Description
Object description
British private trained at Durham Light Infantry Regimental Depot at Fenham Barracks, Newcastle upon Tyne, GB, 1931; served with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1931-1932; served with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry in India, Sudan and GB, 1932-1938; served with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry, 6th Infantry Bde, 2nd Infantry Div in GB, France and Belgium, 8/1939-5/1940; prisoner of war in Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany, 8/1940-1/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Sunderland, GB, and St John's, Newfoundland, 1910-1931: story of Zeppelin raid on Sunderland during First World War, 1/4/1916; education; childhood including court appearance; family; effects of First World War; father's military service during First World War; poverty of family following First World War; birth of sister; employment in café; further memories of childhood; suicide of employer; employment with fishmonger and at Victoria Hall.
REEL 2 Continues: recreational activities; membership of boy scouts; sporting activites; memories of childhood friends; French polishing work; reason for emigration to Newfoundland; application for Salvation Army work scheme and training for farm work; reaction to leaving home; journey to Newfoundland; arrival in St John's, Newfoundland; work on farm; return to GB and length of time spent in Newfoundland; unemployment on return to GB. Recollections of enlistment and training as private with Durham Light Infantry Regimental Depot, Fenham Barracks, Newcastle upon Tyne, GB, 1/1931-11/1931: background to enlistment; journey to and arrival at Fenham Barracks; posting to training squad; presence of relative at regimental depot; composition of training squad; story of breaking knuckles and hospitalisation at Catterick; waiting to join new training squad; army education certificates; morning procedures; details and opinion of drill.
REEL 3 Continues: coping with pace of drill; importance of drill; bayonet training; rifle training at regimental depot and Ponteland; route marches; boxing; army education including learning of regimental history; pride in regiment; rations and cookhouse fatigues; preparation for kit inspections including polishing of boots and wearing of puttees; story of a kit inspection; cleaning of barrack room; story of reprimand and punishment following a route march to Jesmond Dene guardroom; standard of turnout before leaving barracks; story of saluting Union Flag and slipping over on return home; cane drill; evening activities; details of pay including story of refusing to cooperate with means test officer; reason for leaving home.
REEL 4 Continues: comradeship among recruits; opinion and memories of NCO instructors; story of saluting a regimental sergeant-major; regimental depot staff; passing out parade; settling into army life. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1931-1932: description of barracks at Catterick Camp; posting in machine gun company; opinion of formation of machine gun battalions; relations with older troops; characteristics of Vickers Machine Gun including crew roles, transportation, opinion of Vickers Machine Gun, stoppages; stripping of machine gun; firing of machine gun; practice firing on range, opinion of revolver carried and learning of all crew positions; opinion of Lewis Gun and later use of gun in Belgium; practice putting machine gun into action; guard duties; reason for volunteering for service in India. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Nevasa from GB to India, 1932: promotion during voyage; guard duties; sleeping arrangements; storage of hammocks; rations; gambling and bingo; seasickness; policy towards passing Italian ships; dolphins seen from ship; availability of alcohol; arrival in Bombay, India. Recollections of period as private with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry in India, 1932-1936: initial impressions of India; conditions on train journey from Bombay to Barrackpore; description of barracks at Barrackpore; civilian workers in camp; use of false names when buying tea; sleeping arrangements; storage of equipment and rifles; church parades and reason for attending services with rifles.
REEL 5 Continues: morning procedures; rations including curry; mounting of guard and selection of stickman; stickman duties; items borrowed when first selected as stickman; story of Private 'Chalky' White's return from visit to Calcutta; recreatioal activities; climate and afternoon naps; sporting activites; boxing competition at Lebong; evening activities; canteens; civil unrest training exercise in Calcutta; visits to Barrackpore and Calcutta; warnings against and problems with venereal disease; relations with civilians including personal servant; time spent in bed; story of soldier who committed suicide; description of Deolali and explanation of term 'deolali tap'; duties at munitions factory in Midnapore; description of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway; recreational activities at Lebong; assassination attempt on John Anderson; tea planters and local orphanage; problems with bed bugs at Lebong and Fort William, Calcutta.
REEL 6 Continues: problems with kneecap and ankle; posting as storekeeper; stores staff; duties as storekeeper; reasons for troops obtaining new clothing items; topees worn; clothing worn; ammunition checks; visits to Bombay Central Railway Station; process of ordering goods; daily routine; relations with colour sergeants; method of gaining extra materials for stores; ongoing problems with knee; reason for not being sent home; posting in Bombay; guard mounted for new Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, 4/1936; role during riot in Bombay; hospitalisation with dysentery; death of Corporal Wilson; stories illustrating problems with wildlife; reaction to posting away from India; scenes in Darjeeling; handover of stores. Aspects of period as private with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry in Sudan, 1936-1937: journey from India to Port Sudan; train journey to Khartoum.
REEL 7 Continues: initial impressions of Khartoum; description of barracks; reason for not visiting Khartoum; duties; climate and sandstorms; relations with civilians; journey to GB, 11/1937; transfer of battalion members to 1st Bn. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1937-1938: arrival in Woking; suits sold outside Inkerman Barracks; initial attempt to make him re-enlist while in Khartoum, Sudan; reason for not re-enlisting; leave including means test incident and move to Walsall. Aspects of period as civilian in GB, 1938-1939: obtaining work as doorman at cinema; meeting future wife; work in factory and on buses; reason for not re-enlisting; signs of approaching war; call-up to Army Reserve; return to Woking. Aspects of period as private and NCO with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry, 6th Infantry Bde, 2nd Infantry Div in GB, 1939: reaction on return to battalion; opinion of Bren Gun; testing of gas capes; route marches; attitude of civilians towards military personnel; visits to Guildford; opinion of Boys Anti-Tank Rifle; training with mortars; lecture on German mortars; opinion of training; posting in D Coy; opinion of Company Sergeant-Major Norman Metcalfe; return to civilian employment with orders for return; call to report and journey to Durham Light Inantry Regimental Depot, Fenham Barracks, Newcastle upon Tyne; reaction to outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939; journey to Woking; reasons for not mentioning knee injury; problems with knee; training; opinion of gas masks issued.
REEL 8 Continues: Aspects of period as private and NCO with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry, 6th Infantry Bde, 2nd Infantry Div in France, 9/1939-5/1940: journey to Cherbourg; posting to racecourse at Le Mans; accommodation; rations and activities; posting in Chantenay; leave; promotion to lance corporal; posting in 16 Platoon; memories of Second Lieutenant Richard Annand; boredom; relations with civilians; trouble in cafés; bombing of Douai; accommodation; later reaction to attack by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. Aspects of operations as private with 2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry in France and Belgium, 5/1940: journey into Belgium; greeting from civilians; taking up positions on River Dyle at La Tombe, Belgium, 13/5/1940; platoon position; impression of Second Lieutenant Richard Annand; reconnaissance across River Dyle; story of Private Martin Douglas forgetting password on return to lines; return to C Coy with news of tanks approaching; destruction of bridge; arrival of and aid given to refugees crossing river; British artillery barrage; return fire from Germans; wounding by shrapnel; German attempts to cross River Dyle, Belgium, 15/5/1940; night-time in positions 15/5/1940-16/5/1940; reaction to situation; grenades given to and actions of Second Lieutenant Richard Annand, 16/5/1940; orders to withdrawl; activities of Sergeant Terry O'Neill; roll-call during withdrawal; return of Second Lieutenant Richard Annand for batman Private Joe Hunter and his subsequent death; under fire during withdrawal; march towards Brussels, Belgium; soup eaten; orders from Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Simpson; arrival in Tournai, Belgium; positions taken at Grammont, Belgium; wounding of Staff Sergeant-Major James Pearson; story of Private William Fytche being killed by sniper at Saint-Venant, France, 26/5/1940.
REEL 9 Continues: lack of artillery support; German paratroopers dropped; accidental firing on 1st Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment; order to fend for themselves; withdrawal to canal with Lieutenant Jasper Rudd; boat journey along canal; reunion with battalion NCOs and conversation with Sergeant-Major Norman Metcalfe; realisation he was wounded; initial treatment received; wait for ambulance; decision to walk away into forest; sight of artillery barrage being fired; journey on truck and Junkers Ju 87 Stuka attack. Aspects of period as prisoner-of-war in France and German, 5/1940-8/1940: capture by Germans; inital treatment by Germans; growth of column and march; prisoners of war with bicycles; climate; rations and sleeping arrangements; item taken from house; presence of French prisoners of war in column; incident of being forced to run through a town; conditions during truck journey; state of wounds; arrival at Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf; nature of water supply on route; rumour about invasion of Great Britain; shooting of wounded prisoners of war on route; length of journey. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany, 8/1940-1/1945: delousing in camp; obtaining clothing; sleeping arrangements; opinion of camp guard nicknamed 'American Joe'; escape of Royal Air Force prisoners of war; description of barrack blocks; fights; call for farm workers; camp hospital; accommodation in Grunfleiss; rations; potatoes stolen and method of cooking them; story of first day working; stopping for bad weather; story of apple stolen from small girl; lunch; wooden clogs worn.
REEL 10 Continues: problems with lice; story of using latrine at night in accommodation; emptying of latrine; visit from guards' wives; washing of clothes; prisoners of war health; treatment received from guards; treatment for ill health in main camp; reunion with Private George Blackburn; working party at sawmill in Hof including burning down of sawmill; building of new mill; problems with leg and posting as cook; arrival and contents of Red Cross parcels; German tampering with parcels; sharing out of Red Cross parcels; food received from parcels to cook; cooking equipment; relations with guards shopping for food; tricks played during roll call; stoves made by prisoners of war; swapping Red Cross food with Jewish prisoners of war; attitude towards working parties; relations with civilians; mail; concern for family; gramophone; accommodation; presence of Australian and New Zealand prisoners of war; obtaining news of progress of war; air raids; concern civilians may turn on prisoners of war; reasons for not attempting to escape; signs war was coming to an end; packing up of possessions. Aspects of trek away from Stalag VIII-B, Germany to Czechoslovakia, 1/1945-5/1945: start of march; desertion of guards; size of group; splitting-up of group; period travelling with refugees; treatment received from Soviet Army; meal eaten in house with Soviet officers; reception from civilians; separation from Soviet Army unit; dances at night and traffic control.
REEL 11 Continues: opinion of Soviets; arrival in Prague, Czechoslovakia; Germans in Prague, Czechoslovakia; stay in hotel; story of Sonja Nyedla and stay with her family; Germans mourning death of Adolf Hitler; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; events following end of German occupation. Recollections of return to GB, 1945: journey to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia; flights to Brussels, Belgium and on to GB; reception on arrival in Oxford; telegram sent to wife; journey from Walsall Railway Station to home; arrival home; Czech money given to children; journey to Sunderland; relations with son; time spent in Wolverhampton rehabilitation centre; reason for not reporting Sergeant-Major Norman Metcalfe; news of Lieutenant Jasper Rudd; time spent in Washington rehabilitation centre; opinion of rehabilitation centres; hospitalisation in Chester; demobilisation. Aspects of period as civilian in GB from 1946: return to civilian employment and problems with knee; work in Sunderland General Post Office; medical and reason for sacking; work obtained in Walsall; pension; ongoing problems with shoulder wound.
