Description
Object description
British officer served with 1st Bn South Lancashire Regt (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), 8th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in North West Europe, 6/1944-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Tranmere, GB, 1921-1943: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn South Lancashire Regt (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), 8th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in GB, 1943-1944: commissioning into regiment, 1943; amphibious training in Scotland; accidents during training; unit confidence; composition of unit; move into sealed camp at Cowplain, 5/1944. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn South Lancashire Regt (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), 8th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div on Sword Beach, Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: plan for landings; embarkation aboard SS Empire Broadsword, 5/6/1944; method of disembarkation from ship using davits; intact character of German defences in Queen White Sector; nature of his landing; breaching of barbed wire by Churchill Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE); capture of first prisoners of war; advance inland towards Lion-sur-Mer; sight of French civilians' ploughing; linking up with No 41 (Royal Marine) Commando; move to rejoin rest of battalion at Hermanville-sur-Mer; further details of his beach landing.
REEL 2 Continues: reaction to landing under fire; behaviour of his section commanders; impressions of German prisoners of war; effect of being in close proximity to first casualty; how he spent night of D-Day. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn South Lancashire Regt (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), 8th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: events of 7/6/1944; orders to support 6th Airborne Div, 8/6/1944; reaction to first strafing by German aircraft; orders to occupy Château de la Londe, 6/1944; shelling of positions at Château de la Londe; supporting fire from HMS Rodney; use of mobile bath unit; living conditions for troops; question of quality of British infantrymen, 6/1944; return to positions at Château de la Londe, late, 6/1944; patrolling and battalion attack, 21/6//1944-22/6/1944; withdrawal from difficult position at Château de la Londe.
REEL 3 Continues: character of attack at Château de la Londe using Churchill Crocodile Flame Throwing Tanks; making up casualties from 5th Bn King's Regt (Liverpool); impressions made by Churchill Crocodile Flame Throwing Tanks; effect on him of heavy unit casualties and attitude towards Germans, 7/7/1944; sight of Allied bombing of Caen; participation in Operation Goodwood, 18/7/1944; character of bombed landscape after Operation Goodwood; relief of 2nd Bn Lincolnshire Regt at Black Orchard, 26/7/1944; mosquito problem in Black Orchard, 26/7/1944; how he became intelligence officer, 26/7/1944; officer's capture of German NCO in rest area; advance down Vire road, 8/1944; impressions of American troops; casualties to Officer (O) Group near Vire; occupation of Point 242 at Tinchebray, 15/8/1944.
REEL 4 Continues: in reserve at time of Battle of Falaise. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn South Lancashire Regt (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers), 8th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in North West Europe, 9/1944-5/1945: move to Kleine Brogel, Belgium, 9/1944; character of terrain around Kleine Brogel, Belgium; death of commanding officer and wounding of Lieutenant Fryer, 20/9/1944; entry in Weert, Netherlands; narrow escape of Forward Observation Officer (FOO) and regimental sergeant-major; occupation of Mook, Netherlands, 9/1944; start of Operation Aintree to capture Overloon Pocket, 10/1944; action at Venray, Netherlands, 10/1944; narrow escape from anti-personnel mines in Venray area, 11/1944; taking up positions on River Maas, Netherlands, winter 1944-1945; use of Kangeroo Armoured Personnel Carriers, 1/1/1945; conditions on banks of River Maas, Netherlands, 1/1945; role of unit clearing area between Rivers Maas and Rhine, Netherlands; nature of fighting on Udem-Weeze road, Netherlands, 3/1945.
REEL 5 Continues: occupation of section of left bank of River Rhine, Germany; amusing story of troops' encounters with farm animals; character of advance after crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; attack on Lingen, Germany, 4/1945; arrival of new commanding officer; sight of Allied air attacks on Bremen, Germany, 4/1945; move to Middle East after campaign; physical condition at end of campaign; attitude to having served in Second World War
