Milway, Clifford Pearce (Oral history)

British officer served with Royal Engineers at Experimental Bridge Establishment in GB, 1941; served with 751st Field Coy, Royal Engineers, V Corps in North Africa and Italy, 11/1942-5/1945; civil servant with Northern Ireland Government and Local Government at Stormont Castle, Northern Ireland, 1952-1973

REEL 1 Background in Sheerness, GB, 1917-1939: education; family. Recollections of period as civil servant with Northern Ireland Government and Local Government at Stormont Castle, Northern Ireland, 1952-1973: background to taking up role with Civil Service in Northern Ireland, 1952; his work on Key Points Committee; Irish Republican Army (IRA) campaign, 1956; advantages and disadvantages of Ulster Special Constabulary (B-Specials); status of Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland during 1950s; Irish Republican Army (IRA) campaign, 1962-1963; precautions over security of explosives on construction sites after 1969; invitation of Prime Minister Brian Faulkner to form Government Security Unit to service Joint Security Committee; organisation of security for key personnel and banks; introduction of bomb detecting device; development of Wheelbarrow robotic bomb disposal device, 1972; development of data reference centre for monitoring use of weapons; his opinion of 'Bloody Sunday', 30/1/1972; how he was delegated to go to Newry to make sure no repetition of 'Bloody Sunday', 2/1972. REEL 2 Continues: success of measures at Newry, 2/1972; story of use of foghorn that saved life of a friend; implementation of internment, 8/1971; question of interrogation of fourteen internees; use of detention orders on internees; use of Long Kesh Camp and Magilligan Prison to intern internees; his warning to Brian Faulkner that British Government and population would pressure for end of internment; sight of personal friend, a bomb disposal officer blown up on television news; opinion of Brian Faulkner as Northern Ireland Prime Minister; degree to which his personal safety was threatened, 1969-1973; how his job ended with dissolvement of Northern Ireland Government, 30/3/1972; role with Local Government given to him by William Whitelaw; how he was captured by Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Ardoyne, Belfast, 2/1973. REEL 3 Continues: his treatment on capture by Irish Republican Army (IRA), 2/1973; release by Irish Republican Army (IRA); attitude towards capture by Irish Republican Army (IRA); leaving Northern Ireland, 6/1973; incident when detainee spat in his face on board Internment Ship Maidstone in Belfast Harbour; opinion of work of British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969-1972; subsequent improvement in British Army's performance in Northern Ireland; question of why internment failed; opinion on crime and punishment issues in GB and Northern Ireland. Aspects of period as officer with Experimental Bridge Establishment, Royal Engineers in GB, 1941: background to enlistment in Royal Engineers, 1940; posting to unit to work with Donald Bailey on development of Bailey Bridge; character of Bailey Bridge; memories of Donald Bailey; return to unit. REEL 4 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with 751st Field Coy, Royal Engineers, V Corps in North Africa, 11/1942-5/1943: character of landings during Operation Torch and advance to Tunis, Tunisia; deception programme to cover American move to Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, 2/1943; arrangements to deal with German Tiger Tank; question of inexperience of American troops; opinion of German troops. Recollections of operations as officer with 751st Field Coy, Royal Engineers, V Corps in Italy, 7/1943-5/1945: occasions when British troops refrained from shooting Germans; occasion when Italians attempting to surrender were shot down in Sicily; importance of engineering work in Italy including bridging River Sangro; how he was ordered by General Bernard Montgomery to start a bridging school; opinion and memories of General Bernard Montgomery; problems lifting German mines; vulnerability of engineers during bridging of rivers.