Description
Object description
A copy of a ts memoir (c.60pp) with brief details of his childhood, born in Foxhouse, then moving to Townhead, West Yorkshire, and then month by month memories from June 1939, working in a laboratory of a dyehouse, a branch of Courtolds, in Manchester, the start of the war (September 1939), moving to Droylsden, evening school at Technical colleges, joining the LDV (May 1940), later Home Guard, first air raids and the 'Manchester Blitz', being called-up and joining the Army (September 1942), training at Saighton Camp, Chester, posting to 53rd Training Regiment, RAC, at Catterick Camp, Yorkshire (October 1942), posting to 4 Troop, 'B' Squadron, 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (March 1943), based near Chippenham, joining his Crusader tank as a gunner, schemes in Norfolk, the Regiment moving to Yorkshire (June 1943), moving to Sherman Tanks, living in requisitioned houses in Bridlington (October 1943), moving to Kircudbright, Scotland (January 1944), getting sick from toxic fumes from firing the tank's gun with no ventilation, preparing tanks for the Normandy invasion, seeing the first planes going over, loading on a LST and landing in France as part of 29th Armoured Brigade (11th Armoured Division, VIII Corps) (12 June 1944), discouragement of seeing knocked out British tanks, acting as Loader and Wireless Operator for his tank, details of the crew, taking part in 'Operation Epsom' (June 1944), shooting a German Mk IV tank, taking over as gunner when his Commander, Cpl McHattie, was wounded, fighting around Cheux, being mortared, 'Operation Goodwood' (July 1944), returning to loader / w/op role, with crews rotating regularly with casualties and reinforcements, his tank getting wedged and coming under fire, his squadron getting hit and losing friends, withdrawing demoralised, collecting reinforcements, 'Operation Bluecoat' (July - August 1944), with day by day accounts, tanks hitting mines and Major Sir John Gilmore taking over his tank as Squadron Leader, the fighting through the bocage country, infantry being heavily hit, the close fighting, rest cancelled by having to counter 10th Panzer Division, Tiger tanks picking off his troop, his tank hitting a mine and losing a track, passing through Flers and seeing civilians cheering, getting a new commander, Lieutenant Munro, who was killed the next day when the tank was hit, bailing out of the tank and being shot in the leg, being stretchered to a dressing station and then by ambulance to a Field Hospital, evacuation to the UK, ending in the Manchester Royal Infirmary, transfer to a convalescent hospital in Didsbury (September 1944), then to an Army Convalescent Depot in Stoke, before going to an ACD in Hamilton Racecourse, meeting up with Cpl McHattie's family, re-joining his Regiment in February 1945 at Ypres, Belgium, the huge change in personnel caused by casualties over the previous months, receiving the new Comet tanks, his new tank crew and taking over as gunner again, crossing the Rhine (March 1945), tanks being bogged down, pursuing enemy, crossing the Dortmund-Ems Canal (April 1945), rations, looting, a German pilot being captured, danger from 88mm guns, shooting German panzerfaust soldiers with a Besa machine gun near Schwarmstedt, feeling sorry for 'pointless' killing of another German, crossing the Elbe (May 1945), and sorrow for civilians, entering Lubeck, the end of the war in Europe, staying in Bredstedt, the disbanding of 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and choosing to transfer to 'B' Squadron of the 1st Regiment due to go to the Far East with Churchill Mk VII 'Crocodile' flame throwing tanks, but the war ending before they went, learning to ski, guard duties in various places in Germany, moving as Recce Regiment to 51st (Highland) Division (1946), acting as gunner on a Daimler armoured car, moving a Polish DP Camp to protect German civilians, the disbandment of 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and joining 14/20th King's Hussars (2nd Division) in Chaffee tanks, the last few months before demob in April 1947. Also in the memoir are annotated photographs of Edwards and his tank crews, and an account by Trooper G Alan Howland about entering the town of Muden (April 1945) and his tank being attacked, killing some of the crew, bailing out and captured by Germans. Together with photocopies of extracts of books about the 11th Armoured Division and 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, a copy of 'Lest We Forget' by Lt Colonel W Steel Brownlie MC TD which was published in the 'Scotsman' newspaper (November 1993), and a letter written by Dr (formerly Trooper) R C W Cox to the 'Bridlington Free Press' with details of his memories of Bridlington with 2FFY, and copies of the eleven letters and phone calls he got in response (9pp, 1993), and photocopies of newspaper reports about 11th Armoured Division.
Content description
A copy of a ts memoir (c.60pp) with brief details of his childhood, born in Foxhouse, then moving to Townhead, West Yorkshire, and then month by month memories from June 1939, working in a laboratory of a dyehouse, a branch of Courtolds, in Manchester, the start of the war (September 1939), moving to Droylsden, evening school at Technical colleges, joining the LDV (May 1940), later Home Guard, first air raids and the 'Manchester Blitz', being called-up and joining the Army (September 1942), training at Saighton Camp, Chester, posting to 53rd Training Regiment, RAC, at Catterick Camp, Yorkshire (October 1942), posting to 4 Troop, 'B' Squadron, 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (March 1943), based near Chippenham, joining his Crusader tank as a gunner, schemes in Norfolk, the Regiment moving to Yorkshire (June 1943), moving to Sherman Tanks, living in requisitioned houses in Bridlington (October 1943), moving to Kircudbright, Scotland (January 1944), getting sick from toxic fumes from firing the tank's gun with no ventilation, preparing tanks for the Normandy invasion, seeing the first planes going over, loading on a LST and landing in France as part of 29th Armoured Brigade (11th Armoured Division, VIII Corps) (12 June 1944), discouragement of seeing knocked out British tanks, acting as Loader and Wireless Operator for his tank, details of the crew, taking part in 'Operation Epsom' (June 1944), shooting a German Mk IV tank, taking over as gunner when his Commander, Cpl McHattie, was wounded, fighting around Cheux, being mortared, 'Operation Goodwood' (July 1944), returning to loader / w/op role, with crews rotating regularly with casualties and reinforcements, his tank getting wedged and coming under fire, his squadron getting hit and losing friends, withdrawing demoralised, collecting reinforcements, 'Operation Bluecoat' (July - August 1944), with day by day accounts, tanks hitting mines and Major Sir John Gilmore taking over his tank as Squadron Leader, the fighting through the bocage country, infantry being heavily hit, the close fighting, rest cancelled by having to counter 10th Panzer Division, Tiger tanks picking off his troop, his tank hitting a mine and losing a track, passing through Flers and seeing civilians cheering, getting a new commander, Lieutenant Munro, who was killed the next day when the tank was hit, bailing out of the tank and being shot in the leg, being stretchered to a dressing station and then by ambulance to a Field Hospital, evacuation to the UK, ending in the Manchester Royal Infirmary, transfer to a convalescent hospital in Didsbury (September 1944), then to an Army Convalescent Depot in Stoke, before going to an ACD in Hamilton Racecourse, meeting up with Cpl McHattie's family, re-joining his Regiment in February 1945 at Ypres, Belgium, the huge change in personnel caused by casualties over the previous months, receiving the new Comet tanks, his new tank crew and taking over as gunner again, crossing the Rhine (March 1945), tanks being bogged down, pursuing enemy, crossing the Dortmund-Ems Canal (April 1945), rations, looting, a German pilot being captured, danger from 88mm guns, shooting German panzerfaust soldiers with a Besa machine gun near Schwarmstedt, feeling sorry for 'pointless' killing of another German, crossing the Elbe (May 1945), and sorrow for civilians, entering Lubeck, the end of the war in Europe, staying in Bredstedt, the disbanding of 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and choosing to transfer to 'B' Squadron of the 1st Regiment due to go to the Far East with Churchill Mk VII 'Crocodile' flame throwing tanks, but the war ending before they went, learning to ski, guard duties in various places in Germany, moving as Recce Regiment to 51st (Highland) Division (1946), acting as gunner on a Daimler armoured car, moving a Polish DP Camp to protect German civilians, the disbandment of 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and joining 14/20th King's Hussars (2nd Division) in Chaffee tanks, the last few months before demob in April 1947. Also in the memoir are annotated photographs of Edwards and his tank crews, and an account by Trooper G Alan Howland about entering the town of Muden (April 1945) and his tank being attacked, killing some of the crew, bailing out and captured by Germans. Together with photocopies of extracts of books about the 11th Armoured Division and 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, a copy of 'Lest We Forget' by Lt Colonel W Steel Brownlie MC TD which was published in the 'Scotsman' newspaper (November 1993), and a letter written by Dr (formerly Trooper) R C W Cox to the 'Bridlington Free Press' with details of his memories of Bridlington with 2FFY, and copies of the eleven letters and phone calls he got in response (9pp, 1993), and photocopies of newspaper reports about 11th Armoured Division.
History note
Cataloguer SJO