Collins, Norman William (Oral history)

Sound: © IWM (12043)

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All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
612529295
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1185486370
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1022394311
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
841320412
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
1901704451
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
2144822681
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

British officer served with 8th (Service) Bn Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's), 44th Bde, 15th (Scottish) Div on Western Front, 1916-1917; served with 1/4th (Ross Highland) Bn Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's, 154th Bde, 51st (Highland) Div on Western Front, 1916-1917; served with 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs in India, 1919-1922

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Hartlepool, GB, 1897-1914: family; education; apprenticeship; reaction to outbreak of First World War, 4/8/1914; story of attempt to join King's Own Scottish Borderers, 1914. Aspects of period as apprentice at Gray's Shipyard, Hartlepool, GB, 1914-1915: description of role in construction of naval monitors. Aspects of enlistment and training as private and NCO with 3/4th Bn Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's) in GB, 1915-1916: enlistment in Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's) at Dingwall, 1915; posting to battalion at Seaforth Highlander Regimental Depot, Fort George and issue of uniform and kit; accommodation; fellow recruits; cleaning latrines; parades; drill; promotion to lance corporal; route marches; duties in charge of canteen; opinion of senior officers; story of applying for commission; training as physical training instructor; attitude towards period of training. REEL 2 Continues: move to Ripon, 10/1915; accommodation. Aspects of period as officer cadet with No 8 Officer Cadet Battalion at Lichfield, GB, 1916: posting to Lichfield for training, 4/1916; description of training; opinion of instructors; commissioning into Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's) and posting to France, 1916; conditions and opinion of training regime at Etaples Bullring, France; prior recollection of German shelling of Hartlepool, 16/12/1914. Recollections of operations as officer with 8th (Service) Bn Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's), 44th Bde, 15th (Scottish) Div on Western Front, 1916-1917: amusing story of Halloween, 31/10/1916; reconnaissance patrol at Beaumont Hamel, France, 11/1916. REEL 3 Continues: description of attack at Beaumont Hamel, France, 13/11/1916; creeping artillery barrage; role in attack on Y Ravine; casualties; story of burying dead from Newfoundland Regt at Mailly Wood and question of identification of bodies; description of going over the top at Beaumont Hamel; story of wounded German prisoner of war and question of treatment of prisoners of war; opinion of Imperial German Army troops; living conditions and problem of rats; weapons used in attack at Beaumont Hamel; responsibilities as officer and question of personal morale; question of consuming alcohol prior to attack. REEL 4 Continues: role as officer's friend at court martial, 1917; attitude to executions for cowardice; question of officers' wearing other ranks uniform in front line; opinion of wearing kilts in trenches; move to rest area at Auchonvillers; wounding in leg by shell splinter at Courcellette, 8/12/1916; nature of wound and medical treatment; evacuated to GB for further treatment, 1916; attitude of civilians to war; memory of German Zeppelin raid on St Pancras Station, London, GB; memories of war artist Otto Murray-Dixon. REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of operations as officer with 1/4th (Ross Highland) Bn Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's), 154th Bde, 51st (Highland) Div on Western Front, 1917: description of role in action at Roeux, near Arras, France, 5/1917; attitude to Germans and question of fraternisation; relations with Belgian and French civilians; description of training for Third Battle of Ypres, 1917; tactical exercises; wounding by artillery shell, 6/1917; medical treatment and convalescence in France and GB, 1917-1918; question of amputation of leg; reaction to German Offensive, 3/1918; memories of playing rugby. REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's) in GB, 1918-1919: training at Penicuk and Troon including revolver, Mills Bomb, gas drill and tactical exercises; prior recollection of mustard gas casualties in Ypres Salient, Belgium, 1917; story of application for commission in British Indian Army, 1918; reaction to Armistice, 11/11/1918; attitude to conduct and length of war; reads own poem about war. Aspects of voyage from GB to India via Port Said, Egypt, 1918-1919: nature of voyage. REEL 7 Continues: sight Armenian refugee camp; story of Arab boy and shark; visit to Cleopatra's Wells at Aden, Aden Protectorate. Aspects of period as officer with 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs in India, 1919: arrival at Bombay and initial impressions; accommodation in hotel, 1919; story of fortune tellers; bodies of influenza victims at Lucknow; posting to battalion at Lucknow, 1919; question of languages; drill; climate and uniform; ranks; description of camp and messing arrangements; attitude to membership bars in European clubs; recreational and sporting activities; story of contracting influenza and treatment, 1919; return to GB aboard hospital ship SS Varola and problem of monsoon, 6/1919. REEL 8 Continues: medical treatment and convalescence in GB. Recollections of operations as officer with 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs in Waziristan, North West Frontier, India, 1920-1922: journey to Bannu and Pathans boarding train; nature of patrolling duties in Bannu; description of loading and firing Stokes Gun; punitive raids on Wazir villages; method of advancing up valleys and picketing hill tops; problem of Wazir sniping on battalion tents at night; reaction to receiving Waziristan Bar to General Service Medal and question of medal for Somme battles, 1916; story of contracting fever and return to GB for convalescence, 1922; invaliding out of British Army and question of disability pension.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), First World War (content), First World War (association), Interwar (association)
Creator: IWM (Production Company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Collins, Norman William (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1991-05-22
Dimensions: whole: Duration 240, Number Of Items 8
Catalogue number: 12043

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Collins, Norman William (Oral history)

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