Description
Object description
British private served with 16th Bn Manchester Regt on Western Front, 1914- 1918; POW in Germany, 1918
Content description
SU REEL 1: Background in Openshaw and Cheadle, Manchester, 1895-1914: education and family; story of enlistment in Manchester, 28/Aug/1914; medical examination; civilian employment with S & J Watts. Aspects of training with 16th Bn Manchester Regt in GB, 1914-1915: marched to Heaton Park; accommodation in tents; drill; basic training in Grantham and on Salisbury Plain, 2-9/1915; disembarked in France, 11/1915. Aspects of operations as private with 16th Bn Manchester Regt on Western Front, 9/1915-1/Jul/1916: moved into trenches in Hebuterne sector, Somme, France; casualties caused by shelling; story of friend falling asleep on sentry duty; memory of sergeant nicknamed 'dragon'; volunteered for bombing course; moved to Somme area and preparations for July offensive; story of Eucharist; role as member of bombing squad; description of Mills bomb; story of accident with Mills bomb during training in GB. Aspects of operations as private with 16th Bn Manchester Regt during Battle of the Somme, 1/Jul/1916: use of ladders to leave trench; death of German-born bayonet man in bombing squad.
REEL 2 Continues: description of advance and casualties in bombing squad; memory of screams of wounded; effects of German machine gun; problem of finding replacements for members of bombing squad; story of entering German trench and being shot in arm; medical treatment by friend; German shelling of village; story of talking to war correspondent; role in helping wounded; opinion of Battle of the Somme; morale; further medical treatment at Amiens cathedral. Aspects of period in GB, 7/1916-1/1917: disembarked at Southampton; story of train journey to Warrington and medical treatment at Lord Derby War Hospital; qualification as nurse and duties as medical assistant in hospital; memories of period at naval oil depot in Grimsby; story of overstaying leave and punishment; memories of A Coy CO Colonel Elstob; story of Colonel Elstob and German POWs ; use of German corpses as track for artillery.
REEL 3 Continues: story of German officer; various memories of home leave in Manchester, 3/1918; returned to 16th Bn near St Quentin, France, 3/1918; story of playing cards with American doctor; description of grenade landing in trench and killing dog; story of being taken prisoner. Aspects of period as POW in Germany, 3/-11/1918: description of POW camp; working parties; various memories of bartering with German women in village; story of German boy and call-up papers
Physical description
REEL 1