Description
Object description
Two albums containing prints, along with a BEF identity card denoting the service of Captain Harold Geoffrey Peter (known as Peter) Westmore (formerly Weissenberg) of B Troop 68 (Anti Tank) Regiment Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
Albums covering Westmore's service with his unit in the Near and Middle East and predominantly includes informal and semi-formal individual and group portraits of men from the Troop and Battery. Though scenes of action are rare the album gives a good example of life in the unit during the times between battle. It conveys methods of accommodation, primarily tents dug into the sand, eating, drinking and ablutions, clothes repairing and cleaning, transportation and troop movements including vehicles (with clear insignia and markings) such as troop commanders vehicle and vehicles towing 6 pounder anti-tank guns, entrenchment, entertainment - musical instruments and relaxation - swimming, sports such as desert football and cricket in Osnabruck, larking about, pay-parade, scenes whilst on leave at Beirut in the Lebanon and at Nathanya, Palestine, scenes in Germany as part of 'Z' Reinforcement Holding Unit (RHU) No 6; with battlefield detritus; the transfer to 120 Transit Camp and the journey home in military transport from Osnabruck.
Chronically the albums cover Westmore's assignment to the 68th (Anti-Tank) Battery and journey through Iraq (Feb-June 1942); Rawanduz (June 1942); Almaza (July - August 1942); Cairo (August 1942) at 'Kilo 40' Egypt (August - September 1940), Mena (Sept-October 1942); Habbaniya, Iraq (October - November 1942), Qasr-i-Shirin (November 1942 - April 1943); Khanaquin, Baghdad and Damascus (April 1943); Baalbeck and Krak des Chevaliers (May 1943); Latakia (May-October 1943) , Beirut (October 1943); Aleppo (November 1943), Damascus (December 1943 - January 1944), Attaka (February - March 1944); Yibna and Tel Aviv (March - May 1944); Acre (July 1944), back to Yibna (September 1944), Nahariya and Jericho September 1944); Petra and Aqaba (October 1944), Yibna (November 1944); Sidon, Aluj and Almaza (November 1944); in the Sinai desert; Geneifa (December 1944-February 1945). The battery's arrival back in England and a visit to London before the unit is reposted, this time to Hamburg via Bruges and Goch (March - April 1945), Lubeck (May-July 1945); Osnabruck (July-October 1945). Transfer to Lilop and 120 Transit Camp (December 1945 - February 1946) prior to departure for the journey home (April 1946) and demobbed at Aldershot (May 1st 1946).
Interspersed with the photographs and captions are poems written by Westmore and ephemera such as a hymn book for the Mass of thanksgiving on conclusion of the fighting in North West Europe. Also included is Wetmore's BEF identity card, using his former name Weissenberg.