Laverick, William (Oral history)

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Description

Object description

British NCO served with 409th Searchlight Bty, 5th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (53rd Searchlight Regt), 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Bde, 7th Anti-Aircraft Div in GB, 1938-1940; served with 53rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Searchlight Regt, Royal Artillery, 30th (Northumbrian) and 43rd Anti-Aircraft Bdes, 7th Anti-Aircraft Div and 5th Anti-Aircraft Group in GB, 1940-1943; served with 443rd Bty, 130th (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 30th (Northumbrian) and 43rd Anti-Aircraft Bdes, 6th and 5th Anti-Aircraft Groups in GB, 1943-1945

Content description

REEL 1 Recollections of period as civilian in GB, 1910-1933: effect of family involvement in trade union movement; story of how his father took him down Erdington Colliery to see conditions; black listing of father for trade union activities; family's poor living conditions; sight of airship during First World War; character of education; childhood activities; degree of involvement in stealing; childhood gangs; caddying for golfers. REEL 2 Continues: origins of political views; miners recreational activities; miners' strike and treatment of strike breakers, 1921; miners' military service in First World War; employment; memories of General Strike, 5/1926. REEL 3 Continues: miners lock out after General Strike, 5/1926; friction between Labour Party and Communist Party of Great Britain; organisation of street collections during General Strike, 5/1926; night school history lessons; outcome of miners strike; treatment of 'scabs' after miners strike, 1926; leaving employment; reading political leaflets; move to London. REEL 4 Continues: initial employment in London, 1928; move to Watford to work in quarry; boxing activities; disillusionment with Labour Party from 1931; personal definition of the 'establishment'; reasons for joining Communist Party of Great Britain, 1930; painting illegal slogans on walls and treatment by police; contact with George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb. REEL 5 Continues: clash with police during Communist Party of Great Britain demonstration in London; organisation of Watford Branch of Communist Party of Great Britain; awareness of threat of fascists; question of political leanings in St Albans; nature of clashes with fascists; reasons for individuals to be attracted to fascism; his attraction to Soviet Union. REEL 6 Continues: organisation of Friends of the Soviet Union; lack of disillusion with Soviet Union prior to Second World War; opinion of Walter 'Wal' Hannington of National Unemployed Workers Movement; return to Newcastle upon Tyne area; boxing activities and changing name to box; opinion of member of parliament for Gosforth; reasons for leaving Communist Party of Great Britain; skills learnt from membership of Communist Party of Great Britain; joining Labour Party in Gosforth; opposing British Union of Fascist march in Newcastle upon Tyne; Anti-Fascist League in Newcastle upon Tyne. REEL 7 Continues: reasons for moving from Communist to Socialist ideals; Labour Party training camps. Aspects of period as private and NCO with 5th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in GB, 1933-1938: reasons for joining Territorial Army; character of unit; drill nights; duties as Lewis Gun instructor; pattern of training; attitude towards discipline; opinion of officers; night manoeuvres; unit NCOs; political discussions. Recollections of period as NCO with 409th Searchlight Bty, 5th Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (53rd Searchlight Regt), 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Bde, 7th Anti-Aircraft Div in GB, 1938-1940: change in unit role to searchlight unit, 11/1938. REEL 8 Continues: arrival of searchlights and formation of 409th Searchlight Bty; problems with initial plans for trenches; duties as instructor; change in civilian employment; reaction of former Communist Party of Great Britain friends to outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939; question of political sentiment in GB prior to outbreak of Second World War; mobilisation, 1/9/1939; issue of uniform; move to Seaham Harbour expectation of joining British Expeditionary Force; problems of supply during initial deployment at Seaham Harbour, 2/9/1939; move to established searchlight site at Durham; setting up of site. REEL 9 Continues: organisation of section; description of sound locator; use of aircraft to practice drill; holding aircraft in searchlight beams; move to Sedbergh; attending aircraft identification course; attachment to headquarters at Walworth Castle; physical education course and duties on sites; drafting to Hardwick Heath Camp, Bury St Edmunds as physical training instructor, 1940. REEL 10 Continues: dealing with awkward recruit; training Home Guard; return to headquarters at Walworth Castle; move to site at St Cuthbert's Cave; nature of camp and how he dealt with defaulters; organisation of regimental boxing; reorganisation of unit and removal of searchlights. Recollections of period as NCO with 53rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Search Light Regt, 30th (Northumbrian) and 43rd Anti-Aircraft Bdes, 7th Anti-Aircraft Div and 5th Anti-Aircraft Group, Royal Artillery in GB, 1940-1943: attending course on GL beams in Scotland; return to Durham and arrival of first GL equipment. REEL 11 Continues: story of leave in London at time of first German Air Force raids, 9/1940; helping out at anti-aircraft gun site during leave in London; reception on return to headquarters; posting to mobile artillery unit at Felixstowe; conditions at unit; degree of political activity in army; story of clash with officer; disapproval of drinking. REEL 12 Continues: hospitalisation in Peace Memorial Hospital, Watford; leave prior to move to Oswestry. Recollections of period as NCO with 443rd Bty, 130th (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 30th (Northumbrian) and 43rd Anti-Aircraft Bdes, 6th and 5th Anti-Aircraft Groups in GB, 1943-1945: drilling female personnel; duties in command post; operation of command post; move to Dunbarton; drill practice; story of live round being fired during drill practice; opinion of female personnel; allowing female personnel to handle live ammunition and man guns; segregation of male/female accommodation on gun sites; move to London area, early 1944; hospitalisation in Orpington Emergency Hospital. REEL 13 Continues: medical treatment received and recuperation period; return to unit at Beckenham; training duties; use of running track at Woolwich and sporting activities; regimental moves at start of German V1 Flying Bomb campaign, 7/1944; firing on German V1 Flying Bombs; move to Hayes Common; characters in the battery. REEL 14 Continues: religious services; helping out at V2 Rocket bomb site; organisation of gun sites on grid system to deal with V2 Rockets; question of German technological advance with V2 Rocket; memories of Sir Richard Acland and his politics; attending Army Bureau of Current Affairs course at Morley College in London; opinion of pamphlets issued by Army Bureau of Current Affairs. REEL 15 Continues: reaction of unit members towards Army Bureau of Current Affairs pamphlets; interest in sport rather than politics; lack of political discussion in British Army prior to General Election, 1945; attitude towards not obtaining overseas posting; memories of VE Day celebrations in London, 8/5/1945; discovery of cost of Lend-Lease; attitude towards Americans; white washing of coal; inspections after VE Day, 1945; demobilisation. Aspects of civilian life in GB from 1945: income after demobilisation; obtaining employment on farm in Scotland; involvement in elections; question of rejoining Territorial Army. REEL 16 Continues: obtaining accommodation in Gosforth; formation of Labour Party in Gosforth; electioneering in 1951 Election. Aspects of anti-war activities in GB, 1951-1991: formation of anti-Korean War group; reaction to Suez landings, 11/1956; clash with staff at private school he worked at over Anglo-French landings at Suez, Egypt, 11/1956; organising opposition to landings at Suez, Egypt, 11/1956; call-up on Z Reserve, 1955; attitude towards being called up on Z Reserve; attitude towards atomic weapons. REEL 17 Continues: degree of campaigning participated in against nuclear weapons; membership of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 1960s; attitude towards British Empire; opposition to Vietnam War; memories of Aldermaston March, 1958; reasons for leaving Labour Party; opposition to Falklands War, 1982; lack of political opposition to Gulf War, 1991; question of opposition to war.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content), Interwar (association), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Hart, Peter M (Recorder)
Laverick, William (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1991
Dimensions: whole: Duration 510, Number Of Items 17
Catalogue number: 12241

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