Description
Object description
British officer served as staff officer in GB and Malta, 1940-1943; served as staff officer with Headquarters 8th Army in Sicily and Italy, 1943 1944; served as staff officer with Tactical Headquarters, 21st Army Group in GB and North West Europe, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Northampton and Oxford, 1915- 1939: family; education; employment with Civil Service, 1937- 1939. Aspects of period as officer with 5th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 1939-1940: reasons for joining Territorial Army, 1939; mobilisation, 1939; degree of training for junior officers; guard duties at RAF Upper Heyford; lack of equipment; coastal defence duties on Hayling Island, 1/1940-5/1940. Recollections of period as staff officer in GB, 1940-1941: move to Headquarters, 184 Bde in Northern Ireland, 5/1940-12/1940 in Northern Ireland; orders to acquire weapons from Royal Irish Constabulary; role as staff captain; posting to war course Staff College at Camberley, 1/1941- 3/1941; posting as staff officer with Brigade Group in Glasgow, 4/1941-6/1941.
REEL 2 Continues: embarking at Glasgow. Voyage from GB to Malta, c6/1941: story of running aground off Spanish coast. Recollections of period as staff officer in Malta, 1941-1943: arrival in Malta; posting to Central Infantry Bde, 7/1941; reasons for large number of troops on Malta; conditions in Malta on arrival and change when Germans started their attacks on island; air raid shelters in Malta; situation in Malta, 1942; sight of arrival of tanker Ohio, 1942. Recollections of period as staff officer with Headquarters 8th Army in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944: background to becoming attached to headquarters; information gathering duties in Sicily; move to Italian mainland, 9/1943; Montgomery's leaving for GB, late 1943; impressions of General Leese.
REEL 3 Continues: reasons for transfer of experienced liaison officers from Headquarters, 8th Army to Headquarters 21st Army Group in GB. Recollections of period as staff officer with Tactical Headquarters, 21st Army Group in GB, 3/1944-6/1944: opinion of Montgomery; role of the tactical headquarters; contrast in American and British methods of command; role of Montgomery's liaison officers; Montgomery's plan of action in Normandy; duties at Southwick House near Portsmouth; training for rapid moves of headquarters; briefing for move to France; size of headquarters on embarking at Gosport. Recollections of period as staff officer with Tactical Headquarters, 21st Army Group in North West Europe, 1944-1945: abortive attempt to land, 6/6/1944.
REEL 4 Continues: character of landing in Normandy, 8/6/1944; move to first sites in Normandy; layout of headquarters; sources of information; visits from VIPs; reasons for move of headquarters westwards; duties running operations room; problem of Montgomery wanting his headquarters to be close to front-line; relations between Montgomery and Eisenhower; memories of Colonel Russell; recording of intelligence gathered by liaison officers; opinion of liaison officers; reasons for the rapid US advance during breakout from Normandy; rapid move from Normandy to Brussels; options open to Montgomery after Normandy campaign.
REEL 5 Continues: question of Eisenhower's support for advancing on a broad front; importance of capturing Scheldt Estuary; opinion of US liaison officers; move to Belgium/Netherlands border, 9/1944; outcome of Operation Market Garden; Montgomery's source of Ultra intelligence; role of Phantom unit, 12/1944; reaction to German Ardennes offensive, 12/1944; Montgomery's taking command of northern element of Allied counter attack in Ardennes; effect of Montgomery's speech at the end of Ardennes offensive; move into Germany, 3/1945; impressions of John Posten.
REEL 6 Continues: story of colleagues experiences during flight in which pilot was killed; size of tactical headquarters in Germany, 1945; character of communications in Germany; layout of tactical headquarters; nature of John Posten's death; arrival of German surrender party at Luneburg Heath; signing of German surrender; uniforms worn at headquarters; reaction to end of Second World War; demobilisation and attitude to staying in army; degree of contact with Montgomery.