Merryweather, William Henry Mons (Oral history)

British private served as Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) gunner aboard SS Kylebank in GB coastal waters, 1939-1940; private served with 6th Bn Royal Berkshire Regt in 184th Infantry Bde, 61st Infantry Div in Larne, Northern Ireland, 5/1940-8/1940; NCO served with A Troop, No 12 Commando in GB, 8/1940-7/1943 including Operation Anklet, the raid on the Lofoten Islands, Norway, 26-27/12/1941; served with 2nd Special Boat Section in GB, India, Ceylon and Burma, 8/1944-4/1945; served with Malayan Scouts in Federation of Malaya, 12/1950-6/1952

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1921-1937: family; education; father's service in First World War. Aspects of period as private with 1/1st Buckinghamshire Bn, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in GB, 1937-1938: reasons for Territorial Army, 1937; opinion of training; joining Supplementary Reserve, 1938. Aspects of enlistment as private in 6th Bn Royal Berkshire Regt (Prince Charlotte of Wales's) in GB, 1939: reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; enlistment, 9/1939. Recollections of period as Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) gunner aboard SS Kylebank in GB coastal waters, 1939-1940: sinking mine off Beachy Head; living conditions on board ship; German Air Force attacks. Aspects of period as private with 6th Bn Royal Berkshire Regt, 184th Infantry Bde, 61st Infantry Div in Larne, Northern Ireland, 5/1940-8/1940: role and duties; relations between troops and civilians; poaching experiences; reasons for volunteering for other duties. Aspects of training as NCO with A Troop, No 12 Commando in GB, 8/1940-12/1941: volunteering for commandos, 8/1940; nature of training; award of felt shamrock badge for exceptional conduct in Crumlin; move to Warsash, 1/1941; beach landing and navigation training at HMS Tormentor. REEL 2 Continues: accidents in training; calling off of operations, 1941; mountain warfare training at Braemar, 1941. Recollections of operations as NCO with A Troop, 12 Commando in GB, 1941-1943 and during Operation Anklet, the raid on the Lofoten Islands, Norway, 26-27/12/1941: nature of Operation Claymore; reconnaissance raids on coastline of Normandy, France, 1942-1943; cancellation of Operation Aflame raid on Berck-sur-Mer, 10/1942; reconnaissance raid on French coast in MTB 250 to collect samples of defensive barbed wire. Aspects of training as NCO with 2nd Special Boat Section in GB, India and Ceylon, 8/1943-9/1944: joining unit at Hill Head, GB, 8/1943; nature of canoe training at Padstow, GB; submarine training with HMS Thetis in Scotland; move to India; training at Karaitivu, Ceylon. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Special Boat Section in Arakan, Burma, 10/1944-12/1944: reconnaissance raid on Ramree Island, 10/1944. REEL 3 Continues: account of raid on Ramree Island; second raid on Ramree Island, 11/1944; reconnaissance raids near Maungdaw; nature of Operation Hurry on coast of Arakan, 2/12/1944; further Arakan coastal raids, 12/1944. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Special Boat Section on River Irrawaddy, Burma, 3/1945-5/1945: move to forward base near Pagan; initial operation near Chauk, 14/4/1945. REEL 4 Continues: character of reconnaissance operations in Yenangyaung Oilfields, 4/1945; story of German internees who escaped from India to join Japanese in Burma; operations against Japanese bridgehead at Kama; United States Army Air Force attack during operation to supply trapped Indian troops with supplies; pursuit of Japanese towards south east Burma; nature of Japanese military equipment, rations and good luck charms; effect of monsoon. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Special Boat Section in India, 5/1945-9/1945: preparations for Operation Zipper. REEL 5 Continues: free time in India after VJ Day, 8/1945-9/1945. Aspects of period with B Sqdn, 21st Special Air Force Regt in GB, 1/1948-11/1950: formation of unit under Artists' Rifles cap badge in Territorial Army, London, 20/1/1948; role as instructor on Special Boat Service type training; volunteering for attack on North Korean storage tunnels in North Korea, 9/1950. Recollections of operations as NCO with Malayan Scouts in Federation of Malaya, 12/1950-6/1952: transfer to unit, 11/12/1950; opinion of Brigadier Michael Calvert's training methods; deep penetration work in jungle; relations with Sakai; medical problems contracted in jungle; story of how he avoided hospital treatment to return to unit; opinion of operating in jungle; end of service in Federation of Malaya, 23/6/1952; presence of Rhodesians in Malayan Scouts; opinion of outcome of Malayan Emergency during service, 1950-1952; explanation of term 'Special Operations Groups' in Second World War; prior recollection of volunteering for anti-cyclist patrols in GB, 1942-1943.