Oral History Recording with Captain Harry Oram
Digital sound recording in two parts
Subject: Royal Naval Reserve; Royal Navy; Submarines: Master
OHY/6/98/1 – 01:11:53; 1.5 GB; 3/5
OHY/6/98/2 – 00:18:10; 0.4 GB; 3.5/5
Captain Harry Percy Kendall Oram was born in Bristol in 1894. He began his seafaring life with a scholarship to attend HMS Worcester, which he joined in 1908. In 1911 he joined the training ship Port Jackson and then joined the RNR as a midshipman as part of a scheme to prepare men for the Navy in wartime. He served in the Battle of Jutland aboard HMS Obdurate, something which he discusses in this interview and then went on to join the submarine service. Much of his interview discusses his time in submarines where he ultimately became Captain of the Home Fleet Flotilla. Of particular note is his account of the HMS Thetis disaster in 1939, when he was on board the submarine as a passenger. Considered one of the worst peacetime submarine disasters, 99 men died and only 4, including Oram, survived. He continued in the Navy in the Second World War, saying he was on a cruiser escorting convoy route from Sierra Leone to Aden. He reached the top of the Captain’s list in 1945 and then retired from the Navy.
Administrative / biographical background
Oral history with Captain Harry Oram conducted by Campbell McMurray
Subject: Royal Naval Reserve; Royal Navy; Submarines: Master
OHY/6/98/1 – 01:11:53; 1.5 GB; 3/5
OHY/6/98/2 – 00:18:10; 0.4 GB; 3.5/5
Captain Harry Percy Kendall Oram was born in Bristol in 1894. He began his seafaring life with a scholarship to attend HMS Worcester, which he joined in 1908. In 1911 he joined the training ship Port Jackson and then joined the RNR as a midshipman as part of a scheme to prepare men for the Navy in wartime. He served in the Battle of Jutland aboard HMS Obdurate, something which he discusses in this interview and then went on to join the submarine service. Much of his interview discusses his time in submarines where he ultimately became Captain of the Home Fleet Flotilla. Of particular note is his account of the HMS Thetis disaster in 1939, when he was on board the submarine as a passenger. Considered one of the worst peacetime submarine disasters, 99 men died and only 4, including Oram, survived. He continued in the Navy in the Second World War, saying he was on a cruiser escorting convoy route from Sierra Leone to Aden. He reached the top of the Captain’s list in 1945 and then retired from the Navy.
Administrative / biographical background
Oral history with Captain Harry Oram conducted by Campbell McMurray
Record details
| Item reference: | OHY/6/98 |
|---|---|
| Level: | FILE |
| Date made: | 1970 - 1980 |
| Creator: | McMurray, Campbell; Oram, Harry Percy Kendall |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |
Hierarchy
Click on the + icons to explore more.