Description
Object description
British private served with 1st Bn (London) Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) in GB, 1/1940-1/1941; private and NCO served with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 23rd Armoured Bde, 8th Armoured Div in GB and North Africa, 1/1941-10/1942; NCO served with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Motor Bde, 1st Armoured Div in North Africa, 10/1942-5/1943; served with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 61st Lorried Infantry Bde, 6th Armoured Div in Italy, 5/1944-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of enlistment and training as private with 1st Bn (London) Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) in GB, 1/1940-1/1941: reasons for initial refusal of his enlistment offer, 9/1939; his attitude towards war as an anti-Fascist one; enlistment, 1/1940; instruction in regimental history; delay in issuing official gasmasks; kitting out; pace of march in Rifle Brigade; origins of Rifle Brigade uniform.
REEL 2 Continues: change in unit's designation, 19/1/1941. Recollections of period as private and NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade, 23rd Armoured Bde, 8th Armoured Div in GB, 1/1941-1942: need for him to keep quiet about his Spanish Civil War experience; relations with officers and NCOs; incident with Corps of Military Police at political meeting, spring 1940; officers' enquiry about his service with XV International Bde during Spanish Civil War; attempt to have him removed from battalion, 1940; prior recollection of meeting with Winston Churchill, 7/1939.
REEL 3 Continues: British Army discrimination against International Bde veterans; his opinion of collapse of France, 6/1940; dispatch of sister battalion to Calais, France, 5/1940; defence duties at RAF Hawkinge, summer 1940; attempt to make him an officers' batman; his batman's work under duress; release from batmans' duties, 6/1941.
REEL 4 Continues: his support for an alliance with Soviet Union after 6/1941; encounter with left wing medical officer; political work in British Army; comparison between German and Allied heavy guns; troops' attitude towards using rifle fire against German aircraft. Aspect of voyage from GB to Middle East, 5/1942-7/1942: journey to Clydeside, GB; discussions with Communists on board ship; ashore in Cape Town, South Africa; arrival in Egypt, 7/1942.
REEL 5 Continues: lack of anti-tank training prior to voyage; conditions on aboard troopship. Recollections of operations as NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 23rd Armoured Bde, 8th Armoured Div in North Africa, 7/1942-10/1942: opinion of equipment; demoralisation in Eighth Army, 7/1942; opinion of Eighth Army tactics; lack of preparation for service in desert; lost in desert; first unit casualties at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt; failure to mark own minefields; halting of attack; decimation of 23rd Armoured Bde; question of ration absurdities.
REEL 6 Continues: unit morale; relief of 5th Bn East Yorkshire Regt south of Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt; taking up positions at Alam Halfa, Egypt; organisation of patrols; cleansing after defecation; promotion to sergeant; novel way of capturing Axis prisoners of war; lessons learnt from service with XV International Bde in Spain.
REEL 7 Continues: impressions made by General Bernard Montgomery; importance of keeping troops informed; deception tactics employed by Eighth Army; his participation in Battle of Alam Halfa. Recollections of operations as NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Motor Bde, 1st Armoured Div in North Africa, 10/1942-5/1943: reorganisation of Rifle Brigade units; preparations for Battle of El Alamein; role of his battalion during Battle of El Alamein.
REEL 8 Continues: character of El Alamein artillery barrage; the gaps through the minefields; anti-tank work at 'Woodcock' and 'Snipe' positions; retrieval of damaged Axis tanks; accidental firing on 51st (Highland) Infantry Div; opinion of medal allocation; allocation of military policemen to divisions; fire power of Eighth Army compared with International Bdes; his earlier contact with Cairo Parliament organiser.
REEL 9 Continues: question of how Egypt provided first contact between British troops and foreigners; second part of Battle of El Alamein; mauling of unit company on Star Track; criticism of tactics which led to mauling of his platoon; entry onto airfield at El Dharba, Egypt; bogging down by rain at Mersa Matruh, Egypt; reasons for hampering of advance through Libya, winter 1942-1943; move into Mareth Line at Medenine, Tunisia, 3/1943; Allied plans for left hook round Mareth Line in Tunisia.
REEL 10 Continues: locust plague, 3/1943; arrival of new commanding officer; opinion of battalion officers; attack on Gabès Gap, Tunisia; surrender of Italians at Gabès Gap,Tunisia; opinion lack of artillery support at El Hamma,Tunisia; cartoonist's portrayal of officer types; linking up with First Army, late 3/1945; last action at Cape Bon,Tunisia; sight of drunken Deutsches Afrika Korps prisoners of war.
REEL 11 Continues: reflections on North African campaign. Recollections of period as NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) in Egypt, 1943-1944: political objection to him by unit officer; how he saw his platoon received best rations and facilities; training; prior recollection of how he was taught to shoot during Spanish Civil War; Greek Army mutiny, 4/1944; his arrest of Greek trade union leader; his contact with Henri Curiel.
REEL 12 Continues: fate of Henri Curiel; outbreak of Greek Army mutiny, 4/1944; punishment of Arab thief by Congolese troops, 3/1944; use of stones for counting in desert. Recollections of operations as NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 61st Lorried Infantry Bde, 6th Armoured Div in Italy, 5/1944-5/1945: move up to Monte Cassino area, 4/1944; opinion of Allied in action at Anzio; attack on Monterotondo.
REEL 13 Continues: hospitalisation in Naples; prior recollection of his 'lending' library in North Africa; opinion of hospital regime; encounter with New Zealander who treated him in Spain; background to his return to frontline, 7/1944; malingers; demoralisation of troops in Italy; return to unit near Florence, 7/1944; contact with partisan group; discontent of anti-aircraft gunners acting as infantry.
REEL 14 Continues: his wounding on patrol, 7/1944; attitude of units to returning to parent unit; prior recollection of mutiny in Tripolitania, Libya, 1943; story of how he was victimised by Guards regimental sergeant-major at Caserta; return to frontline at Castel del Rio, 10/1944; question of Italian theatre was starved of supplies.
REEL 15 Continues: loss of comrade drowned in mud; sending back of young officer at Osara di Puglia, 10/1944; story of how he was awarded American Bronze Star near Bologna, 10/1944; learning to use flame thrower; living conditions, 12/1944; withdrawal of battalion out of front line, 2/1945; unit esprit de corps.
REEL 16 Continues: humour and troops' morale; sharing comforts; training at Cattolica; final advance in northern Italy; feting by Italian Partisans; different characters of different troops in different divisions. Aspects of period as NCO with 7th Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 61st Lorried Infantry Bde, 6th Armoured Div in Austria, 1945: crossing into Austria; his revenge on inmates of Schutzstaffel (SS) headquarters at Klagenfurt.
REEL 17 Continues: dealing with remnants of German Balkan army. Reflections on military service: his opinion of post-war settlements in Trieste and Greece; attitude towards ten years of military service; attitude towards war in general.
