Description
Object description
British NCO served with Hygiene Section, Headquarters, 6th Airborne Div in GB, Normandy and Palestine, 1943-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Deptford, London, GB, 1910-1939: family; family's standard of living; education; apprenticeship; employment; periods of unemployment during 1930s; employment on eve of Second World War, 1939. Aspects of period as civilian in Orpington, GB, 1939-1942: family home; use of Anderson Shelter. Aspects of enlistment and training as gunner with Royal Artillery in GB, 1942-1943: reasons for enlistment; reasons for unhappiness in Royal Artillery; courses attended including hygiene; reasons for initial failure of hygiene course.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as lecturer with Army School of Hygiene, Aldershot, GB, 1943: lecturing; pay. Recollections of period as NCO with Hygiene Section, Headquarters, 6th Airborne Div in GB, 1943-1944: volunteering for airborne forces; composition of Hygiene Section; instructional duties; description of hygiene inspections of camps; dealing with case of lice; inspections of latrines; attending sick parades; contracting scabies; description of glider training; sight of accidents during parachute training; degree of awareness of impending D-Day operation.
REEL 3 Continues: state of readiness for D-Day; responsibilities for water supply and use of 15cwt vehicle; Horrocks Test for purity of water; equipment carried in vehicle and composition of his hygiene team. Recollections of period as NCO with Hygiene Section, Headquarters, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: embarkation on landing craft; voyage from GB to Normandy; beach landing, D-Day, 6/6/1944; deployment in bridgehead, 6/6/1944; supply of equipment by parachute; visits to units; water supply and sources used; sinking of well and unsuitability of water from it.
REEL 4 Continues: problems of contamination of water supply with urine; further details of contamination of well; inspection of cookhouses; use of canvas tanks for water; spraying DDT to suppress mosquitoes; threat of mosquitoes in latrines; design of latrine; prior recollection of confronting padre over urinating near camp in GB; promotion to staff sergeant; provision of water from standpipe in French village; searching for water sources; use of prisoners of war to clean up chateau on River Seine; abortive attempt to visit Paris, 8/1944; return to GB; injury received digging slit trenches and hospitalisation; reasons for not returning to unit for operations in North West Europe.
REEL 5 Continues: rejoining unit, 1945; presence of conscientious objectors in unit. Aspects of period as NCO with Hygiene Section, Headquarters, 6th Airborne Div in Palestine, 1945-1946: background to posting to Palestine; obtaining Willys Jeep; setting up machine shop; visit to Beirut, Lebanon; questoin of how his Willys Jeep was never damaged or pilfered from; relations with Jewish family; return to GB via France; return to civilian life, 1946.