Hemsley, Arthur (Oral history)

British NCO served with 2/4th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt in GB and Gallipoli, 1914-1915; served as officer with 12th Bn East Surrey Regt on Western Front, 1917; served with Royal Engineers Signal Service on Western Front, 1917-1919. Served with 1st Division Anti-Aircraft Signals Unit at Brompton Road Headquarters, London, 1939-1945

REEL 1: Background in Croydon, GB, 1893-1914: education; family; memory of Boer War and playing war games; memory of being shown khaki cloth; story of period as ski-instructor in Switzerland and Germany; employment with GPO; question of attitude to forthcoming war in Germany and anti-British feeling; period of service with 2/4th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt, 1911-1914; memory of outbreak of war and story of mobilization. Aspects of training with 2/4th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt in GB, 1914-1915: attitude to length of war; description of basic training at Windsor; billets; drill; route marches; weapons training and memory of using Japanese rifles; rifle competitions; attitude to bayonet drill; training with Mills bombs and story of corporal killed by bomb before Battle of Messines, 1917; duties digging trenches at Windsor park and memory of Welsh miners; tactical exercises on Salisbury Plain; opinion of training; description of training as army scout; question of identity in Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt; story of formation of Home Counties Bde; relations between officers and other ranks; question of rivalry with East Surrey Regt; story of promotion and first exercise of rank as corporal. REEL 2 Continues: amusing story of cannons. Recollection of operations with 2/4th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt in Gallipoli, 1915: description of journey to Gallipoli via Malta and Alexandria, 7/1915; memory of route marches and Russian battleship at Alexandria; description of tropical kit; arrival at Mudros and question of secrecy; memory of being cheered by sailors on departure from Mudros to Suvla; description of arrival at Suvla at night; description of march across Salt Lake and terrain; first casualty caused by Turkish sniper; memory of finding Turkish officer's rule book; description of Turkish fire across Salt Lake and casualties; capture of trench and nature of Turkish opposition; question of not advancing further and taking heights; lack of information and opinion of planning; problem of boots; question of morale and reinforcements; problem of sickness; memory of contact with Anzacs; amusing story of tortoise mascot; memory of using periscope; story of destruction of Welsh battalion at Green Hill and reaction of colonel; description of Turkish positions; story of rescuing wounded man from No Man's Land. REEL 3 Continues: attitude to wounded comrades; opinion of medical facilities; problem of heat and corpses; opinion of Turks; story of food dump; description of rations including jam; problem of flies while eating; story of explosion in incinerator; question of water supplies and shaving on Sunday; problem of thirst; story of pomegranate tree; memory of green figs and blackberries; story of picking melons in No Man's Land; description of landscape and vegetation; description of British trench system and terrain in Suvla area; role as battalion scout; memory of dried corpse; memory of digging up Roman road; problem of poisonous snakes; question of reinforcements; problem of lice; sanitary facilities and problem of dysentery; problem of contracting enteric fever and treatment, 12/1915; question of respecting neutrality of hospitals; problem of ammunition supplies and stripping bodies; question of co-operation with Royal Navy and contact with sailors aboard HMS Ulysses; reason for promotion. REEL 4 Continues: description of daily routine at Suvla; opinion of rations and memory of sickness after eating Maconochie; story of doctor and innoculation with blunt needle; guard duties; sleeping arrangements; description of rest area and swimming in sea; memory of having head shaved; memory of man losing leg to shell; weather conditions; opinion of Australian troops and Indian muleteers; opinion of senior officers; further description of treatment for enteric fever in Alexandria; reaction to leaving Gallipoli and problem of loading stretcher onto hospital ship; story of being told about Zeppelin raid on home town; communications with home and problems of parcels being wet; reaction to evacuation from Gallipoli and role of Turks; opinion of author John Masefield; comparison of living conditions on Western Front and Gallipoli; story of plane crashing; memory of Turkish siege gun Asiatic Annie. REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of period in GB, 1916-1917: story of obtaining commission and description of officer training in GB, 10/1916; lectures and map reading; posted to 12th Bn East Surrey Regt, 1/1917; attitude to having come up through the ranks; comparison of living conditions for officers and other ranks; question of officers not wearing badges of rank to avoid snipers in Gallipoli; reaction to being posted to East Surrey Regt. Recollections of operations with 12th Bn East Surrey Regt on Western Front, 1917-1918: posted to France, 7/3/1917; opinion of training and instructors at Bull Ring, Etaples; question of reputation of 5th Bn East Surrey Regt; story of German attempt to lure men out of trenches; description of night raid to take prisoners; memory of friend Lionel Russell; description of first experience in front line; opinion of trench mortars; story of blue clay at Messines; question of German and British mining and story of visit to mine at St. Eloi; problem of German tunnelers; story of Royal Engineers making steel cover for Observation Post in tree; problem of waterlogged trenches and snipers; description of preparations for Battle of Messines, 6/1917; description of practice attacks near St.Omer and nature of main objective; memory of explosion of mines on Messines Ridge and opening barrage; description of advance through gap in line and large numbers of dead Germans; question of German resistance during advance to objective of White Chateau and emergence of Germans from deep dugouts. REEL 6 Continues: story of capturing German who fired off alarm rockets; memory of German field gun battery retreating; story of losing contact with company and being reported dead; casualties in company and problem of German POWs; injury to sergeant; story of death of friend Lionel Russell; story of collecting souvenirs and finding German battle plans; amusing story of German uniform; story of locating German minnenwerfer position; further description of mines exploding on Messines Ridge and effect on German morale; question of German defences; question of consolidation of line and further advance; assessment of success of Battle of Messines; opinion of planning and strategy; casualties; description of position outside trenches at zero hour and memory of rum ration; memory of four men killed by shrapnel due to ignoring safety regulations about helmets; description of medical services and care of wounded; problem of being shelled by own artillery. REEL 7 continues: Recollections of operations with Royal Engineers Signal Service on Western Front, 1917-1918: story of transfer to Signals Service and description of training at Signals School, Mount Cassell, 9/1917; question of value of previous experience with GPO; use of wireless valves for first time; attached to Staff of General Birdwood, 1st Anzac Corps and nature of secretarial and signals duties; opinion of Colonel Powell; story of setting up pigeon school for Messenger Signal Service; memory of visit by General Birdwood; opinion of effectiveness of pairs of pigeons and type of information carried; description of listening posts and transmission of messages; role in training dogs from Battersea Dog's Home to carry messages; problem of dogs being overfed; types of dogs used and effectiveness; amusing story of visit by colonel and dog-handlers; reason for attachment to Australian Corps; located in chateau in Bailleul area; description of lines of communication and nature of secretarial work; opinion of Australians; story of role as Forward Lines Officer with 1st Anzac Corps at Passchendaele and preparations for laying forward lines prior to 3rd Battle of Ypres, 10/1917; description of dugout and memory of hearing gramophone records played over telephone; opinion of New Zealand troops; location of cables above and below ground; use of white tape for diggers; question of medal awards. REEL 8 Continues: further comments on laying cables and lines prior to Passchendale offensive; problem of rain and marshy conditions; story of sheltering in tank; problem of damage to surface wires; story of men drowning in mud; problem of allocation of wires and lines and effectiveness of underground cables; description of communications system used during 3rd Battle of Ypres; question of both sides hearing each other's messages; comments on development of signals technology during war; comparison of discipline of Australian and New Zealand troops; opinion of General Birdwood and story of matches; role in organising Guard of Honour for King George V and story of Naval gun; question of morale following King's visit; comparison of conditions at Passchendaele and Messines and problem of weather conditions; posted to British 5th Army as Signal Master, 6/1918; story of meeting English girl in Lille; reaction to news of Armistice, 11/Nov/1918; description of role as Signal Master; memory of home leave; attitude of civilians to war; opinion of rations and story of cook. REEL 9 Continues: amusing story of cook stealing boiler; amusing story of clock; assessment of role in war. Aspects of post-war life and employment: story of returning to GPO in uniform and dispute over leave, 1919. Recollections of operations as Commanding Officer of 1st Anti-Aircraft Division Signals Unit, London, 1939-1945: description of setting up HQ and control room in underground station at Brompton Road, London; amusing story of old lady; question of secrecy and role of workforce; responsibility for staff at Stanmore House; VIP visitors and opinion of Anthony Eden; nature of responsibilities as Commanding Officers; story of visit by Russian military mission; moved to Colchester, 1945; role of GPO in providing lines; description of daily routine in control room and systems of communications; question of co-ordination of artillery fire; problem of guns reaching targets; description of use of Naval telephone for gun sites. REEL 10 Continues: problem of flying bombs and methods of combating them; assessment of development of signals technology during First and Second World War; question of working with female colleagues; story of church parade and Guards' band; problem of mixed male and female workforce; description of signals control centre at Stanmore House; importance of role of GPO in providing cables and lines; story of visit to underground HQ by King George VI.