Description
Object description
A privately published memoir entitled 'I, Too Was Born In A Stable...' (219pp plus 37pp of photographs, April 2011) written by his daughter transcribed from tape recordings he had made and with additional background information, covering his life 1919 – 2004, and including details of his family and early days at Grange Stables, Cheltenham, where his father worked, his athletic career while at school, joining St Mary's College, Twickenham to do the Advanced Physical Education Course (1938 – 1940), being called up (June 1940), joining the Royal Artillery and posting to 27th Field Regiment RA, training, his role as a specialist (officer's assistant), moving to Melton Mowbray, acting as Battery Clerk, moving to Hedden, near Hull, promotion to Lance Bombardier, the journey to India via Durban, South Africa (May – June 1941), officer training at the School of Artillery, Dulali, his commission into 20th Battery, 24th Indian Mountain Regiment, RA, (161st Indian Brigade, 5th Indian Division), moving to Burma, taking over a section near Taung Bazar, going on a patrol with Gurkhas, descriptions of the Battle of the Admin Box (February 1944), attacks on the Razabil Fortress, including acting as Forward Observation Officer (FOO) supporting 3/9th Sikh Regiment in an attack, narrowly avoiding death, details of his part in the Battle of Kohima (April – June 1944), the confusing movements, being cut off from his battery, fighting as infantry after spiking abandoned guns, eventually moving back to Imphal, his battery joining the 32nd Indian Mountain Regiment, marching through Burma, crossing the Irrawaddy River, through Mandalay, leaving Burma and travelling to Ahmednagar, India, appointment as Regimental Quartermaster, leave in Kashmir, appointment as Adjutant for the Regiment for the assault on Malaya, the end of the war and adjusting to peace time, leaving for home and sadness at leaving his Regiment, brief home leave, joining an Artillery Regiment of a Highland Division guarding Nazi war criminals at Neuhaus, Germany, being detailed to take responsibility for the security of a huge area of Wesphalia, working on criminal investigations alongside the Intelligence Services, demob, his post war career, firstly as a school PE teacher, rejoining his old athletics club, joining the RAF as an instructor in the Physical Fitness Branch, with service in Aden, and with 24 Group Headquarters in the UK, mainly at RAF Spitalgate, with details of his duties, time in Australia, based at Edingburgh Field, South Australia, before returning to England in 1961, and ending with friends and family writing their memories of him in the period up to his death in 2004. Throughout he mentions Officers and men, his movements, details of the battery and mules in the Arakan, thoughts on the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim men he served with, and anecdotal incidents from the Burma campaign.
Content description
A privately published memoir entitled 'I, Too Was Born In A Stable...' (219pp plus 37pp of photographs, April 2011) written by his daughter transcribed from tape recordings he had made and with additional background information, covering his life 1919 – 2004, and including details of his family and early days at Grange Stables, Cheltenham, where his father worked, his athletic career while at school, joining St Mary's College, Twickenham to do the Advanced Physical Education Course (1938 – 1940), being called up (June 1940), joining the Royal Artillery and posting to 27th Field Regiment RA, training, his role as a specialist (officer's assistant), moving to Melton Mowbray, acting as Battery Clerk, moving to Hedden, near Hull, promotion to Lance Bombardier, the journey to India via Durban, South Africa (May – June 1941), officer training at the School of Artillery, Dulali, his commission into 20th Battery, 24th Indian Mountain Regiment, RA, (161st Indian Brigade, 5th Indian Division), moving to Burma, taking over a section near Taung Bazar, going on a patrol with Gurkhas, descriptions of the Battle of the Admin Box (February 1944), attacks on the Razabil Fortress, including acting as Forward Observation Officer (FOO) supporting 3/9th Sikh Regiment in an attack, narrowly avoiding death, details of his part in the Battle of Kohima (April – June 1944), the confusing movements, being cut off from his battery, fighting as infantry after spiking abandoned guns, eventually moving back to Imphal, his battery joining the 32nd Indian Mountain Regiment, marching through Burma, crossing the Irrawaddy River, through Mandalay, leaving Burma and travelling to Ahmednagar, India, appointment as Regimental Quartermaster, leave in Kashmir, appointment as Adjutant for the Regiment for the assault on Malaya, the end of the war and adjusting to peace time, leaving for home and sadness at leaving his Regiment, brief home leave, joining an Artillery Regiment of a Highland Division guarding Nazi war criminals at Neuhaus, Germany, being detailed to take responsibility for the security of a huge area of Wesphalia, working on criminal investigations alongside the Intelligence Services, demob, his post war career, firstly as a school PE teacher, rejoining his old athletics club, joining the RAF as an instructor in the Physical Fitness Branch, with service in Aden, and with 24 Group Headquarters in the UK, mainly at RAF Spitalgate, with details of his duties, time in Australia, based at Edingburgh Field, South Australia, before returning to England in 1961, and ending with friends and family writing their memories of him in the period up to his death in 2004. Throughout he mentions Officers and men, his movements, details of the battery and mules in the Arakan, thoughts on the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim men he served with, and anecdotal incidents from the Burma campaign.
History note
Cataloguer SJO