Coup, Wilfred Edward (Oral history)

British NCO driver and battery clerk served with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars>, Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine and North Africa, 1939-1941; served as clerk with Artillery Section, 2nd Echelon, Eighth Army in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, 1942-1944

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Loughborough area and Nottingham, 1918-1939: family; education at Nottingham High School and reasons for not joining Officers' Training Corps; training as secretary and accountant; question of approach of war and visits to Europe. Recollections of recruitment and training as gunner with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, ca 3/1939-9/1939: reasons; drill nights; relationship with ORs, NCOs and officers; re-classification and duties as driver; attending Redesdale Camp, 1939, including conditions of service and cleaning lorries; relationship with 426 Bty. REEL 2 Mobilisation and initial period at Hollins Lace Factory, Garden Street, Nottingham, 9/1939: conditions of service; medical and weeding out process. Recollections of periods at Rillington and Wragby, 11/1939-1/1940: billets at Scampston Hall; food rations; state of health; story of losing gun during drive from Rillington to Wragby, 11/1939; billets at Holton Hall, Holton cum Beckering; question of liaisons with local women; truck maintenance; rumours of overseas posting. Journey to Palestine, 1/1940. Recollections of period in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940: Sarafand Camp; canteen; relationship with Jewish population; cricket match in Arab village; 'showing the flag' marches; recreations. REEL 3 Continues: training as reserve signaller in observation post team; duties as Lieutenant Graham Slinn's batman; duties as Major Peter Birkins's specialist OP post assistant and story of giving fire orders at Asluj Firing Camp; question of Birkin's homosexuality and story of his homosexual approach; policy of diluting Nottingham content of unit with conscripted men and regulars; promotion to bombardier; train journey to Mersa Matruh, Egypt. Recollection of period at Mersa Matruh, 6/1940-12/1940: gun positions and dugouts; food rations; latrines; duties; stories illustrating necessity of slit trenches due to high level Italian air raids. REEL 4 Continues: recreations including story of near arrest whilst sailing on Nile during Cairo leave, question of taking photographs in army and concert parties; letter and parcel contact with GB; training as specialist gunner; desert sores. Period in Suez Canal area, 1/1941-4/1941. Drive to Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941. Recollections of period at Tobruk, 4/1941-11/1941: digging slit trenches; terrain; personal morale during period as specialist observation post assistant during initial tank battles; panorama from OP; gas alarm. REEL 5 Continues: visits to ammunition dump; story illustrating ineffectiveness of dive bombing; duties as battery clerk at 425 Bty Headquarters including issuing pay and canteen supplies and maintaining battery daily returns; story of getting drunk on rum ration; question of Stuka dive bombing raids; desert faunae; concert parties; rest camp; sand fly problem; uniform. Posting as clerk to artillery intelligence officer at divisional headquarters in Tobruk, 11/1941: reasons; underground tunnels driven into escarpment; duties collating daily intelligence reports; mild diphtheria attack and treatment at Tobruk Hospital. Evacuation to hospitals and convalescent camps in Egypt and Palestine, ca 1941-1942. Period as clerk with Artillery Section, 2nd Echelon, Eighth Army, ca 1942-1944: initial base at Abbassia Barracks; duties recording daily returns of various units; airgraph system of sending information and letters to GB. REEL 6 Continues: making Molotov cocktails and question of panic during German advance, ca 6/1942; movements to Algeria, Sicily and Italy; period in Madeloni Barracks, Fieori; composition of 2nd Echelon; cinema visits; return to GB, 10/1944. Various aspects of service in GB, 10/1944-1946: illustration of reactions to possibility of air attack; posting as clerk to artillery unit receiving British POWs returning from Japanese captivity; assessment of POWs condition; nervous breakdown; demobilisation. Post-war career and question of effect of war experiences.