Storrs, Anthony H. G.: my Navy recollections (June 30, 1983)
An interview/narrative of Anthony H. G. Storrs's experiences during World War II. Rear Admiral Storrs served with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. Interview took place on June 30, 1983.
Rank: Rear Admiral. Medals and Honours: Distinguished Service Cross
Interviewer: Lawrence, Hal
ABSTRACT: R/Adm. A.H.G. Storrs, D.S.C. Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Royal Canadian Navy (Cassette 1, Side 1) At the age of fourteen joined HMS Worcester, one of the Merchant Navy training ships that had formerly been a "64", a fully rigged wooden ship-of-war moored in the River Thames. Storrs attended under a P&O Steamships scholarship. After two years had risen to Chief Cadet. Wanted to try his hand at sail and served in a cargo carrier, the William Mitchell, including a voyage of 153 days. United States to Australia, non-stop. In Melbourne, the ship picked up additional crew from the gaol, people that the authorities wanted to get rid of! Describes under sail in storms, the food, half a gallon of water per day for washing, and the considerable unpleasantness of salt-water "boils", etc. For this privilege Storrs paid £40 indenture. There was no pay! Joined the P&O line as a cadet (no pay again) but eventually got his mates ticket and stayed for four years. Retraces his career: Worcester, 1923-25, RNR time as a Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve, 1925-26, under sail for two years, then in the 1930's, P&O time. Returns to comments on his RN service in the 20's, and later service in a P&O liner sailing to Australia and later to China and Japan. In Shanghai met an officer of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service who, after a few gins at lunch, invited Storrs to meet his superior officer that resulted, one sailing later, in being offered a position with the Chinese Maritime Customs Service with whom he stayed until the beginning of the war. Their primary job was to counter smuggling. Smugglers caught at sea usually were not sent to gaol but their boats were confiscated and sold, often bought back by their previous owner! The Customs often recruited their seamen from caught smugglers. Tale of actually being fired upon by a muzzle loading cannon! Describes a sea-going, sailing, Chinese junk. Some, especially fishing junks of 50-60 feet in length, were "suspect sea boats" and very fast, as much as fourteen knots. Comments on the international make-up of the smaller coastal ports -- very relaxed atmosphere. Surveying in the Yangtze River estuary. Chiang Kai-shek government in power. Points out that the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was established after the Boxer Rebellion basically to collect, through custom duties, the heavy financial indemnities required by powers injured in the revolution. After the Sino-Japanese War started in 1937 the Customs vessels began to withdraw from the northern coast. Describes the Japanese attack on Shanghai. In 1940 in Foochow escaped by sea, after walking 35 miles over land, arriving in Shanghai, leaving a few weeks later in the Empress of Asia. At Esquimalt joined the Canadian Navy as a Lieutenant RCNR. In command of HMCS Armentières (patrol vessel) and later the new corvette HMCS Dawson. (Cassette 1, Side 2) Participated in driving out the Japanese from the Aleutian Islands. Appalling weather, many undersea contacts but no submarines were actually discovered. Next, east coast corvettes out of Newfie to Londonderry. In January 1944, promoted to Acting Commander in command of the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla to go to the UK to prepare for the D-Day invasion. In an aside, comments on CAT gear as an anti-torpedo device. After a fuel-short voyage to Plymouth (via the Azores) the flotilla discovered that they knew nothing about modern minesweeping. They were successfully "washed up" by the Royal Navy (despite their doubts). Swept mines for the American invasion of Omaha Beach. Comments on the poor control exercised in launching "swimming tanks" in rough seas -- many drowned. Later involved in mine-clearing along the French coast. In Canada on VE-Day. Returned to the UK in May 1945 to sweep mines in the Channel and the North Sea. Canada in Sept. 1945 and joined HMCS Antigonish (frigate). Transferred to the RCN. Sent to Ottawa under Nelson Lay as Deputy-Director of Plans. Captain of HMCS Nootka (Tribal-class destroyer) in 1949. Anecdotes. Posted to the staff at the National Defence College in Kingston, much to his dismay. The Navy did not approve of staff college training in 1950, and later. Points out that this worked against the Navy at the time of Unification -- the other services were far advanced in staff work and thus had more than their share of staff appointments. Promoted to Acting Captain and served under Lt. Gen. Guy Simonds at the College. A valuable but tough learning experience. Anecdote regarding a college trip to Germany. Comments on senior lecturers -- Mountbatten, St. Laurent, Person, Americans, etc. More discussion on reservists in the RCN. Some RCN unhappy about it and about the lack of university training in naval officers. Flag officers, early on, were of the opinion that all the training a naval officer required could be learned at sea. It later cost the Navy, in particular, the Unification battle. Director of Plans in Ottawa at the start of the Korean War. Appointed C.O. of the air base HMCS Shearwater in 1953. Too many flying accidents that gradually changed as the flyers took a more professional attitude and similarly in the carrier, HMCS Magnificent where the flying improved greatly. Anecdotes while at Shearwater and one regarding alcohol poisoning in HMCS Magnificent. Appointed as captain of Magnificent. Exercises in Europe, then showing the flag around Europe -- Lisbon, Genoa, Gibraltar, etc. Notes that before joining Magnificent there was not as much professional operation and training taking place -- too much that was new was not in the RCN. To Ottawa as Vice Chief of Naval Service, Warfare then took over the air element for two years. Commandant of the National Defence College in Kingston as a Rear Admiral. Much entertaining. Speaks of the military/civilian mix of students (55/45%) for a total of about thirty students. Retired (1962) and then spent nine years as Director of Marine Operations for the Canadian Coast Guard. Although Storrs retired before the event, he speaks of Unification and the problems, including a perceived lack of combat capability (1983) and the failure to resolve inter-service rivalry. In total, a complete exercise in futility. Returns to a tale of the Far Eastern time. Storrs and his wife took flying lessons -- and became flyers and he repeated it at the Halifax Flying Club when in command of Shearwater -- but never told anybody when connected with Navy Air that he could fly -- just wanted to get the "feel" of flying.
Interviewee: Storrs, Anthony H. G.
- In Collection:
- 3 sound recordings (MP3)
- 51.5, 10.5
- Original sound recordings on two audio cassettes also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- SAHG_266
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/hal-lawrence-collection
- October 15, 2013
- Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Digitized by JF, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2013. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
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