Day, Joseph Harry Woodhouse (Oral history)

British medical orderly served with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine and North Africa, 1939-1942; POW in North Africa and Italy, 1942-1943; escaped and successful in evading recapture in Italy, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Nottingham, 1920-1939: family; education; interest in medicine; work in father's bakery, 1937-1939. Recruitment and training as gunner with A Troop, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, 6/1938-9/1939: desire to avoid conscription; gun drill on 18pdr; summer camp; opinion of various NCOs and officers; reaction to approach of war; mobilisation, 1/9/1939. Recollections of mobilisation and initial period at Nottingham, 9/1939: reactions; relationship with ORs; sleeping arrangements; sentry duty; appointment as medical orderly to Medical Officer Lloyd Davies; duty cleaning out medical inspection room; story of getting drunk on last bakery delivery round; method of giving smallpox and tetanus vaccinations. REEL 2 Continues: arm infections in reaction to vaccinations and antibiotic treatment available; composition of medical team at morning sick parade; departure from Nottingham; story of meeting Pat Bland. Recollections of period at Rillington and Wragby, 9/1939-1/1940: medical inspection rooms; promotion to lance bombardier; influenza epidemic; routine duties; billets; food rations; relationship with local civilians; rugby activities; billets; question of weeding out process; visiting hospital cases; story of buying condoms for regimental use overseas; story of accident during visit to Lincoln; relationship with women civilians; opinion of Medical Officer J Finnegan; learning to suture. REEL 3 Continues: visit by Deputy Director Medical Services; examples of textbook knowledge and absence of formal training; medical supplies; embarkation leave. Journey to Palestine, 1/1940: story of visiting officers' club in Cherbourg, France; duties as ship's medical orderly aboard HMT Devonshire; precautions on meningitis outbreak. Recollections of period at Sarafand, Gedera and Hadera Camps in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940: story of mock hatchet fight; treatment of alopecia; vaccinating Arab and Jewish civilians; minimal Arabic; death of Gunner Bob Paulson from appendicitis; sunburn and heat stroke; lectures warning about VD; sporting activities. REEL 4 Continues: arrest of Jewish newspaper seller as spy on journey to Mersa Matruh, Egypt. Recollections of period at Mersa Matruh, 6/1940-1/1941: Italian high level air raids, close escape and effect on personal morale; story of Major Edward Batt's wound, subsequent amputation and death from gangrene; underground regimental aid post; medications in use including mild antiseptics, early antibiotics, splints and shell dressings; casualty clearing station run by Royal Army Medical Corps; stretcher bearers; medical trucks and drivers; sleeping arrangements; preparing for sick parade; call out in truck to casualties and contents of medical pannier; staffing of RAP; rugby match against 8th Field Regt. REEL 5 Continues: rugby match against 8th Field Regt illustrating relationship with regulars; boxing match; concert party; opinion of Pat Bland; sand fly fever; treatment of desert sores; question of mild dysentery; ear problems. Period treating casualties from operations whilst attached to RAMC casualty clearing station at Mersa Matruh, 12/1940: treatment of Italian gas gangrene cases; details written on casualty's forehead of anti-tetanus and morphia injections already given; inspection of wounds and question of prioritising treatment; use of morphia and question of lethal overdoses given to fatally wounded casualties; question of equal treatment of Italian and British casualties; morale of British and Italians casualties; familiarisation with Italian horse<????>. REEL 6 Continues: burning of medical refuse; effects of fatigue; return to unit. Recollections of period in Suez Canal area, 1/1941-2/1942: mine spotting role of unit; swimming race; visiting nightclub in Port Suez and fights between RAF and Royal Navy personnel; bilharzia threat; drive to Tobruk, Libya, 4/1940. Recollections of period at Tobruk, 4/1941-12/1941: static RAP in rear; role of battery medical orderlies; reception and treatment of casualties; transport of casualties to Tobruk Hospital; attending casualties on gun positions; situation, 4/1941; Stuka dive bomb attacks; rest camp; dummy gun positions. REEL 7 Continues: cricket match; desert faunae; story of getting drunk during tour of gin distillery; story of giving message to Colonel William Seely; opinion of various officers and NCOs; causes of wounds. Various aspects of period in Egypt and during move to Gazala area, Libya, 1/1942-5/1942: replacement of Finnegan by Medical Officer McFarland; TB case; failure to paint Red Cross on medical trucks; personal morale. Aspects of operations in Knightsbridge sector, 27/5/1942-4/6/1942: situation; treating Padre H Parry and officer with maggots in wound; treating men briefly captured by German troops; situation and movements. REEL 8 Recollections of Knightsbridge action in Cauldron sector, 5/6/1942-6/6/1942: situation; close escape from mortar shell whilst carrying stretcher; use of impromptu splints; type of wounds from shell splinters; close escape from shell; difficulty in restraining shell shocked patients; collecting wounded from 425 Bty Headquarters including Captain Graham Slinn and Lieutenant Jeffrey Timms; question of giving lethal injections of morphia to men beyond hope of recovery; collecting McFarland's kit from truck using red cross brassard to avoid being fired on; story of HE shell hitting German tank by RAP illustrating ineffectiveness against armour; surrender and situation of wounded at RAP; requesting help from German officers including Rommel; convoy of Italian ambulances to remove casualties; trenches full of infantry corpses; story of finding lost photograph on unknown infantryman; personal morale; capture by Italian troops. Recollections of initial period as POW in North Africa, ca 6/1942-1/1943: contents of medical pannier; minimal knowledge of Italian; truck drive; conditions; story illustrating differing attitudes of Italian and German guards at Tarhuna POW Camp. REEL 9 Continues: interview prior to appointment as medical orderly and interpreter for Italian doctor at hospital in Tarhuna Hospital, ca 6/1942-7/1942; treatment of bacillary and amoebic dysentery amongst POWs; move to hospital near Tripoli, ca 7/1942; successful glucose treatment of patient suffering from insulin poisoning; relationship with and between Italian and POW doctors; question of malnutrition amongst POWs; hospital food; circumstances of crossing with hospital ship to Caserta Military Hospital, Italy, ca 11/1943; ability to speak Italian. Recollections of period at Caserta Military Hospital, ca 1/1943: meeting McFarland and recovered patient; death of Hedley Verity; official notification to parents of death at Knightsbridge and failure to write to parents; use of morphia for pneumonia case in ward and appointment as interpreter medical orderly. REEL 10 Continues: duties; question of being sent to POW camp. Period at Torre Anunciata Hospital, ca 2/1943-9/1943: role of Italian nuns; story of shell shock case and question of his repatriation; mock fights; stories of treating various patients. Period at PG 53 POW Camp at Colmurano, ca 9/1943: meeting Sergeant Ray Ellis; story of grudge boxing match; wrestling matches; conditions including Red Cross parcels; reactions to Italian surrender and senior British NCO's ban on escape attempts; story of bribing Italian sentry to allow him to climb over wire fence; temporary dispute with Ellis; contents of medical pannier; uniform worn; reason for walking barefoot. Recollections of initial period as escaped POW, ca 9/1943-10/1943: movements; assistance from Italian woman; question of evading sweeps from Italian fascists; strategic situation. REEL 11 Continues: exchanging accommodation for labour on various farms. Recollections of conditions and lifestyle at Masofermano, ca 10/1943-3/1944: daily routine of maize planting with group of Italian women farm labourers; story of embarrassing mistranslation of compliment to Italian woman; platonic nature of relationship with Italian women; desire to remain independent of other POWs; story of leaving initial accommodation on arrival of other escaped POWs and accommodation with two Italian families; story of getting lost in snow storm whilst drunk; searches and rewards offered by Italian fascists to locate Allied POWs; story of drinking with German soldiers in village; hiding in pond from Italian fascist sweep; clothes; carrying umbrella to divert suspicion; meeting Ellis; nickname 'Giuseppe Journo'; medical rounds visiting British POWs. REEL 12 Attempt to join Italian partisans at Monastero, ca 2/1944-3/1944: background to decision to accompany Ellis; story of getting drunk in village and fears of recapture; propaganda placards; first meeting with partisans; treating partisan's eye injury; nature of partisan activities and presence of deserters from various nationalities; decision to return to Masofermano. Concealment in Masofermano area whilst German and Allied forces passed through area, ca 9/1944. Aspects of journey to Naples, ca 9/1944. Recollections of period in Naples, ca 9/1944: period in rehabilitation centre; activities on blackmarket. Return to GB, ca 9/1944: background to prior notification of family of survival; reception; question of effects of POW and war experiences. REEL 13 Period of industrial leave to assist father in bakery business, 1944-1945: prior interview; investigation by police force; story of meeting Major Peter Birkin. Aspects of post-war career: reasons for abandoning possibility of medical career; question of rejoining SNH; continuing relationship with Italians.