Cleeve, Stewart Montagu (Oral history)

British officer served with 36th and 471st Siege Batteries, Royal Garrison Artillery on Western Front, 1915-1919. Commanded super heavy gun 'Boche Buster' during visit by King George V, 8/8/1918. Served in command of super-heavy railway artillery programme, 1939-1945

REEL 1 Background in Wimbledon, London, 1894-1914: family; education; OTC training. Various aspects of attending Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, wartime service with Royal Garrison Artillery and post-war career in Royal Artillery, 1914-1931: difficulty in passing entrance examination; selection of RGA; pay in 1931; story of buying first car, 1930; compression of syllabus on outbreak of war, 4/8/1914; learning to ride; learning to play polo, 1931; selection of post-war specialisation including rejection of Staff College option, reputation of 36th Siege Bty, Royal Garrison Artillery for accuracy, 1916; post-war scientific and staff gunnery courses; posting as gunnery instructor to Aden, 1924; commission and promotions; appointment to command 14" railway guns, 11/1917; initial postings, 1914-1915. Recollections of period at Fort No Man's Land, Portsmouth, 12/1914-3/1915: description of fort and guns. REEL 2 Continues: duties as office of watch using 6" examination gun to enforce compliance with pass signals; gunnery training. Formation and training with 36th Siege Bty, Royal Garrison Artillery at Gosport, 3/1915-5/1915: equipment with 8" howitzers modified from 6" Mark I howitzers; opinion of Battery Commander Major A C H Dean; nature of howitzers including firing characteristics, immobility, recoil problems and crew. Recollections of initial period in Somme area, 9/1915-6/1916: journey out; badly sited gun positions on ridge near Colincamps; use of motorbikes; story of nearly being arrested as spy whilst looking for observation post; poor design of Royal Marine Artillery 15" howitzers and story of using their unexploded shells for cover when observing in No Man's Land; frequent moves of gun position. REEL 3 Continues poor relationship with section captain; gun positions and billets at Beaumetz; story illustrating effectiveness of camouflage. Recollections of preliminary bombardment and operations in Somme area, 6/1916-3/1917: gun positions at Engelbelmer; opinion of 9.2" howitzer; premature explosion of 15" howitzer and subsequent court of inquiry; loss of contact with observation post; deafness caused by gun blast; period as liaison officer at infantry brigade headquarters; nature of 60 pdr shrapnel shells and effect of their nose caps falling amongst advancing British troops; mess dinner in dugout; cooking; move to gun positions at Albert; corpses in front line; close escape from German shell during observation post duty for shoot on Pozieres; German air attack; setting up observation post in No Man's Land to observe for shoot on Mouquet Farm. REEL 4 Continues: story of seeing NCO corpse with bible and subsequent painting of scene by Cleeve's mother; initial problems with new 8" howitzers; amusing incident under German shellfire; casualty; move to gun positions at Thiepval; effects of thaw; move to Ovillers gun positions; constructing deep dugouts; rat problem; sleeping in tent to avoid rats and close escape from German air attack; ability through sensitive hearing as musician to determine landing point of German shells; vulnerability of tall soldiers to German snipers; muddy conditions; trench improvements; nature of German trenches; question of strategy employed in Somme offensive; view of tank attack in Pozieres sector and question of their effective employment in action; role of field artillery in attempting to clear barbed wire; unit morale. REEL 5 Continues: effects of Somme offensive; infantry morale, volunteer and conscript morale within unit; question of shell shock; personal morale; reduction in shellfire, 12/1916-3/1917; terrain; move to gun positions at Beaurains; story of accompanying general during front line reconnaissance for targets in full view of German position; story of sheltering in cellar due to German shells setting of series of explosions amongst ammunition lorry convoy, multiple wounds including eyes; wounded, evacuating cellar to avoid suffocation, further wounds whilst returning to battery position. Evacuation via Le Treport to GB, 4/1917. Period in convalescent home in Mornington Crescent, London, 1917: amusing story of missed opportunity to marry wealthy widow. REEL 6 Continues: amusing story of missed opportunity to marry wealthy widow; code used in letters when on active service; civilian attitude to war; question of recovery of eyesight; story illustrating personal importance of music and art. Success in battery commanders' course at Lark Hill, 11/1917. Recollections of period in command of 471 Siege Bty Royal Garrison Artillery, 11/1917-11/1918: plan to use of 14" naval guns nicknamed 'Boche Buster' and 'Scene Shifter' on railway mountings against Hindenburg Line; overcoming initial recoil and balancing system problems; question of justification of restrictions on speed to avoid axles over heating and advantages of railway gun mobility; use of railway ferry to cross Channel and difficulties on disembarkation, 27/5/1917. REEL 7 Continues: initial problems with balancing system valves; excessive length of train and speed restrictions to avoid axles over heating; problems travelling on specially built military line to Savy Berlette sector, Arras area during German offensive, 6/1918; composition of 'fighting' and 'domestic' trains; origin of gun nicknames; opinion of Major Gwilyam Lloyd George in command of 523rd Siege Bty; status as army troops and ruses to prevent interference from local artillery group officer; Belgian locomotive; description of firing procedure including method of getting into firing position at Fond de Vasse, separation of train, recoil affected by wet conditions and air observation of targets, German counter-battery shelling; accident whilst manhandling elevation wheels; efforts to avoid German counter-battery fire and decision to make better use of guns' mobility. REEL 8 Continues: stoking whilst travelling in engine cab; ease of German identification of position due to size of gun flash and successful use of multiple firing positions to avoid counter-battery fire; personal selection of battery officers; calculation of range tables and subsequent interest of George V in allowance for loss of muzzle velocity as due to barrel wear; officers' role in gunnery calculations; underestimate of number of rounds that could be fired before replacing barrel; account of inspection of 'Boche Buster' by George V during firing at Maroeuil Spur, 8/8/1918, including loading of gun, reaction to noise and his suggestion for night harassing fire on Douai railway station; beginning of night firing and post-war visit to assess damage caused at Douai; improved fuses; opinion of 12" railway guns. REEL 9 Continues: superior mobility of 14" railway guns; question of independence in successful use of multiple firing positions to avoid counter-battery fire; independent deployment of 'Scene Shifter' in Bethune area; accidental jamming of 'Scene Shifter' breech mechanism; role of artificers; timetable prior to 'Boche Buster' going into action; original intention of using 14" guns against Hindenburg Line; range; responding to emergency call from infantry; strength of Hindenburg Line and consequent use of mining operations; dugouts dug by former miners of 36th Siege Bty Royal Garrison Artillery in 1916; use of former German dugouts; outflanking of Hindenburg Line; return of 14" guns to GB and question of destruction of super-heavy railway artillery under terms of Disarmament Conference. REEL 10 Post-war attitude to war service. Recollections of period in command of troops aboard HMT Etterick during voyage to Hong Kong, 7/1939: prior rejection of services as railway gun expert; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; problems with slow speed; return via France to GB, 10/1939. Posting to take charge of programme to build and operate super-heavy railway artillery, 1939: use of First World War plans; establishing headquarters at Shoeburyness; discovery of 'Boche Buster', 'Scene Shifter ' and other railway guns in railway shed at Chilwell Depot, Nottingham, 11/1939; establishing railway artillery training school at Catterick, 4/1940; successful fitting of 18" barrel to Boche Buster; wartime service of railway artillery and subsequent transfer to Royal Navy; writing post-war manual on railway artillery and subsequent lack of interest. REEl 11 Continues: background to closure of railway artillery training school at Catterick, 6/1940; discovery that 'Boche Buster' had been scrapped at Woolwich Arsenal, 1961; review of development of German super-heavy railway artillery culminating in K5E design; superiority of British heavy artillery, 1914-1918; comparison of bogey system on 'Boche Buster' and K5E. Aspects of service with 36th and 417 Siege Btys Royal Garrison Artillery on Western Front, 1915-1918: opinion of initial deployment of tanks; opinion of German tank; comparison of British and German small arms and machine guns; German use of gas shells; gas masks; use of horses. REEl 12 Continues: question of role of cavalry; relationship with other ranks and officers; role of Major Dean; amusing stories of results of German shell fire; comparison of conditions of service for officers and other ranks; question of rat and lice problems; role of officers servant; rejection of promotion to stay with unit; food rations; story of lost camembert; disciplinary punishments; unit's reputation for accuracy; treatment of casualties; officers' role in writing to next of kin; role of comradeship in securing unit's reputation for accuracy; opinion of Major C J Heath. REEL 13 Continues: opinion of Major C J Heath; illustrations of static mentality prevailing amongst high command; story of meeting Joffre; question of news from other fronts; reactions to Russian Revolution, 1917; opinion of colonial troops; musical evenings playing borrowed piano; producing records of work of 471st Siege Bty Royal Garrison Artillery, 1918-1919; post-war piano playing; question of entertainment for troops; keeping diary against regulation. REEL 14 Continues: shaving policy; importance of officers' appearance; stories of inspections by General Horrocks; sleeping arrangements; arrangements for evacuation of wounded; nurses; sister's role at Soldiers' Home established at Rouen; relationship with other ranks; Armistice celebrations, 11/11/1918; prior awareness of approach of end of war; GB leave including rations and civilian morale; opinion of Germans. REEL 15 Continues: infantry condition of service; opinion of poppy symbol; religious approach to survival; question of role of padres and story of organising service at Albert; mental effects of war. Account of inspection of 'Boche Buster' by George V during firing at Maroeuil Spur, 8/8/1918: composition of 'fighting' and 'domestic' trains; travelling in cab; news of inspection by VIP; routine cleaning programme; composition of fighting train on move into firing position; arrival of George V, his personal inspection of gun mounting and illustrations of his technical knowledge of gunnery; loading of gun; targeting of Douai railway station; checking laying of gun; moving George V to safe viewing distance. REEL 16 Continues: order from George V to fire and his reaction to noise; George V's suggestion for night harassing fire on Douai railway station; George V's opinion of number of rounds that could be fired before replacing barrel and question of allowance for loss of muzzle velocity; official film record of inspection; story of German shell hitting engine in subsequent night firing.