Choat, Russell Frederick: my Navy recollections (June 27 - July 11, 1977)

Interviewer: Murphy, James

Rank: Commander. Medals and Honours: Order of Military Merit (OMM)

An interview/narrative of Russell Frederick Choat's experiences during World War II. Commander Choat, O.M.M. served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on June 27, Jul 5 and 11, 1977.

ABSTRACT: Cdr. Russell Frederick Choat, O.M.M. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Canadian Navy Choat_R_0162_01.mp3 (Reel 1, Side 1) Born on June 30, 1924 in Maple Bay, Vancouver Island. Returned to England in 1935 and attempted to return to Canada in 1940, travelling in the City of Benares which was torpedoed with heavy loss of life. At the age of seventeen and one-half he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an ordinary seaman. After nine months selected for officer training, H.M.S. King Alfred. Greenwich Naval College for three weeks instruction in Royal Navy officer deportment. First served in the sloop H.M.S. Stork in the Atlantic, south of England. In mid-Apr. 1944 posted to the assault landing ship, H.M.S. Llandovery Castle. Continuous practice with landing craft, assault (L.C.A.) and the troops which would use them. (30:00) Navigator and boats officer for a flotilla of eighteen craft. Landed the Royal Winnipeg Rifles at Courseulles-sur-Mer on D-Day. Describes beaches and seaward situation. Choat's boat hit by a small-calibre shell causing it to sink some thirty yards off the beach. (45:00) Choat_R_0162_02.mp3 (Reel 1, Side 2) Returns to a discussion of his appointment as the only naval officer in a Royal Marine L.C.A. flotilla. Much time spent in boat-handling and the difficult task of recovering the L.C.A.'s. During and after the D-Day assault the flotilla was reduced from eighteen boats to four. Discusses the twenty-four-hour postponement of D-Day. Comments on the charts issued to navigators. After his L.C.A. sank he was recovered from the beach and taken to his ship before returning to England for an additional cargo of troops and replacement L.C.A.'s. (30:00) Choat_R_0162_03.mp3 The landing. Storm damage to beach facilities. General comments on the invasion, satisfaction with his own role; good training paid off. (47:00) Choat_R_0162_04.mp3 (Reel 2, Side 1) In July 1944 the flotilla was disbanded and he was posted to one of four North Sea trawlers on anti-submarine patrol off Horta in the Azores. For months American ships were off-loading construction materials there. The crew were largely ex-fishermen; as navigator he was one of four officers. The trawlers spent twenty-one days on a very constricted patrol followed by one week in harbour; an extremely boring duty. In Dec. 1944, after escorting a merchant ship to Plymouth, he was able to arrange an appointment to H.M.S. Riou, a modern diesel-electric frigate. Together with six motor torpedo boats they carried out offensive patrols off the coast of Belgium and Holland, attempting to bring German E-boats to battle. Heavy schedule, watch on watch for five days, then five days in Harwich. Describes a night action. First experience where the Captain fought his vessel from an operations room. First ship into Hamburg two days after the war ended. Inspected by Field Marshal Montgomery. Later escorted captured submarines to Loch Ewe, Scotland. Able to arrange transfer to the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in Sept. 1945. Joined H.M.C.S. Crusader, building on the Clyde. To Esquimalt in early 1946. Returns to a description of the remains of Hamburg, other German ports, effect of the bombing campaign, etc. (45:00)

Interviewee: Choat, Russell Frederick, b. 1924

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Murphy, James
• Choat, Russell Frederick, b. 1924

Subject

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

Language

• eng

Date created

• June 27, 1977 to July 11, 1977

Relation

• Part of the Reginald H. Roy collection of interviews.

Resource type

• Sound

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 4 sound recordings (MP3)

Geographic coverage

• England

Coordinates

• 51.45, 0.05

Additional physical characteristics

• Two original sound tape reels (ca. 135 min.) : 3 3/4 ips, 2 track, mono. ; 2 sound cassette copies : 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

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

Archival item identifier

• CRF_162

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

• February 3, 2009

Technical note

• 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

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/jw1z-1j16

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