Description
Object description
British marine served with Royal Marines aboard HMS Illustrious in Mediterranean and United States of America, 4/1940-1/1942; NCO served aboard HMS Norfolk, 1st Cruiser Sqdn in Arctic, 10/1943-2/1944; served with No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando, 4th Special Service Bde and 4th Commando Bde in North West Europe, 6/1944-8/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1922-1937: family; education. Aspects of period with Merchant Navy, 1937-1939: duties as deck boy on first voyage with Union Castle Line; cleaning ship's tanks and painting ship; food and drink on board; rumours of German submarines monitoring merchant vessels; paying off; background to enlistment in Royal Marines, 6/1939. Recollections of operations as marine aboard HMS Illustrious in Mediterranean, 4/1940-1/1941: joining aircraft carrier, 4/1940; his action station in X Turret; role as quarterdeck sentry during Taranto Raid, 11/11/1940-12/11/1940; attitude towards Italian Air Force attacks.
REEL 2 Continues: character of ship; role as orderly to Captain Denis Boyd; German Air Force attack on aircraft carrier, 7/1/1941; condition of aircraft carrier on arrival at Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, 1/1941; further Axis air attacks on aircraft carrier in Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, 1/1941. Aspects of period as marine with aboard HMS Illustrious in United States of America, 5/1941-12/1941: voyage to United States of America, 1/1941-5/1941; character of reception by American civilians; parade for Lord Louis Mountbatten; return to GB, 1942. Recollections of operations as NCO aboard HMS Norfolk, 1st Cruiser Sqdn in Arctic, 10/1943-2/1944: drafting to cruiser, 4/10/1943; his action station commanding S2 Turret; combating cold; engaging German battleship Scharnhorst during Battle of North Cape, 26/12/1943; damage done to ship during action.
REEL 3 Continues: pursuit of German battleship Scharnhorst and sight of her sinking, 26/12/1943; performance of gun crew; attitude towards sinking of German battleship Scharnhorst, 26/12/1943. Aspects of period as NCO with No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando, 4th Special Service Bde in GB, 4/1944-6/1944: volunteering for commando training; posting to unit after training at Commando Basic raining Centre, Achnacarry, 4/1944; allocation to X Troop at Eastbourne, 4/1944; move to sealed camps in Southampton area, 6/1944; postponement of D-Day, 5/6/1944. Recollections of operations as NCO with X Troop, No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando, 4th Special Service Bde in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: landing on Sword Beach; sight of soldier who had lost his leg on mine; under mortar fire on beach; move to RV point at Lion-sur-Mer; destruction of tanks during attack on German held fortification; failure of subsequent attacks on German fortification. Recollections of operations as NCO with X Troop, No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando, 4th Special Service Bde in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: adjusting to conditions in Normandy.
REEL 4 Continues: escorting German prisoners of war; reconnaissance patrol towards German radar station; relieving units of the 6th Airborne Div; nature of German anti-personal mines; German use of mortars and multi-barrelled mortars; problems with mosquitoes; sight of Allied aircraft bombing Caen; German retreat along the coastline; degree of German mortaring; capture of prominent hill overlooking beachhead; accidental shelling of unit by British artillery; German use of snipers and booby-traps to slow Allied advance; witnessing treatment of collaborators at Honfleur. Recollections of operations as NCO with X Troop, No 41 (Royal Marine)Commando, 4th Special Service Bde and 4th Commando Bde in North West Europe, 9/1944-5/1945: move to Ostend, Belgium 10/1944; procurement of rations and cooking in the field; using Buffalo Amphibious Vehicles during landings on Walcheren Island, Netherlands, 2/11/1944.
REEL 5 Continues: use of rocket firing landing craft at Walcheren Island, 2/11/1944; in action on Walcheren Island, 11/1944; problems of dysentery on forced march to Domburg, Netherlands; capture of German prisoners of war at Domburg, Netherlands; repairing of German field gun; acquiring rations from Germans; patrolling on Walcheren Island, Netherlands; relieving Canadians in positions on River Maas at s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; under German shellfire on River Maas, Netherlands; use of ex-German fortifications; contrast in fire power between German and British machine guns; opinion of Salvation Army. Aspects of period as NCO with No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando during occupation of Germany, 5/1945-7/1945: move to Germany after VE Day, 5/1945; introduction to ice coffee; 'Christening' of River Rhine at Cologne.
REEL:6 Continues: condition of German farms; German civilian attitude towards military servicemen; lack of fraternisation; guarding German property against Displaced Persons; return to GB. Aspects of period as sergeant with No 45 (Royal Marine) Commando in Hong Kong, 1945-1946: arrival in Hong Kong, 9/1945; attitude of Chinese civilians towards unit's green berets; border control duties; use of Japanese prisoners of war; use of Chinese civilians to clean kit; behaviour of Chinese border guards; attitude of Chinese civilians to return of British; anti-smuggling patrols; arrival of General Chiang Kai Shek; visit to Shanghai, China; character of tented accommodation at Castle Peak.
REEL 7 Continues: Story of attempt to use flamethrower during raid with No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando over River Maas, Netherlands, winter 1944-1945
