Description
Object description
British NCO served with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine and North Africa 1939-1942; served as gun position officer with 11th Field Regt, RA in North Africa 1942; served as intelligence officer with General Staff Intelligence MI13, Eighth Army in North Africa 1942-1943; served with 15th Field Regt, RA in Middle East and Italy, 1943-1944; served with 51st Driving Training Regt, RA in GB, 1944-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Nottingham area, 1917-1939: education; Boys' Brigade activities specialising in gymnastics; work as dental technician. Recruitment and training initially as boy gunner with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, 1/1936-9/1939: reason; selection as specialist gunner; medical; role as specialist gun position officer's assistant in laying in gun positions on zero line, use of artillery board and corrections from meteorological telegrams; role as specialist observation post officer's assistant in directing gun fire including drawing panoramas, ranging and use of Barr and Stroud; mathematical theory of gunnery and degree of skills required.
REEL 2 Continues: status as specialist gunner; relationship with ORs, NCOs and officers; pride in yeomanry status and history of unit; local exercises in Ramsdale Park; 'clock' system of targeting; bracketing system; attending Larkhill Camp, 1936; gunners' problems with deafness; 'false cresting' problem in correcting fall of shot; sand table ranging exercises; competitions at summer camps; attending Bridlington Camp, 1937; method of taking up gun positions; rapid promotion to lance sergeant, 1939; radio voice procedure. REEL 3 Continues: radio voice procedure and question of signalling knowledge; effects on specialist gunner work of reorganisation of each battery into two troops, 1938; summer camps, 1939; mobilisation precautions during Munich crisis, 9/1938; participation in King's Cup at Larkhill Camp, 1938; reactions to approach of war. Recollections of initial period at Hollins Lace Factory, Garden Street, Nottingham, 9/1939: prior mobilisation to Derby Road Drill Hall, 1/9/1939; light machine gun anti-aircraft defences; re-equipment with Mark I 18pdrs Recollections of period at Scampston and Holton cum Beckering, 9/1939-12/1939: learning to drive; billets; relationship with local civilians; comparison of standards of behaviour of regular and territorial units. Attending specialist gunner course at School of Artillery at Larkhill, ca 12/1939-1/1940. Temporary attachment to Remount Section, 1st Cavalry Div, ca 1/1940. Journey out to rejoin unit in Palestine, ca 2/1940. Recollections of period in Palestine, 2/1940-6/1940: First World War veteran; weeding out process in unit.
REEL 4 Continues: story of failed shoot in front of infantry general at Asluj Firing Camp; question of reliability of signallers; predicted and observed methods of plotting barrages; motorcycle accident in soft sand; question of origins of Jewish/Arab conflict and reactions to methods employed by Palestine Police in quelling Jewish demonstration in Jerusalem; relationship with Jewish civilians and their employment in military camps; question of adequacy of training and value of battle experience. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during period as gun sergeant with B Troop at Mersa Matruh, Egypt, 6/1940: construction of gunpits and dugouts; receipt of fire orders from OP as gun sergeant and role of gun team members.
REEL 5 Continues: anti-aircraft defences; high level Italian air raids, close escape from bombing and personal morale; slit trenches and personal dugouts; question of track plans for gun positions; cooking arrangements and food rations; NAAFI supplies; water supply; personal appearance and uniform; latrines and amusing story; fly problem; desert sores; state of health; waste disposal; routine duties and vehicle maintenance programme; recreations including gambling, sea bathing, concert party and Rackham Bay rest camp. Recollections of period attached to 4th Regt, RHA initially in Fort Capuzzo sector, ca 8/1940-9/1940.
REEL 6 Continues: role as spare No 1; learning from regulars' practical experience of active service; method of firing 18/25pdr guns and its gun/howitzer nature; participation in two 'Jock' columns to outflank Italian front lines and successful bombardment of Italian vehicle concentration; retreat in face of Italian offensive, 9/1940; story illustrating opinion of Colonel John Campbell; retreat in stages; water shortage; reaction to abandonment of fatally wounded soldier in desert by Royal Army Medical Corps personnel; adaptations to newly issued Quad gun towers; return to unit. Recollections of period at Mersa Matruh, 9/1940-1/1941: official and unofficial salvage operations of Italian equipment after advance, 12/1941; use of Italian mechanic POWs in salvaging transport. REEL 7 Continues: popularity of Italian automatic pistols, bar on them being taken out of war zone and methods of concealment employed; Christmas celebrations. Training for invasion of Rhodes, Greece at Kabrit Camp, 1/1941-4/1941. Recollections of drive to Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941: prior re-equipment; gun platform accident; situation and question of possible rearguard action against German tanks as rearmost gun in column; convoy driving and night lights. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine at Tobruk, 4/1941-12/1941: initial positions in western sector; story illustrating reputation of King's Dragoon Guards of 1st Armoured Div; gun positions and question of camouflage; Stuka dive bombing attacks, intended anti-aircraft fire using small arms and casualties.
REEL 8 Continues: question of accuracy of Stuka attacks; amusing story of digging alternative gun positions; story of casualty; methods of countering German tank and infantry attacks; comparison of roles as specialist and gun sergeant in action; methods of moving guns forward to shoot at longer range targets and role as acting gun position officer; rates of firing particularly during breakout operations ca 11/1941; effects of constant firing on guns including premature misfires, necessity of replacing barrels and local maintenance carried out by gun sergeants and artificers; rate of fire achieved by gun team during breakout operations, ca 11/1941; role of gun blast shields.
REEL 9 Continues: short and long term effects of gun blast hearing; question of taking cover whilst firing in support of infantry; stories illustrating morale under bombing and shelling; anti-aircraft defences; relationship with 1st Regt, RHA and Australian troops; question of differing standards of discipline of Australian and British troops; opinion of various officers and NCOs; moving gun positions; food rations; jaundice attack; water supply; shaving and washing; lice problem; uniform.
REEL 10 Continues: periods acting as OP specialist assistant including story of bringing fire on to German infantry attack with flame throwers, location of OPs, shell fire on latrine, heat haze and nature of duties; assisting Australian troops in use of captured Italian artillery and question of its effectiveness; recreations; letter and parcel contact with GB and question of censorship; pipe and cigarette smoking; radio broadcasts; question of security of signals over radio; situation; salvage of Italian ammunition and subsequent destruction of dump in air raid.
REEL 11 Continues: situation and movements. Recollections of breakout operations, 11/1941-12/1941: increased ammunition supply; briefing; move into forward gun positions; heavy firing and break down in communications with OP; activities during lull in firing and removal of shell cases; move to Tmimi with advance; unit morale; drunken party at Tmimi, 12/1941; move to Cairo, 12/1941; nature of interviews prior to acceptance for officers' training and question of influence of social class. Recollection of attending course at Middle East Officers' Training Unit, 1/1942-6/1942: strict discipline enforced during initial infantry all arms course at Kasir el Nir Barracks, Cairo; gunnery course at Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza.
REEL 12 Continues: organisation of courses; news and reaction to destruction of SNH at Knightsbridge action, 6/1942; question of posting back to SNH. Posting to Orange Troop, Anti-Tank Bty, 11th Field Regt in El Alamein area, ca 6/1942-8/1942: role of anti-tank battery; 2pdr and 6pdr guns; supporting infantry attack in Ruweisat Ridge sector by siting guns to prevent German tank counter attack; story of failing to identify German tank; opinion of 2 pdr gun; move south on isolated mission; story of accidental firing of gun; successful tank action; question of aiming at tanks; evacuation to hospital with sandfly fever. Posting to General Staff Intelligence, MI13 at Cairo, ca 8/1942-9/1942: role extracting information from POW letters; tracing escaped British POWs.
REEL 13 Continues: methods of extracting information from POW letters; question of acceptance as officer and adequacy of pay; question of posting to SNH; posting to 15th Field Regt, RA. Aspects of service with R Bty, 15th Field Regt in Iran, Iraq and Egypt. ca 9/1942-5/1944: unit's regular status; relationship with officers, NCO and ORs and story of giving practical demonstration of laying 25pdr; story of dispute with over territorial status; mess traditions; drinking habits; training exercises with 31st Indian Div; initial role as assistant command post officer; journey on Nairn bus route to Cairo and signals course at Abbassia Barracks; visit to Kuwait; movements; re-equipment with Priest Self Propelled 105mm guns at RABD, Almaza; opinion of Priests and their machine gun armament; re-equipment with Sexton Self Propelled 25pdr.
REEL 12 Continues: movements including period in Syria. Aspects of period in Italy, 5/1944-10/1944: effect of hilly terrain on ranging; reaction to causing death of Italian civilians from shell fire; German booby traps including 'desert rose' urinals; mobile role of 7th Independent Armoured Bde; stories illustrating driving conditions in mountains; role of self propelled guns in supporting tanks; taking over as gun position officer after position had been shelled; burial of dead and story of dispute with padre; reaction to prospect of PYTHON home leave; personal morale; return to GB, 10/1944. Review of service in GB, 1944-1946: leave; posting to Driving Training Regt, RA at Kinmel Park, Rhyl; posting to 51st Self Propelled Training Regt at Catterick; question of officers serving entire war in GB; demobilisation, 1946. Question of effects of war service. Involvement in SNH Regimental Association. Question of effects of war service.