Description
Object description
British NCO served with 28th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infanry Div in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, 1940-1941
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1915-1934: family; education; enlistment in Royal Artillery, 1934. Reaction to declaration of Second World War, 9/1939. Aspects of period as NCO with 28th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Sudan, 1940: voyage to East Africa; attack by Italian Air Force; estimate of British chances against Italians; strength of unit at Atbara; standard of equipment; arrival of Ordnance QF 25 Pounder Field Guns; description of Ordnance QF 25 Pounder Field Gun; swimming competition; contact with Sudan Defence Force; entrenching problems. Recollections of operations as NCO with 28th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Eritrea, 1940: opinion of officer who died of wounds; desert sores.
REEL 2 Continues: problems with flies; case of heat exhaustion; methods employed by unit doctor; use of guns during Battle of Keren; problem of sleeping during artillery shoots; Italian method of disrupting transport; first action; attack on Italian Eritrean unit; sight of abandoned Italian aircraft at Barentu; summary of Barentu action; opinion of Italian artillery fire at Keren; strength of Italian positions at Keren; shelling of Italian counter attacks; rescue of comrade at Adi Tekelezan; willingness of Italians to surrender; declaration of Asmara as open city.
REEL 3 Continues: fraternisation with Italian civilians; surrender of Italian warship to his gun at Massawa. Aspects of operations as NCO with 28th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Ethiopia, 1941: shelling of Italian positions at Amba Alagi; trouble with civilians over killing of sacred cow; sight of Italian surrender; Italian storage chambers in rock at Amba Alagi; awarding of gallantry medals to unit; return journey to GB via Egypt including guarding Italian prisoners of war. Recollections of operations as NCO with 28th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, 1940-1941: opinion of campaign; gun positions at Keren; impossibility of seeing fall of shot; use of fuses; use of Matilda Mk II Tanks.
REEL 4 Continues: Allied air power; near execution of Royal Artillery personnel by Ethiopian Patriots; opinion of quality of rations; relations with sepoys; hospitality of Canadians and South Africans on return journey to GB; lack of contact with civilians; shot fired at British troops in Asmara, Eritrea; football fixture with Italians; songs sung in East Africa; attending cabaret show in Asmara, Eritrea.