Horridge, George Bertram (Oral history)

British officer served with 1/5th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers in GB, Egypt, Gallipoli, Palestine and on Western Front, 1912-1918

REEL 1 Family background. Education at Uppingham School, 1904-1912. Aspects of basic training with 5th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers, 11/1913-8/1914. Call up to join No 3 Platoon, A Coy, 1/5th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers at Bury Drill Hall, 4/8/1914. Aspects of period at Turton camp, 8/1914-9/1914: volunteering for overseas service; story illustrating effect of army discipline. Aspects of voyage aboard Meominee to Egypt, 9/1914: seasickness; sings, 'Homeland'. Recollections of periods at Abbassia Barracks, Cairo and Mustapha Pasha Barracks, Alexandria, 9/1914-4/1915: training; orderly officer duties; messlife; football activities; question of prior knowledge of Gallipoli posting; bartering with Egyptian civilians; platoon NCOs; effect of smallpox vaccinations. REEL 2 Continues: smallpox case; uniform and equipment. Voyage via Mudros, Lemnos to Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, 5/1915. Recollections of initial period in Gully Ravine sector, Helles, 5/5/1915-7/5/1915: situation on landing at W Beach, 5/5/1915; move inland to Pink Farm, 6/5/1915; accompanying brigadier as liaison officer during tour of front line in sector held by 6th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers; return to platoon duties. Account of attack along Fusilier Bluff, 7/5/1915: briefing and tactics; problems posed by scrub; personal morale; night move up; increasing fire during rushes forward to British front line; move towards sea; breakdown of attack in No Man's Land; sheltering on cliff face; question of casualties; personal morale. Recollections of period in White Trench, 8/5/1915-3/6/1915: initial construction of trench; evening sentry inspection. REEL 3 Continues: evening sentry inspection; conditions of service; working parties unloading stores from beach; effects of rain during period in 2nd Australian Line; nearby Eski Line; story of sending underclothes back to GB to be washed; question of lice problem; football pitch in Gully Ravine; story of failure of attempt to get extra ration from quartermaster sergeant, 3/6/1915. Account of attack towards Krithia, 4/6/1915: role holding front line whilst 8th Bn Manchester Regt attacked; positions near Krithia Nullah; bombardment and ruse to fool Turks; attack of 8th Bn Manchester Regt; personal morale; story of being wounded in chest and arm whilst attempting to rescue wounded soldier; return to front line; evacuation; view from front line. REEL 4 Continues: evacuation by stretcher to beach, 4/6/1915-5/6/1915. Aspects of voyage on hospital ship to Alexandria, 6/1916. Changing state of personal morale during period in hospital at Alexandria, 6/1915-7/1915. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and duties during period at Helles, 7/1915-9/1915: reception by General Douglas; initial positions in K11 trench during attack by 52nd Div in Krithia Nullah sector, 15/7/1915; soldiers' efforts to get self inflicted wounds; story of Turkish listening patrol; nature of fighting; fly problem; surprise at absence of cholera; unburied corpses; milk diet during evacuation with dysentery to Mudros, 3/8/1915; state of unit; move into positions in Bury Trench sector, Fusilier Bluff; rest camp at Gully Beach; unit morale; Gully Ravine; methods of avoiding finding sentrys asleep; self inflicted wounds; duties as bombing officer and use of jam tin bombs; story of dispute with officer over working party duty. REEL 5 Continues: story of dispute with officer over working party; rest periods; sea bathing; role as bombing officers; effects of fatigue; opinion of Turks; opinion of strategic situation at Gallipoli. Evacuation with dysentery to Mudros, 15/9/1915. Story of failed ruse to secure passage on Aquitania prior to voyage to GB, 9/1915. Aspects of period with 3/5th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers at Tunbridge Wells, 1915-1916. Rejoining unit at Suez, 5/1916: reactions; state of unit. Recollections of operations in Egypt and Sinai, 5/1916-2/1917: movements; digging trenches at Balley Bunion; story illustrating excessive thirst suffered by troops during march from Romani to Katia Oasis, 8/1916; advance to El- Arish, 12/1916; conditions of service; relationship with other ranks; re-equipment for Western Front. Story of failed torpedo attack during voyage to Marseilles, France, 2/1917. REEL 6 Continues: story of failed torpedo attack during voyage aboard Megantic to Marseilles, France, 2/1917. Aspects of period in billets at Liercourt. German withdrawal to Hindenburg Line during period of trench experience with 1st Div at Villers Carbonnel, 3/1917. Recollection of period in Somme area, 3/1917-8/1917: flight in brother's BE2 C; movements; story of commanding successful fighting patrol attacking German sentry post in Femy Wood; question of dugouts; German barbed wire; question of tanks; absence of sleep; story of close escape from minenwerfer; opinion of British trench mortar teams. REEL 7 Continues: opinion of British trench mortar teams; trench digging and rats in rest at Biaches; leave periods; personal morale. Recollections of period in Ypres area, 8/1917-9/1917: situation; support line positions at Billcot Pillbox; story illustrating opinion of Mitford; breastwork trenches; route to front line, ground conditions and use of duckboards; story of close escape from shell on ration party duty and subsequent brief shell shock; support role and story of calling up artillery fire on German counter attack during attack on Borrie Farm, 6/9/1917; informal truce to collect corpses from no mans land; opinion of high command and strategic situation; issue of rum ration. REEL 8 Continues: story of getting lost on Frezenberg Ridge; story of daylight reconnaissance; derelict tanks; story illustrating courage of stretcher bearers under fire. Aspects of period in Nieuport area, 9/1917-11/1917: situation in positions across Yser canal; story of regular shelling at road junction. Recollections of period at Givenchy, Bethune area, 11/1917-2/1918: situation; German raid; story of Christmas and New Year gas bombardments; dugouts; absence of rats; washing; officers drinking habits. Aspects of period in divisional reserve at Houchin, 2/1918-3/1918; story of assignment to battalion cadre and subsequent capture of replacement during German offensive, 3/1918; ruse to extend leave in GB. Aspects of period at Gommecourt, Somme area, 4/1918-6/1918: situation. REEL 9 Continues: situation; story of value of experience in avoiding shells; story of cancellation of raid using box barrage method planned to pre-empt German attack; question of determining landing point of shells and evasive action. Aspects of period with flu in Rouen Hospital, 7/1918. Background to being evacuated to GB, 7/1918. Aspects of period with 4/5th Bn Lancashire Fusliers in Scarborough, 7/1918-1/1919. Demobilisation, 1/1919: reasons for not re-joining territorials; reserve officer status. Reported stories illustrating courage and character of VC winner Neville Marshall.