Crookenden, Napier (Oral history)

British officer served with 2nd Bn Cheshire Regt in Palestine, 1936-1937; served as staff officer with 6th Airlanding Brigade in Normandy, 1944; commanded 9th Bn Parachute Regt in North West Europe, 1944-1945 and Palestine, 1946; served as staff officer in Malaya, 1952-1954

REEL 1 Background in Cheshire, 1915-1936: family; education. Aspects of operations as officer with C Coy, 2nd Bn Cheshire Regt in Palestine, 1936-1937: railway protection duties; clash with Arab insurgents at Afuleh; degree of disruption achieved by insurgents; question of attitude of two of his soldiers under fire; opinion of role of Palestine Police. Aspects of operations as commanding officer of 9th Bn Parachute Regt in Palestine, 1946: contrast between experiences during Arab Revolt, 1936-1937 and counter insurgency operations, 1946; penetration of Palestine Police by Jewish insurgents; character of Jewish civilians in Tel Aviv; curfew in Tel Aviv; behaviour of Yemeni Jews in Tel Aviv; cordon and search operation in Jerusalem after blowing up of King David Hotel; rescue work at King David Hotel; theft of arms and clothing by Arabs from his tent. REEL 2 Continues: opinion of British Government's policy 1946. Aspects of period as staff officer with 6th Airlanding Bde, 6th Airborne Div in GB, 1943-1944: background to becoming parachute officer, 1943; formation of 6th Airlanding Bde; lack of gliders available prior to D-Day; airsickness in gliders; initial preparations for D- Day, early 1944; move into transit camp and briefing; visit by General Gale; character of German anti-glider defences. Recollections of operations as staff officer with 6th Airlanding Bde, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, D-Day, 6/6/1944: buying newspapers to take to Normandy, lunchtime 6/6/1944; take off from RAF Brize Norton, six o'clock, 6/6/1944; character of his landing, 6/6/1944; assembling at rendezvous point; construction of command post in orchard; artillery forward observation officer attached to unit. REEL 3 Continues: staff officer who had places in his glider. Recollections of operations as staff officer with 6th Airlanding Bde, 6th Airborne Div in Normandy, 6/1944-8/1944: reaction to being under German shell-fire, 7/6/1944; failure of Royal Ulster Rifles' attack on St Honorine; his brigadier's method of removing German tanks attacking Royal Ulster Rifles' positions; routine at Bde Headquarters; effect of German counter-attack on veteran division during attack on St Honorine, 12/6/1944; his narrow escape from mortaring at Chateau St Combe; Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry use of snipers in bocage country, 6/1944; General Gale's decision to attack Breville, 6/1944. REEL 4 Continues: character of attack on Breville; wounding of Lord Lovat and Brigadier Hugh Kindersley at Breville; arrival and performance of new brigade commanding officer.. Recollections of operations as commanding officer of 9th Parachute Regt in Normandy, 7/1944-8/1944: posting to command 9th Parachute Regt; role of unit in River Dives area during Normandy breakout, 8/1944; an instance of battle shock; return to GB after visit to Merville Battery; reburial of unit dead including the battalion dog Glen; General Gale's attitude to proper handling of dead. Recollections of operations as commanding officer of 9th Parachute Regt in North West Europe, 1944-1945: rapid move to the Ardennes, 24/12/1944. REEL 5 Continues: eye wounds in Belgium, 12/1944; discovery of bodies from German massacre of Belgian civilians at Bande, 1/1945; role holding line on River Maas at Horn, early 1945; handling of German POWs; return to GB to prepare for Rhine Crossing, early 1945; incident of NCO with self inflicted wound during embarkation, 3/1945; character of Rhine landing; encounter with Field Marshal Montgomery on battlefield and postcard to Crookenden's father. REEL 6 Continues: use of Locust Light tank; youthful German casualties at Recklinghausen, spring 1945; orders from Matthew Ridgway to forestall Russians on the Baltic, 4/1945; entry into Wismar, 5/1945; nature of contacts with Russian Army in Wismar area, 5/1945; British Army arrest of Russian Army man who raped and shot German woman; attempt of German wounded to escape Russians at Wismar, 5/1945; suicide of Germans civilians on hearing that Wismar was to become part of the Russian Zone of Occupation. Recollections of operations as staff officer in Malaya during Malayan Emergency: posting as Chairman of Joint Services Planning Staff; General Gerald Templer's method of operating; organisation of states and districts; method of organising resistance to insurgents. REEL 7 Continues: degree of personal danger; opinion of Gerald Templer and his method of dealing with village of Tanjong Malim after killing of Chinese resettlement officer; attitude of planters to Templer's attempts to modernise conditions of tappers; comparison between performance of 1st Bn Royal West Kents and 1st Bn Suffolk in Selangor; importance of building relations between army and police; prevalence of friendly fire incidents; attitude of National Servicemen to serving in Malaya.