Sim, John Anthony Noel (Oral history)

British officer served with Hallamshire Bn York and Lancaster Regt, 146th Infantry Bde, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in GB and Iceland, 5/1940-4/1942; served with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in GB and Normandy, France, 5/1943-11/1944; served as staff officer with 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in North West Europe, 12/1944-5/1945; served with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde in India, Malaya and Java, Dutch East Indies, 7/1945-6/1946; served with 1st Bn York and Lancaster Regt, 3rd Infantry Div at Suez, Egypt, 10/1956-11/1956

REEL 1 Background in Persia and GB, 1920-1939: family; education; attending 161 Infantry Officer Cadet Training Unit, Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1939. Recollections of period as officer with Hallamshire Bn York and Lancaster Regt, 146th Infantry Bde, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in Iceland, 5/1940-4/1942: voyage aboard MV Georgic from GB to Iceland, 6/1940; under canvas at Akureyri; behaviour of Icelanders toward British troops; method of keeping troops occupied; concern of Icelanders about arrival of 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, US Marines at Akureyri, 7/1941; lack of unit morale problems in Iceland; return to GB, 4/1942; potential use of division for mountain warfare. Recollections of training with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in GB, 5/1943-5/1944: reasons for volunteering for airborne training, 5/1943; initiation course at Airborne Forces Depot, Hardwick Hall; parachute training with Armstrong Whitworth Whitley at No 1 Parachute Training School, RAF at RAF Ringway; grouping personnel into different parachute battalions; background to posting of 12th Bn Parachute Regt to Larkhill; organisation of training. REEL 2 Continues: parachute training on Salisbury Plain; weight of weaponry carried by each paratrooper; exercise between 1st and 6th Airborne Divs; morale of 6th Airborne Div; move to RAF Keble, 5/1944; briefing for D-Day operation; need for rest prior to D-Day; state of unit morale on eve of D-Day, 5/6/1944. Recollections of operations as officer with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: embarkation aboard Short Stirling aircraft at RAF Keble, 5/6/1944; flight across English Channel; parachute descent and landing; move to rendezvous near River Orne; signalling with red light on dropping zone; firing on German staff car; leading unit to their defensive positions on south side of Ranville; joining up with bulk of unit in defensive positions; duties clearing houses in front of C Coy; attempts to converse with French civilian who turned out to be English. REEL 3 Continues: character of his forward screen position along hedgerow facing Longueval; range finding for naval gunfire support; opening fire on advancing German troops; under fire from German self-propelled guns; shooting of German officer who stepped from self-propelled gun; casualties amongst his forward screen position and withdrawal; reoccupying position and removal of dead; sight of gliders landing on drop zone near Ranville. Recollections of operations as officer with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, France, 7/6/1944-12/6/1944: support for 1st Bn Royal Ulster Rifles advance from Longueval to Ste Honorine la Chardonerette, 9/6/1944; withdrawal from Longueval to Benouville Bridge, 10/6/1944; withdrawal into reserve, 11/6/1944; transfer to B Coy; arrival of supplies with quartermaster; orders to attack Breville, 12/6/1944. REEL 4 Continues: assembling in church at Amfreville, 12/6/1944; plan for attack on Breville, 12/6/1944; advance under fire at Breville, 12/6/1944; reaction of British paratrooper to accidental shooting of German, 12/6/1944; under artillery fire at Breville, 12/6/1944; strange sound coming from Breville, night-time, 12/6/1944; his discovery of wound from action; evacuation to GB via Arromanches; sight of battle fatigue casualties of 50th (Northumbrian) and 51st (Highland) Infantry Divs at Arromanche. Aspects of hospitalisation in GB, 6/1944-8/1944: arrival in Portsmouth and sight of V1 Flying Bomb passing over Woking, 6/1944. REEL 5 Continues: recovery from wounds at Warley Hospital. Aspects of operations as officer with 12th Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, France, 8/1944-9/1944: return to unit; role as commanding officer of D Coy during advance to River Seine; abortive attempt to advance at Pont l'Eveque; discovery of reason for decimation of unit at Breville, 6/1944. Recollections of operations as staff officer with Headquarters, 5th Parachute Bde, 6th Airborne Div in North West Europe, 12/1944-5/1945: staff work during Ardennes counter offensive, 12/1944-1/1945; flight from GB to Germany for Operation Varsity the crossing of the River Rhine, 3/1945; visibility over drop zone and anti-aircraft fire; character of his parachute descent and landing; assembling of 12th Bn Parachute Regt at wrong end of drop zone; landing of gliders amongst paratroopers; casualties amongst gliders; German Army officer's reaction to airborne drop; advance across Germany. REEL 6 Continues: reasons for pause in advance at Luneburg; abortive plan for parachute drop over River Elbe, Germany; dispositions at Wismar, Germany; return to GB, 5/1945. Aspects of operations as officer with A Coy, 12 Bn Parachute Regt, 5th Parachute Bde in India, Malaya and Java, Dutch East Indies, 7/1945-6/1946: preparations for move to India; training in India, 7/1945-8/1945; planned role of unit during Operation Zipper the invasion of Malaya, 8/1945; problems of landing and re-embarkation at Port Dickson, Malaya, 8/1945; internal security duties in Singapore, Malaya, 9/1945-12/1945; reasons for transfer with 23rd Indian Infantry Div to Batavia, Java, move to Semarang, Java; rescue of Dutch civilians from Indonesian insurgents; relations with Japanese troops serving under unit's control; return to perform guard duties at Changi Prison, Singapore, Malaya, 4/1946; selection of two unit members to train as hangmen for Japanese war criminals; appearance and demeanour of Japanese war criminals; use of Japanese POWs to clean up Singapore, Malaya. REEL 7 Continues: dealing with Japanese POWs; Japanese war criminal Lieutenant General Sukei Shampei who claimed right to be shot rather than hung because he possessed a British First World War medal, 20/5/1946; disbandment of unit in Palestine, 1946. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn York and Lancaster Regt, 3rd Infantry Div during landings at Suez, Egypt, 10/1956-11/1956: background to return to regiment; use of Yorkshire police forces to get his men back from leave to Dover Castle, GB, 10/1956; embarkation aboard SS New Australia at Southampton, GB, 10/1956; surveillance by US Navy warship on voyage to Port Said; disembarkation at Port Said; air strike threat whilst marching troops to El Gamal Airport; narrowness of brigade front; arrival of United Nation troops to take over unit's positions; interview with broadcaster Robin Day about reasons for delay in United Nations taking over from Egyptian troops; his feelings about justification of Suez intervention.