Description
Object description
British private and NCO served with 1/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt, Worcester Bde, South Midland Div in GB, 9/1914-3/1915; NCO served with 1/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 144th Bde, 48th (South Midland) Div on Western Front, 3/1915-11/1915; officer served with 2/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 183rd Bde, 61st (2nd South Midland) Div on Western Front, 1916-1917; prisoner of war in Crefeld, Saarlouis and Coblenz Camps, Germany, 12/1917-11/1918
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Bristol, GB, 1895-1914: family; education; employment; memories of Relief of Mafeking, 1900; visit to Bristol by Queen Victoria; reaction to outbreak of First World War, 4/8/1914. Aspects of enlistment as private with 1/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt in Bristol, GB, 9/1914: refusal uncle's offer of commission in battalion and reason for enlistment as private; reaction of parents to enlistment; attitude to prospective length of war. Aspects of training as private and NCO with 1/4th Bn Gloucestershire Regt, Worcester Bde, South Midland Div in GB, 9/1914-3/1915: opinion of uniform and boots; billeting at home in Bristol and reporting daily to drill hall; attitude to military life and discipline; question of uncle's position as commanding officer of battalion; move to Danbury for further training; billets and accommodation; opinion of sleeping arrangements and rations; rifle training; problem of lack of ammunition and bombs; use of jam tins as bombs; bayonet practise; drill.
REEL 2 Continues: reading of Army Act prior to overseas service and nature of penalties; opinion of boots; care of kit and uniform; relations between officers and other ranks; question of competency of officers; attitude towards conscientious objectors; role of Territorial Army. Recollections of operations as NCO with 1/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 144th Bde, 48th (South Midland) Div on Western Front, 3/1915-11/1915: journey from GB to France, 3/1915; night march and of sleeping on barbed wire; question of battalion's inexperience in trench warfare; problem of lack of ammunition; daily routine and lack of activity; description of trenches near Armentieres, France; line inspections; opinion of rations; problem of shaving; comparison of rations for officers and other ranks; wearing full kit and carrying heavy loads in trenches; collectiion of remains of friend killed by artillery shell; conditions around Hill 60, Ypres Salient, Belgium; role in consolidation of positions following Battle of Loos, 10/1915; problem of digging in clay soil.
REEL 3 continues: sanitary conditions in Armentieres area, France; problem of flies in hot weather; amusing story of latrine on Somme, France; question of unnecessary artillery fire and retaliation. Aspects of commissioning as officer into Gloucestershire Regt in GB, 1915-1916: commissioning as Second Lieutenant; home leave and obtaining officer's uniform; reaction to being handed white feather; map reading course and question of accuracy of maps; training as musketry instructor on Salisbury Plain; attitude to role as officer; recreational activities including playing bridge. Recollections of operations as officer with 2/4th (City of Bristol) Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 183rd Bde, 61st (2nd South Midland) Div on Western Front, 1916-1917: return to France and arrival in camp at Rouen, France; escorting men to British Army, Infantry Base Depot, Étaples, France; use of Mills Bombs; role during night patrols in No Man's Land.
REEL 4 Continues: problem of flares during night patrols on Somme, France; personal morale; methods of cutting German barbed wire; description of terrain on Somme, France; 10/1916; use of compass bearings to locate positions in dark; attending company commander's course; death of close friend at Passchendaele, Belgium; problem of using American manufactured ammunition; question of French Army control of No Man's Land; advance to Hindenburg Line, 11/1917; problem of booby traps; night operation and problem of sleeping.
REEL 5 Continues: role in attack at Fresnoy-le-Petit, France, 11/1917; problem of German machine gun fire and trees used as barricades; question of exhaustion and lack of sleep; award of Military Cross for role in action at Fresnoy-le-Petit, France, 11/1917; attitude to award of medals; capture at Cambrai, France, 11/1917; sight of tanks; question of battalion being under strength; reaction to being taken prisoner; attitude of Germans towards prisoners of war; interrogation; Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Crefeld, Saarlouis and Coblenz Camps, Germany, 12/1917-11/1918: move to Crefeld Camp containing French and British officers; living conditions; opinion of food and problem of shortages; question of Germans locating prisoners of war near bombing targets; move to Saarlouis Camp; living conditions in Saarlouis Camp, Red Cross inspections; opinion of organisation of camp and attitude of guards towards prisoners; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; daily drill and inspections; opinion of rations and importance of Red Cross parcels; camp money and pay; problem of boredom and setting up of educational classes; popularity of German classes for potential escapers; learning to play flute and playing in camp orchestra; following progress of war; role in escape attempts including use of dummy in bed.
REEL 6 Continues: discovery of tunnel made by prisoners; failed attempt to escape by impersonating Germans; punishments for attempted escapes; recreational activities including camp theatre and playing bridge; parole system and going for walks in countryside; move to Coblenz Camp and description of conditions, summer 1918; breakdown of military discipline in Imperial German Army and lack of guards; celebrating Armistice Day, 11/11/ 1918; use of soap and cigarettes as currency; sight of Imperial German Army troops returning to Germany; journey from Germany to GB; problem of weight loss and difficulty eating after captivity; story of being reported killed; problem of jaundice and depression following end of First World War; story of carrying Regimental Colours in Peace Parade. Reflections on period of military service: attitude towards Germans; relations with German guards in prisoners of war camps; attitude to role as soldier and nature of war.