Scatcherd, Albert Dixon (Oral history)

British private with Durham, Light Infantry Depot in GB, 1936; private served with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, China, North Africa, Syria and Greece, 1936-1943; POW in Germany, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Background in Durham, GB, 1916-1936: family; death of father; period in children's home; memories of childhood; community grew up in; visits to cinema; primary education; leisure activities; clothing situation; food; family home; story of first smoke; Board of Guardians Relief; details of time in children's home; family's involvement with church; discipline at home; visits from mother at children's home; secondary education; time with Toc H; work at Kimblesworth Colliery including working day and details of pay; decision to join army. REEL 2 Continues: mining perks and details of pay; food; effects of 1926 General Strike; differences in society when child; reactions of parents to his joining army; process of joining army. Aspects of period as private with Durham Light Infantry Depot in GB, 4/1936-10/1937: arrival at Fenham Barracks; accommodation and details of squad; kit inspections; uniform issued including wearing of puttees; cleaning of rifle; rifle and equipment issued including adjustment made to uniform; layout for kit inspection; barrack room damages; replacement of lost equipment; sleeping arrangements; cleaning of barrack room; punishments given out; storage of equipment; rota for cleaning barracks; latrines including cleaning; barrack room orderly; leisure activities in barrack room. REEL 3 Continues: NAAFI; army attitude toward gambling; opinion of cleaning; coping with discipline; visits to NAAFI; NCO instructors; NCOs in barrack block; heating in barrack room; cleaning of items in barrack room; drills learned; drill canes; building up of pace; rifle drill; firing courses; bayonet training; importance of bayonets; Saturdays; details of route marches; foot inspections; morning procedures; breakfast; issue of meals; opportunity for complaints; food orderly; opinion of rations; cleaning of utensils; timetable of duties; drill and physical training; Lewis Gun training; opinion of Lewis Gun; morning break; dinner; fortnightly medicals; afternoon activities including sports; tea; guard duties including selection of stickman. REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 10/1936-10/1937: standard of turnout when leaving camp; length of time at Fenham; posting to 1st Battalion at Blackdown; journey to Blackdown; arrival and sorting into B Company; introduction to accommodation and rations; similarities of life to Fenham Barracks and description of Blackdown; population of barrack rooms; relationship with experienced troops; rifle issued; punishments for neglecting rifle and other misdemeanours; activities and duties; church parades; padre; ceremonial and commanding officer's parades; weapons training; transport in battalion; NCOs in section; memories of Regiment Sergeant Major Bush; company commanders; manoeuvres at Ashe; opinion that training based on First World War; relationship with civilians; annual leave; uses of pay; pay parade; guards rota; preparation for guard duty; inspection and relief of guard; guard duties including challenge; visits from orderly officer; length of duty and subsequent time off. REEL 5 Continues: news of posting abroad and reaction; Aspects of journey from GB to Shanghai, China, aboard HMT Dilwara, 10/1937-11/1937: sleeping arrangements; activities onboard; story of storm in Yellow Sea; boat boys selling items on stops; route marches and ports of call; scenes of ships on Suez Canal; issue of tropical kit; inoculations; lectures on arrival in Shanghai; time in Kowloon. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in China, 11/1937- 9/1939: arrival in Shanghai; journey to accommodation; first impressions of China; relationship with civilians; role of battalion; border patrol duties; Japanese treatment of Chinese and time accommodated in school; stories of incidents with Japanese; reactions to Japanese behaviour; leave and leisure activities; relationship with troops of other nationalities; contact with foreign civilians; relationship with civilians; out of bounds areas; problems with VD and methods of dealing with it; army attitude to VD; rations; mail; Japanese march through Shanghai; location of barracks; flood of Yangtze; opinion of barracks; civilian workers in barracks; parades; other units in China. REEL 6 Continues: coping during floods; removal of Japanese from international concession; accommodation taken up in warehouses; rations; death of Corporal Grimshaw; cleaning up work after floods; uniform worn; winter clothing worn for guard duty; guard duties; visit to medical room with Sergeant McNally; posting as medical orderly at brigade headquarters; duties including malaria precautions; sick parades; No 9 tablet; dealing with medical issues after sick parade; length of time in post; memories of Colonel Lysaght-Griffin; split of battalion between Peking and Tientsin; accommodation in Tientsin; duties at British Embassy in Peking; journey to Hong Kong; signs of approaching war. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Hong Kong, 1939-1940: training and manoeuvres; posting in Pioneer Platoon; work with mines and grenades; engineer course attended; make-up of Pioneer Platoon including NCOs; change to war footing. REEL 7 Continues: reasons for leaving China; preparations for departure from China; arrival in Kowloon; issue of bren guns and training; journey to Port Said. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Egypt, 1/1940-7/1941: situation in North Africa; first impressions of Egypt; work on Suez Canal; searches on Italian ships; accommodation and leisure activities; relationship with civilians; posting to Mersa Matruh; digging of trenches; Italian air raids; accommodation; climate; capture of Fort Capuzzo; push through Bardia and beyond; role during advance including POW Camp; lifting of mines; reactions to coming under fire; casualties; Rommel's offensive; fortification of Tobruk; action against tanks at Fort Capuzzo; reinforcements. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Syria, 7/1941- 10/1941: role in Syria; guard duties in Aleppo; fire between Allies and Vichy French; difference between Free and Vichy French uniforms; return to Egypt; leave; training at El Kibrit. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in North Africa, 10/1941-1/1942: journey to Tobruk; relief of Australians; positions held; German positions and activity; movement during day; description of positions; adjustments made to positions; wiring and minefields; method of creating gap in wire; duties in support of patrols; details of patrols; change in reactions while on patrol. REEL 8 Continues: role of reconnaissance patrols; description of Spandau fire; opinion of Axis and British machine guns; Axis Verey lights and reaction to them; role of fighting patrol; German patrols and POWs; duties with Pioneer Platoon; description of priming and using a handgrenade; work in British and Axis minefields; wiring of minefields; route of supplies; rations; water supply and ration; keeping clean; keeping warm through night; Stand To; flies and desert sores; supply of meals; leave in El Kibrit; news of posting in Malta; voyage from Alexandria to Malta including air activity. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Malta, 1/1942-6/1943: arrival and posting in Rabat; accommodation; posting in Dingly Dell and accommodation; duties; air raids; work on airfields building Supermarine Spitfire shelters; routine; health of battalion; relationship with civilians; rations; anti-personnel mines dropped by Italians; discipline; unloading of convoys; opinion of civilians; transport used to get around island; use of open graves for shelter. REEL 9 Continues: visits to Rabat; air raids and arrival of Supermarine Spitfires; attitude of civilians; invasion scares; rations; health of battalion; anti- aircraft defences; knowledge of dangers faced by convoys; British units on island; duties; story of German aircrew baling out of aircraft; contact with POWs; medical services; news of George Cross award and its display in Malta; reason for posting to Kos. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Greece, 7/1943: landing; activities on Kos; German air activity; reaction to bombing; arrival of Germans; reaction to situation; morale; attempted defence of airfield; shelter taken close to coast; situation after night and surrender. Aspects of period as POW in transit, 1943: reaction to becoming POW; search; German forces on island; more on attempted defence of airfield; troops who managed to escape; morale; burial of German troops; opinion of treatment; rations; opinion escape was futile; voyage to Piraeus; route of train journey to Germany; memories of journey; conditions on train including latrine; problems with dysentery. REEL 10 Continues: reason for alighting in Salonica; meal stops; guards; more on conditions on journey; reason for not having contact with civilians; examination in Salonica hospital; state of uniforms; journey into Germany. Aspects of period as POW in Germany, 1943-1945: arrival at Stalag IV B; length of stay; roll call; contents and use of Red Cross parcels; main meal in camp; method of sharing bread ration; breakfast; accommodation; sleeping arrangements; stoves in room; latrines; cleaning and inspections of huts; relationship with guards; organisation of camp; treatment of Russian POWs; German morale; discipline; punishments; entertainments; joining of working party; work in Wittenburg in brick factory; method of sabotage; accommodation; morning procedures; Red Cross and German meals; guards; football match against local youths; escorted walks to local pub; contact with civilians; reason for transfer to different brickyard; opinion of second brickyard; story of cheering German air raids; taken to Torgau; interview with officer and sentence to six months hard labour; work in opencast mine and Canadians from Dieppe; story of Australian POW shot. REEL 11 Continues: opinions about shooting; strike following shooting and Corporal Dalgleish's demand for enquiry; memories of Ralph Devlin; later arrest of accused German; apology from German senior officer; split up from friends and details given to Red Cross by sergeant; length of time in camp; accommodation; troops seen getting off train; journey to camp near Elbe; morning procedures; work in lumber yard; use of flour stolen from local mill; accommodation; senior soldier in camp; visits of delousing van; issue of new uniform; Red Cross inspections; mail; rations; bartering with civilians; details of working day; more on work in lumber yard; German realisation about war ending; disappearance of sentries; walk away from camp and sounds of gunfire; crossing of bridge over River Elbe; night in French camp; walk away from camp and American met; time at assembly camp; flight to and time in Brussels; flight to Haywards Heath; reception on arrival; debriefing; time in camp; leave; time in Sedgefield Camp; process of demobilisation in York. Aspects of period as civilian from 1946: marriage; issue of uniform at Brancepeth Castle; evidence given at War Crimes Tribunal in London; stay in New Zealand Club; civilian work and home.