Description
Object description
British signaller and storeman served with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine and North Africa, 1939-1942; served with 107th Bty, <SNH> 7th Medium Regt, RA in North Africa, Sicily and GB; 1942-1943; served with 426 Bty, 107 Medium Regt, <South Notts Hussars> RA in GB and North West Europe, 1944-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Nottingham, 1915-1939: family; education; Boy Scouts' activities; clerical/warehouse work in lace factory, 1929-1939; awareness of approach of war. Recruitment and training as gunner with 434 Bty, 150th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, 5/1939-9/1939: reasons; procedure including medical; uniform; 18pdr gun drill and role of gun team numbers including layer; role of specialist gunners; instructors including Sergeant Wintle; Sunday training in dropping into action; attending Bridlington Camp, 8/1939; relationship with ORs who had attended Nottingham High School.
REEL 2 Mobilisation and initial period in Nottingham, 9/1939: billets; shortage of equipment; transfer to 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <SNH> RA in exchange for young soldier; initial impressions. Recollections of training as signaller on transfer to Signals Section, 425 Bty during periods at Rillington and Holton cum Beckering, 9/1939-1/1940: billets; food rations and story of near mutiny over quality; gun drill with dummy shells; difficulty in learning Morse code; opinion of Sergeant Jack Gore; method of laying telephone lines to observation posts; fire orders from OP; method of repairing lines; use of radio sets; declining importance of Morse code; question of electrical repairs and batteries used.
REEL 3 Continues: failing Morse code test for classification as signaller; relationship with officers, NCOs and civilians; conditions of service on move to Holton cum Beckering, 11/1939; embarkation leave. Journey to Palestine, 1/1940: train across France; conditions and daily routine aboard HMT Devonshire. Recollections of period at Sarafand, Gedera and Hadera Camps in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940: first impressions; rainstorm; isolation due to contact with meningitis case; learning to drive; communications system; question of use of heliograph; relationship with reservists and conscripts.
REEL 4 Continues: daily routine and recreations; question of Arab/Jewish unrest and relationship with civilians; sandstorms and role as signaller at Asluj Firing Camp; move to Mersa Matruh, Egypt, 6/1940. Recollections of conditions of service and lifestyle at Mersa Matruh, 6/1940-12/1940: slit trenches; situation; dugout; troop command post; duties on appointment to run 425 Bty canteen.
REEL 5 Continues: duties running canteen including ordering goods from NAAFI dump, type of goods required and available, sales from canteen dugout for minimal profit, question of stealing and returnable bottles, daily routine and food rations; recreations and concert parties; desert sores; state of health.
REEL 6 Continues: effects of high level Italian air raids including minimal anti-aircraft defences, and reactions; clearing battlefields. Aspects of period in Suez Canal area, Egypt, 1/1941-4/1941. Journey to Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941: damage caused by party in canteen at Mena Camp; role issuing food and water rations from truck; absence of stops. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during period at Tobruk, 4/1941-12/1941: initial positions at Eagle Crossroads.
REEL 7 Continues: move into gun positions; minimal role during initial German tank attacks, 4/1943; visits to ration dump; digging in trucks and guns; NAAFI supplies including beer; parcel and letter contact with GB; role delivering rations to cookhouse; food and water rations; washing clothes; sand fly problem in dugouts.
REEL 8 Continues: fly problem; dysentery; latrines; desert faunae; uniform; Stuka dive bomb attacks and air defences; role of Battery Quarter Master Sergeant Fred Brookes; digging reserve gun positions; posting as ammunition number to Sergeant Frank Swain's gun team, A Troop; comparison of 18 and 25pdrs; gun pits and dugout; stand to; firing under control of OP and disruption to meals; cleaning gun; replenishing ammunition from camouflaged dump; method of digging in; necessity of staying near gun; recreations.
REEL 9 Continues: recreations and question effects of boredom; opinion of various NCOs and officers; nature of operations; firing captured Italian gun from forward positions; story of firing gun with damaged recoil buffers; gun maintenance; successful breakout operations, 11/1941, including preparations, firing extensive gun programme, precautions on firing gun and mistake in calculations; period at Tmini; Quad gun towers. Period in Egypt, 1/1942-5/1942: leave in Cairo; training.
REEL 10 Continues: driving in soft sand; visit by Royal Naval personnel; return to role helping issue rations; move to Gazala area, 5/1942. Aspects of Knightsbridge action, 27/5/1942-6/6/1942: nightly supply column duty; reaction to first news of destruction of unit; scale of casualties; return to Almaza, 6/6/1942. Periods at Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza and Mena Camp, 6/1942-7/1942: 5.5in gun drill; return to signalling duties during calibration of guns; opinion of new officers; tannoy system; use of telephone and No 9 radio set.
REEL 11 Re-organisation as A Troop, 107 Bty, <SNH> 7th Medium Regt, RA and period in coastal positions in El Alamein area, 7/1942-10/1942: state of battery; khamsin wind; malaria attack, hospitalisation and convalescence. Recollections of Battle of Alamein, 10/1942: preparations including burying telephone line, camouflaged tanks and briefing; maintaining line across minefields to OP; method of brewing tea; navigational aids; moving OP into derelict armoured car; necessity of relaying line. Aspects of advance through Tunisia, 11/1942-4/1943: nature of operations; crossing wadis.
REEL 12 Continues: Stuka raid at Beni Yuled; Churchill visit; nature of operations; emergency dropping into action and ranging methods introduced by Colonel Elton; emergency rations; firing captured German 170mm gun; state of morale. Period in Cheriba, Sfax area, 4/1943-6/1943: trading goods with Arab civilians; story of unjustified raid on Arab village, sending anonymous letter regretting mistreatment of Arabs and subsequent debate within unit. Period at Malta, 6/1943-7/1943: practise loading Landing Ship Tank; waterproofing vehicles. Aspects of operations in Sicily, 7/1943-11/1943: situation.
REEL 13 Continues: official post as clerk although working as signaller; crossing and landing at Cape Acino; comparison of nature of operations in Sicily and desert; end of fighting; speech by Montgomery; handing in equipment; move to fire across Messina Strait. Voyage back to GB, 11/1943-12/1943: crossing to Algeria; camp in Forest of Ferdinand; reception at Liverpool. Aspects of period at Felixstowe, Brighton, Guisely, Bournemouth and London, 12/1943-6/7/1944: leave in Nottingham and dinner at Mikado Cafe; reaction to prospect of further active service; reaction to separation from 7th Medium Regt and formation of 107th Medium Regt, <SNH> RA with 126 Bty, 16th Medium Regt, RA; relationship with former 126 Bty personnel.
REEL 14 Continues: relationship with former 126 Bty personnel; opinion of Colonel Marshall St John Oswald; transfer to quartermaster staff duties; invasion training and preparations; V1 bombardment. Various aspects of operations in North West Europe, 7/1944-5/1945: Channel crossing, 13/7/1944; move inland to Caen sector; signal duties attached to C Troop, 426 Bty; increased use of radio and question of German jamming signals; bombing by Allied aircraft near Quesnay Woods, 14/8/1944; wet terrain; capture of Channel Ports; move into Netherlands.
REEL 15 Continues: wet terrain; opinion of officers; premature misfires; crossing Rhine; accidental bombing by Allied aircraft; VE Day, 8/5/1945. Various aspects of period in Cosfeldt sector, Munster area, Germany, ca 5/1945-1/1946: role requisitioning and distributing rations; relationship with German civilians; question of black market activities. Demobilisation, ca 1/1946: return to clerical/warehouse work in lace factory; effects of war service; 'Z' reserve training as lance bombardier on 7.2in howitzer with 350th Heavy Regt, RA, 1953.
