Milway, Clifford Pearce (Oral history)

British officer served with Royal Engineers at Experimental Bridge Establishment in GB, 1941; served with 103 Field Coy, Royal Engineers in North Africa and Italy, 1942-1945; civil servant with Northern Ireland Government at Stormont Castle, Northern Ireland, 1952-1973 including capture by IRA in Belfast, 1972

REEL 1 Background in Sheerness from 1917: education; family. Recollections of period as civil servant with Northern Ireland 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; IRA campaign in 1956; advantages and disadvantages of B Specials; status of Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland, 1950s; 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 for banks; introduction of bomb detecting device; development of robotic bomb disposal device; development of data reference centre for monitoring use of weapons; his opinion of 'Bloody Sunday'; 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 McGilligan Camp 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; role with local government given to him by William Whitelaw; how he was captured by IRA in Ardoyne area of Belfast. REEL 3 Continues: his treatment by IRA on capture, 2/1973; release by IRA; attitude towards capture by IRA; leaving Northern Ireland, 6/1973; incident when detainee spat in his face on board detainee ship Maidstone; opinion of work of British Army in Northern Ireland, early 1970s; 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 Royal Engineers with Experimental Bridge Establishment 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 103 Field Coy, Royal Engineers in North Africa, 1942-1943: character of landings during Operation Torch and advance to Tunis; deception programme to cover US move to Kasserine Pass, early 1943; arrangements to deal with German Tiger tanks; question of inexperience of US troops; opinion of German troops. Recollections of operations as officer with 103 Field Coy, Royal Engineers in Italy, 1943-1945: 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 Montgomery to start a bridging school; opinion and memories of General Montgomery; problems lifting German mines; vulnerability of engineers during bridging rivers.