Description
Object description
British NCO served with 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 17th Infantry Bde, 5th Infantry Div in GB and France, 9/1939-3/1940; served with 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 152nd Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Div in France, 3/1940-6/1940
Content description
REEL 1: Background in GB, 1908-1923: family; education; employment; enlistment as boy soldier in Seaforth Highlanders in 1923. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 17th Infantry Bde, 5th Infantry Div in GB, 9/1939: recall to military service as army reservist, 9/1939; move from Fort George to Aldershot; reactions to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939 and comparison with First World War, 4/8/1914; expectations of nature of warfare; estimations of German strength. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 17th Infantry Bde, 5th Infantry Div in France, 9/1939-3/1940: brigade move to Northern France; duties and joining C Coy; role digging anti-tank ditches; character of anti-tank ditches; anticipation of German invasion. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Seaforth Highlanders, 152nd Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Div in France, 3/1940-5/1940: move into Maginot Line near Metz, 3/1940.
REEL 2 Continues: relations with French civilians; positions occupied in front of Ouvrage-Hackenburg Fortress on Maginot Line; impressions of French Army personnel; French attitude towards war; tacit agreement between French and Germans to avoid hostilities; observing German activities; single casualty during period in Maginot Line; fighting patrols; opinion of French Foreign Legion; start of German attack, 10/5/1940; withdrawal from Maginot Line; lack of determined German attack on Maginot Line; opinion of Chasseurs Alpin.
REEL 3 Continues: withdrawal by train; loss of battalion food supplies; move in French military buses to Haute Foret D'Eu; hearing news of General Charles de Gaulle's initial counter-attack at Abbeville, 28/5/1940-29/5/1940; advance forward towards German positions; enlargement of French slit trenches; opinion of militiamen; duties as platoon sergeant; deployment of platoon in south of Abbeville; in action against German held bridgehead on River Somme, south of Abbeville, 5/6/1940-6/6/1940; incident of being accidentally fired on by French machine gunner; destruction of French tanks in front of positions; under attack from German Ju 87 Stukas.
REEL 4 Continues: retreat of French Army troops from Abbeville, 6/6/1940; handling wounded French tank officer; destruction of positions by shellfire and orders to withdraw, 6/6/1940; opinion of work of Piper Fergusson 20; night march; problems digging in; danger of delayed action bombs; acquisition of machine gun section; further night withdrawal; story of being 'buzzed' by French Air Force fighter; setting up defensive positions in village and keenness of French veteran to join in action; enhancing defensive positions with barbed wire and anti-tank mines; start of German attack.
REEL 5 Continues: description of German attack; orders to withdrawal from positions; method of German signalling during advance; night march; collapse with infected feet and treatment received by medical officer in Haute Foret D'Eu; escape of rear guard force; withdrawal by truck; reaction to hearing of Dunkirk Evacuation; taking command of 15 Platoon of C Coy; move into Dieppe and belief that they were to be evacuated from there; occupying former prisoner of war camp at Dieppe.
REEL 6 Continues: organisation of defence on outskirts of Dieppe; officer's insistence of digging slit trenches in marshy ground; obtaining supplies from Royal Army Service Corps depot; incident of Jewish refugee attempts to obtain place on one of the unit's vehicles; destruction of ammunition dump; sight of German bombers; withdrawal from Dieppe, 9/6/1940; orders to discard kit; German admiration of Boys Anti-Tank Rifle; receiving news that Germans had reached Saint-Valery-en-Caux; arrival in Saint-Valery-en-Caux; presence of demoralised French Army troops in Saint-Valery-en-Caux; refusal of offer to be evacuated.
REEL 7 Continues: attempt to cover evacuation of 51st (Highland) Infantry Div; opinion of method of advancing to attack wood; alerting of German troops; positions established in Le Tot sector; German tank attack near Le Tot and destruction of two companies; accidental killing of British prisoners of war held by Germans; use of Bren Gun against German half-track, infantry and despatch rider; panic amongst French troops; destruction of Regimental Aid Post (RAP) and wounding of medical officer Captain John McKillop; withdrawal of platoon; unit casualties; effect on morale of rainfall and replacement of shell shocked commanding officer.
REEL 8 Continues: hopelessness of position; German demand for unit's surrender; question of alternatives to surrender; escape through cornfield and taking refuge in cave in cliffs; signalling to Royal Navy ships; capture by Germans; reaction to capture.