Howard, John Thulstan Collins (Oral history)

British officer cadet at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in GB, 1938-1939; officer served with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Tower of London in GB, 7/1939-9/1939; served with Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Depot at Bodmin in GB, 1939-1940; served with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in GB, Algeria and Tunisia, 1940-1943; served with 1st Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in North Africa and Italy, 1943-1944; student with Staff College, Haifa, Palestine, 1945; served as staff officer with British Military Mission attached to 2nd Greek Division in Greece, 1945-1946; served as staff officer with War Office in London, GB, 1947-1948; served as officer with 1st Bn Nigeria Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria, 1949-1951; served as staff officer with Headquarters, British Army of the Rhine at Bad Oeynhausen and Headquarters British Troops Berlin in Berlin, Germany, 1951-1953; officer served with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Minden, Germany, 1953; served with Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Depot at Minden, Germany, 1953-1956; served as staff officer with Headquarters, Far East Land Forces in Singapore, Malaya, 1957-1958; served as officer with 1st Bn Somerset Light Infantry in GB, 1959; served with 1st Bn Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry in Germany, 1959-1961; as staff officer with SHAPEX in Paris, France, 1961-1962; commanded 1st Bn Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry in Gibraltar and Berlin, Germany, 1962-1965; served as staff officer with School of Infantry at Warminster in GB, 1965-1967

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1919-1939: family’s naval service; decision to join army; membership of OTC at Eton College. Aspects of period as cadet with Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in GB, 1938-1939: joining No 5 Company; nature of first term; physical training tests; lectures and assessment; leave; opinion of training; digging of slit trenches at time of Munich Crisis, 1938. Aspects of period as officer with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Tower of London in GB, 7/1939-9/1939: reception on arrival; public duties; attitude of troops to ceremonial duty; mobilisation at Shorncliffe, 8/1939. Aspects of period as officer with Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Depot at Bodmin in GB, 1939-1940: posting to depot; training conscripts; signals course at Bodmin and Catterick; nature of communications. REEL 2 Continues: contact with battalion in France; attachment to 30th Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry at Truro; duties; selection of signallers; dangers of Home Guard roadblocks. Recollections of period as officer with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in GB and Algeria, 1940-1943: joining battalion as signals officer at Chichester, 6/1940; state of battalion; coastal defence duties; problems with communications; sight of aerial activities; capture of German aircrew; isolated nature of positions; character of commanding officer; changes in battalion; exercises and opinion of new commanding officer Roy Urquhart; use of 18 radio sets; desert warfare exercise in New Forest; appointment as adjutant, 1941; Roy Urquhart’s views on physical exercise. REEL 3 Continues: effect on morale of German Air Force attacks on Southampton; more to camp at Heckfield; attending combined operations exercise at Inverary; security check; battalion discipline; character of six commanding officers; march from Catterick to Dumfries area; organisation of march; exercises with tanks; recreational activities; battalion landing in Solway Firth; orderly room staff; embarkation leave. REEL 4 Continues: voyage from GB to Algeria aboard SS Orion; landing at Algiers in Algeria and march to transit camp; impressions of Algiers, Algeria; train to Tunisia. Recollections of operations as officer with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Tunisia, 1943: deployment in front-line; communications and transport; view forward of positions; handing over to American troops; activities in first positions; move to Medjez el Bab sector; clash with German fighting patrol; patrolling; nature of German attack; final assault on Tunis; nature of advance. REEL 5 Continues: fall of Tunis; move to Cap Bon, 5/1943; collection of Axis POWs at Cap Bon, 5/1943; accidental attack by American aircraft; relations between German and Italian POWs; acquisition of vehicles. Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in North Africa and during attack on Pantelleria Island, Italy, 1943: posting to unit as reinforcement; training for attack on Pantelleria; assault on Pantelleria; surrender of Axis forces on Pantelleria; German dive-bombing attack; return to North Africa; guarding POW trains. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in Italy, 19431944: move to Taranto; train journey northwards; preparations for assault landing; impressions of Italy. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry at Anzio, Italy, 1944: landing at Anzio as part of follow brigade; move into bridgehead. REEL 6 Continues: impressions of General John Lucas; positions at Anzio; orders for brigade advance; holding up of advance; German positions; communications; German surrounding of salient and night withdrawal; state of communications; battalion headquarters; rescue of British POWs and opinion of Scots Guards; further details of withdrawal; positions near The Flyover; nature of static warfare in ‘wadi country’; opinion of German mortars; communications and supply. REEL 7 Continues: plan for breakout from Anzio bridgehead; unit casualties; American breakout; German withdrawal; character of German positions and use of mortars; battalion support weapons; threat of mines and booby traps; casualties during attack on German holding positions on Ardea Line; nature of attack on Ardea Line. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in Italy, 1944: in reserve near Ostia; training south of Rome; recreation in Rome. REEL 8 Continues: recreation for troops in Rome; move to River Arno area; company and German positions; crossing River Arno; German mortar fire and artillery shelling; terrain and positions; re-supply problems; lack of daylight activity; German mining and demolitions; artillery support; reception from Italians; move into positions on Monte Cece; German counter attack; nature of mountain warfare; company positions on Monte Grande. Aspects of period as student with Staff College, Haifa, Palestine, 1/1945-8/1945: posting to college; journey from Italy to Palestine. REEL 9 Continues: pattern of course and method of instruction; use of Tactical Exercises Without Troops; utilisation of personal experience; prior recollections of experiences of air support during Italian campaign; opinion of assessment sight-seeing during leave and lack of political tension. Aspects of period as staff officer with British Military Mission attached to 2nd Greek Division in Greece, 1945-1946: posting as GSO2 Training to 2nd Greek Division; role of mission; equipment shortages and organisation; quality of troops and officers; accommodation and use of caique; opinion of training programme; lack of signs of civil war; Greek requirements and communication in French. Aspects of period as staff officer with War Office in London, GB, 1947-1948: posting as GSO3 Intelligence; responsibilities for Yugoslavia; sources of intelligence; contact with other establishments; opinion of General Gerald Templer; working routine. REEL 10 Continues: work of G2; value of defectors and émigrés. Recollections of period as officer with 1st Bn Nigeria Regt, Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria, 1949-1951: posting to battalion; climate in Lagos and north of country; comparison between Hausas and Ibus; organisation and training; qualities of troops; tribal compositions of battalion; veteran troops; weapons; accommodation; discipline; dealing with mutiny by engineers; commissioning of first Nigerian officer and his conduct; recreational activities; level of criminal activity; threat of rabies; return to GB as prisoner escort. Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, British Army of the Rhine at Bad Oeynhausen and Headquarters British Troops Berlin in Berlin, Germany, 1951-1953: posting as GSO2 Intelligence; areas of responsibility; sources of intelligence; security at headquarters; routine procedures; liaison with Americans; posting to Berlin. REEL 11 Continues: interrogation of refugees; degree of contact with Americans, French and German; treatment of defectors; emphasis on Russian ground forces; attending Russian lunches at Spandau Prison and other contracts with Russian personnel; transit arrangements in Berlin corridor; Russian response to defections. Aspects of period as officer with 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Minden, Germany, 1953: posting to regiment; changes to regiment; quality of troops; exercises and training; social life and contact with German civilians. Aspects of period as officer with Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Depot, Bodmin in GB, 1953-1956: posting to depot; qualities of recruits during training; competition amongst training staff; selection of sportsmen; chain of command; annual inspections; drafts from depot; ‘depot week’ during summer. REEL 12 Continues: Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Far East Land Forces in Singapore, Malaya, 1957-1958: posting to Singapore; accommodation; duties organising troop movements; attitude to climate; air movement exercises; extent of command; lack of awareness of strategic issues in Far East; size of department; relations with RAF; lack of internal security threat; planning process; return to GB, 1958. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Somerset Light Infantry in GB, 1959: posting as second in command; preparations for amalgamation with Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry; duties as second in command; work as demonstration battalion at School of Infantry, Warminster; detachments. REEL 13 Continues: experimental ‘pepper potting’ tactics; carrying out APC exercises; radios; farewell parade. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry in Germany, 1959-1961: initial posting to 1st Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry; training; amalgamation of 1st Bn Somerset Light Infantry and Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, 1959; nature of exercises to counter Russian threat. Aspects of period as staff officer with SHAPEX in Paris, France, 1961-1962: posting to organisation; staff; annual exercise. REEL 14 Continues: purpose of SHAPEX; rehearsal by Lord Louis Mountbatten; own duties; need for additional staff to cope with exercise; security matters; use of interpreters; administrative problems. Recollections of commanding 1st Bn Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry in Gibraltar and Berlin, Germany, 1962-1965: joining battalion in Gibraltar; character of unit detachment in Tobruk, Libya; problems of visiting Tobruk; popularity of Tobruk posting; duties in Gibraltar; sporting activities; life in Gibraltar; visit by Colin ‘Glubb’ Pasha. REEL 15 Continues: posting to Berlin to relieve Welch Regt; preparations for battalion move; strength of battalion on arrival; provision of guards for Spandau Prison, Russian War Memorial and night train guards; ‘Rocking Horse’ system for rapid deployment in case of Russian invasion; visits to East Berlin; impressions of Russians, Americans and French military; invasion scares; relations with German civilians; Allied Forces parade; nature of posting; limited training facilities; Gibraltar Week celebrations; extensive travel during leave after posting. Aspects of period as staff officer with School of Infantry at Warminster in GB, 1965-1967: role of G1 Tactics; changes in equipment and uniform. REEL 16 Continues: annual firing day; courses; use of Imber training village; character of students; instruction and assessment; use of helicopters; conservation scheme at Imber; demonstration battalion; membership of working party on career pattern for soldiers; annual report; adjustment to civilian employment; maintaining regimental connections.