Vice Admiral Sir Richard Innes Peek KBE CB DSC (Rtd) as Commanding Officer HMAS Tobruk, Malaya 1956-1958, interviewed by Lieutenant Commander Tony Hughes RANR

Accession Number S02870
Collection type Sound
Measurement 1 hr 38 min
Object type Oral history
Physical description 1/4 inch sound tape reel; BASF SM 911; 7 1/2 ips/19 cm.s; stereo; 10 inch NAB
Maker Peek, Richard Innes
Hughes, Anthony John
Australian War Memorial
Brassell, Bill
Date made 2 April 2003
Access Open
Conflict Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

Peek speaks of his training and operational experience (Second World War and Korean War) prior to his involvement in the Malayan Emergency; taking command of HMAS Tobruk for the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (BCFESR) and Malayan Emergency deployment; primary and secondary roles for these deployments, amplification of these roles and associated commitments; army and airforce personnel being accompanied in Malaya by families; command and control of RAN ships; the accidental death of a sailor during a FESR exercise; HMAS Tobruk's engagement of a communist terrorist (CT) camp in southern Johore; ship visits during the FESR deployment; the relationship between FESR and the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO); caring for families of RAN personnel embarked on FESR deployments; some unusual disciplinary cases and the new 'uniform disciplinary code'; the award of medals for FESR and Malayan Emergency service; aspects of operational entitlements and administration of repatriation benefits for RAN personnel; unusual incidents at sea during his service; experiences in command, staff and training appointments including encounters with the Naval Board; general reflections on changes in the RAN and his unique experiences as a senior RAN officer.