ABSTRACT: Rear-Admiral Kenneth F. Adams Royal Canadian Navy Adams_K_0161_01.mp3 (Interview 2, Side 1 interviewed by Chris Bell) Prewar naval experiences: first served in the small destroyer, H.M.C.S. Vancouver. Describes officers, living conditions, including a small bathtub which was stowed in the ceiling of officers' cabins, wardroom with working fireplace, staff of two stewards, cook, etc. As a lieutenant received five dollars per day and was required to pay for extra messing. No refrigeration in the ship, therefore fresh food lasted less than a week. Ship life exactly paralleled that of the Royal Navy (R.N.). Describes old wardroom at H.M.C.S. Naden, social customs, etc. Courses at Greenwich. H.M.C.S. Skeena, latest thing in destroyers. Adams_K_0161_02.mp3 Manning of ships was a serious problem in the first war years, largely due to the inability to supply properly trained crews as fast as ships became available. During service with the R.N. he was sports officer for a twenty-seven-ship flotilla of destroyers. First lieutenant in H.M.C.S. Champlain in 1936 which was in rather poor shape, largely due to the adverse weather conditions on the east coast. The Depression was a difficult time for ships and personnel. Comments on present-day navy. (62:00)

An interview/narrative of Kenneth F. Adams's experiences during World War II. Rear-Admiral Adams served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on March 31, 1983.

Interviewee: Adams, Kenneth F., b. 1903

Rank: Rear-Admiral.

Interviewer: Bell, Chris

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Adams, Kenneth F., b. 1903
• Bell, Chris

Subject

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

Language

• eng

Date created

• March 31, 1983

Relation

• Special Collections holds additional interviews with R.-Adm. Adams.
• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 2 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• England

Coordinates

• 51.45, 0.05

Additional physical characteristics

• One original sound tape reel (ca. 60 min.) : 1 7/8 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 1 sound cassette copy : standard, mono. in Special Collections.

Physical Repository

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

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

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

Genre

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

Archival item identifier

• AKF_161

Fonds title

• Reginald Herbert Roy fonds

Fonds identifier

• SC104

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/reginald-herbert-roy-fonds

Date digitized

• March 29, 2007

Technical note

• Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 22 kHz. In .mp3 format at 64 kbps and 22 kHz. Digitized by JW, 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 2007. 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/10.58066/0wjv-qe53

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