Rackham, Basil Bedsmore (IWM interview)

British officer served with 2nd (Hawke) Bn 1st (Royal Naval) Bde, Royal Naval Division in GB and Gallipoli, 1914-1916; served with 2nd (Hawke) Bn, 189th Bde, 63rd (Royal Naval) Div and on Western Front, 1916-1918

REEL 1 Background in Wickham Market, GB, 1896-1914: family; education. Aspects of enlistment in Royal Naval Div in GB, 8/1914: recruitment at Union Jack Club, Waterloo, London, 8/1914; reasons for enlistment; failure in attempt to form Public School Battalion. Aspect of period with 2nd (Hawke) Bn, Royal Naval Div at Royal Naval Div Depot, Crystal Palace, London, 1914: posting to D Coy; attack of measles and consequent separation from unit; commission as sub-lieutenant. Aspects of training as officer with Royal Naval Div at Blandford Camp, GB, 1915: naval methods and tradition of Royal Naval Div; question of adequacy of training; relation with other ranks; kitting out. Recollections of voyage with draft with Royal Naval Div aboard RMS Franconia from GB to Mudros, Lemnos Island, Greece, 8/1915-9/1915: knowledge of Gallipoli, Turkey, Ottoman Empire as destination; send off at Blandford Camp; opinion of divisional officers illustrated by recollections of Bernard Freyberg's war career. REEL 2 Continues: opinion of divisonal officers illustrated by recollections of Arthur Asquith, A P Herbert and Rupert Brooke's war careers including literary activities; question of submarine danger; visit ashore at Malta; period at Mudros, Lemnos Island. Aspects of landing as officer with Royal Naval Div from SS River Clyde at V Beach, Cape Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, 9/1915: reports of original landings; joining unit in reserve positions at Backhouse Post. Recollections of operations as officer with 2nd (Hawke) Bn, 1st (Royal Naval) Bde, Royal Naval Div at Cape Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, 9/1915-1/1916: previous actions of battalion; biscuit tin sign at Backhouse Post; situation. REEL 3 Continues: obtaining nickname 'Baby Rackham'; prevalence of jaundice; nature of trenches; artillery bombardment following evacuation of Suvla Bay, 12/1915; Royal Navy presence; communications; comparison with Western Front; supplies; raid to take Turkish prisoner of war and state of Turkish trenches; terrain and view of peninsula; acclimatisation to casualties; fly problem; latrines; unburied corpses; lice problem; onset of winter weather and question of clothing and hot food; rum ration; question of cigarette rations. REEL 4 Continues: rota of tours in trenches and reserve; condition of French Army trenches on relieving them; later measures taken against frost bite on Western Front; shortage of fuel; visit to Anzac Cove and comparison with Cape Helles situation; overall artillery situation; unofficial nature of visit to Anzac Cove; question of leave; state of morale; contacts with GB; opinion of Australian and New Zealand troops; opinion of Turkish Army troops and post-war contacts; opinion of senior officers and 'Gallipoli' strategy; relations with other ranks; story illustrating Alan Herbert's relations with other ranks; prior recollection of inoculations at Royal Naval Div Depot, Crystal Palace, London, GB, 1914. REEL 5 Continues: hygiene; question of growing of beards and later disputes with army officers; water supplies; sea bathing; rations; destruction of alcohol prior to evacuation; restrictions on grouping together; medical evacuation procedure. Recollections of evacuation with 2nd (Hawke) Bn, 1st (Royal Naval) Bde, Royal Naval Div of Cape Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, 8/1/1916: effects of prior evacuation of Suvla Bay, 12/1915; ruses to mislead Turkish forces; placing booby traps in trenches; unit's role holding last line of defence above cliffs; evacuation from W Beach on lighter and destroyer, 9/1/1915; destruction of abandoned stores; opinion of preparations and Turkish inactivity; scale of casualties during campaign; period on Imbros Island, Greece, 1/1916-5/1916. REEL 6 Continues: opinion of Gallipoli Association, 1984; voyage from Imbros Island, Greece to France, 5/1915. Recollections of operations as officer with 2nd (Hawke) Bn, 189th Bde, 63rd (Royal Naval) Div on Western Front, 1916-1918: hearing news of Battle of Jutland, 6/1916; question of leave; training as Lewis Gun officer; attack towards Beaucourt, Somme, France, 13/11/1917-14/11/1916 including situation, plans, casualties during failed initial assault on German strongpoint, slight hand wound, successful use of tanks on strongpoint, consolidation and lessons learnt from battle; winter conditions at Beaucourt, Somme, France, 2/1917; attack in Gavrelle sector, Arras area, France, 4/1917 including unit's support role, casualties amongst headquarters group, capture of objectives and medals awarded; circumstances of being awarded Military Cross during attack at Beaucourt, Somme, France, 11/1916; German gas shell attack at Flesquières, France, 3/1918. REEL 7 Continues: retreat following German gas shell attack at Flesquières, 3/1918; evacuation with mustard gas burns to GB, 4/1918; award of bar to Military Cross; rejoining unit in Belgium, 11/1918; reactions to Armistice, 11/11/1918; open warfare situation, 11/1918; opinion of German Army troops and reaction to their use of minenwerfers; comparison with conditions at Gallipoli; conditions of service in Ypres Salient, Belgium, 10/1917; operations following German counter-attack at Cambrai, France, 11/1917. Aspects of demobilisation on return to GB, 6/1919: final parade in front of Prince of Wales; pride in Royal Naval Div; later service in Second World War, 1939-1945. Reflections on military service during First World War: writing letters to deceased next of kin; personal morale including example of evacuation, 8/1/1916; question of taking prisoners of war at Gallipoli, Turkey, Ottoman Empire, 1915; post-war decision to become regular officer with Middlesex Regt, 1920.