Description
Object description
British seaman served as with Anson Bn Royal Naval Div in GB, Gallipoli and on Western Front, 1914-1917
Content description
REEL 1: Recollections of background in Pellew Grange and Chester- le- Street, 1896-1914: religious significance of Chester-le-Street; education; father's works on railways; review of various duties as miner and story of accident, 1910-1914
REEL 2 Continues: reactions to approach and outbreak of war, 4/8/1914. Recruitment to Durham Light Infantry at Masonic Hall Recruiting Office, 10/9/1914: reasons; family reactions; initial period at Newcastle. Background to volunteering for Royal Marine Land Forces, 13/9/1914. Recollections of period with C Coy, Anson Bn Royal Naval Div at Crystal Palace, 9/1914: reception; food rations supplied by Lyons Restaurant; first impressions of London; accommodation in Australia House; removal as too small from guard duty; despatch of untrained ill equipped volunteers with 1st Naval Bde to Antwerp, Belgium; 10/1914; drill; differences in naval and army attitudes; reactions to naval lifestyle.
REEL 3 Continues: daily routine and training; relationship with civilians; uniform; sinking of HMS Bulwark during musketry training at Chatham Barracks, 11/1914. Recollections of conditions of service and training at Blandford Camp, 11/1914-2/1915: hut accommodation; food rations; story of canteen incident involving Tisdall; boxing activities; route marches; night training; signal training.
REEL 4 Continues: relationship with officers and NCOs; recreations including informal debates; question of visits to Blandford; night march to Avonmouth; question of adequacy of training. Recollections of voyage aboard Grantully Castle to Port Said, Egypt, 2/1915: sings, 'Goodbye to Old England'; conditions; seasickness. Recollections of period in Egypt, 2/1915-3/1915: initial camp at Port Said; detachment sent to guard against Turks at El-Kantara; accommodation at Mustapha Pasha Barracks, Alexandria; rumours of Gallipoli operations and question of official secrecy. Voyage on Grantully Castle to Gallipoli, Turkey, 3/1915: cruise along coastline; readiness for immanent landing; recall to Egypt.
REEL 5 Continues: Reorganisation and voyage with 29th Div troops aboard Cawdor Castle to Mudros, Lemnos, 3/1915: opinion of 29th Div troops; story illustrating morale of regulars. Recollections of landing at W Beach, Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, 26/4/1915-26/4/1915: absence of briefing; transfer of 29th Div troops to Euraylus; role as signallers; Wrays's platoon's role in getting stores unloaded from ship into lighters and onto beach; tow towards beach by pinnace; running aground and later drifting under fire; transfer from sinking lighter; view of beach; food stores carried; rescue by pinnace and landing, 26/4/1915; role of Anson Bn during landing; personal morale; situation on landing, 26/4/1915; rejoining unit at V Beach, 28/4/1915. Recollections of conditions of service at Helles, 4/1915-6/1915: sorting out ammunition ready for taking to front line, 28/4/1915.
REEL 6 Continues: reports of Arthur Tisdall winning Victoria Cross, 25/4/1915; sorting out ammunition for taking to front line; role during brief period as battalion signaller; story of close escape from sniper; opinion of Gallipoli strategy; rest camp dug outs; dysentery problem; nature of front line trenches; question of lack of Turkish artillery and nature of fighting; food rations; roll call in rest camp.
REEL 7 Continues: question of daily activities; letter and parcel contacts with GB; sentry duty; mosquito and lice problems; morale; lack of signalling role; question of Turkish attacks; absence of briefing prior to attack, 4/6/1915; story of being lightly wounded in shoulder by shrapnel whilst discussing murder case in Windy Nook, GB, 2/6/1915; story of being wounded in foot, first aid treatment and return to British front line during attack towards Krithia, 4/6/1915.
REEL 8 Continues: return under fire to British front line, 4/6/1915; evacuation procedure; reactions to being wounded. Voyage on hospital ship and hospitalisation in Malta, 6/1915-7/1915. Recollections of period as Lieutenant Commander Wilson's servant at Mustapha Pasha Barracks depot, Alexandria, 7/1915-3/1916: background to temporary appointment and consequent cancellation of posting back to Gallipoli; discovery of previous servant's dishonesty and consequent permanent appointment; conditions of service; duties; question of return to unit on invaliding home of Wilson. Recollections of period on boom defence duties at Kambi Point, Mudros, Lemnos, 3/1916-6/1916: organisation of defences; original posting as officer's servant at Buda Point; look out duties.
REEL 9 Continues: story of false alarm following accidental firing of gun; submarine lookout duties; mined boom; background to posting and question of return to unit. Return to Blandford Camp, GB, 6/1916-9/1916: collection of various unattached troops in Mediterranean area; train journey across France; leave. Posting to rejoin unit in Somme area, France, 9/1916. Aspects of conditions of service in Somme area, ca 10/1916-2/1917: nature of trenches; contrast in British and German dugouts; story illustrating effects of winter weather conditions; food rations; evacuation with frostbitten feet to GB, 2/1917; comparison of conditions on Western Front and Gallipoli; shell fire.
REEL 10 Convalescence in GB, 2/1917-6/1917. Volunteering for draft to Hawke Bn Royal Naval Div, 6/1917. Aspects of period on Western Front, 5/1917-6/1918: movements; story of New Zealanders pushing ditched tank down hill into German lines; story of leaving celebrations to counter successful German attack at Christmas in Arras sector, 25/12/1917; GB leave; period in Dixmudes and Passchendale sectors including waterlogged conditions, German pill boxes, nicknames reflecting luck and work as temporary stretcher bearer; story of looting French farmer's buried apple store.
REEL 11 Continues: story of looting French farmer's buried apple store; period in casualty clearing station with trench fever; situation on rejoining depleted unit following German offensive, 5/1918; background to promotion to NCO and section commander; story of being reprimanded for swearing; story of visit by divisional commander; account of raid in Ancre sector, 1918, including prior situation, lack of briefing for other ranks, attitude to soldier with shell shock, jumping off positions.
REEL 12 Continues: account of raid in Ancre sector 1918, including jumping off positions, artillery support bombardment, crossing no mans land, confused situation in German dugouts, taking German POW and question of casualties; story of taking up positions inadvertently on ammunition dump; stories of incidents leading to award of special leave in GB, 7/1918; attack of trench fever and period in US hospital prior to evacuation to GB, 7/1918. Period in workhouse hospital at Newcastle under Lyme, 7/1918: difficulty with patient's Durham accent; food; soldiers avoiding active service.
REEL 13 Continues: story of being removed from hospital following dispute with nurses. Periods in hospital, convalescent camps and army camps, 8/1918-12/1918: dealing with shell shock case; movements; impact of early recruitment naval number on demobilisation. Return to work as miner. Story of mother's reaction to return of kitbag, 1917. Post-war career as merchant seaman.
