Highfield, Martyn (IWM interview)

British officer served with 74th Field Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, North West Europe, North Africa and Sicily, 1939-1944; served as staff officer to Commander Royal Artillery, Headquarters, 49 Div, 1945-1945; served as air liaison officer aboard HMS Khedive in Far East, 1945-1945; served as staff officer with CRA, Headquarters, 82 Div in Burma, 1945-1946; served as staff officer with HQ, 7 Div in Malaya, 1946-1947; served with 67 Regt, RA in GB, 1947-1948; served as staff officer to CRA, HQ, BAOR, Germany, 1950-1951; served with 77 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt in Germany, 1952-1955; served as GSO2 staff officer in Military Training Section, War Office, GB, 1955-1956; served as commanding officer of 54 Anti-Aircraft Regt, Gibraltar, 1957-1958; served as staff officer with HQ, Southern Command, GB, 1959-1960

REEL 1 Background in Preston and Streatham, London, 1920-1939: education at Dulwich College, 1934-1938, including academic progress, sports activities, OTC training and annual camps; interest in joining Royal Engineers. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine at Royal Military Academy, 1/1939-8/1939: passing entrance examination; organisation of course; rooms; morning routine; uniforms; food; PT; cycling; riding school; drill. REEL 2 Continues: military history; engineering training including map survey exercises; view of British Union of Fascist march in Streatham; question of war; rugby activities; effects on college of imminent outbreak of war and commission into Royal Artillery, 1/9/1939; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; call up. Recollections of period at No 1 Officer Cadet Training Unit, Larkhill, 9/1939-12/1939: chaotic situation on arrival; ranging exercise on smoke range; minimal gun drill and observation post training; complicated drill to establish gun positions; regular commission, 12/1939; rugby match. Period at Fort Brockhurst, Portsmouth, 1/1940. Recollections of period with A Troop, 293 Bty, 74th Field Regt, North Leach, Cheltenham, 1/1940: opinion of officers; composition of troop and MT. REEL 3 Continues: winter conditions; billets; route marches; relationship with officers; dialect; inspection by George VI; embarkation and Channel crossing, 1/1940. Recollections of period at St Victeur, Normandy, France, 1/1940-2/1940: train journey; billets; relationship with French civilians; latrines; cooks' problems with stoves; minimal training; problems with gunners eating their iron rations; baths; officers' dinner at Le Mans. Period at Bovelles, Amiens area, 2/1940-4/1940: opinion of Mark II 18 pdrs; role as assistant command post officer. Period in Lille area, 4/1940-5/1940: attitude of French civilians; officers' mess and billets. Recollections of operations in France and Belgium, 5/1940: air activity, 10/5/1940-13/5/1940; role as camouflage officer; situation and role of 50th Div; drawing maps. REEL 4 Continues: brief move into Belgium; role of unit defending bridge over La Bassee Canal; delivering rations; civilian refugees; German bombing raids on crossroads; counter-attack of 151 Bde in Arras area; German success in crossing La Bassee canal; situation and retreat to Dunkirk; loss of contact with unit at Bailleul; re-equipment after loss of kit; destruction of truck and arrival at Dunkirk, ca 26/5/1940; situation. Recollections of evacuation aboard destroyer from Dunkirk mole, ca 27/5/1940: Channel crossing; reception at Dover; fatigue; train journey to Tidworth; rejoining unit in concentration area at Knutsford. Periods at Winterbourne Abbas and Tiverton, 6/1940-5/1941: coastal defence role; re-equipment with captured German 105mm guns; role as assistant adjutant; composition of Headquarters. REEL 5 Continues: opinion of Colonel Edwards and Captain Irvine; reactions to conference speech by Montgomery; opinion of Lieutenant Colonel Dewing; equipment with 75mm guns; move to Tiverton, 11/1940; simplification of survey procedure prior to dropping gun into action; equipment and range firing with 25pdrs; liaison officer duties on motorcycle during exercises on Exmoor, 1/1941; new M&B anti-bacterial treatment; issue of tropical kit. Voyage aboard Duchess of Bedford to Port Suez, Egypt, 5/1941-7/1941: effects of dock strike; running aground and missing convoy; conditions; naval escort; stop at Capetown, South Africa; arrival at Port Suez. Period of acclimatisation at El Quassasim Camp, 7/1941-8/1941. Period at Nicosia, Cyprus, 8/1941-11/1941: construction of ring road round town; lifestyle; necessity of leaving equipment behind due to lack of air cover. Period re-equipping at Haifa, Palestine, 11/1941. REEL 6 Recollections of Kirkuk, Iraq, 11/1941-2/1942: journey from Palestine; situation; weather conditions; tent accommodation; shooting grouse; desert driving technique in dispersed columns; move to Western Desert, Egypt. Recollections of operations in Gazala Box, Libya, ca 2/1942-5/1942: situation and nature of defensive positions; officers' mess tent; dugout; water supply and food rations; stand to; nature of mobile 'jock' columns into No Man's Land; single vehicle training exercises in No Man's Land; stripping abandoned vehicles of spare parts; inadequate nature of MT; attending gunnery course in Cairo; advance of German and Italian forces in No Nan's Land. REEL 7 Continues: reorganisation of unit into three batteries and posting as troop leader with C Troop, 452 Bty; forward gun positions at Strickland Post. Aspects of Battle of Gazala, 27/5/1942-13/6/1942: success of German attack on 150 Bde box; situation; bringing down fire on German armoured cars from Strickland Post. Recollections of break out from Gazala, 14/6/1942: prior briefing and plans; delay of column; guiding column by compass and astral navigation; story of driving through minefield and being wounded by anti-personnel mine while attempting to rescue stuck vehicle; handing over command of column; nature of wounds; arrival at Fort Maddelena; medical treatment and evacuation to Mersa Matruh hospital. Period at 28th General Hospital, Tel el Kabir, Cairo, 6/1942-7/1942. Convalescence in Palestine, 7/1942-8/1942. Recollections of operations in Western Desert, 8/1942-10/1942: rejoining unit at Mena; posting as command post officer to 452 Bty. REEL 8 Continues: opinion of Majors Bill Cheesman and H E Collett White; move into desert to support 22nd Armoured Bde in action at Alam Halfa, 8/1942; change in balance of air power; awaiting arrival of 50th Div in centre of El Alamein lines; situation; launch of Battle of Alamein, 22/10/1942; inadequate nature of OP on Adem Nayil Ridge; temporary and main gun positions; battery command posts; meteorological telegrams; artillery board; move of 151 Bde to north and consequent lack of infantry cover overnight, ca 1/11/1942-2/11/1942. Period of hospitalisation and convalescence with jaundice, 11/1942-1/1943. Recollections of operations in North Africa, 1/1943-6/1943: rejoining unit as gun position officer of D Troop, 296 Bty at Benina, 1/1943; circumstances of loss of temporary promotion to captain; situation; desert flora; mine course and subsequent training role in mine clearance; story of accident in defusing 'S' mine; live problem; desert sores. REEL 9 Continues: move up to Mareth, 3/1942; attacks on Mareth Line, 17/3/1943-20/3/1943, including occupation of gun positions, 16/3/1943, preliminary barrage, problems with misfires, initial successful advance and German counter-attacks; promotion to captain in command of E Troop, 296 Bty; German retreat; sapper officer killed whist attempting to defuse mine; advance to Enfidaville sector and situation; experience of unit. Periods at Sidi Bishr and Port Suez, 4/1943-7/1943: courses and exercises; leg problems; embarkation and move to Alexandria; plans for invasion of Sicily. Recollections of operations in Sicily, 7/1943-10/1943: landing at Syracuse; loss of transport carrying guns; situation; temporary attachment to 124 Field Regt; view from OP of attack by 151 Bde on Primosolo Bridge, 7/1943, including attack by 8th Bn, Durham Light Infantry. Establishment of bridgehead and German shellfire; occupying and firing from coastal gun positions; story of being ordered to cross mined bridge at Giarrè. REEL 10 Continues: story of being ordered to cross mined bridge at Giarrè advance to Taormina; firing in support of crossing of Messina Straits; news of return to GB. Voyage aboard Duchess of Bedford to GB, 10/1943. Aspects of period in GB, 10/1943-6/1944: first impressions during period at Shelford; waterproofing MT; malaria attacks; posting to command reinforcement party based in camps in Hampshire. Recollections of crossing English Channel, 9/6/1944-10/6/1944: embarkation; arrangements on disembarkation at Gold Beach; situation; locating unit; reinforcement role remaining in beach area; German air raids. Recollections of operations in Normandy, 6/1944-8/1944: call up as reinforcement to command F Troop, 452 Bty, 6/1944; situation in static gun positions; co-ordinated regimental, divisional and corps artillery targets; difficulty in locating German guns and mortars; move to Mount Pincon, 6/8/1944; relationship between infantry of 43 and 50 Div; supporting attacks on Conde, 8/1944. REEL 11 Continues: opinion of various officers including Major Ken Park, Captain Peter Edge and Colonel Harris; relationship with 440 Bty. Recollections of advance through France and Belgium, 8/1944-9/1944: use of Bren carrier as OP vehicle; hospitalisation with malaria; hitch hiking to rejoin unit; reception from Belgian civilians; and story of dropping into action in Place des Manoeuvres, Brussels, ca 4/19/1944-7/9/1943. Recollections of operations at Gheel, 8/9/1944: personal morale; move forward with OP team into bridgehead across Albert Canal; accompanying attack by 8th Bn, DLI; situation; success in bringing down artillery support fire and capture of German position; success of Colonel Harris in managing regimental wireless net; question of wireless arrangements and inadequacy of infantry 18 wireless sets; withdrawal of 6th Bn, DLI from Gheel; temporary infiltration of German tanks into bridgehead; story of sighting and engaging German infantry patrol from forward OP. REEL 12 Continues: composition food rations; wireless rota; use of microphone cable attached to Bren carrier wireless set; role of and relationship with OP team; relief by 15 Div; success of artillery support fire. Recollections of Operation Market Garden in Netherlands, 17/9/1944-4/10/1944: situation; airborne parachute drop and plans; situation; German counter-attacks during advance to Nijmegen; capture by 69 Bde of Bemmel; taking OP team forward across Nijmegen bridge. Recollections of attack on Haalderen, 4/10/1944-7/10/1944: plans; night infantry attack; move forward into village; situation; coming under fire whilst trying to establish forward OP; German shell and mortar fire; attempt to establish forward OP in factory buildings. REEL 13 Continues: attempt to establish forward OP in factory buildings; fires caused by German incendiary bullets; relief. Aspects of operations, 10/1944-3/1945: nature of 'Island' sector; OPs; background to disbandment of 50 Div; transfer with 56 Bde to 49 Div; observation of V1 and V2 rockets being fired; situation; move to Reichswald sector, 3/1945; story of using pram to carry wireless while acting as forward observation officer during failed raid. Period as artillery staff officer to Commander Royal Artillery, Headquarters, 49 Div, 3/1945-5/1945: fire control duties; traffic control following advance through Arnhem, 5/1945; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; acting as liaison officer with Dutch SS Div; move to Ruhr area; background to volunteering for course in air liaison officer. Air liaison course in GB, 6/1945-7/1945. Recollections of period aboard HMS Khedive, 8/1945-10/1945: flight out to Ceylon; role as air liaison officer; composition of AC 21. REEL 14 Continues: sea exercise with AC21; Hellcat aircraft; Operation Zipper invasion of Malaya, 8/1945. Period at Singapore, 10/1945-12/1945. Period as staff officer with CRA, Headquarters, 82 Div in Burma, 12/1945-1/1946: demobilisation process; promotion to brigade major. Period as staff officer with HQ, 7 Div in Malaya, 6/1946-7/1947: opinion of Brigadier Bob Scott; ceremonial military tattoos; return to GB; leeches. Period with 67 Regt, RA at Oswestry, 1947-1948: question of staff career; basic training role of unit. Period at Staff College, Camberley, 1949: value of course; telephone battles and role as GSO1 staff officer. Period as GSO2 staff officer to CRA, HQ, BAOR, Germany, 1950-1951: duties; relationship with German civilians. Period as battery captain and adjutant with 77 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt in Oldenburg, Germany, 1952-1955: married quarters; movement exercises. REEL 15 Continues: ex-Indian Army officers. Period as GSO2 staff officer in Military Training Section, War Office, London, 1955-1956. Period as commanding officer of 54 Anti-Aircraft Regt, Gibraltar, 1957-1958. Period as staff officer with HQ, Southern Command, Wilton, 1959-1960. Background to taking early retirement from army, 1/1960. Post-service career: careers assistance received from army as ex-officer; work as sales representative and area manager for building firm; question of old comrades association.