ABSTRACT: Captain Godfrey Hayes Royal Canadian Navy Born in Winnipeg in 1919, Hayes from a young age desired to travel. Lacking the means to travel as a passenger, after high school he enrolled in HMS Conway, a British training vessel in the hopes of earning his passage as a merchant seaman. Upon graduation from Conway, Hayes received a commission in the RNCR, and was to return for naval training when he had completed his merchant apprenticeship with the Silver Line. Serving as a merchant apprentice, Hayes made numerous trips from the US coast, around the horn of Africa, to India and back, but was mobilized by the RNR before he received any naval training. Experienced as a merchant navigator, Hayes was first assigned to an old ferry participating in the Dunkirk evacuation, where he was sunk on his second trip (see the Hal Lawrence Collection for details of this and Hayes' other pre-RCN experiences). Transferred to the RCNVR because of its better pay rates, and was assigned to HMCS Trillium, one of the first ten Canadian built corvettes as navigator. Initially intended for RN service, Trillium was re-commissioned an HMC ship due to RN personnel shortages. Initial impressions of Trillium and RCN crew compared to RN: a small ship, crew informal in bearing and dress, "rough and ready." Left Trillium in Sept. 1942 to get second mate's ticket in Sept. 1942, strictly civilian, still no naval training. Assigned to HMCS Kenogami as XO, essentially as assistant Captain to aid an inexperienced officer who had requested help on convoy duty. Spent almost a year aboard, left in October 1943 to take Command Course in Halifax, his first true naval course. Discusses details of the course, mostly review, no weapons training, good ASW simulator. Notes that when appointed ASDIC control officer aboard Trillium, didn't know what ASDIC was. Discussion of morale aboard Trillium and Kenogami and factors affecting it. Discusses the equipment aboard Trillium and Kenogami, notes that Trillium (RN owned/maintained although an HMC ship) received upgraded equipment (in Texas) that Kenogami later lacked. Talks about living conditions aboard corvettes, seasickness. Discussion of discipline problems, rare, but often dealt with by "mess deck discipline," sometimes at suggestion of officers. After command course, did five months as workup officer at Pictou, explains the details of a "workup," ASW drills, damage control drills etc. Next assigned to command HMCS Guelph, equipped with hedgehog and advanced ASDIC. Embarrassed to note that Guelph failed her workup, although he conducted it himself. Feels that the RCN has been treated harshly by historians, notes the disparity in RN/RCN equipment. Discusses training issues, believes that it varied from ship to ship depending on quality of officers and senior ratings. Argues that weather was the most difficult factor aside from enemy action. Discussion of importance of dedicated A/S hunter groups (as opposed to escort groups), feels that they played as big a role in the victory over the u-boats as aircraft.

Interviewer: White, Cameron

Rank: Captain.

An interview/narrative of Godfrey Hayes's experiences during World War II. Captain Godfrey served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on March 25, 2005.

Interviewee: Hayes, Godfrey Harry

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Hayes, Godfrey Harry
• White, Cameron

Subject

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

Language

• eng

Date created

• March 25, 2005

Relation

• Title of paper: "The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic: An Oral History". Link:  http://rusiviccda.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/The-Royal-Canadian-Navy-and-the-Battle-of-the-Atlantic.pdf
• Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 2 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic Coverage

• India

Coordinates

• 22.20775, 76.97021

Additional physical characteristics

• One original audio cassette 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

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

Archival item identifier

• HGH_435

Fonds title

• Military oral history collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection

Date digitized

• September 14, 2012

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 2012. 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/e5q2-g929

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