Gee, Charles Hilton Roderick (Oral history)

British officer served with 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry on Western Front, 1917-1918; served with 11th Bn Durham Light Infantry in North West Europe, 1940; POW in Germany, 1940-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Castletown, GB, 1897-1914: family circumstances; conditions at prep school at Corbridge, 1905-1909. Period attending Durham Grammar School, 1909-1916: sporting activities; question of academic progress; rowing activities; bullying; question of approach of war; reaction to enlisted pupils; patriotism; specialisation in classics; initial problem with mathematics; training with OTC; reasons for signing up under Derby Scheme, 1916. Circumstances of initial conscription with 4th Bn Durham Light Infantry, 8/1916. Period with 4th Officer Cadet Bn at Herford College Hertford College, Oxford University, GB, 9/1916-2/1917: value of previous OTC experience; opinion of Royal Flying Corps officers; nature of training; background to acceptance for commission into 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry. REEL 2 Period with training unit at Catterick Camp, GB, 2/1917-3/1917: question of adequacy of training; lack of duties; rifle range; effects of vaccinations on embarkation leave; brother's letters from Western Front. Period at Infantry Base Depot, Etaples, 4/1917: bayonet training; fatigue; reputation of Colonel Roland Bradford VC. Recollections of period with 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry in Cherisy/Guemappe sector, Arras area, France, 4/1917-5/1917: opinion of officers on joining rear echelons; first journey into front line; reception and posting to B Company; move into rest; role as orderly officer; training programme; writing military essay; role on appointment as adjutant, Headquarters Company, 5/1917 including difficulty riding, role of orderly room sergeant, changing hand writing, deliberately losing orders on Bradford's instructions; stories illustrating policy of acquiring surplus equipment and vehicles, composition of orderly room office, Bradford's special standing orders and tactical pamphlets; average age of Headquarters officers; reasons for appointment. REEL 3 Continues: opinion of and relationship with Bradford; Bradford's enthusiasm for live firing training exercises and acceptance of consequent casualties; lice problem; Bradford's efforts to prevent skin diseases and improve fitness; sporting activities; importance of personal appearance and standards of trench discipline including question of 'spit and polish'; story of testifying against drunken officer and his subsequent court martial; Bradford's disapproval of drinking whisky in officers' mess; composition and nature of Headquarters officers mess. REEL 4 Continues: role of officer's servant; unjustified criticism for practise attacks in training; story illustrating reputation of Corps Commander Aylmer Hunter-Weston; tactical doctrine; story of mule race and special events during battalion sports day; opinion of Bradford including personal courage, attitude to German shell fire and encouragement of singing 'Abide With Me'; battalion concert party 'The Green Diamonds'; story of Bradford allowing unofficial leave in Amiens; Bradford's attempts to get improved GB leave for other ranks; encouragement of officers wearing steel helmet to encourage other ranks; daily routine as adjutant in battalion Headquarters in support line including location and composition of Headquarters, Bradford's visits to forward positions, Bradford's relationship with other ranks and nature of duties. REEL 5 Continues: reception of new officers; nature of trenches; trench routine; visits to front line and No Man's Land to gain experience; state of unit morale; Bradford's relationship with officers and his policy of removing inadequate officers; story of difficulty in removing inadequate pre-war territorial officer; Bradford's relationship with other ranks; Bradford's evening routine; pride in unit; daily routine as adjutant during rest periods; Bradford's efforts to device method of crossing German barbed wire and attitude to over-use of communication trenches; daily routine as adjutant during rest periods; advantages of young officers; administrative complaints directed by Bradford to brigade and divisional staff. REEL 6 Continues: story of testifying against drunken officer and his subsequent court martial. Recollections of raid on Cherisy, 15/9/1917: preparations; participation of officer posted in error; story of checking front line during raid including German POWs and shellfire; reasons for success; question of follow up raids carried out by personnel considered to be unreliable; question of deserters; interrogation of German POW; attitude to Germans. Recollections of period in Ypres area, Belgium, 10/1917-2/1918: reputation of Ypres area; story of shortage of tent accommodation in wet conditions and makeshift billet in stable in reserve; problems in organising night carrying parties to front line; question of desertions; situation on move with Headquarters into Egypt Farm Pillbox following failed attacks in Houlthurst Forest; cancellation of planned attack. REEL 7 Continues: Bradford's disposition of troops to avoid casualties; wearing gas mask due to levels of mustard gas present in Egypt Farm Pillbox; German shell fire; story of Lieutenant Plummer shooting down German aircraft; ration party arrangements; Bradford slight facial wound and his reaction to leaving orders on promotion to brigadier, 4/11/1917, including securing award of Military Cross to Plummer and writing testimonial letter to Gee; opinion of Bradford's attitude to women and character; question of authorship of book on Bradford brothers; illustration of impact of Bradford on Brigade, 62nd Division and reactions to his subsequent death; opinion of Colonel Crouch; Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1917; Crouch's drinking habits; tent accommodation; period in line on Passchendaele Ridge, 1/1918, including food rations, flooded Headquarters dugout; use of whale oil to avoid trench feet, background to soldier deserting to Germans; prior cases of desertion; hot drinks and German shell fire; relationship with Crouch; reactions to transfer as pioneer battalion to 62nd Division, 2/1918. REEL 8 Continues: reactions to transfer as pioneer battalion to 62nd Division, 2/1918. Recollections of period in Arras, Somme and Rheims areas, 2/1918-11/1918: dispute with Crouch over confusion over billeting arrangements; strategic situation; question of training and pioneer role including erecting barbed wire; question of quality of officers; GB leave, 3/1918; situation and conditions of service on rejoining unit at Fonquevillers, 22/3/1918; colonel's dispute with officer; question of continuation of Bradford's practices; severe casualties during German gas shell attack on Fonquevillers whilst out of line on rest period; issue of impregnated gas blankets and lack of casualties in subsequent German gas shell attack; period in Doullens sector; influenza problem; brothel above Headquarters; move following opening of secret papers to Rheims area; situation on moving into line and failure of attack in wood; close escape from being attacked by follow up British unit; role dealing with routine correspondence; preparations for night attack (01.30) and casualties caused by German shells. REEL 9 Continues: shell shock cases and role in reforming companies prior to successful attack; captured 75mm guns used by Germans; assisting in evacuation of wounded; close escape from German shells; view of 18pdr battery going into action; question of effects of continued attacks; return to pioneering role in Doullens sector; support role in attack and drunken officer, role correcting line of advance of forward units during attack; use of antidote to counter effects of gas shell; successful advance to take unoccupied trench; story of casualty with pre-sentiment of death; question of nervous officer; failure to report trench was not occupied by Germans; successful attack at Havrincourt including question of Crouch's order not to take POWs; positions established, alarm caused by German patrol behind line, subsequent dispute with brigadier and question of units abandoning positions without reason; advance to Mauberge; reaction to news of Armistice, 11/11/1918; premonition of death of brother; handing in surplus equipment and vehicles prior to advance into Germany; policy of acquiring surplus equipment and vehicles. REEL 10 Continues: Advance into Germany, 11/1918: reception from Belgian civilians; shortage of food rations; question of conditions of service, 1914-1918; question of Light Infantry pace. Recollections of period in Cologne area, Germany, 11/1918-4/1919: initial billets in village; relationship with German civilians; court room exchanges during court martial of drunken officer; story of prior court martial of deserter; problem with late issue of daily orders; dance; question of demobilised soldiers' attitude to miners; move to replace Coldstream Guards unit in Cologne; curfew; question of German revolt and their reaction to French colonial troops; billets; mass attendance at church parade held by 'Woodbine Willie'; visit to officers' clubs; visits to officers' brothel and view of 'torture chamber' used by Germans; opinion of viewing demonstration of German students ceremonial duelling during subsequent visit, 1932; reaction to arrival of regular colonel; demobilisation and return to GB, 4/1919; prior success in winning bursary to enter Cambridge University, 10/1919. REEL 11 Continues: Recollections of period studying classics and English at Cambridge University, 1919-1922: reasons for leaving army; preparatory study; question of justification for award of Military Cross for actions in Rheims area, 1918; role recruiting for OTC. Inter-war career: period as teacher at Clifton College, Bristol; acting as company commander whilst attending summer camp with 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry; involvement with OTC activities; attending military courses; question of mess protocol in conversations; attending exercises with 2nd Bn Cheshire Regiment; promotion to major; visit on cultural exchange to Germany, 1932, including question of German atrocities in Belgium and opinion of situation in Germany; question of anti-semitism at Clifton College; awareness of approach of war and expulsion of schoolboys after pro-Nazi demonstration; reactions to outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; background to being dismissed by headmaster for joining 11th Bn Durham Light Infantry, 12/1939-4/1940. Period at Chester-le-Street, 12/1939-4/1940: opinion of officers and other ranks; nature of role. REEL 12 Continues: nature of role. Recollections of journey with divisional advance guard out to Arras area, France, 4/1940: role in command of party; report on problems encountered; problem with drunken officers. Period in Arras area, 4/1940-5/1940: problems securing adequate food rations; state and role of unit. Recollections of operations following German attack, 5/1940: question of requisitioning transport for move into line and consequences of delay; story of burial of mutilated corpse of parachuted German pilot killed by French colonial troops; supervising preparation of positions on canal line; Belgian refugees; retreat; opinion of headquarters officers; orders to hold line of Canal du Nord; story of reconnoitring gap in line on left flank; reports of German tank; role organising retreat towards Belgium in absence of senior officers; situation on joining Headquarters at Wancourt. REEL 13 Continues: opinion of Colonel John Bramwell; situation and dispositions of unit on joining Headquarters at Wancourt; looted shop; attack by German dive bombers whilst successfully locating battalion transport; coming under fire in motor-car from German armoured car; view of advance of German armoured formations; taking shelter in Wancourt cellar during attempt to locate Bramwell and signs of First World War occupation; scouting to discover Germans had occupied Wancourt; disposing of various personal effects and documents; scouting around at night; capture by Germans, 20/5/1940. Initial period as POW, 5/1940: question of being shot; preliminary interrogation; concentration of POWs in Wancourt church; unexploded bomb; writing postcards to notify parents and their use by Germans solely for intelligence purposes; question of food, water and personal possessions; journey by lorry and train to Leipzig, Germany; dispute with French POWs. Recollections of conditions, lifestyle and daily routine during period at Oflag IX AH, Spangenburg Castle, Germany, 1940-1943: initial assignment to lower camp; move into top camp and refusal of existing British POWs to share Red Cross parcels; question of appointment of senior British officer; castle accommodation; state of morale and German POW newspapers. REEL 14 Continues: food; cold weather and issue of Polish uniform; refusal of existing British POWs to share Red Cross parcels; opinion of British officers running camp administration; return to lower camp; story of failed escape attempt by two officers; question of organisation and feasibility of escapes including importance of learning German; role as kitchen officer including appointment, question of thefts, central organisation of Red Cross parcels to supplement German issued food, cooking facilities, kitchen orderlies, story of officer stealing POW sugar ration in another camp and supervising equal division of food amongst POWs. REEL 15 Continues: German reaction to discovery of mutilated corpse of parachuted German pilot killed by French colonial troops; successful escape of Airey Neave; relationship with German guards and attitude to non-co-operation of party of POWs; question of Germans shooting prisoners and reports from survivor of massacre; period of period in punishment camp in Poland fort in retaliation for reports of bad treatment of German POW in Canada; German temporary confiscation of extra kit and uniform purchased or sent through Red Cross; laundry facilities; fuel for fires; orderlies; room accommodation; use of concealed wireless and distribution of contents of news broadcasts around camp; suspicions of German plant amongst POWs; opinion of escape tunnel attempts and concealment of spoil; educational studies; attitude of friend repatriated with tuberculosis. REEL 16 Continues: educational studies; German discovery of wireless after receiving intelligence from plant; sending code messages back to GB and subsequent concealment of radio in tobacco tin; construction of wireless by POW; use of codes to pass intelligence and communicate with War Office; tuberculosis cases; state of health; sporting activities including cricket, hockey, curling and rugby; recreations; suicide of brigadier; stories illustrating personal problems of POWs; relationship with POWs; parcels and letter contact with GB. REEL 17 Continues: letter contact with GB; concert parties and plays; morning routine; sewing as hobby; home made knife; personal morale; cooking; lunch; afternoon and evening recreations; movements. Recollections of period in Stalag VI B, 1943-1944: German attempt to concentrate of British officers in one camp; camp layout; appointment as kitchen officer; conditions; deaths from starvation in nearby Russian POW camp and attempts to donate excess food to them; role organising fair division of food amongst POWs; comparison of conditions for POW officers and other ranks; escape attempts and consequent deliberately destructive search of rooms by German guards; return to Spangenburg. Recollections of period at Spangenburg Castle, Germany, 1944: successful escapes; stories illustrating relationship with German guards; reaction to lecture inviting POWs to support joint Anglo-German war against Soviet Union, Recollections of march into Germany, 4/1945: makeshift rucksack; refusal to march initially during day and subsequently due to state of health; German fears of uprising amongst forced labour workers and POWs; volunteering to be posted to assist in running other ranks POW camp. REEL 18 Continues: question of loss of weight due to food shortage on stoppage of Red Cross parcels, 12/1944; refusal to march due to state of health; attitude of German guards; taking billets in village; Allied air attack; story of telephoning to notify US troops of location; liberation by US patrol and surrender of German guards. Initial period on liberation, 4/1945: requirement to guard airfield in absence of local US troops; airlift via Paris to GB; effects of rich diet; reception; reunion with wife; question of lice problem; Post-war career: question of problems with health and rehabilitation to civilian lifestyle; work for Conservative Party in General Election, 5/1945; demobilisation and return to open new house at Clifton College after cancellation of dismissal for enlistment, 1939; beneficial effect of new baby on relationship with wife; joining voluntary unit and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Positive attitude to First World War service, 1914-1918.