Description
Object description
British gunner served with Royal Field Artillery in GB and Western Front, 1915-1918
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Maldon, 1896-1915: family circumstances and religious beliefs; education; work as clerk in London, 1910; duties as apprentice printer in London, 1910-1915; sporting activities; gambling activities on horse racing; reactions to outbreak of war, 4/8/1914; decision not to enlist immediately. Recruitment into Royal Artillery at Stratford Green Recruitment Office, 10/1915: reasons; story of white feather incident at printing works, ca 1939-1945; medical.
REEL 2 Continues: medical. Recollections of conditions of service and lifestyle during training with 87th Bde, Royal Field Artillery in Cambridge, Thetford and Killingholme Moor, ca 1915-1916: billets; girlfriends; gun drill on 15pdr gun including accident whilst dropping into action, duties of gun team, miss-fire procedures, method of laying guns and importance of team work in gun drill; reactions to army lifestyle and discipline; stories of disputes with NCOs; story of officer attempting to catch out sentries; opinion of officers.
REEL 3 Continues: relationship with NCOs; removal of incompetent members of gun team; question of superior treatment given to wealthy recruits; story of dispute with NCO; refusal of promotion; story of boxing bout; sport and recreations; relationship with civilians; stories of convalescence after groin strain at Milton Hall, Peterborough; practical jokes; training as driver and learning to ride horses at riding school; grooming horses; story illustrating ability as driver.
REEL 4 Aspects of period attached to divisional headquarters in Somme area, ca 1916: role as messenger; story of posting to battery after refusal to turn out to water officer's horses. Various aspects of service as gunner with battery of RFA on Western Front, ca 1916-1917: operations in Somme area; gun positions; question of activities of German spies operating in Arras area. Various aspects of operations in Ypres and Somme areas, 7/1917-11/1918: story of casualty caused by shrapnel whilst occupying former German pillbox; humorous sign by Zillebeke Lake; German shellfire; warning from officer over lean to built at rear of pillbox; story of explosion caused by using excess 4.5 howitzer charges as fire-lighters; story of gunner scavenging valuables from corpses; cause of miss-fires; story of using 18 pdr gun in anti-aircraft capacity and effects on buffer springs; story of setting shell fuse and near accident with press photographer; rum ration; use of whale oil to avoid trench feet; GB leave including clash with civilian, visit to printing firm and visit to friend's wife; setting shell time fuses; story of soldier deliberately catching VD to avoid active service and attitude to brothels; visits to estaminets; arguments with US soldiers; period with attack of impetigo at Infantry Base Depot, Etaples, ca 1918 including duties in bathhouse, dental treatment.
REEL 5 Continues: period with attack of impetigo at Infantry Base Depot, Etaples, ca 1918 including dental treatment; duties in bathhouse; lice problem; German shellfire at Hellfire Corner; German air attack on observation balloons; accompanying officer to observation posts; reasons for prior refusal to train as signaller and successful ruse to avoid course in GB; story of taking cover during German shellfire on gun positions; manning guns in support of infantry and story of missing SOS signal; role of gun team; opinion of 18 pdr gun; sensitive fused shells; question of driving accidents, miss-fires and riding horses; transfer to 4.5 howitzers.
REEL 6 Continues: opinion of 4.5 howitzer; engraved shell cases; story of going on leave from Boulogne including visit to paymaster, ruse operated by French civilians over war souvenirs, and success in getting souvenirs through customs.