Williams, Harry Maples (Oral history)

British trooper served as farrier with Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment), 6th Cavalry Bde, 1st Cavalry Div in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940; officer served with 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, Headquarters, Matruh Fortress in Egypt, 1940-1941; served with 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 14th Infantry Bde, 70th Infantry Div in India, 3/1942-10/1943; served as Animal Transport Officer with No 80 Column, 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 77th Indian Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition in India and Burma, 10/1943-4/1944

REEL 1 Background in Wolverhampton, GB, 1918-1938: family; education; employment. Aspects of period as trooper with Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) in GB, 1938-1939: reasons for joining Territorial Army, 1938, question of usefulness of pre-war training. Aspects of period as farrier with Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment), 6th Cavalry Bde, 1st Cavalry Div in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940: reasons for move to Palestine, 12/1939-1/1940; role as farrier; problems on Vichy French Syrian-Palestine frontier after fall of France especially between French stallions and British mares, 6/1940. Aspects of period with Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU), Cairo, Egypt, 7/1940-10/1940: training; commissioning into 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 10/1940. Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, Headquarters, Matruh Fortress in Egypt, 1940-1941: joining unit at Mersa Matruh, 11/1940; use of 'Jock Column' system; support from HMS Terror; contact with Italian prisoners of war; question of why 'Jock Column' system used. Recollections of period as officer with 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 14th Infantry Bde, 70th Infantry Div in India, 3/1942-10/1943: training for counter-attacking Japanese in Burma at Khunti, 6/1942-7/1942. REEL 2 Continues: nature of jungle training at Khunti, 6/1942-7/1942; guarding railway line during Quit India Movement agitation in Patna area, 8/1942; technique for opening fire on crowd at Lakhisarai; nature of Quit India Movement crowd and reaction of British troops; degree of contact with Indian civilians; story of how he got to know members of the Royal House of Bhopal. Aspects of training as Animal Transport Officer (ATO) with 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 77th Indian Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div in India, 10/1943-3/1944: selection of 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt to be part of Second Chindit Expedition; composition of 77th Indian Infantry Bde; role as Animal Transport Officer (ATO); selection of mule leaders; types of mules used. REEL 3 Continues: training exercise 'Scheme Thursday', late 1943; solving problem of transporting mules in aircraft. Recollections of operations as Animal Transport Officer (ATO) with No 80 Column, 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, 77th Indian Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition Operation Thursday in Burma, 3/1944-4/1944: flying into Burma, 3/1944 and losses on landing; contact with Major-General Orde Wingate prior to going into Burma including opinion of his leadership qualities; move from Broadway Landing Zone towards Myitkyina, 3/1944; Brigadier Michael Calvert's establishing White City Landing Zone, 3/1944; charge led by Brigadier Michael Calvert up Bare Hill against Imperial Japanese Army troops; Lieutenant George Cairns' Victoria Cross action at Pagoda Hill in Henu Block, 17/3/1944; memories of fighting on Bare Hill; later clash with Imperial Japanese Army troops on patrol; Japanese positions on Bare Hill. REEL 4 Continues: question of unit leaving positions to attack Bare Hill; memories of Lieutenant George Cairns VC; character of Japanese attacks on White City Landing Zone and role of animal transport personnel; rotting Japanese corpses around White City Landing Zone; Imperial Japanese Army use of Bangalore Torpedoes against wire at White City Landing Zone; predictable timing of Japanese attacks; leg wound and other medical problems he was suffering from; how he was flown out of White City Landing Zone as casualty; memories of Brigadier Michael Calvert; hospitalisation for wounds and other medical problems, India, 1944-1945; question of effects of war.