept secret for many years.

                        Damage to shipping outside river, briquettes of coal & dust on ship hit by torpedo. Saw three planes coming in mouth of river, Higher St, Duke St

                        & College bombed.  On guard all night at Midland bank damaged by bomb.

 

Track 4            Americans in Dartmouth, Slipways built, huts on Coronation Park for maintenance & repair of landing craft. D-day preparations, patrols of the

                        area in staff cars, laying of barbed wire at Jawbones. Americans dumped spares & scrap by the Water Tower. Commando raids & more Home 

                        Guard manoeuvres’.

 

                        After the war at Philips – cargo boats, tankers, light ships for Trinity House, pilot boat for the Mersey, Ferries for Wallasey & Royal Yacht for

                        Zanzibar. Decline of Philips. Changes in last 40 years, fewer ships ,no coal bunkering. Description of Channel Coaling Co. Coal boats to

                       Kingswear for Torquay gas works. Remer’s banana boats as a boy.