Jones, Walter (Oral history)

British gunner served with 66th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, 1939-1942; NCO served with 95th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery in North Africa, 1942-1943; served with Raiding Support Unit in Yugoslavia, Albania and Italy, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Background in Liverpool, 1920-1939: family; education. Recollections of period as gunner with 66 Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, 1939-1942: reasons for joining Territorial Army, early 1939; level of training, 1939; opinion of 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun; public reaction to declaration of Second World War at Swansea, 3/9/1939; issue of service dress uniforms; gun drills on imaginary guns at Crosby, late 1939; period guarding internees at Huyton, 6/1940-7/1940; attitude of guards towards internees; conditions of internees; amusing incident involving guard and Italian internee; coastal defence duties in Heveningham Hall area, 7/1940-8/1940; German Air Force attack on RAF Martlesham, 8/1940; his conviction that Germans would invade; reaction to Winston Churchill's speeches; opinion of coastal defences; coastal defence work in Pevensey Bay, 2/1941-7/1941; German Air Force attack on Eastbourne. REEL 2 Continues: attempt to shoot down German aircraft at Eastbourne; evacuation of civilian population from beach dwellings; impressions of Aldershot; exercises in Hampshire, 7/1941-8/1941; coastal defence duties at Herstmonceux; 8/1941-10/1941; agricultural duties at Moreton- in-Marsh, 10/1941-11/1941; volunteering for RAF; relations with civilians in Hull area, 11/1941-5/1942; sight of devastation in Hull and public morale; posting to 95 Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery at Newcastle, 5/1942. Aspects of voyage from GB to Egypt aboard SS Awatea and Kosciusko, 6/1942-9/1942: collision of SS Awatea with other ship; promotion to lance bombardier; continuing voyage on board Kosciusko; relations with civilians in Durban, South Africa. Recollections of period as bombardier with 95th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery in North Africa, 1942-1943: arrival at Port Tewfik. REEL 3 Continues: listening to veterans who had served in Western Desert; morale of veterans; arrival of 6 Pounder Anti-Tank Guns; independence of unit; memories of the opening of Battle of El Alamein at Mena Camp, 23/10/1942; pursuit of Germans, late 1942; orders to attend physical fitness course in Canal Zone, 12/1942; period in transit camps including Moascar Camp; question of failure to relieve troops who did fighting in North Africa. Period as bombardier with 95th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery in Middle East, 1943: move to Lebanon, 1/1943; in tented camp at Latakia, 1943. Period as bombardier with Raiding Support Regt in Middle East, 1943-1944: posting to unit; parachute training at Ramat David, Palestine, 12/1943; composition of unit; character of unit's anti-aircraft defences; role of unit. Recollections of operations as bombardier with Raiding Support Regt in Yugoslavia, 1944: arrival on Vis, 21/2/1944; impression of Yugoslavian Partisans. REEL 4 Continues: terrain on Vis; German Air Force attacks on Vis town and Komitsa; local character 'Five Columns Sir John'; dependence of Partisans on Allied supplies from Italy; organisation of raids on other islands; his first raid on Brac, 2/6/1944; reasons for high Partisan losses during raid on Brac; Partisans claim that Russians saved Tito; impressions of Tito on Vis; story of Tito's and Fitzroy Maclean's visit to grotto at Ravnik; anti-aircraft role during raid on Brac, 6/1944; change in relations with Partisans on Vis after Tito's arrival; character of naval support during raid on Korcula, 2/8/1944. REEL 5 Continues: fate of German POWs in Partisan hands; question of Germans fighting to death rather than surrender to Partisans. Recollections of operations as bombardier with Raiding Support Group in Albania, 9/1944-10/1944: seasickness amongst commandos; operational problems occurring in Sarande area; execution of raid on Sarande, 9/10/1944- 12/10/1944; surrender of German Sarande and Corfu garrisons; contracting malaria. Recollections of operations as wireless operator with E Bty, Raiding Support Group in Italy, 1945: joining 25 Pounder battery; role as wireless operator; bogging down of amphibious tanks in Lake Comacchio; objectives of operation at Lake Comacchio, 4/1945; actions he was involved in at Lake Comacchio, 4/1945; reaction to casualties in last week of war in Argenta Gap, 4/1945. REEL 6 Continues: discovery of German rocket site, 4/1945; reception for Italian civilians, 4/1945; reaction of Russian troops fighting for Germans to surrender, 4/1945; Italian Partisan treatment of collaborators. Memories of General Election, 7/1945. Story of encounter with Harry Seacombe, c3/1945.