Butchart, David Gordon Carnegie (Oral history)

British NCO served with 2nd Bn Gold Coast Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Gold Coast and Kenya, 1937-1940; served with 2nd Bn Gold Coast Regt, 24th (Gold Coast) Bde, 12th African Div in Ethiopia, 1940-1942

REEL 1 Background in Dundee, GB, 1910-1929: family; education. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Gold Coast Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Gold Coast and Kenya, 1937-1940: background to volunteering for Royal West African Frontier Force; characteristics of troops from Gold Coast; contrast between coastal troops and those from inland areas; unit's reception in South Africa; problems with troops on voyage from Gold Coast to Kenya; unit command structure and presence of Rhodesian officers; degree of training; qualities of West African troops. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Bn Gold Coast Regt, 24th (Gold Coast) Bde, 12th African Div in Ethiopia, 1940-1941: patrolling on Kenyan/Ethiopian frontier, 1940; Italian air activity; ambush of Italian unit; method of patrolling; sparseness of local population; advance into Ethiopia; Italian artillery opposition. REEL 2 Continues: unit casualties; reception on arrival in Addis Ababa; opinion of Shifta irregulars; escorting Italian POWs; appearance of Shifta; Ethiopian attitude towards Italians; composition of column advancing on Addis Ababa; problems caused by rains; water supply; terrain; troops' health; performance of Italians; clearing Italian mines; Italian grenade booby trap; motivation of Gold Coast troops; reasons for East African campaign; return to Gold Coast, 1942; abortive move to Gambia before capitulation of Dakar; morale of troops during campaign.