Polhill, Victor (Oral history)

British private served as Lewis gunner with 1/5th Bn London Regt (London Rifle Brigade) on Western Front, 1917-1918; served as sapper with No 1 Observation Group, Royal Engineers on Western Front and in Germany, 1918-1919

REEL 1: Recollections of background in London, 1897-1916: education at Stationer's Company School and suspension of Civil Service exams on outbreak of war, 4/8/1914; father's work in printing industry; attitude to Germans; training activities at school with 1st Cadet Bn, Middlesex Regt including importance of discipline, school .22 rifle range, drill and promotion to corporal; reactions to outbreak of war, 4/8/1914; mob attacks on German shopkeepers, 1915; question of volunteering; work as clerk with insurance brokers, 8/1915-3/1916; question of awareness of nature of war; varying attitude to conscientious objectors, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945; reasons for joining Derby Scheme and medical, 3/1916. REEL 2 Continues: failed application to join Honourable Artillery Company. Call up to join London Rifle Bde at Bunhill Row Barracks, 6/1916: parents' reactions; review of family military connections. Recollections of conditions of service, training and daily routine with 38 Platoon, F Coy, 3rd Bn London Rifle Bde at Fovant Camp, Exeter and Dawlish, 6/1916-12/1916: question of relationship with older recruits; reception; hut accommodation; kit inspections; shaving; washing clothes; breakfast; bayonet training; route marches; night training; question of tactical training; rifle cleaning and training; gas masks; question of adequacy of training; relationship with instructors. REEL 3 Continues: relationship with officers; recreations; relationship with other ranks influenced by teetotalism and religious beliefs; pride in London Rifle Bde; movements; billets in Exeter; practise in lighting cooking fires; billet companions. Initial period in France, 12/1916-1/1917: journey out and arrival at Harfleur Camp, 25/12/1916; advice to be cheerful in letters home; story of talking to French children; food rations during train journey; period training under NCO and officer from 1/5th Bn London Rifle Bde in reserve area. REEL 4 Continues: personal morale; recreations. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine with 1/5th Bn London Rifle Bde mainly in Laventie sector, 1/1917-3/1917: nature of reception from Colonel Hussey; posting to Lewis gun section of 8 Platoon, B Coy; lack of Lewis gun training; question of rats in billets; move up into support lines; nature of dugout; question of NCOs and officers' superior dugouts; cold conditions; approach to front line along breastwork communication trenches; reception; breastwork trenches; wiring parties; composition of platoon; opinion of Lewis gun; daily cleaning of Lewis gun and lack of firing tests; role of team members; question of reloading; story of firing at low flying German aircraft, 3/1918; setting up and manning Lewis gun post; personal morale; opinion of policy of establishing posts in deserted German front line and detached position of senior officers; German star shells; state of No Man's Land. REEL 5 Continues: tours of duty; British trench mortars; German minenwerfers; German shell fire; close escape from German sniping; night routine; German machine gun fire; food rations; water supply; tea; cigarette ration; washing and shaving; uniform; lice problem; latrines; using water from shell holes; morning routine; letter contact with GB; recreations; personal morale. REEL 6 Continues: lack of contact with officers and senior NCOs; buying extra food in village; weather conditions; state of health; rest periods including general's inspection, working and carrying parties, relationship with Belgian civilians, use of local town coinage, estaminets and canteens. March to Arras, 3/1917: use of Lewis gun trolleys; treatment of soldiers dropping out. Period in Arras area, 3/1917-4/1917: billets in Arras; working parties and crossing road under shell fire at Beurains; move into line and story of drinking cocoa; situation on German retirement, 3/1917; view of British bombardment and cavalry attack in Monchy le Preux sector, 9/4/1917; reaction to corpses on moving up in snowy conditions into front line in Wancourt sector. Account of attack on Wancourt, 9/4/1917: including advance along former German communication trench. REEL 7 Continues: advance along former German communication trench; crossing River Cojeul; German machine gun fire from Guemappe; question of willingness to risk Blighty' wound or gassing; reads newspaper report of action; move into Mill Crater; short relief before supporting failed attack; rest period; personal morale and reaction to casualties. Account of attack with second wave in Guemappe sector, 3/5/1917: prior chalk cave billets; digging jumping off trench; question of briefing; rum ration; prior bombardment; personal morale; crossing No Man's Land; German POWs; taking cover in shell hole; casualty from British shells landing short; case of British soldier bayoneting German POW; using flare to assist aerial observation of position; question of connecting shell holes; opinion of Lewis gun; retirement. Recollections of period in Arras area, 5/1917-8/1917: dugout. REEL 8 Continues: lice problem and blood poisoning case; period in support lines; view of aerial war; question of casualties; Hindenburg Line; special friends; period in support lines; story of acting as guide for relieving unit dispute over orders return to collect corpses and subsequent assignment as 'surplus personnel' for attack in Polygon Wood, 16/8/1917; rest period including concert party and question of re-establishment of 'spit and polish'. Period in Ypres area, 8/1917-9/1917: concert party at Abeele; second hand reports of attack on Polygon Wood, 16/8/1917; return of survivors for attack; 'surplus personnel' system. REEL 9 Continues: state of unit; rest period at Abeele. Period in Somme area, 9/1917-11/1917: quality of reinforcement drafts; story of skulls autographed by Australian troops; situation; quality of German reserve troops; listening posts; local leave in Somme area. Recollections of operations in Moeuvres sector, Cambrai area, 11/1917-12/1917: prior working parties improving road; question of awareness of tanks; follow up advance to widen gap along Hindenburg Line, 20/11/1917; opinion of German POWs; German barbed wire; situation; story of rescue of officer in No Man's Land by Lieutenant McGinn; water shortage; winter weather conditions; relief, 2/12/1917. REEL 10 Continues: relief, 2/12/1917. Period in Arras area, 12/1917-3/1918: personal morale; question of value of experience; story of drunken NCO; nature of Mill Post, Vimy Ridge sector; German machine gun fire; night sentry duty; story illustrating opinion of Colonel Hussey; nature of outpost front line; situation; reports of German attack; close escape from German sniper at Gavrelle Post; firing at German aircraft; story of being slightly gassed by mustard gas shell whilst in reserve positions, 9/3/1918-11/3/1918. Hospitalisation and convalescence, 3/1918-4/1918: question of severity of symptoms; erecting huts. REEL 11 Continues: Period at Harfleur Camp, 4/1918: question of returning to unit; question of 'Blighty' wounds; duties; volunteering to join Observation Group of Royal Engineers. Period training at Mirament, 5/1918: mathematics; exercises in taking bearings on sand dunes. Recollections of period as sapper with No 1 Observation Group, Field Survey Coy, Royal Engineers in Ypres area, 5/1918-10/1918: initial billets at Boesinghe; use of barn as observation point for theodolites; aiming points; move to Chateau des Trois Tours, Brielen; method of flash spotting German guns; erection of steel observation tower; hospitalisation with influenza; dugout; method of climbing observation post tower; view of German lines; recreations; 120 ft height of OP tower; method of flash spotting German guns; communication with other OPs using telephone; relaxed discipline; visit to Belgian soldier friend in Belgian sector of front line. REEL 12 Continues: visit to Belgian soldier friend in Belgian sector of front line; view of German aircraft attack on British balloons; relationship with family of Belgian refugees; story of gambling soldier; food rations; GB leave, 1/1918; letter contact with GB; situation; question of return to infantry service; move to 70 ft OP tower behind Belgian sector; attempts to hit German railway gun; issue of special passes; following up after Belgian attack; state of German trenches; German retreat; move into Ypres; relaxed discipline. Recollections of advance, 10/1918-11/1918: German OP tower; story of meeting Belgian civilian; close escape from shell at old German headquarters; view of artillery unit in action; German casualties; question of communications and role. REEL 13 Continues: lack of contact with British troops; establishing OP; case of self inflicted wound; question of self inflicted gas doses; view of British barrage; establishing OP in village; final attack, 10/11/1918; Belgian opinion of German troops; Armistice, 11/11/1918. Period at Roubaix, 11/1918-12-1918. Dispute over question of loss of position at insurance brokers during period of GB leave, 11/1918. Recollections of period at Cologne, Germany, 1/1919-11/1919: visit to Cologne zoo; initial period in Wahn camp formerly occupied by German observation group; map souvenirs; conditions of service and minimal duties; purchases on visits to Cologne; relationship with German civilians and attitude of French troops; shaving; attending educational courses; billets with German Jewish family, question of their connections with German socialist groups and personal anti-war feelings. REEL 14 Continues: question of learning German; reaction to rapidly promoted educational instructors without war service; reactions to promotion to lance corporal; passing educational courses; stories illustrating nature of relationship with German billet family and question of their perspective of war; visits to opera and theatre; recreations; question of demobilisation; GB leave; question of German political activity; question of post-war career. Demobilisation, 11/1919: voyage back to GB; war service grant and demob suit. Post-war career: return to insurance brokers and question of earlier threat of dismissal; 11/1918; joining Peace Pledge Union and subsequent erosion of pacifist views.