Elliott, Ronald (Oral history)

British signaller served with 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry in Sicily, 1943; served with 16th Bn Durham Light Infantry in Italy, Greece and Austria, 1943-1946; served as education NCO with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Greece, 1946

REEL 1 Background in South Shields, GB, 1923-1942: education; awareness of approach of war and attitude to Spanish Civil War; reactions to outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; work as apprentice electrician at naval shipbuilding yard; work as accountancy clerk at South Shields Town Hall; method of operating anti-aircraft rocket launchers during service with Home Guard, 1940-1942; duties mapping bombs dropped with Control Section, Civil Defence; failed attempt to join RAF; effects of father's First World War service; reactions to call up, 9/1942. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during basic training with Royal Engineers at Fulwood Barracks, Preston, 9/1942-10/1942: hut accommodation; relationship with NCOs; reactions to nature of army discipline and training methods. REEL 2 Continues: relationship with recruits and mixture of young and old recruits; question of bullying; reaction to lack of privacy; morning routine; rifle, hand grenade and bayonet training; food rations; assault course; route marches; cinema propaganda newsreels; recreations. Period training as signaller with Leicestershire Regt at Warwick, 10/1942-2/1943: nature of course; qualities of signallers; question of reasons for failure of course with Officers' Cadet Training Unit at Hereford. REEL 3 Continues: question of reasons for failure of course with Officers' Cadet Training Unit at Hereford; attitude to possibility of taking commission; qualifying as signaller. Period with Holding Bn Royal Warwickshire Regt at Horncastle, 2/1943-6/1943: role as signaller on tactical exercises on North Yorkshire Moors; dispute over loss of equipment as result of NCO's orders; role as orderly corporal; relationship with other ranks. Journey out to Sousse, Tunisia, 6/1943-7/1943: prior embarkation leave; voyage aboard Britannic to Algiers, Algeria including; awareness of risk from submarines and hammocks; food during voyage aboard American ship to Philippeville, 6/1943; blancoing kit white; journey by lorry; personal morale. Period with 11 Platoon, B Coy, 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry, Sicily, 7/1943: journey out and story of meeting Montgomery; reactions; status as platoon signaller; joining unit in Primosole Bridge sector. REEL 4 Continues: state of unit; reception; role as platoon signaller; meeting Italian civilians during night reconnaissance patrol to investigate tunnel; situation on move to Catania area and occupation of trenches; story of patrols to collect water from farm well later discovered to be polluted in No Man's Land at Catania; reception from Sicilian civilians on entry into Catania, 5/8/1943; taking Beretta from Italian policeman; advance in pursuit of Germans; slight leg wound form German mortar fire ambush at Aciriali, 8/1943; evacuation to North Africa, 14/8/1943; question of effects of influx of reinforcement drafts on competence of unit as illustrated by patrol tactics at Aciriali. REEL 5 Continues: question of effects of influx of reinforcement drafts on competence of unit. Periods in hospital and transit camp in Tripoli, 8/1943-9/1943: failed attempt to join Royal Corps of Signals; question of avoiding further active service and attitude to base troops; news of Italian surrender, 9/1943. Voyage aboard HMS Charybidis to Salerno area, Italy, 9/1943: situation; question of Montgomery's promise to 50th and 51st Div that they would be returning to GB and reactions of troops to announcement of destination; scene on arrival. Recollections of Salerno mutiny, 9/1943: Scottish troops demands to serve in Scottish division; decision to join in protest; effect of reading of riot act and acceptance of orders to move off; question of military motivation of rushed draft to Salerno; question of army treatment of mutineers; reasons for refusal of subsequent offer of transfer to old divisions. REEL 6 Continues: question of shell shock cases amongst mutineers. Period as signaller with 16th Bn, Durham Light Infantry in Italy, 9/1943-2/1944: situation; first impressions of unit; role on reserve radio set with Signal Section, Headquarters Company; composition and distribution of signal section; 18 radio set and equipment carried; non combatant attitude of signallers; signaller procedure including code words, alphabet and method of tuning into network wavelength prior to action; quality and range of reception; laying telephone lines in static positions; question of radio security; repairing telephone line; civilian reception in Naples; latrines and dysentery from grapes; posting to D Company; story of patrol to canal at Castel Volturno, 10/1943, including checking on progress of engineers bridging canal and difficulty in crossing canal. REEL 7 Continues: story of patrol to canal at Castel Volturno, 10/1943, including difficulty in crossing canal in canvass boats; setting up signal post; German raid on partially completed bridge and falling into canal and losing glasses during panic retreat; composition of signal team; opinion of Signal Officer Captain Harris; relationship with Major Pat Duthie; question of military discipline; attack tactics; personal morale; crossing Volturno, 12/10/1943; story of organising artillery fire around own farmhouse position during German counter-attack following crossing of Teano, 28/10/1943; attack on Cocuruzzo Spur, Mount Camino, 12/1943, including situation, use of mules and looking after shell shocked officer; opinion of Colonel Johnny Preston; question of relative roles of officers and NCOs. REEL 8 Continues: operations in Garigliano area, 12/1943; sangar defensive positions, view of Guard unit attack, lice problem and state of morale; role of D Company in reserve for failed attack by US unit across Rapido; reasons for withdrawal from front line. Recollections of period in Middle East, 2/1944-7/1944: question of attacks on British troops by Egyptian civilians during visit to Cairo, Egypt; tactical exercises in Palestine; internal security duties; question of state of morale. Recollection of period in Italy, 7/1944-12/1944: reactions to return; river crossing training; reaction to inspection by George VI; question of changes in D Company signal team; German shelling at Saludecio, 2/9/1944; nature of fighting against Gothic Line. Recollections of attack at Gemano, 9/1944: situation; German mortar fire on gully defensive positions covering flank of main attack; radio communications and failure to repair telephone line. REEL 9 Continues: effects of German mortar fire; panicked retreat, return to rejoin company headquarters and subsequent evacuation of gully. Recollections of attack on Johnson farmhouses on Casa Ricci Ridge, 26/10/1944: situation; opinion of Lieutenant Russell Collins; discovering group of battle fatigue cases sheltering in hollow and refusing to advance; failure of advance under heavy fire and consequent dispute with Major Ronnie Sherlaw; successfully reaching Johnson farmhouse; role as signallers in securing artillery support to break up German counter-attacks; question of lack of relief troops; lack of signal for relieving troops from 46th Reconnaissance Regiment and subsequent news of their capture; personal morale and consequent special leave in Rome. Recollections of operations in Italy, 10/1944-11/1944: period with Headquarters Company; personal morale during attachment to tanks to provide communications with attacking infantry during attack on Cesena, 19/11/1944; comparison of service in infantry and tanks; rest period; state of unit and personal morale; posting to A Company; opinion of reinforcement drafts; opinion of German troops and question of feeling of sympathy as front line troops. REEL 10 Continues: move out of line; flight to Athens. Recollections of period in Greece, 12/1944-4/1945: political sympathies of troops and initial sympathy for ELAS; story of signaller's reaction to Acropolis; problem in identifying ELAS insurgents and nature of urban operations; amusing story of accident with revolver at company headquarters; nature of street fighting and situation defending Athens-Piraeus road; ELAS tactic of using Greek women as shield and consequent change in troops' attitudes towards ELAS; casualties; ELAS guerrilla tactics; state of unit morale and opinion of ELAS military ability; relationship with Greek civilians; relationship with fellow signallers; story of drinking banana wine with Major Alan Hay; relationship with officers; relative roles of senior NCOs and officers; voyage in tank landing craft to Patras, 1/1945; situation; company patrols in country areas. REEL 11 Continues: company patrols in country areas; relationship with Greek civilians; Greek funerals and fishing using explosives; Greek brothel; return by lorry to Athens, 2/1945; rest period and training in Phaleron; accident in firing PIAT; reactions to return to Italy, 4/1945. Recollections of period in Italy, 4/1945-5/1945: seasickness in landing craft used to move up coast; situation; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; question of posting to Burma; move to Austria. Recollections of period in Austria, 5/1945-2/1946: situation and problem with Yugoslav partisans; move to Bleiburg; appearance of Yugoslav partisans; state of morale; reactions to return of Croatians and Cossack troops to Yugoslavia; use of German and Cossack horses; discipline; billets and relationship with Austrian civilians; question of introduction of peacetime military discipline standards. REEL 12 Continues: background to decision to apply for clerk's course. Period posted as clerk with Pay Corps at Casserta and Rome, Italy, 7/1945-8/1945: story of prior meeting with Colonel Dennis Worrall; reaction to non-combatant status of Pay Corps; duties in post room; recreations; background to recall to 16th Bn Durham Light Infantry. Period in Wildon, Austria, 1945-1946: interview with Worrall; orderly room duties and demobilisation process; leave in Venice; relationship with Worrall; status as temporary lance corporal. Period in Vienna, 10/1945-11/1945: situation; opera; black market activities; story of going to Russian zone whilst taking Austrian women home. REEL 13 Continues: ceremonial guard duties; question of demobilisation; return to Wildon. Period on leave in GB, 11/1945-12/1945: question of allocation; reaction to election of Labour government; question of implementation of arrangements for servicemen to return to former jobs. Reactions to news of disbandment of unit, 1/1946. Period with 1st Bn, Durham Light Infantry at Xanthi, Salonika, Greece, 1/1946-11/1946: journey out; situation; opinion of returning pre-war regular NCOs; reaction to reintroduction of peacetime military disciplinary standards; transfer as lecturer in Education Department; billets in Xanthi; independent status and promotion to sergeant; role improving educational standards of conscripts and giving rehabilitation courses for soldiers being demobilisation; question of socialist tendency of Army Bureau of Current Affairs; library; independent status; relationship with pre-war NCOs in sergeants' mess and disputes over drinking habits and inadequate mess food rations supplied; giving book-keeping lectures on rehabilitation courses for soldiers being demobilised; retraining for new role improving educational standards of conscripts. REEL 14 Continues: question of educational level of courses for conscripts; soldiers' willingness to attend lectures; question of following history syllabus and special lecture on pre-war economics; question of own education; teaching methods; question of low educational standards of conscripts and higher standards required in post-war army; stories illustrating non-military lifestyle; disputes over sergeants' mess, appointment as sergeants' mess caterer, eradicating widespread fiddles of previous mess caterers, consequent improvements to mess and disputes over treatment of mess staff; return to GB, 11/1946. Period at Farnborough transit camp, 1947: duties; severe winter conditions; political question of continued support for Labour Government despite economic problems. Demobilisation, 6/1947. Post-war career: return to work as accountancy clerk; question of training as teacher; difficulties taking part-time economics degree; move to work with commercial firm.