101-0005-021

Interview with Eduart Drescoll. Tape 1

Eduart Drescoll discusses his experiences working on a variety of cargo ships beginning in the 1940s. He tells stories about his tasks and travels on British, Norwegian, and New Zealand ships.

Item

1 Compact Audio Tape

30 Apr 1997

BHAC

English

Copyright situation unknown/other, contact HCE

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101-0005-022

Eduart Drescoll

Allen Milne, Moe McManus

No

On Side One, Eduart Drescoll [ED] discusses his experiences working on various ships while serving in the British navy from 1940 until 1961. ED’s career began at age fifteen as a cabin boy on the British ship Runa, where he earned £4 per month. ED describes the various tasks he had on the ship, such as making and delivering tea, preparing for breakfast, washing dishes, and cleaning the ship. ED talks about working primarily on Norwegian ships, and discusses the difference between Norwegian and British ships. Beginning [00:15:00] ED tells a story about the rescue of his ship by a Canadian vessel in Halifax, Nova Scotia. ED goes on to discuss his time working on New Zealand ships and a severe injury he sustained on one voyage.

On Side Two, Eduart Drescoll [ED] describes the different types of ships he worked on and the different places he travelled to, such as tanker ships he took to the Middle East and various parts of America. ED describes never knowing where he would be transferred to next, as well as the torpedoing of many of his companion ships in one incident beginning [00:12:30]. ED begins describing photographs of himself and crew members in different cities and discusses his payment aboard ships of different nationalities. Beginning around [00:40:00], ED describes how British ships were generally worse to work on than Norwegian ships, though they began to get better in the 1950s.

Side One: 46 min 39 sec
Side Two: 46 min 33 sec

Yes

Glamorgan Archives and National Library of Wales

Open

UNLW023/20

Relation: UNLW023/20-21