Bonney, Arthur John (Oral history)

British private served with 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers, 87th Bde, 29th Div at Gallipoli, Turkey and on Western Front, 8/1915-4/1917

REEL 1 Background in Hackney, London, GB, 1895-1914: family; education; employment. Aspects of enlistment and training as private and NCO with 2/10th (County of London) Bn London Regt (Hackney), 2/2nd London Bde, 2/1st London Div at White City, London and Crowborough, GB, 8/1914-3/1915: redundancy on outbreak of First World War and enlistment in battalion; promotion to corporal; training; guard duty and tactical exercise illustrating growing disillusionment with unit; relations with officers; problem with discipline with some other ranks. Aspects of period as private with 3rd Bn South Wales Borderers in GB, 3/1915-8/1915: desertion whilst on leave and joining South Wales Borderers at Shoreditch Town Hall, London, 3/1915; detection of previous experience whilst training with 3rd Bn South Wales Borderes at Pembroke, 3/1915-8/1915; inclusion in draft for 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers at Gallipoli, Turkey. Aspects of and voyage aboard HMT Royal Edward from GB to Aegean Sea, 7/1915- 8/1915 including sinking by Imperial German Navy submarine UB-14 in Aegean Sea, 13/8/1915: question of destination. REEL 2 Continues: removal from first draft and leave prior to inclusion in second draft; send off at Southampton, GB; lifeboat drill; conditions; visit to Alexandria, Egypt; question of submarine threat; torpedoing of ship by Imperial German Navy submarine UB-14, 13/8/1915; period in water; climbing into lifeboat and rescue by HMHS Soudan, 14/8/1915; period re-equipping following sinking at Alexandria, Egypt, 8/1915; fellow survivor's story. Recollections of operations as private with D Coy, 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers, 87th Bde, 29th Div at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, Turkey, 8/1915-10/1915: landing under artillery fire; disembarking from lighters; situation on beach. REEL 3 Continues: move inland and reception on joining unit; terrain; situation; nature of trenches; rations; water supply; latrines; lice and fly problems; prevalence of dysentery; daily routine; artillery shelling; sniping. REEL 4 Continues: friend; sick parade during rest period at Lemnos Island, Greece and consequent evacuation with dysentery and jaundice aboard hospital ship to Alexandria, Egypt, 10/1915; periods in support trenches. Aspects of period of hospitalisation and convalescence at Valetta, Malta, 10/1915-12/1915: convalescence; fighting between Australian troops and Maltese civilians. Aspects of period as private with 2nd South Wales Borderers, 87th Bde, 29th Div in Egypt, 12/1915-2/1916: rejoining unit at Mustapha Pasha Barracks, Alexandria, 1/1916; move to Suez Canal, 1/1916-2/1916; duties as company sergeant-major's servant; story of pre-war regular NCOs and their reaction to news of his earlier desertion from 2/10th (County of London) Bn London Regt (Hackney); patrolling activities. Recollections of operations as private with 2nd South Wales Borderers, 87th Bde, 29th Div on Western Front, 3/1916-4/1917: voyage aboard SS Scotian from Alexandria, Egypt to Marseille, France, 3/1916; train journey; preliminary artillery bombardment on move to Somme, France, 6/1916; German raid on front line; assignment to reserve cadre and visits to front line with Major Geoffrey Raikes during attack on Beaumont Hamel, France, 1/7/1916-2/7/1916; narrow escape from shell on Jacobs Ladder, Thiepval, France, 7/1916. REEL 5 Continues: story of meeting Prince Edward at Guinchy Corner, France, 7/1916; story of acting as runner back to brigade headquarters to call up artillery support during German surprise attack at Arras, France, 4/1917; story of being wounded in arm by artillery fire and evacuation, 4/1917; comparison of conditions on Western Front and Gallipoli; story of accidentally leading a party of King's Own Scottish Borderers into German lines in Arras area, France, 1916; story of inexperienced officer; reasons for refusal of promotion. Aspects of period as private with British Army in GB, 4/1917-5/1918: hospitalisation and convalescence in Scotland, 1917; posting for retraining to Northern Command Camp at Prescot, 1917: avoidance of duties on medical grounds; opinion of instructors; rehospitalisation and discharge as unfit, 5/1918.