Slee, Edward (Oral history)

British officer served with 6th Bn The Nigeria Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria, 1940-1943; served as staff officer with Headquarters, 3rd (West Africa) Infantry Bde in India, 1943-1944; served with 10 Headquarters Column, 3rd (West Africa) Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition in Burma, 3/1944-7/1944

REEL 1 Background in Lymm, GB, 1909-1930: family; education. Aspects of employment in Nigeria during 1930s: opinion of efficiency of colonial administration; political awareness of Nigerians; social relations. Aspects of period as officer with 6th Bn Nigeria Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria and GB, 1940-1943: joining battalion, 3/1940; contrast in discipline between British and African regiments; attachment to British training battalion in Formby, GB, 1941; role collecting shot down German Air Force aircrew near Liverpool; attitude of German Air Force prisoners of war; German Air Force bombing in Formby area; return to Nigeria, 1941; story of serving on court martial in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1943 including question of lack of training for officers sitting on court martials. REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with 6th Bn Nigerian Regt, 3rd (West Africa) Infantry Bde in India and Burma, 1943-1944: sickness in South Africa on route to India, withdrawal of offer of Parsi women to provide canteen for unit, India, 1943; attitude of Africans to serving aboard; composition of battalion; reason for banning of words to marching songs due to their undermining of morale; marksmanship and discipline among African troops; story of African troops running amok and use of 'ju ju'; story of NCO who objected to officers playing board game with African troops; attitude of African troops to taking prisoners of war. Recollections of operations as staff officer with No 10 Headquarters Column, 3rd (West Africa) Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition Operation Thursday in Burma, 3/1944-7/1944: question of 'trigger happiness' of Nigerian troops at Aberdeen Landing Zone. REEL 3 Continues: information given to troops about Imperial Japanese Army; Nigerian jungle crafts; lack of Japanese prisoners of war taken at Aberdeen Landing Zone; capture of Imperial Japanese Army Air Service prisoner of war; motivation of African troops; role as brigade staff officer; contact with Lord Louis Mountbatten and Major-General Orde Wingate; question of effect of Major-General Orde Wingate being given free hand by Prime Minister Winston Churchill; opinion of Major-General Orde Wingate; problems caused by Major-General Orde Wingate's death, 24/3/1944; criticism of handling of gliders at Aberdeen Landing Zone and how this reflected on Major-General Orde Wingate; Lord Louis Mountbatten's attitude towards Major-General Orde Wingate; character of Lord Louis Mountbatten; meeting with American General Joseph Stilwell at Gwalior, India. REEL 4 Continues: opinion of General Joseph Stilwell; role as traffic control officer at Aberdeen Landing Zone; flying into Aberdeen Landing Zone by Douglas Dakota, 3/1944; Imperial Japanese Army Air Service attacks on Aberdeen Landing Zone; employment of decoy airstrip; leaving Aberdeen Landing Zone, 7/1944; living conditions at Aberdeen Landing Zone; human cost of Second Chindit Expedition; question of abandoning of Chindit wounded in early days of expedition; attitude of United States Army Air Force personnel; incident in which Nigerian soldier raped villager and question of maintaining discipline; attitude towards Japanese. Aspects of period as officer with 6th Bn Nigeria Regt, 3rd (West Africa) Infantry Bde in India, 1945: return to unit; attitude of soldiers to service in India, 1945; teaching English to troops; prior recollections of Major-General Orde Wingate including appearance, manner, lack of administrative ability and complaints about maps.