Sykes, Jack (Oral history)

British NCO signaller served with 425 and 426 Btys, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine and North Africa, 1939-1942; POW in Italy and Austria, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Nottingham, 1919-1939: family circumstances; education; Boys' Brigade activities; work as errand boy and van driver, 1936-1939. Recollections of service as signaller with A Troop, 425 Bty, 107 Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, 1936-1939: recruitment; training as signaller; early promotion to bombardier; weekend drills and summer camps; use of motorbike in organising laying of telephone lines; role as signaller at observation posts and gun position; introduction of radio sets; summer camps; relationships with ORs; competition with 426 Bty. Mobilisation and initial period at Nottingham, 9/1939: approach of war; story of father's call up; pride in territorial status. REEL 2 Continues: checking signalling equipment. Periods at Rillington and Wragby, 9/1939-11/1939: billets; promotion to lance sergeant and problem with ORs over quality of food rations; induction ceremony on entrance into sergeants' mess and quality of food rations; signals training. Attending NCOs' course at School of Signals, Catterick Camp, ca 11/1939-1/1940. Journey out to rejoin unit in Palestine, 2/1940. Period at Palestine, 2/1940-6/1940: physical fitness training; signal equipment; acclimatisation to climate; Cook Sergeant Ted Hayward's competence as cook; uniform; local leave. Recollections of period at Mersa Matruh, Egypt, 6/1940-1/1941: posting as Signals Sergeant to Signals Section, Headquarters, 426 Bty, 107th Regt; establishing signals store and monitoring of equipment. REEL 3 Continues: relationship with 426 Bty personnel; role as signals sergeant; completion of signallers' training; opinion of officers and NCOs; reactions to high level Italian air raids; camouflage; signals section transport; desert faunae; method of brewing up tea; operations against Italian troops and state of captured Italian camps, ca 12/1940. Period on Suez Canal, 1/1942-2/1942: aircraft to attract magnetic mines; card playing gambling activities. Recollections of period in El Adem road sector, Tobruk, 4/1941-11/1941: occupying former Italian positions; initial German attack, ca 4/1941. REEL 4 Continues: liaison radio role during initial German attack, 4/1941; absence of code; preference for use of telephones rather than radio to OPs and laying of telephone lines; role of battery signallers in maintaining lines used by troop signallers; repairing breaks and re-laying lines; signals equipment and theft of watches issued; phonetic alphabet used; use of Fullerphones; role as Signals Sergeant; OP positions; liaison duties as signaller with infantry patrolling at night in No Man's Land; contact with 1st Bn, Durham Light Infantry troops; acting as signaller during daytime reconnaissance in Bren Carrier. REEL 5 Continues; acting as signaller during daytime reconnaissance in Bren Carrier; telephone contact with father at 425 Bty; relative immunity of headquarters' dugout from German shell fire; reaction to shell fire; Stuka dive bombing attacks; use of captured Italian artillery; question of anti-aircraft protection; wounded Gladiator pilot; food, water, cigarette and rum rations; localised nature of experiences; question of boredom; casualties; use of radio to listen to music broadcasts; impromptu concerts; gambling activities. REEL 6 Continues: aspects of breakout operations, 11/1941. Period in Egypt, 1/1942-4/1942. Opinion of Major William Barber. Recollections of operations in Knightsbridge sector, Gazala area, 27/5/1942-4/6/1942: use of converted armoured car as mobile command post, role as Barber's signals sergeant and limited perspective; nature of radio messages received; dispute with Barber over closeness of contact maintained with tank support regiment during action; opinion of Barber; situation in Cauldron sector, 4/6/1942; story of being wounded by shell and capture. Recollections of initial period as POW, 6/1942: warning to hand over weapons; truck journey to hospital. REEL 7 Continues: medical treatment in German field hospital; state of wounds; move to rejoin other SNH POWs at Italian run transit camp, 6/1942. Aspects of periods in various transit camps, ca 6/1942: conditions; hiding watches in bandages; sand fly problem; food; opinion of Italian guards; absence of latrines. Aspects of period at Homs POW camp, 1942: friendship with Sergeant Ted Whittaker; registration as POW; sending card home and prior notification of family as missing presumed killed; issue of food and trading cigarettes to secure more; ersatz coffee; absence of personal possessions; story of accident to guard and consequent suspension of rations. REEL 8 Lice problem during period at Tahuna POW Camp, 1942. Conditions during voyage to Naples, Italy, ca 11/1942. Period at Vitrella POW Camp, ca 11/1942-1/1943: prior reception and delousing at Naples; conditions and show camp status of camp. Recollections of conditions of service and lifestyle during period at PG 57 POW Camp, Udine, 1/1943-9/1943: camp layout and hut accommodation; role as NCO in charge of hut; senior Australian NCO; story of food thief made to run gauntlet; Red Cross parcels; use of cigarettes in parcels sent from GB to barter for food; theft of parcels sent from GB. REEL 9 Continues: sporting activities; concert party and theatre group activities; playing bridge taught by John Walker; issue of Italian uniform; question of escape; camp currency available to buy wine and story of Australian POW shot whilst drunk and trying to escape; question of Italian treatment of POWs; question of work details; issue of new British uniform; lice problem; news of progress of war; letter contact with GB; minimal contact with Italian guards; reactions to announcement of Italian surrender, 9/1943; take over of camp by Germans, 9/1943; use of flamenwerfers to cover march out of camp, 9/1943. REEL 10 Continues: train journey to Villac, Austria, 9/1939. Recollections of period at Villac POW Camp, 9/1943-10/1943: food; relationship with Austrian civilians; working parties on farms; question of escape; journey to Kleinthal, 10/1943. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine at Kleinthal POW Camp <near Ebelbacke>, 10/1943-2/1945: accommodation; mixed national composition of POWs; learning German; role as senior NCO; Red Cross parcels; food; latrines; work felling and preparing trees; question of escape; relationship with Austrian civilian lumberjacks and guards. REEL 11 Continues: fatal accident to POW whilst sliding logs down hillside and his burial; musical activities; story of killing pigs; pay. Recollections of escape, ca 2/1945: reasons; preparations; food carried; story of meeting chief Austrian forester who allowed them to continue; other groups of escaped POWs; lack of effective progress prior to recapture by Austrian Home Guard troops. Move to Pegua Internment Camp, ca 3/1945. Conditions during march to Salzburg, ca 3/1945. REEL 12 Conditions during march to Salzburg, ca 3/1945. Period at Salzburg POW Camp, ca 3/1945-4/1945: accident whilst trying to get out of camp; liberation by US troops; reaction to changed diet; state of health. Journey by air to GB, ca 4/1945. Period on leave in Nottingham, ca 4/1945-5/1945: prior delousing and re-equipment; reception on return home on leave; question of effects of war service; drunken VJ Day celebrations. Demobilisation and post-war employment. Question of effects of war service. Reason for not rejoining SNH on their re-formation, 1948.