Salt, Charles (Oral history)

British Jewish civilian in East End of London, 1917-1940; private served with Royal Fusiliers, Royal West Kent Regt and East Surrey Regt in GB, 1940-1942; served with Corps of Military Police in GB and North West Europe, 1942-1946, including Normandy landings, France, 6/1944 and Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Germany, 4-9/1945

REEL 1: Background in London, 1917-1940: description of daily life in Jewish working class family in East End of London; activities of Mosley's Black Shirts and Communists in East End; awareness of events in Nazi Germany; attitude to Spanish Civil War; reaction to Munich Crisis, 1938 and outbreak of war, 9/1939; description of civil defence provisions in East End; story of call up into Royal Fusiliers, 1940. Aspects of period as private with Royal Fusiliers, Royal West Kent Regt and East Surrey Regt in GB, 1940-1942: attitude to possible invasion and state of preparedness, 1940; description of coastal defence duties on Isle of Wight; opinion of equipment; story of invasion alert. REEL 2 Continues: continuation of story about invasion alert and confirmation by nurse in Belgium; comparison of situation in 1939 with Cold War period; story of transfer to Royal West Kent Regt and East Surrey Regt; duties guarding Italian POWs on Lingfield race course, 1941; transferred to Corps of Military Police at Chatham Forts, 1942. Aspects of period with Corps of Military Police in GB, 1942-1944: voluntary nature of service with Military Police; question of reputation of Military Police; training; duties in traffic control; training and preparations for Normandy landings, 1944; traffic signs and routes; description of journey to France and landing at Arromanches, 10/Jun/1944. Aspects of operations with Corps of Military Police in North West Europe, 1944-1945: description of Emergency Rations; waterproofing of vehicles. REEL 3 Continues: description of disembarkation on beach at Arromanches; duties setting up routes through France, Belgium and Holland; problem of narrow roads; attitude to not being involved in operations at Arnhem, Holland; story of Germans respecting military cemeteries in France; role of Military Police; reaction to German breakthrough in Ardennes and re-routing of Canadian troops; story of accident to young boy; description of crossing Rhine into Germany, 1945; opinion of German roads; reason for volunteering for service in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 4/1945. Aspects of operations with Corps of Military Police in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 4-9/1945: problem of lice; use of DDT; memory of smell in camp; organisation of camp and relief for inmates; clothing store for inmates; story of female inmates who became mistresses of SS guards; role in arrest of Nazi guard Irma Grese; story of visit to camp by Marlene Dietrich to locate sister. REEL 5 Continues: further comments on Marlene Dietrich and relations with Nazi Germany; recreational activities including ENSA concerts and visits from Laurence Olivier and Yehudi Menuhin; sense of identification with Jewish inmates; attitude of Germans; memories of gypsy inmates; reason for burning huts; story of visit to camp for 50th anniversary of liberation, 1995; question of cannibalism in camp; story of barracks containing property stolen from inmates; treatment of inmates by guards; story of synagogue in Brussels; question of fraternisation between female inmates and British troops. REEL 6 Continues: story of Field Marshal Montgomery and Flensburg military parade; description of local German dignitaries being forced to work at camp and some being pushed into pits; story of Jewish girl and letter.