Description
Object description
Ts memoir (77pp), written from his narration in 2010 by his granddaughter in a conversational, anecdotal and humorous style, about his childhood in the 1930s and 1940s in Guildford, his military service as a National Serviceman with the 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 28th Commonwealth Brigade, (1st Commonwealth Division) in Korea in 1952 – 1953, and his family life up to the time of writing, and including details about air raids and watching dog fights, rationing, his evacuation to his Grandmother's in Stratford Upon Avon for a year, memories of VJ Day, working in clothing stores in Aldershot, Guildford and Godalming, receiving his call-up for National Service at the age of 18 (September 1951), reporting at Queen's Barracks in Guildford, his eight weeks' training, serving with 1st Battalion Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment in Iserlohn, Germany, as part of the BAOR (December 1951 – April 1952) with details of more training and punishments for infractions, joining 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers stationed at Brentwood, Essex, with special training in preparation for Korea, travelling to Korea (June – August 1952), embarking on HMT EMPIRE HALLADALE from Liverpool, with details of the voyage via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Pacific, becoming the Company Clerk (as he was the only one who figured out how the typewriter worked), landing at Pusan Harbour, Korea (August 1952), journeys to transit camps, setting up office with the pay clerk, moving up to the front line at Hill 159 for six weeks (August – September 1952), with descriptions of the countryside, accommodation ('hooches'), patrols, being in a trench next to a tank, and coming under shell fire, returning to the front (October – December 1952), the freezing weather, witnessing 'Operation Pimlico', long periods of quiet, receiving Salvation Army parcels, experiencing Christmas on the front line, returning to a rest camp (January 1953), details of an R&R trip to Japan, being AWOL for 24 hours, crashing in a jeep on the way to the front, spending a week in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), getting shelled again on the return to his unit, an American ammunition dump exploding nearby, patrolling on Hill 355 (April 1953), becoming attuned to combat conditions, celebrations for the Queen's Coronation being spoiled by the third battle of the Hook (May – June 1953), remaining in the Hook sector until the cease fire (July 1953), attending a service for the dead at Pusan, embarking on HMT EMPIRE HALLADALE for El Fayed, Egypt (circa September 1953), training in desert warfare, attending an NCO course and becoming a Corporal, still in office duties, moving to the Sudan (April – August 1954), helping to organise the movement to a desert camp from Khartoum, his return to the UK and demob at the Queen's Barracks, getting engaged and then married (December 1955), coming down with malaria and suffering bouts of depression and breakdowns, joining the Korean Veterans Club in 1998, attending cenotaph marches and reunions, with long and detailed descriptions of going on a ten day tour of Korea with the KVC, attending United Nations wreath laying ceremonies and receptions in the presence of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, being presented with The Peace Medal by General Lee Sang-Hoon, visiting scenes of battles, seeing the demilitarized zone and where the peace declaration was signed in July 1953, and ending with details of recent family history, holidays and momentous events.
Content description
Ts memoir (77pp), written from his narration in 2010 by his granddaughter in a conversational, anecdotal and humorous style, about his childhood in the 1930s and 1940s in Guildford, his military service as a National Serviceman with the 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 28th Commonwealth Brigade, (1st Commonwealth Division) in Korea in 1952 – 1953, and his family life up to the time of writing, and including details about air raids and watching dog fights, rationing, his evacuation to his Grandmother's in Stratford Upon Avon for a year, memories of VJ Day, working in clothing stores in Aldershot, Guildford and Godalming, receiving his call-up for National Service at the age of 18 (September 1951), reporting at Queen's Barracks in Guildford, his eight weeks' training, serving with 1st Battalion Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment in Iserlohn, Germany, as part of the BAOR (December 1951 – April 1952) with details of more training and punishments for infractions, joining 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers stationed at Brentwood, Essex, with special training in preparation for Korea, travelling to Korea (June – August 1952), embarking on HMT EMPIRE HALLADALE from Liverpool, with details of the voyage via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Pacific, becoming the Company Clerk (as he was the only one who figured out how the typewriter worked), landing at Pusan Harbour, Korea (August 1952), journeys to transit camps, setting up office with the pay clerk, moving up to the front line at Hill 159 for six weeks (August – September 1952), with descriptions of the countryside, accommodation ('hooches'), patrols, being in a trench next to a tank, and coming under shell fire, returning to the front (October – December 1952), the freezing weather, witnessing 'Operation Pimlico', long periods of quiet, receiving Salvation Army parcels, experiencing Christmas on the front line, returning to a rest camp (January 1953), details of an R&R trip to Japan, being AWOL for 24 hours, crashing in a jeep on the way to the front, spending a week in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), getting shelled again on the return to his unit, an American ammunition dump exploding nearby, patrolling on Hill 355 (April 1953), becoming attuned to combat conditions, celebrations for the Queen's Coronation being spoiled by the third battle of the Hook (May – June 1953), remaining in the Hook sector until the cease fire (July 1953), attending a service for the dead at Pusan, embarking on HMT EMPIRE HALLADALE for El Fayed, Egypt (circa September 1953), training in desert warfare, attending an NCO course and becoming a Corporal, still in office duties, moving to the Sudan (April – August 1954), helping to organise the movement to a desert camp from Khartoum, his return to the UK and demob at the Queen's Barracks, getting engaged and then married (December 1955), coming down with malaria and suffering bouts of depression and breakdowns, joining the Korean Veterans Club in 1998, attending cenotaph marches and reunions, with long and detailed descriptions of going on a ten day tour of Korea with the KVC, attending United Nations wreath laying ceremonies and receptions in the presence of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, being presented with The Peace Medal by General Lee Sang-Hoon, visiting scenes of battles, seeing the demilitarized zone and where the peace declaration was signed in July 1953, and ending with details of recent family history, holidays and momentous events.
History note
Cataloguer SJO