Description
Object description
British NCO served as butcher with Army Service Corps attached to 11th Divisional Train in GB, Gallipoli, Egypt and on Western Front, 1914-1919
Content description
REEL 1: Background in Newark area, 1897-1914: education; work as apprentice butcher; reactions to outbreak of war, 4/8/1914. Recruitment underage as butcher with Army Service Corps at Newark Barracks, 15/11/1914: reasons; medical; reactions. Period with A Coy, Army Service Corps at Buller Barracks, Aldershot, 11/1914-12/1915: verbal butchery test; basic training; periods of leave due to over crowded barracks during which re-employed as civilian butcher.
REEL 2 Continues: re-employment as civilian butcher. Posting to 19th Field Butchery Coy, Army Service Corps at Aldershot, 2/1915-5/1915: butchery training; promotion to corporal, 3/1915; conditions of service. Posting to Supply Section, No 1 Transport Coy, 11th Divisional Train at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield and Milford Camp, 5/1915-6/1915: composition of 11th Div; manoeuvres; relationship with other ranks on promotion to sergeant, 5/1915; story illustrating shortage of healthy supply personnel at Gallipoli; role of supply section in issuing rations.
REEL 3 Continues: role of supply section in issuing rations. Recollections of voyage out on Haverford to Mudros, Lemnos, Greece, 7/1915-8/1915: haircut and preparations; ignorance of destination; route. Question of standards of butchery in army and story illustrating policy of guessing quantities issued. Rumours of new landings during period at Lemnos, 8/1915. Recollections of landing and initial period at C Beach, Suvla, Gallipoli, 6/8/1915: landing by lighters from HMS Endymion; naval bombardment; landing of 10th Div, 7/8/1915; iron rations and water supply; situation; situation; cut pipe from water lighter; officers; use of Indian transport in absence of own transport coy.
REEL 4 Continues: officer in charge; arrival of supplies and formation of main Suvla depot and subsidiary 11 Div depot in beach area. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle, daily routine and duties at 11th Div supply depot, 8/1915-12/1915: wooden boxes containing food; weather conditions; bivouac and dugouts; necessity of loading up Indian transport mules at night and story of difficult journey with them up to front line; moving stripes to disguise rank; issue of rations by guesswork; issue of bully beef and frozen meat; supply section personnel present; personal rations.
REEL 5 Continues: types of food ration issued; quality of meat; attacks of fever; prevalence of dysentery amongst troops; water supply; lice and fly problem; latrines; close escape from shell; state of health; medical supplies; fodder.
REEL 6 Continues: fodder; extremes of weather conditions and effects of November storms; makeshift bivouac at dump; story illustrating shortage of healthy supply personnel; comparison of front line positions and heavily shelled rear areas; question of thieving from dump; issue of rum ration; relationship with officer; story of setting fire to trousers whilst smoking; absence of women; state of morale; parcel and letter contact with GB; question of evacuation.
REEL 7 Continues: Recollections of preparations for evacuation, 12/1915: recognition of failure of campaign; building pyre ready for burning of advance dump stores; drunkenness incident over disposal of rum; ruse to cover evacuation of divisional headquarters and hospital; preparing dumps for burning; evacuation to Imbros, 19/12/1915. State of health and hospitalisation with dysentery at Suvla, 10/1915. Period at Imbros, 12/1915-1/1916. Recollections of period at Sidi Bishr, 1/1916-2/1916: erecting tents; precautions against Egyptian unrest; ; issuing stores from railhead; supplementary rations; state of health.
REEL 8 Continues: visits to Alexandria. Period at El Ferdan and Bellah, 2/1916-7/1916: Egyptian workers in meat store; local leave in Cairo and visit to Pyramids; posting to Supply Section, No 3 Transport Coy whilst at Bellah; duties censoring letters during attachment to 1st Line Transport Coy office; use of base censor for own letters; story of meeting Edward VII. Recollections of voyage to Marseilles, France, 7/1916: prior rumours; small pox vaccination; drunken officers; ruse to keep kitbags on disembarkation.
REEL 9 Continues: Recollections of period on Western Front, 1916-1918: train journey to Abbeville; story of looking after drunken soldier; period in Somme area; comparison of duties as supply section at Gallipoli and Western Front; attachment of Supply Section to No 3 Transport Coy of former 53rd Divisional Train now re-mustered as 11th Divisional Train; unit role in receipt of supplies from lorries, forming temporary dump and supervision of distribution of rations to unit quartermasters; issue of rations by guesswork and difficulties with meat ration; importance of daily requisition forms for rations; issue of frozen meat; question of shellfire; food rations; issue of chilled meat; billets.
REEL 10 Continues: issue of thigh boots; account of difficult journeys to and from Newark on GB leave, 1/1918; relationship with French and Belgian civilians; visit with officer to inspect troops iron rations in front line and subsequent shell fire on billets; importance of supply teams during German offensive, 1918; exchange of food rations for pigs with refugee French civilians and subsequent slaughter of pigs, 4/1918; shellfire on rail dump.
REEL 11 Continues: period of movement, 1918; armistice, 11/11/1918; Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1918. Demobilisation, 6/1919. Post war situation and farming career.
