Blandy, Walter Stairs: my Navy recollections (April 13, 1988)

ABSTRACT: Commander Walter S. Blandy Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Canadian Navy After two years at Victoria College Cmdr. Blandy joined the Navy as Acting Probationary Sub-Lieutenant. Sent to HMCS Chippewa (Winnipeg) then to HMCS Kings (Halifax) training new entries and learning for himself. Appointed to Fairmiles in Newfoundland, most often doing harbour patrols and the same later in Halifax. Volunteered for service in MTB's in England (October/November 1944) then to MTB 726 as navigator. Their base was at Ostend and their operational area was north of the Scheldt estuary. They were directed against German E-Boats by a destroyer out to sea. Part of his job, when morphine was given, was to pin chits to jackets of injured members of the crew. Describes his first action although as Navigating officer his position was in the chart room and he saw very little. The boat was in refit so was not involved in the fire at Ostend that destroyed a number of boats. Fairly modest action against E-boats, apparently little damage being done to either side. Comments on the camaraderie in the MTB flotilla. Gives his impressions of the excellent German boats, structurally well finished and faster than the British boats. On leave, describes London on VE day. Routine ashore in Belgium. In refit the WRENS did much of the work on the engines and with the armament. Some remarks about the captains of the MTB's, efficiency and teamwork. Returned to Canada at war's end as a passenger aboard HMCS Iroquois and applied to join the RCN. After several odd jobs was appointed to HMS Bermuda (Cruis.) in the Far East for a year's training. Comments that patriotism was a real force in war but feels that it is very much changed now (This as Blandy and Lawrence both speak).

Interviewer: Lawrence, Hal

Rank: Commander.

Interviewee: Blandy, Walter Stairs

An interview/narrative of Walter Stairs Blandy's experiences during World War II. Commander Blandy served with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on April 13, 1988.

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Lawrence, Hal
• Blandy, Walter Stairs

Subject

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

Language

• eng

Date created

• April 13, 1988

Relation

• Part of the Hal Lawrence collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Text

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 1 transcript (22 pages)

Geographic coverage

• British Columbia--Victoria
• England

Coordinates

• 52.16045, -0.70312
• 48.4359, -123.35155

Additional physical characteristics

• No audio recording held.

Physical repository

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

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

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

Genre

• transcripts
• reminiscences
• interviews
• oral histories (literary genre)

Archival item identifier

• BWS_283

Fonds title

• Hal Lawrence collection

Fonds identifier

• SC066

Is referenced by

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

Technical note

• Technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Migration metadata by KD and MT. PDF. Technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. 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/qjvv-4q35

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