Interview with David James Wood

British officer served with No 24 Platoon, D Coy, 2nd Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 6th Airlanding Bde, 6th Airborne Div at Bénouville Bridge, Normandy, France, 6/6/1944; served as staff officer with Headquarters, II Corps during Operation Musketeer, the landings at Suez, Egypt, 11/1956; commanded Support Coy, 1st Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in Cyprus, 1957-1958; served with 1st Bn Green Jackets in Brunei, 12/1962; served as Assistant Military Secretary in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 1966-1967

REEL 1 Recollections of operations as officer with No 24 Platoon, D Coy, 2nd Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Regt, 6th Airlanding Bde, 6th Airborne Div during capture of Bénouville Bridge in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: joining unit, 1942; rigours of training prior to operation; atmosphere in transit camp on eve of operation; character of glider flight and landing; allocation of role by Major John Howard; fighting at bridge; his wounding in leg; under sniper fire; evacuation from bridge; use of codewords; degree of German opposition; use of platoon handcart; survival of equipment on impact of crash landing; success of operation; degree of accuracy of books written about the operation; post-war celebration of event. REEL 2 Continues: eagerness to get into action. Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, II Corps during Operation Musketeer, the landings at Suez, Egypt, 11/1956: move to Port Said; his role as G3; handing over to Indian United Nations troops; removal of British dead; reaction to calling off of Operation Musketeer; influence of Operation Market Garden experience on Operation Musketeer. Aspects of operations commanding Support Coy, 1st Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in Cyprus, 1957-1958: role of support company; problems catching National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) insurgents; payment for damage done in course of searches; treatment of suspected National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) insurgents; degree of sense of security off duty; attitude of Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities to British presence. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Green Jackets in Brunei, 1962: hearing news of rebellion; move of unit to Brunei. REEL 3 Continues: Recollections of period as Assistant Military Secretary in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 1966-1967: role as Assistant Military Secretary; degree of threat to troops; under mortar fire in his office at Steamer Point, 1966; contact with British officers serving with local Arab forces; question of popularity of British presence; attitude to serving in Aden. Question of position of his glider during landing at Bénouville Bridge, Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944.