Description
Object description
Collection of documents relating to career of Brigadier Philip Royal Smith-Hill, Royal Marines dating 1918-1945 including:
1. File containing envelope marked Surrender of German High Seas Fleet November 1918, with ms letter (6pp) dated 21 November 1918 from P.R. Smith-Hill to his mother giving eyewitness account of the event whilst serving in HMS ERIN, with ts copies of communications (3pp) dated 11-21 November 1918 from Board of Admiralty, Admiral Beatty and the King relating to the armistice.
2. Four ms plays (33pp), written by PRSH (probably while aboard ship): A Night on Hoy, Voice pipe Conversations No. 2 The Sinking of HMS BLAND, Life in a Gunnery in Peace Time, and Prince Azouli.
3. B Company 6th Battalion Royal Marines 1919, PRSH's personal ts memoirs (34pp) of events in north Russia in 1919, with specific reference to the alleged 'mutiny' and disbandment of 6 Royal Marines at Murmansk in 1919. Includes 1 leaf of hand drawn maps.
4. Ts paper titled 'SJ' (10pp) written by PRSH in 1932 while at the Staff College, Camberly, and ms comments (1pp) on the analysis in the paper by Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson.
5. PRSH's ts Royal Marines Prize Essay (14pp) (undated, probably written at Staff College)
6. File titled "DAKAR Orders and my "Devant Dakar 1940". 33 ts orders documents, including documents signed by Admiral Andrew Cunningham. 1 ts intelligence report (34pp) on Senegal dated 21 August 1940. 1 ts memorandum on Daker Town (2pp).
7. Original ms report (36pp) titled "DEVANT DAKAR 1940", written by PRSH and first ts copy (27pp), written following the Battle of Dakar 23-25 September 1940. He goes into detail about political efforts for the Free-French to presuade the Vichy French to defect and details of the bombardment of HMS BARHAM whilst stationed on board.
8. File titled Papers re planning of attacks on French North Africa (Operation Torch 1942). Collection of 13 ms and ts detailed intellegence reports on French North Africa.
9. Papers relating to Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily 1943) including:
A. ts report (13pp) titled EASTERN TASK FORCE NAVAL PLANNING MEMORANDA dated 17 April 1943.
B. File titled "Mainly about destruction of obstacles off beaches of Sicily when I was SOL (Staff Officer Liaison) May- June 1943".
i. Naval message 19 May 1943 from C in C Levant to RNGHQ.
ii. Small collection marked Under Water Obstacles.
iii. Small collection marked Obstacles. This is probably the data requested in paragraph 6 of item ii.
C. Envelope marked Signals showing progress of landing on beaches of Sicily (July 1943).
D. Ms report (7pp) titled STAFF MINUTE SHEET Remarks on Naval Training for Combined Ops dated 10 July 1943 (with additions at later dates) plus newspaper clipping (September 18 1943) of photo of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay whose ms comments are included in the report.
E. 2 Annotated maps showing advances inland (Sicily).
F. Copy of Times of Malta dated 12 July 1943 with headline SICILY BEACHES OURS.
G. Ms letter (4pp) dated 26 July 1943 from PRSH to Adjutant-General, Royal Marines, and attached Report on duties in Connection with Operation Husky (offered subject to reservation).
10. TS Memo (10pp) titled THE POST-WAR FUNCTIONS AND STRENGTH OF THE ROYAL MARINES, dated 24 July 1945, with handwritten annotation This was written by Brig P. R. Smith-Hill when BGS at the RM Office.
11. Whitehead Challenge medal won by PRSH.
Content description
Collection of documents relating to career of Brigadier Philip Royal Smith-Hill, Royal Marines dating 1918-1945 including:
1. File containing envelope marked Surrender of German High Seas Fleet November 1918, with ms letter (6pp) dated 21 November 1918 from P.R. Smith-Hill to his mother giving eyewitness account of the event whilst serving in HMS ERIN, with ts copies of communications (3pp) dated 11-21 November 1918 from Board of Admiralty, Admiral Beatty and the King relating to the armistice.
2. Four ms plays (33pp), written by PRSH (probably while aboard ship): A Night on Hoy, Voice pipe Conversations No. 2 The Sinking of HMS BLAND, Life in a Gunnery in Peace Time, and Prince Azouli.
3. B Company 6th Battalion Royal Marines 1919, PRSH's personal ts memoirs (34pp) of events in north Russia in 1919, with specific reference to the alleged 'mutiny' and disbandment of 6 Royal Marines at Murmansk in 1919. Includes 1 leaf of hand drawn maps.
4. Ts paper titled 'SJ' (10pp) written by PRSH in 1932 while at the Staff College, Camberly, and ms comments (1pp) on the analysis in the paper by Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson.
5. PRSH's ts Royal Marines Prize Essay (14pp) (undated, probably written at Staff College)
6. File titled "DAKAR Orders and my "Devant Dakar 1940". 33 ts orders documents, including documents signed by Admiral Andrew Cunningham. 1 ts intelligence report (34pp) on Senegal dated 21 August 1940. 1 ts memorandum on Daker Town (2pp).
7. Original ms report (36pp) titled "DEVANT DAKAR 1940", written by PRSH and first ts copy (27pp), written following the Battle of Dakar 23-25 September 1940. He goes into detail about political efforts for the Free-French to presuade the Vichy French to defect and details of the bombardment of HMS BARHAM whilst stationed on board.
8. File titled Papers re planning of attacks on French North Africa (Operation Torch 1942). Collection of 13 ms and ts detailed intellegence reports on French North Africa.
9. Papers relating to Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily 1943) including:
A. ts report (13pp) titled EASTERN TASK FORCE NAVAL PLANNING MEMORANDA dated 17 April 1943.
B. File titled "Mainly about destruction of obstacles off beaches of Sicily when I was SOL (Staff Officer Liaison) May- June 1943".
i. Naval message 19 May 1943 from C in C Levant to RNGHQ.
ii. Small collection marked Under Water Obstacles.
iii. Small collection marked Obstacles. This is probably the data requested in paragraph 6 of item ii.
C. Envelope marked Signals showing progress of landing on beaches of Sicily (July 1943).
D. Ms report (7pp) titled STAFF MINUTE SHEET Remarks on Naval Training for Combined Ops dated 10 July 1943 (with additions at later dates) plus newspaper clipping (September 18 1943) of photo of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay whose ms comments are included in the report.
E. 2 Annotated maps showing advances inland (Sicily).
F. Copy of Times of Malta dated 12 July 1943 with headline SICILY BEACHES OURS.
G. Ms letter (4pp) dated 26 July 1943 from PRSH to Adjutant-General, Royal Marines, and attached Report on duties in Connection with Operation Husky (offered subject to reservation).
10. TS Memo (10pp) titled THE POST-WAR FUNCTIONS AND STRENGTH OF THE ROYAL MARINES, dated 24 July 1945, with handwritten annotation This was written by Brig P. R. Smith-Hill when BGS at the RM Office.
11. Whitehead Challenge medal won by PRSH.