East, Sidney Jacques (Oral history)

British private and NCO served with 1st Bn Liverpool Scottish, 165th Infantry Bde, 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Div in GB, 1939-1941; trained with Glider Pilot Regt in GB, 2/1942-3/1943: NCO served with No 2 Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, 3/1943-1/1944; served with D Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in GB, Normandy, France and during Operation Market Garden in Netherlands, 1/1944-9/1944

REEL 1 Background in Liverpool, GB, 1917-1939: family; education; employment. Recollections of period as private and NCO with 1st Bn Liverpool Scottish, 165th Infantry Bde, 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Div in GB, 9/1939-1/1942: reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; background to joining Territorial Army, 1939; attitude to route marching in wet kit; incident of conscript who committed suicide, 1941; coastal defence work in Bawdsey-Nacton area, 1940; inadequate mapping of location of mines; living conditions at Caesar's Camp, Aldershot, 1/1941; orders that kilted troops not to travel on upper decks of public transport; attempt to volunteer for Royal Air Force aircrew, 1941. Recollections of training as NCO with No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in GB, 2/1942-2/1943: background to joining unit, 2/1942; reception at West Lavington on Salisbury Plain; move to Tilshead. REEL 2 Continues: reception at Tilshead; initial training at Tilshead; drill under Guards NCO at Tilshead; reception at No 16 Elementary Flying Training School, RAF Burnaston, 4/1942; billeting at Repton School; fear of being Returned To Unit (RTU); learning to fly in Miles Magister and other categories of training; use of Link Trainer including flying the Maltese Cross; introduction to General Aircraft Hotspur Glider at Thame; handling General Aircraft Hotspur Glider; tendency of General Aircraft Hotspur Glider's tail to fall off on dive approaches; introduction to Airspeed Horsa Glider at RAF Brize Norton; night flying with gliders; ferrying Airspeed Horsa Gliders from Bulford Camp. REEL 3 Continues: preparations to move to North Africa, 1943. Aspects of period as NCO with No 2 Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in North Africa, 3/1943-7/1943: voyage aboard HMT Nieuw Holland from GB to French Algeria, 3/1943; status of unit; arrival at Oran and move to Tizi Camp, French Algeria; reasons for volunteering for advance party; duties digging latrines, 4/1943; discovery of Waco CG-4 Hadrian Gliders in crates; unpacking and assembling Waco CG-4 Hadrian Gliders, 5/1943; opinion of Waco CG-4 Hadrian Glider; flying gliders to Tunis, Tunisia, 16/6/1943. Recollections of operations with No 2 Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt during landings on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943: briefing from General Harold Alexander for proposed landings at Syracuse; problems of taking off in desert; ditching of his glider in sea by United States Army Air Force towing aircraft; escaping for ditched glider. REEL 4 Continues: co-pilot's Lieutenant Richard Hanson's premonition of drowning; attempt to swim to land; sight of beach landings; rescue by landing craft; transfer to assault ship, HMS Princess Beatrix; reasons why gliders were ditched into sea; attitude of glider pilots to ditching by American pilots; recuperation in Hammamet, Tunisia; lack of counselling in wartime; lack of gliders in North Africa. Aspects of period as NCO with No 2 Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in Italy, 1943: sight of bodies in Taranto Harbour; role guarding Italian Fleet at Taranto; leaving Italy for North Africa then GB, 12/1943-1/1944. Aspects of operations as NCO with D Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: preparations for D-Day operation, 4/1944-5/1944; his work on evening drop to River Orne area. REEL 5 Continues: nature German defensives during landings; equipment carried in glider; return to GB, 7/6/1944; nature abortive operations planned after D-Day. Recollections of operations as NCO with D Sqdn, No 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regt during Operation Market Garden, Netherlands, 9/1944: briefing and flight; description of landing; role guarding landing zone; reconnaissance with officer; sight of shot up German staff car; arrival at Oosterbeek under fire; role defending headquarters at Hartenstein Hotel; harassing fire from German snipers on roofs, 18/9/1944; German move onto landing zone; glider pilot's attempt to get ammunition through to Arnhem Bridge; strength of German opposition in Arnhem area. REEL 6 Continues: German attempt to break through at Hartenstein Hotel, 21/9/1944; German use of loudspeaker van; opinion of unit padre; lack of rations; his shooting dead of seventeen year old sniper who fired at him, 23/9/1944; destruction of truck full of German troops, 24/9/1944; withdrawal from Oosterbeek, 25/9/1944; method of crossing River Nederrijn; how he got wounded comrade across River Nederrijn, 25/9/1944; aid given by Dutch civilian to his wounded comrade; shelling of barracks at Nijmegen after evacuation; reception from civilians at Louvain, Belgium, 9/1944; unit casualties during Operation Market Garden; psychological effects of operation.