Leir, Richard Hugh: my Navy recollections (June 14 - October 1, 1978)
ABSTRACT: Rear Admiral Richard Hugh Leir Royal Canadian Navy Leir_R_0180_01.mp3 (Reel 1, Side 1) Born in 1921 in Penticton, B.C. Attended Shawnigan Lake School. In the fall of 1939 he made a career choice; he wrote the naval entrance exam. Early in 1940 he was sent to H.M.S. Frobisher, the training ship, in England. Explains the status of midshipman. Rigorous life in the training ship. Chose to go to a battleship for his sea-training. Describes the gunroom (mess), sub. of the gunroom, corporal punishment. (45:00) Leir_R_0180_02.mp3 Joined H.M.S. Rodney (battleship), but on board for only a short time before she was damaged by a mine. Sent to H.M.S. Prince of Wales (battleship) in Jan. 1941. A new vessel well equipped with radar. Explains gunnery trials which were lengthy and had barely begun before the ship was ordered to join H.M.S. Hood (battle cruiser) in the search for the German battleship Bismarck. Describes the sight of the Hood blowing up after being hit by German shells. Almost a slow motion experience. Prince of Wales hit by a salvo of four shells from Bismarck. Most guns out of action due to mechanical malfunction. Turned away, but shelled and hit Bismarck with radar-directed fire that night. Radar put out of action by concussion. Served in a sloop for a month while Prince of Wales repaired. (45:00) Leir_R_0180_03.mp3 (Reel 1, Side 2) The sinking of the Hood was a great psychological shock. She was certainly mismatched with Bismarck due to her light armour, although he considers that tactical error compounded the risk. The sloop H.M.S. Bittern was bombed off Norway, but he survived and rejoined Prince of Wales to sail with Winston Churchill aboard to meet President Roosevelt at Placentia Bay, Nfld. In Oct. 1941 they had a short engagement with Italian battleships in the Mediterranean. Returned to England and with H.M.S. Repulse (battle cruiser) sailed for Singapore. War with Japan. Sailed from Singapore on Dec. 10, 1941 and sunk by Japanese aircraft. (40:00) The speed with which Japanese aircraft attacked was an unpleasant surprise. Ship's heavy anti-aircraft weapons less effective than expected. Two torpedoes hit the ship directly under his director position putting all four guns of his battery out of action. Another torpedo struck the port outer propeller shaft causing major flooding and eventually the sinking. Saw Repulse sink. Recounts abandoning ship, walking on the upturned bottom of the ship before being washed overboard by a wave. Picked up by the destroyer H.M.S. Excellent. Leir_R_0180_04.mp3 Sent to England to finish his courses, but at Columbo he was appointed to H.M.S. Exeter (cruiser) which returned to the Far East. Promoted to acting sub-lieutenant. Joined the mixed force of British, American, Australian, and Dutch cruisers which attempted to prevent the Japanese landing on Java. Out-gunned by Japanese cruisers and badly hit in the engine room, Exeter was left behind to undergo repairs, sank a Japanese light cruiser that ventured too close. Eventually made a Dutch naval base, steaming at fourteen knots and with about one-quarter ammunition remaining. Ordered to attack a Japanese convoy, but met four Japanese cruisers and was sunk. Picked up by a Japanese destroyer after thirty-two hours in the water. Well treated until he came under control of the Japanese army. No report of survivors received by the British, so his family was advised that he was presumed dead. Upon release from prison camp in 1945 he "hitch-hiked" his way home, first to London, then Halifax where he was sent to hospital with a number of tropical ailments. (48:00) Leir_R_0180_05.mp3 (Reel 2, Side 1) Under psychiatric observation for a time while he continued in the Navy, the only former Japanese P.O.W. continuing to serve. Sent to England for retraining. Found studying and retaining knowledge very difficult. Felt that morale in the R.C.N. was poor in the postwar period, so elected to serve with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean for a time. Appointed gunnery officer in H.M.S. Chevron (destroyer). Describes operations, especially on the anti-Jewish patrol off Palestine. Was among the boarding parties in several ships of illegal immigrants. A great experience for a young officer against opposition which could occasionally be vicious. After ten years of service he returned to Canada, to a Navy in which he was a virtual stranger. Tale of attempt to remain in Malta for a time and to be married; successful in both. Leir_R_0180_06.mp3 Posted to H.M.C.S. Nonsuch, the reserve naval division in Edmonton. A year later appointed to H.M.C.S. Athabaskan (Tribal class destroyer) on the west coast. Pleased when the Korean War started, since it gave the Navy a tremendous boost. Operations in Korea. Promoted to lieutenant commander in 1951. H.M.C.S. Crusader. Navy established Canadian training schools, specialized in anti-submarine warfare. Became executive officer in H.M.C.S. Bonaventure (light fleet carrier), an organizational mess with poor morale in the crew. Firm discipline, new outlook for air training turned the ship around. (48:00) Leir_R_0180_07.mp3 Describes carrier task force. Navy should always have their own air service. Later fought hard for their air component and lost. Bonaventure scrapped; partly the fault of the Navy who were not as air-experienced as they should have been. New ship/helicopter tactics developed. Appointed to command H.M.C.S. Skeena (destroyer escort). During gunnery practice a failure to switch from surface to air control resulted in sixteen three-inch shells landing above Clallam Bay in Washington state. Cdr. Leir refused to allow his navigation or gunnery officer to be court-martialed and thus faced a court-martial himself. Retained Lloyd McKenzie as counsel (now Mr. Justice McKenzie of the Supreme Court of B.C.) who went to sea in Skeena and for ten days learned all he could about gunnery and navigation. Despite this he was convicted and severely reprimanded. In a subsequent error by the chief of naval staff, lost one year's seniority. Anecdote of ship-handling with style in Halifax harbour. (48:00) Leir_R_0180_08.mp3 (Reel 3, Side 1) After Skeena promoted to captain and commanded the Venture training establishment which was very successful. Worked in Ottawa on the Landymore report, a method of gearing training and courses to the operational periods of a ship. Appointed commander of 1st Escort Squadron. Comments on naval aviation and the importance of political and industrial will. Discourse on the Canadian naval air service: Anti-submarine role, Sea King helicopter, and Beartrap haul-down system. Unification was a very emotional time, nearly a mutiny in Canada. Much of the cream of the naval crop left or were pushed out. Landymore retired, Rear Admiral O'Brien assumed command and Capt. Leir became a commodore. Leir_R_0180_09.mp3 Took a large group of ships to the West Indies to allow tempers to cool. Foreign navies laughed at the Canadians' green uniforms; R.C.N. reputation sank drastically. Bonaventure refit and subsequent scrapping came at a time when the influence of the navy was at its lowest ebb. Air force had strong influence. Further remarks on Bonaventure, air service loss, uniforms. Cannot have cost-effective studies applied to defense as criteria are often incorrect. Deplores lack of strategic studies organization in Canada. Appointed flag officer, Pacific coast, then chief of maritime operations, Ottawa. Structural form of the navy changed (not for the better). Points out the need for the navy and the army to control their air support. Vigorous opposition by the air force. Control should be exercised by those trained in the sea or ground role and the lack of this has caused many regrettable results. (50:00) Leir_R_0180_10.mp3 (Reel 3, Side 2) Retired when he was offered a final posting with N.A.T.O. in Brussels. Comments on present (1978) armed forces which seem to be less tough and certainly have less sense of humour! The country should be more involved in the surveillance game; more emphasis on the Pacific area. Reiterates the need for strategic studies in Canada and the dearth of writers on the subject who have had military experience. (20:00)
An interview/narrative of Richard Hugh Leir's experiences during World War II. Rear-Admiral Leir served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on June 14, August 31 and October 1, 1978.
Rank: Rear-Admiral.
Interviewee: Leir, Richard Hugh, b. 1921
Interviewer: Main, Chris D.
- In Collection:
- 10 sound recordings (MP3)
- 52.16045, -0.70312
- 35.68536, 139.75309
- Three original sound tape reels (ca. 420 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 5 sound cassette copies : standard, mono. in Special Collections.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- LRH_180
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds
- April 9, 2009
- Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 32 kHz. Digitized by QL, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Transferred from audio reel to audio cassette between 1987-1997. Interview migrated to digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. 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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