Description
Object description
British NCO served with 1/6th Bn Gloucestershire Regt in GB and on Western Front, 1914-1916; served at Tank Corps Gunnery School, Merlimont Plage, France, 1917-1919; worked in senior management with Metro-Cammell at Saltley Works, Birmingham, 1939-1945.
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Bristol, 1894-1914: family circumstances; education; appendicitis attack; work as apprentice engineer in drawing and estimating offices with Bristol Wagon and Carriage Works; engineering evening classes at technical college; attitude to approach of war; religion; outbreak of war and view of call up of reservists, 4/8/1914. Background to recruitment and initial period with B Coy, 1/6th Bn Gloucestershire Regt at St Michael's Hill Drill Hall, Bristol, 2/9/1914: reasons; procedure and medical; family reactions; uniform. Recollections of period at Danbury, 8/1914-3/1915: billets; origins of recruits; drill; rifle and bayonet training; route marches; volunteering to join Maxim machine gun section.
REEL 2 Continues: Maxim machine gun training including method of clearing stoppages, recites song 'Why can't the packs go on the limber', practise in dropping into action and role of machine gun section members, opinion of officer; question of tactical training; story of cat in billets; conditions of service. Journey out to Armentieres sector, France, 3/1915: Channel crossing to Le Havre; train journey to Cassel; personal morale. Initial period of trench acclimatisation attached to South Staffordshire Regt in Armentieres sector, 3/1915: advice from regular unit on positioning of Maxim machine gun and question of attracting German shell fire.
REEL 3 Continues: nature of trenches; story of being under minenwerfer fire illustrating assistance and advice from regular soldiers. Recollections of period in Ploegsteert Wood, 4//1915-5/1915: situation; burial of corpses; explosion of German mine near Maxim machine gun post in Hampshire 'T' Trench; situation; post-war visit to mine crater, 1930; nature of trenches and dugouts; amusing story illustrating lifestyle; food rations; boils; use of water pump; rum ration; smoking pipe; latrines; firing Maxim during stand to and question of attracting German shell fire; importance of maintaining Maxim machine gun; story of close escape from German sniper whilst firing Maxim machine gun; question of casualties; German shellfire.
REEL 4 Continues: letter and parcel contact with GB; rat problem; conversations; gas masks; night duty; question of location of Maxim battle position; indirect Maxim machine gun fire on Warneton, 7/5/1915; occupying isolated position in No Man's Land facing German Birdcage positions, 18/5/1915; story of being observed by German aircraft; notice left on being relieved by Seaforth Highlanders; story of hearing and reporting German mining activity underneath front line; periods in reserve lines; rest periods in billets at Ploegsteert including baths at Pont de Nieppe brewery, visits to estaminets and recreations.
REEL 5 Continues: rest periods in billets at Ploegsteert. Periods at Serre and Hebuterne in Somme area,1915-1916: prior movements including story of electricity supply crossing No Man's Land. Sports day and songs sung on march including 'Why can't the packs go on the limber' and 'Maxim gun song'; lice problem; photographs taken and concealing film in water-bottle; use of bricks in communication trenches in Hebuterne sector; situation facing Gommecourt Wood; story crawling for spare Maxim machine gun part during German shellfire whilst acting as covering party from Z Hedge during trench raid, 25/11/1915; question of sheltering in cellar at Hebuterne; minenwerfer fire; story of successfully using Maxim against German sniper bursting parapet sandbags at Serre; Maxim machine gun post and firing along top of German parapet; question of importance of not firing Maxim machine gun from battle position.
REEL 6 Continues: reconnaissance patrols; opinion of Private Owen Waldren; acting as section cook and story of scavenging for wood; disposal of rubbish; retention with unit and posting to Lewis gun section, D Coy on formation of Machine Gun Corps, 1/1916; comparison of Lewis gun and Maxim machine gun; hand grenade training; ability to tap out tune firing machine guns; rest period at Couin including farm billets, visits to estaminet, improvised anti-aircraft Maxim machine gun mounting, clay oven and question of training; death of friend, 25/12/1915; personal morale; value of religion; retention with unit and posting to Lewis gun section, B Coy on formation of Machine Gun Corps, 1/1916 including role instructing in Lewis gun and promotion to corporal; story of firing on German troops carrying out trench raid, 18/3/1916.
REEL 7 Continues: story of firing on German troops carrying out trench raid, 18/3/1916; composition of Lewis gun team; GB leave; question of role of Lewis gun sections; state of morale; question of transfer as engineer to join Ministry of Munitions; tactical training for Somme offensive; question of amount of Lewis gun ammunition carried in attack; story illustrating effects of rain; story of mass singing of 'Auld Lang Syne' during preliminary bombardment prior to Somme offensive, 30/7/1916; news of progress of attack, 1/7/1916-4/7/1916; reactions to cancellation of attack on Beaumont Hamel, 5/7/1916; situation on occupying trenches at John Copse, Serre sector; view of tin identification triangles on corpses in No Man's Land; German retaliatory shell and minenwerfer fire following use of diversionary use of smoke bombs; dog in trenches; guarding German POWs in dugout; story of fatigue near accident with hand grenade on coming out of line.
REEL 8 Continues: Account of night attack in Ovillers sector, 21/7/1916: prior briefing and role in third wave; effects of inter-locking German machine gun fire whilst crossing No Man's Land; personal morale; failure of attack; inspirational role of Lieutenant A R Smith; situation on sheltering in shell hole; story of being wounded in arm whilst attempting to get wounded Lieutenant Smith back to front line; crawling back to front line; evacuation as walking wounded to dressing station at Crucifix Corner; inspections of wound and issue with 'Blighty ticket'; question of orders to leave Lewis gun teams to help Lieutenant Smith; inspections of wounds and issue with 'Blighty ticket'; case of profiteering from wounded during evacuation to GB, 7/1916. Period in Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham and VAD Convalescent Hospital, Stourbridge, 7/1916-9/1916: medical treatment; recites amusing poems written for ward sister's autograph book; visit to Stourbridge glassworks. Period at Cheltenham, 9/1916-12/1916: decision to apply for commission; state of arm. Period with Officers Training Bn Machine Gun Corps at Pirbright, 1/1917-4/1917: selection for special training as instructor; recites poem summarising training; commission in Tank Corps. Periods at Bovington and Lulworth Camps, 4/1917-9/1917: 6-pounder gun drill.
REEL 9 Continues: firing 6-pounder gun from tank; method of issuing orders as Mark V tank commander on tank battle practice range. Recollections of period as gunnery instructor with Mark V tanks at Battle Practice Wing, Tank Corps Gunnery School, Merlimont Plage, 9/1917-3/1919: initial lack of posting; opinion of commanding officer; organisation of school; creating battle practice range on coastal dunes; establishing stationary 6-pounder training battery; experiments on range in setting 6-pounder sights to maximise effect of shrapnel shells in open warfare conditions, 1918; developing target range to practice operation of 6-pounder guns from moving tank; question of tank tactics and communication with infantry; training in 6-pounder gun drill; background to selection as 6-pounder gunnery officer; method of issuing gunnery orders as tank commander on tank battle practice range; story of inspection visit by staff officer illustrating his lack of understanding of difficulties posed by operating tanks; experiments in smoke screen apparatus fixed to tanks; story of tank catching fire whilst giving nurses ride.
REEL 10 Continues: Continues: story of tank catching fire whilst giving nurses ride and subsequent court of inquiry; method of driving tank; daily routine; billets and officers' mess; organisation of unit; opinion of tactical role of tanks; question of transfer to active service posting; Armistice Day celebrations, 11/11/1918; question of becoming regular. Demobilisation, 3/1919. Post-war career: return to work in estimates office at Bristol Wagon and Carriage Works; story illustrating value of war experience; review of career as chief estimator and commercial manager with Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Works and Metro-Cammell. Recollections of work as chief estimator with Saltley Works, Birmingham, 1939-1945: location of factories; government contract building Valentine tanks; connection with Vickers; role checking commercial viability and pricing of contracts; description of duo-drive system for floating tanks (DD tanks); supply of rubberised canvas for DD tank screens.
REEL 11 Continues: finishing of DD tanks at Old Park Works, Wednesbury; question of secrecy required from workforce; cover story to explain appearance of DD tanks; screened secret testing of DD tanks in pool at Sutton Coalfield and question of subsequent improvements to original designs; commencement of production after successful seagoing tests; attitude of tank crew to DD tanks; question of feasibility of use of DD tanks in rough seas and role of DD tanks in crossing rivers; story illustrating relationship with workforce; service as officer with Metro-Cammell Home Guard including story of access to tanks, story illustrating nature of tactical exercises and inspection by Montgomery; question of profitability of war time operations; question of women workers; story of using hand pump to put out roof fire from German air raid and question of damage from bombing; post-war conversion to civilian railway production and return of re-employment of returning service personnel.
