Chitty, John Walter (Oral history)

British officer served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt in GB, Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine, 1914-1919

REEL 1 Recollections of training with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt at Norwich, Colchester and St Albans, 9/1914-71915: background to enlistment and parents' reaction; volunteering for overseas service; training and equipment used as signal officer; relationship with other ranks; signal section bicycles; route marches; tactical exercises; question of adequacy of equipment and weapons issued; question of prior knowledge of posting to Gallipoli. Voyage to Mudros, Lemnos, 7/1915. Story of missing landing with unit due to illness, 12/8/1914. Recollections of period at Hill 60, Suvla, 8/1915-12/1915: landing and story of getting lost moving up to rejoin unit, 19/8/1915; battalion headquarters; situation; Turkish fixed machine guns; sniping; illustrations of close escapes; front line system; forward gun in gully; officer casualties; water supply chlorinated by medical officer; unit's state of health. REEL 2 Continues: latrines; Turkish enfilade fire; Mills bomb; food rations; climate, effects of cold weather and story illustrating value of rum; question of washing and shaving; morale and discipline; communication lines; inspection by Birdwood; signal communications; evacuation, 4/12/1915. Recollections of period in Egypt, 12/1915-11/1918: period near El Alamein; appointment as instructor following course at Signal School, Zeitoun, Cairo; unit movements and progress of campaign prior to rejoining unit after First Battle of Gaza, 2/1917; close escape from shell; successful operations under Allenby; situation in Gaza lines; detachment for flying training with Royal Air Force, 1918; return to unit following armistice, 11/1918; leave in India; demobilisation, 7/1919; signalling techniques including Fullerphone, question of use of heliograph and Aldis lamps. REEL 3 Continues: question of use of wireless; recreations including learning Arabic; friends in Cairo; difficulty in cashing Cox's cheques; training with Royal Air Force, 1918 including Morse test and flying in Avro 504; return to GB, 7/1919; story of court martialled prisoners. Post war career in India: work for import/export business; service with Madras Bn, Auxiliary Force India. Aspects of service with War Office Branch, Ministry of Supply, London, 1939-1945: role securing supply of vehicles for armed services; differing reliability of suppliers; mission to get supply of six tonners from USA; effects of Dunkirk evacuation; offices.