Montgomery, Robert Kerr (Oral history)

British officer served with Royal Engineers attached to 2 Commando during St Nazaire Raid, 3/1942; served with 1 Airborne Sqdn, Royal Engineers in Palestine, 1945-1946

REEL 1 Recollections of preparations as officer with Royal Engineers attached to 2 Commando for 'Operation Chariot' St Nazaire Raid, 2/1942: background to his first involvement in planning of raid; posting to 2 Commando; training for raid on Southampton Docks; vulnerable points on docks targeted during raid; further training on Cardiff Docks; move to Falmouth and embarking on board HMS Princess Josephine Charlotte; preparation of explosive charges for demolition teams; security problems; near accident with explosives; realisation that St Nazaire was raid's objective. REEL 2 Continues: opportunity for commandos to drop out of operation; character of escape briefing; final preparations for raid; instances of predictive dreams; embarking on board HMS Campbeltown; composition of demolition teams, protection parties and assault parties. Recollections of operations as officer with 2 Commando during St Nazaire Raid, 3/1942: voyage from Falmouth aboard HMS Campbeltown; luxury food on board HMS Campbeltown; encounters with French and German vessels on route; rendezvous with submarine HMS Sturgeon; problems of crossing mudflats at high spring tide in River Loire; sight of masts of sunken Lancastria. REEL 3 Continues: grounding on mudflats in estuary of River Loire; effect of RAF diversionary bombing raid; character of German fire and casualties on bridge of ship; advantages and disadvantages of searchlights; ramming of lock gates; disembarking from HMS Campbeltown; breaking into pumping house; work of demolition parties ashore; demolition of pumping house; problems of dealing with caisson gate; use for left over explosive; sight of flotilla alight in estuary; his premonition that he would not return from raid; decision to fight way out into French countryside; wounding by grenade; reasons for inaccurate German fire; splitting up into small parties; refuge in civilian cellar. REEL 4 Continues: capture and initial treatment by Germans; late blowing up of HMS Campbeltown; speculations for late blowing up of HMS Campbeltown; removal of British POWs to Rennes; opinion of treatment by Germans. Recollections of operations as officer with 1 Airborne Sqdn, Royal Engineers in Palestine, 1945- 1946: reasons for volunteering for airborne forces; arrival in Palestine, autumn 1945; duties in Palestine; raid on Zionist headquarters in Tel Aviv, 1946; loss of two officers to mine on railway, 1946; anti-British attitude of Jewish civilians; attitude towards murder of two British Intelligence NCOs; attitude towards Arabs; degree of personnel danger in Palestine.