Morley, Erik (Oral history)

British signaller served with 425 Bty, 107th Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery in GB, Palestine, North Africa, 1939-1942; POW in Italy and Germany, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Background in Nottingham, 1920-1939: relationship with father; education; work; question of approach of war. Various aspects of recruitment and training as signaller with 425 Bty, 107 Regt, <South Notts Hussars> Royal Artillery at Derby Road Drill Hall, Nottingham, 1939: nature of Morse code training; Redesdale Camp; outbreak of war and initial moves in GB; role of signallers. Voyage aboard HMT Devonshire to Palestine, 1/1940: convoy; story of reading destroyer's signal warning of bad weather. Period in Palestine, 1/1940-6/1940. Period in Mersa Matruh, 6/1940-1/1941: former status as holiday resort; reaction to Italian high level bombing and superior accuracy of artillery; state of morale. REEL 2 Continues: reports of operations of 'Dummy' Bty, 12/1940. Period in Suez Canal area, 1/1941-4/1941: story of meeting Arab camel rider whilst on guard on Suez Canal bank; watching for mines being dropped. Drive to Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941: changing driver without stopping; arrangements for dispersal if attacked; instructions from motorcyclists; reaction to prospect of holding Tobruk during retreat. Aspects of period in Tobruk, 4/1941-12/1941: Italian built concrete perimeter defences; role as signaller passing on fire orders of observation officer in front line sector at Observation Post 21; story of repairing telephone line under shell fire; relationship with Australian troops; role during raids by Australian troops across No Mans Land; question of tactics employed during initial German tank attacks, 4/1941. REEL 3 Continues: story of German tanks passing through front lines and success of tactics employed during initial German tank attacks, 4/1941; rest camp; personal morale; German bombing of empty area of desert found to contain buried Italian ammunition dump; question of use of captured Italian artillery; Stuka dive bombing raid; question of German shell and small arms fire; conditions of service at front line OP; story of Colonel William Seely's dog chasing German unexploded bomb; opinion of various officers. REEL 4 Recollections of role as signaller in Bren carrier acting as observation post accompanying Black Watch during attack on German strongpoints during breakout operations at Tobruk, 21/11/1941: crew; German fire; limited perspective; view of infantry casualties whilst crossing No Mans Land; false dawn in desert; consolidation of captured position. Account of affair with Egyptian woman whilst on leave in Cairo, ca 1942: initial meeting in bar; buying tickets for dances. REEL 5 Continues: developing relationship despite language difficulties and subsequent meetings; meeting brother, his fluent English and role as chaperone; call back to unit and question of getting married on return.; subsequent letter from her. REEL 6 Continues: subsequent letter from her. Story of being wounded in wrist by shrapnel, subsequent capture and priority medical treatment from German first aid post during Battle of Knightsbridge, Cauldron sector, Gazala area, ca 6/6/1942. Review of subsequent career, 1942-1946: story illustrating treatment of POWs by Italian guards in North Africa; period as POW in Italy, 1942-1943; period as POW in Austria, ca 1943-1945; escape to Soviet Union, 1945; subsequent inability to trace Arab girlfriend.