Grosvenor, John Wallace Harold (Oral history)

British private served with 5th Bn East Lancashire Regt, 197th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Div and 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 56th Infantry Bde, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 6/1944-10/1944; served with 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regt in Jamaica, 1947-1949; served with 1st Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 29th British Infantry Bde in Korea, 11/1950-4/1951; prisoner of war in No 1 Camp, Choksong, North Korea, 1951-1953

REEL 1 Background in Whitstable and Guildford, GB, 1924-1941: family; education. Aspects of period as private with 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regt in Jamaica, 1947-1949: riot control in Kingston; use of hill station at Newcastle in Blue Mountains; extent of contact with local civilians. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 29th British Infantry Bde in Korea, 11/1950-4/1951: reaction to posting to Korea, 11/1950; voyage aboard HMT Windrush from GB to Korea; reception in Pusan; assault on Hill 327; relations with American troops; reconnaissance patrol at start of Battle of River Imjin, 4/1951; attempt to break out; capture by Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA); opinion of troops of Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). Recollections of period as prisoner of war in No 1 Camp, Choksong, North Korea, 1951-1953: march northwards; physical conditions of prisoners of war; indoctrination attempts by Chinese and western visitors. REEL 2 Continues: life in No 1 Camp, Choksong; segregation of different prisoner of war nationalities; medical problems and diet; improvement in conditions with start of peace talks; burials and death; release and processing, Kaesong; punishment of prisoners of war; lack of contact with Korean civilians. Aspects of period as private with 5th Bn East Lancashire Regt, 197th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Div in GB, 1942-1944: call-up for military service to 5th Bn East Lancashire Regt; 1942; prior membership of 4th (Guildford) Bn Surrey Home Guard, 1941. Aspects of operations as private with 5th Bn East Lancashire Regt, 197th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Div and 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 56th Infantry Bde, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 6/1944-10/1945: landing in Normandy, France, 6/1944; heavy casualties near Caen, Normandy, France; transfer to 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regt, 8/1944; wounding by sniper at Venlo, Netherlands, 10/1944; later aspects of service in Germany, 1945-1946 including bartering with German civilians.