Harding-Newman, Rupert Norton (Oral history)

British officer served with 5th Bn Royal Tank Regt in GB, 1928-1930; served with 5th Armoured Car Coy, Royal Tank Corps and 6th Bn Royal Tank Corps in Egypt, 1930-1935; served with 2nd Bn Royal Tank Corps in GB, 1935; served with 1st Light Bn Royal Tank Corps and 6th Bn Royal Tank Corps in Egypt, 1936-1937; served as instructor with Egyptian Army in Egypt, 1937-1939

REEL 1 Background in Chippenham and Fleet, GB, 1907-1926: family; education. Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Tank Corps at Royal Tank Corps Depot, Bovington Camp in GB, 1928: interest in Royal Tanks Corps during period at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1926- 1927; character of induction training at Bovington Camp, 1928; driving and maintenance course; opinion of Vickers Medium Tank; handling Rolls Royce armoured cars; character of mechanical training; gunnery training at Gunnery School, Lulworth; methods of firing on move or from stationary positions. REEL 2 Continues: lack of tactical training at Bovington; attitude to joining corps; quality of instructors; opinion of corps officers and reasons for promotion blockage. Recollections of period as officer with 5th Bn Royal Tank Corps in GB, 1928-1930: background to posting to unit at Perham Down; character of section training; predominance of infantry support role; journey with tanks from Perham Down to Taunton area for manoeuvres; character of brigade manoeuvres, 1928; value of large scale training exercises; difficulties of umpiring combined arms exercises, 1929. REEL 3 Continues: comparison in messing facilities of Royal Tank Corps and cavalry; attitude of cavalry and artillery to mechanisation; communications and mobility lessons learnt by large scale exercises; problems with mechanical failures and using laryngaphones. Recollections of period as officer with 5th Armoured Car Coy, Royal Tank Corps in Egypt, 1930-1932: posting to unit, 1930; role assisting mechanisation of 12th Royal Lancers; unit training; training armoured car personnel in tank techniques; design and adaptations of Vickers Medium Mark II Tank to desert conditions; performance of Vickers Medium Mark II Tank in desert; long range desert exercises; problems of amalgamation of 3rd and 5th Armoured Car Coys, Royal Tank Corps into 6th Bn, Royal Tank Corps. REEL 4 Continues: question of unsuitability of commanding officer; assessment of Carden Loyd carriers for desert service; attitude of 12th Royal Lancers to mechanisation; experimental testing of vehicles for desert service; wheeled vehicle testing programme and modifications to improve performance; development of sand tyres; performance of heavy lorries. REEL 5 Continues: descriptions of air filters; navigation and methods and problems; types of compasses used and development of sun compass; close co-operation with RAF; expedition to demonstrate efficiency of tracked vehicles to Royal Horse Artillery; cavalry's attitude towards mechanisation. Aspects of period as officer with 6th Bn Royal Tank Regt in Egypt, 1933-1935: attitude of army towards Royal Tank Corps; character of annual training programme; restrictions on range of combined arms exercises. REEL 6 Continues: question of army's failure to appreciate the tank's potential; joining Bagnold Desert Survey Expedition, 1932 and Shaw Expedition, 1935; value of desert surveying expeditions; establishment of Long Range Desert Group; comparison between home and Egyptian service. Aspect of period with 2nd Bn Royal Tank Regt in GB, 1935: character of tank brigade exercises, 1935. REEL 7 Continues: opinion of Percy Hobart's style of command; value of debriefings; comparison of 1929-1935 exercises. Recollections of period as officer with 1st Light Bn Royal Tank Corps in Egypt, 1936: posting to unit during Abyssinian Crisis; difficulties of desert navigation during battalion exercises; track problems; testing Light Tank Mark VIB and consequent modifications; deficiencies of complaints procedure; memories of Brigadier Caunter; facilities at Mersa Matruh. REEL 8 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with 6th Bn Royal Tank Regt in Egypt, 1936-1937: practical effects of experience gained from time at Mersa Matruh. Aspects of period as instructor to Egyptian Army in Egypt, 1937-1939: background to attachment; duties mechanising cavalry; opinion of quality of Egyptian troops; lack of administrative support.