Description
Object description
British civilian member of Isle of Wight Home Guard in GB, 1940-1941; private and NCO served with 70th Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in GB, 1941-1942; officer served with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 227th (Highland) Infantry Bde, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div in GB and North West Europe, 1942-1945; served with 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Palestine, 1945-1946; served with 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Cyprus, 1958-1960; commanded Sultan's Armed Forces in Oman, 1970-1972
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1923-1940: family; education. Aspects of period as member of Isle of Wight Home Guard in GB, 1940-1941: equipment; character of personnel; eagerness to confront Germans; opinion of Home Guard. Aspects of period as private and NCO with 70th Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in GB, 1941-1942: recruit training; spontaneous development of 'bull'; deprived background of Glaswegian recruits. Recollections of operations as officer with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 227th (Highland) Infantry Bde, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: attitude of farmers in Normandy; aim and execution of Operation Epsom; threat from snipers; need for training to distinguish effective 'enemy' fire.
REEL 2 Continues: destruction of property in Normandy; advance of unit during Operation Epsom, 26/6/1944-30/6/1944; hold up south of village of Baron-sur-Odon; invisibility of German opposition; opinion of German performance; Waffen-SS counter-attack; professionalism of German Army; German Army use of battle groups; problems operating Projector Infantry Anti-Tank (PIAT); superiority of German personal equipment; superiority of Allied artillery; superstition in army; misfortunes during Operation Greenline, 15/7/1944-17/7/1944; confidence in General Bernard Montgomery; memories of senior officers; sight of bombing of Caen.
REEL 3 Continues: sight of carnage in Normandy; nature of Operation Bluecoat, 30/7/1944-7/8/1944; taking of non-German prisoners of war; nature of fighting against Waffen-SS troops in bocage. Aspects of operations as officer with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 227th (Highland) Infantry Bde, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div in Northwest Europe, 8/1944-3/1945: German holding up of Allied offensive, 10/1944; welcome from Dutch civilians; lack of sense of urgency at Eindhoven, Netherlands; liberation of Tilburg, Netherlands; German use of mines and booby traps; comparison between fighting and First World War trench warfare; handling strain of fighting; manpower problems; trepidation over Ardennes Offensive; confidence in ultimate Allied victory; wounding during Operation Plunder, the crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 23/3/1945.
REEL 4 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Palestine, 1945-1946: briefing about situation in Palestine; reasons for troops becoming pro-Arab; influx of Zionists into Palestine; Jewish armed organisations; internal security in Jerusalem; blowing up of King David Hotel; Jewish reprisal of hanging two British sergeants, 29/7/1947; enforcing curfew in Jerusalem; lessons learnt by British Army; Arab attitude towards British presence. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Cyprus, 1958-1960: opinion of National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA); question of character of Enosis slogan; question of relative inefficiency of conscript army.
REEL 5 Continues: separateness of Turkish community; reaction to attacks on British service families; daily routine in Limni; fraternisation with Greek Cypriots; attitude towards Greek clergy; training and performance of British troops; opinion of National Servicemen; attitude towards casualties in British Army. Recollections of operations commanding Sultan's Armed Forces in Oman, 1970-1972: posting to Oman; physical conditions; distinctiveness of Dhofar Province; character of Omanis.
REEL 6 Continues: Britain's role in Oman since 1950s; his role commanding Sultan's Armed Forces; Sultan's fear of coup; composition of Sultan's air force and navy; background to Dhofar insurrection; character of Dhofaris; role of People's Republic of South Yemen in rebellion; Communist character of rebellion; change in ruler; rebel suppression of opposition in eastern Dhofar; weakening of rebellion; strengthening of Sultan's Armed Forces.
REEL 7 Continues: role of seconded British officers; disturbances in northern Oman, 1970; reasons for failure of rebels; failure of Sultan's amnesty in Dhofar; presence of Baluchis in Sultan's Armed Forces; relations between Omanis and Baluchis in Sultan's Armed Forces; rebel's siege of Salalah; organisation of British intelligence cell; training of rebels in Trucial Oman Scouts; work of Special Air Service in formation of auxiliary forces; how Sultan secured allies in Arab world.
REEL 8 Continues: Sultan's securing of local allies; character of Operation Jaguar, 10/1971; reasons for success of Sultan's Armed Forces; character of Operation Simba, 4/1972; rebel policy towards women; situation in Oman on his leaving post, 1972; what he lacked during his period of command; People's Republic of South Yemen's claim on Dhofar Province.