Description
Object description
British private served with 1/8th Bn Hampshire Regt in GB, Gallipoli and Palestine, 1912-1917; served as carpenter with Royal Flying Corps in Egypt, 1917-1919
Content description
REEL 1 Recruitment and training with 1/8th Bn Hampshire Regt at Sandown Barracks, Cowes, Isle of Wight, 1912-1914. Aspects of periods at Sandown Barracks, Bury St Edmunds and Watford, 8/1914-7/1915: uniform; rifles issued; machine guns transport; monitoring German civilians and beach patrols on Isle of Wight; billets; training; relationship with officers. Voyage aboard Aquitania to Mudros, Lemnos, 29/7/1915-6/8/1915: reactions to Gallipoli posting; conditions; units aboard.
REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period at Suvla, Gallipoli, Turkey, 8/1915-10/1915: landing at A Beach, Suvla, 10/8/1915; prevailing smell; move inland; failure of attack towards Anafarta Ridge, 12/8/1915; equipment carried; food rations and fly problems; effects of dysentery; story of getting lost on water ration party in Shrapnel Gully; machine gun post guarding gully; recollections of period in front line a Hill 60 including corpses in parapets and close escape from shell; story of giving water to exhausted wounded troops; story of getting boil lanced; evacuation with dysentery, 23/10/1915; aspects of Gallipoli strategy and position of Hill 60; rumours of Turkish women snipers; Gurkha troops.
REEL 3 Continues: Gurkha troops trophies; recollections of corpses at Hill 60; nature of fighting and trenches; machine gun duties; food and water rations; shaving and washing; effects of dysentery; makeshift cigarettes; unit morale; jam tin bombs; opinion of Australians and film 'Gallipoli'; visit by Kitchener; Royal Navy bombardment; rest periods; move to Anzac; prevailing smell.
REEL 4 Continues: prevailing smell. Evacuation with dysentery aboard Formosa and hospitalisation in GB, 1915-1916. Membership and activities of Gallipoli Association, 1984. Reactions to Gallipoli experiences, 1915: comradeship; personal morale. Period with 2/8th Bn Hampshire Regt at Romsey, 1916-1917. Journey out to rejoin unit in Suez Canal sector, Egypt, ca 2/1917. Recollections of operations in Egypt and Palestine, 1917-1918: march on wire road to Gaza sector, 3/1917; period as Lewis gunner in trenches at Gaza, 3/1917-4/1917; story of being wounded during Second Battle of Gaza, 19/4/1917; night retreat from Samson's Ridge during First Battle of Gaza, 23/3/1917; medical treatment during evacuation to Alexandria, 4/1917; convalescence at Montasa prior to return to unit.
REEL 5 Continues: convalescence at Montasa; comparison of conditions of service in Palestine with Gallipoli; use of camels to carry water supply; camel journey to get treatment for septic sores at Ismailia; story of false alarm whilst manning machine gun outpost in No Man's Land in Gaza sector; attitude to shell shock; rumours of self inflicted wounds amongst Australian troops at Gallipoli, 1915; trenches and terrain at Gaza. Period as carpenter with Royal Flying Corps at Heliopolis and Aboukir, Egypt, 1917-1919: application for transfer and passing trade test; duties. Demobilisation, 3/1919. Question of effects of war service. Marriage in GB, 1916. Conditions of service in front line at Hill 60, Suvla, 1915.