ABSTRACT: Cmdr. Alexander Craig Campbell Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Canadian Navy (Cassette 1, Side 1) Cmdr. Campbell joined the Naval Reserve at Vancouver (1937) as a midshipman. Comments on former C.O's. of the Naval Division. Called up for war service on 31 Aug. 1939. The Vancouver Division (HMCS Discovery) had little organization at the beginning. Campbell now a Sub-Lieutenant and with no instructions from Ottawa the Division took the names of recruits, obtained meals, bedding, etc. on the initiative of the C.O., Jeffrey Brock. Served as Examination Officer at the mouth of the Fraser River - a boring job. In June 1940 posted to HMS King Alfred in England for additional officer training. Appointed to the fast motor boat, Creole II for use as a crash boat off the Isle of Wight. Appointed to the destroyer HMS Bulldog (7 Sept. 1940) and immediately went to sea to attack a German convoy off the French coast and came under fire from German coast defence guns. Sent to Scapa Flow then to Port Z (the Kyle of Lochalsh) where passenger liners converted to mine layers were based. Provided escort to these ships as they laid mines off the Outer Hebrides. Later experienced very considerable storm damage on the way to Scapa. Obtained watch-keeping ticket. Left Bulldog in March 1941. Joined HMS Mackay (destroyer) in Harwich where they escorted East Coast convoys from March 1941 to January 1942. Good description of attacks by German E-boats, including the fact that the German ships spoke to each other in the clear thus giving the convoy escorts the ability to know where the enemy was. RN German speaking "Headache Operators," were aboard the destroyer. (Cassette 1, Side 2) The convoys were shadowed by German aircraft and attacked. Describes the rapid sinking of a small coaster. Served in HMS Furious (Aircraft carrier) for a short time, then returned to Canada in late 1942 to take command of Fairmile, ML 090. Convoy work on the East Coast. Hunted submarines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, by now commanding six boats based at Ingonish (Cape Breton). Took then flotilla to Bermuda in the winter of 1943. Left the Fairmiles in May 1944 to attend a command course appointed to HMCS Clayoquot (minesweeper) - "Milk run" to St. Johns, New York and points between. Call back from Xmas leave in Chester, NS to take the ship to sea. Then on Dec. 24th while forming up a convoy was torpedoed by an acoustic torpedo (a gnat) by U-806. Campbell was uninjured despite a depth charge exploding, luckily he had the presence of mind to float on his back. Picked up by HMCS Fennel (corvette). In an aside, apparently Fennel had a rum shortage (on paper) so was able to write off the shortage as being provided to the surviving Clayoquot crew! Survivors leave. Appointed to HMCS North Bay (corvette). Work-up in Bermuda, then a couple of convoys. The war ended and on the last convoy returning from the UK and reaching west of 30 west all the seventy ships turned on their navigating lights. It seemed a blinding display. Later appointed to HMCS St. Therese together with HMCS Swansea - both frigates - and sailed to the West Indies to conduct experiments on the effects of hot weather on crews. Six weeks of "yachting", going wherever they liked, but conducting exercises and recording the results, as they affected the crew. VJ day returned to Halifax.

Interviewee: Campbell, Alexander Craig

Rank: Commander.

Interviewer: Lawrence, Hal

An interview/narrative of Alexander Craig Campbell's experiences during World War II. Captain Campbell served with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on April 30, 1985.

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Campbell, Alexander Craig
• Lawrence, Hal

Subject

• Military history
• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy
• Naval history
• World War (1914-1918)
• World War (1939-1945)

Language

• eng

Date created

• April 30, 1985

Relation

• Part of the Hal Lawrence collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 2 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• England
• Ontario--Ottawa

Coordinates

• 45.41117, -75.69812
• 52.16045, -0.70312

Additional physical characteristics

• Original sound recording on one audio cassette also available.

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• reminiscences
• interviews
• sound recordings
• oral histories (literary genre)

Archival item identifier

• CAC_284

Fonds title

• Hal Lawrence collection

Fonds identifier

• SC066

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/hal-lawrence-collection

Date digitized

• November 28, 2014

Technical note

• 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 2014. 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

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/s1t6-kt21

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