Spencer, Brian (Oral history)

1023888979
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Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

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Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

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Description

Object description

British gunner served with 442nd Coastal Defence Regt, Royal Artillery in Fort Haile Sand and Fort Bull Sand on River Humber, GB, 1941-1942; NCO served with Glider Pilot Regt in GB, Normandy, France and Palestine, 1942-1946

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Leeds, GB, 1921-1941: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; German Air Force attacks on Leeds. Aspects of training as gunner with Coastal Defence Regt, Royal Artillery in Plymouth, GB, 1941: call-up to Royal Artillery, 15/5/1941; basic training; devastated condition of bombed Plymouth; public morale. Aspects of period as gunner with 442nd Coastal Defence Regt, Royal Artillery at Fort Haile Sand and Fort Bull Sand on River Humber, GB, 1941-1942: posting to Fort Haile Sand and then Fort Bull Sand in Humber Estuary; role of forts; entertainment; facilities and personnel; weather conditions. Aspects of training as glider pilot with Glider Pilot Regt in GB, 1942-1943: reasons for volunteering for Glider Pilot Regt, autumn 1942; conditions and discipline at Tilshead on Salisbury Plain; flying training at RAF Booker; training on General Aircraft Hotspur Glider at RAF Stoke Orchard; keenness to get onto operations; posting to A Sqdn, Glider Pilot Regt at RAF Harwell, 1/1/1944. Recollections of operations as NCO with A Sqdn, Glider Pilot Regt in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: role during Operation Tonga as second pilot to Sergeant Ken Hannon. REEL 2 Continues: flight and landing in field east of Ranville; first casualties; challenge by paratroopers for having wrong password; move to Ranville; digging in at Ranville; incident of civilian killing two paratroopers with machine gun at Ranville; return to GB, 7/6/1944; how glider pilot Sergeant Ken Hannon went temporarily blind with strain; background of Sergeant Ken Hannon; story crashing of his towing aircraft at Wantage, GB, 6/1944; glider load on D-Day; capture of German prisoner of war. Aspects of period as glider pilot with Glider Pilot in GB and Palestine, 1944-1946: question of why he missed Operation Market Garden, 9/1944; memories of VE Day in Shrewsbury, GB, 8/5/1945; aircraft defence duties in Palestine. REEL 3 Continues: ferrying gliders from GB to Rome, Italy, 9/1944; role of unit round up of suspect insurgents in Tel Aviv, Palestine; false rumour in Palestine about anti-Semitic manifestations in GB; importance of being even handed with civilian population.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Spencer, Brian (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1994-09-06
Dimensions: whole: Duration 75, Number Of Items 3
Catalogue number: 15121

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Spencer, Brian (Oral history)

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