Description
Object description
British officer served as chaplain served with Royal Engineers in GB, 1940; chaplain served with Royal Army Medical Corps in GB, Egypt and Palestine, 1941-1942; served with Warwickshire Yeomanry in Palestine and Egypt, 1942; served with 124 Field Regt Royal Artillery in Palestine, North Africa, Sicily and France, 1942-1944; served with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in North West Europe and GB, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB and Palestine, 1910-1940: family background in army and church; family; comfort of upbringing; Admiral billeted in house during First World War; education at Bramcote Prep School in Scarborough; discipline; memories of headmaster; sports played; activities during holidays; scholarship exams for Winchester Public School; life at Winchester; sports; fagging; reactions to leaving home for school; subjects and teachers; discussion of education at Winchester; activities in Officer Training Corps.
REEL 2 Continues: officers; education at Trinity College Cambridge; decision to not join clergy; work teaching at Missionary School in Jerusalem; tension between Arab and Jewish communities; drafting into police during riots; signs of growing anti- Semitism in Germany and German exchange; training at Westcote House Theological College in Cambridge; decision to continue at Bishopwearmouth; ordination in Durham; life as Curate in north-east including impressions of poverty and people; working hours; shock at abdication of Edward VIII; relief following Munich Agreement and hope for continuing peace; work as Secretary to Bishop Williams; outbreak of war; activities during winter 1939-1940; decision to join army.
REEL 3 Continues: interview with Assistant Chaplain General at York; uniform bought. Aspects of period as chaplain with Royal Engineers in GB, 5/1940- 11/1940: posted to Railway Training Centre; description and role of centre; accommodation; duties; arrival of troops from Dunkirk and help given to them; diary extract of this event describing what the troops had been through and treatment offered to them; service given to Dunkirk troops; regular Sunday services; rank; reason for asking to go abroad; posting at No 2 Casualty Clearing Station in Rotherham. Aspects of period as chaplain with Royal Army Medical Corps in GB, 11/1940-3/1941: location and staff of station; tropical kit bought; accommodation; period on 24 hour notice to move; train journey to Liverpool. Aspects of journey from Liverpool, GB, to Egypt, aboard the HMT Orion, 3/1944-5/1944: boarding of ship; rations; time waiting for embarkation; route taken from Liverpool and convoy; boat drill; items carried in case of emergency; movement across Atlantic; conditions on board and activities as chaplain; time in Freetown harbour; crossing the line ceremony; reception from civilians in Cape Town; journey up Red Sea; disembarkation. Aspects of period as chaplain with Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt, 5/1941-7/1941: description of transit camp.
REEL 4 Continues: first impressions of Egypt; journey to Sidi Bishr; accommodation and conditions; leisure activities in Alexandria; evacuation of wounded; train journey to Haifa; role of Colonel in Clearing Station; doctors in station; rest of staff in station; role as chaplain; description of camp. Aspects of period period as chaplain with Royal Army Medical Corps in Palestine, 7/1941-1/1942: reason for posting to Haifa; takeover of Italian Hospital; role of station; contact with patients; extract from diary about nationalities of patients; needs of patients; mail; story of Major General from Winchester School and joining of Warwickshire Yeomanry. Aspects of period as chaplain with Warwickshire Yeomanry in Palestine, 1/1942-5/1942: role of unit in Palestine; exchange of horses for Honey Tanks; arrival in unit at Ghedera; officers mess; reveille; training with tanks; background of officers; contact with troops; posting in Acre; Old Whickamist dinner at Jerusalem; fitness training; memories of Colonel Jackson; organisation of officers mess; description of Acre and camp; duties; activities of unit during war; reactions to possibility of seeing action; TEWTs.
REEL 5 Continues: train journey into Egypt. Aspects of period as chaplain with Warwickshire Yeomanry in Egypt, ca5/1942: location of camp; hospitalisation and leaving of unit; visits to Cairo and meeting of wife; posting in Royal Artillery. Aspects of operations as chaplain with 124 Field Regt Royal Artillery in North Africa, 9/1942-7/1943: attachment of unit to 50 Division; situation at Alamein; first action seen at Alam Halfa including memories of Colonel Todd; effect of Montgomery on 8th Army; activities of Artillery; proximity to Axis forces; duties as chaplain including transport; duties of batmen; instruments taken with him including position as interpreter; description of desert; navigation in desert; health and sanitation; problems with flies; health problems; ages of troops; background of troops; description of the start of the battle; reactions to battle; movement across battlefield; surrender of Italian troops and birthday celebrations; advance along coast; time in camp at Benghazi; visits to places of interest; transport; march from Tripoli to Mareth; involvement of unit with 151 Brigade.
REEL 6 Continues: view of battlefield; story of help given with blood transfusion including location of Regimental Field Post; advance to Enfidaville; reaction to being returned to Cairo; return to camp at Alexandria; regimental parade service; casualties; knowledge of destination and learning of Italian. Aspects of operations as posting as chaplain with 124 Field Regt Royal Artillery in Italy, 7/194312/1943: Regimental interpreter; reception of civilians; action of Durham Light Infantry at Primosole Bridge; story of fight with Axis forces after landing; burial of officers killed by mine along with Axis troops; marking of graves and dealing with identity discs and possessions; burial returns; details of graves and services; writing of letters to families of casualties; advance along coast; contact with civilians; POWs taken personally; bombardment of mainland; news of return to GB; visits from Montgomery; return to GB. Aspects of period as chaplain with 124 Field Regt Royal Artillery in GB and France, 12/1943-6/1944: leave; posting in Long Melford; relationship with civilians including carol service organised; preparations for D-Day; description of camp in Cambridgeshire; reason for not sailing on D-Day; reaction to role as reinforcements.
REEL 7 Continues: embarkation from Tilbury including details of motorbike issued with; disembarkation and mistaken journey to Field Hospital; return to unit; interview with senior chaplain and reason for new posting. Aspects of operations as chaplain with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in North West Europe, 6/1944-12/1944: reactions during journey to 8th Battalion; proximity to German forces; cessation of diary; settling into unit and Bocage terrain; duties with casualties at Regimental Aid Post; smoking in RAP; evacuation of wounded; duties visiting troops; accommodation; reactions of wounded troops; help given to severely wounded; rarity of consoling dying men; arrangement of services; effect of medical and chaplain presence on morale; role of chaplain as link with normality; desire to share life of infantryman; plan for attack on Mont Pincon; march to start line including shelling on journey; formation on start line; shelter taken from shelling; wounding from shrapnel; reactions to wound; discussion of reasons for going to war; advance through France; celebration of Paris' liberation in Beaufort; arrival in Brussels; activities in Regimental Aid Post during action at Gheel; stories from time in Brussels; journey through Falaise Gap; more on party in Beaufort.
REEL 8 Continues: activities in Regimental Aid Post at Gheel; arrival on island in Nijmegen; air activity; location of Regimental Headquarters; accommodation of troops; distribution of apples among troops; conditions in area; concern about possible posting in Burma; return of Division to GB; reactions to posting; life expectancy of young officers in Normandy. Aspects of period as chaplain with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 12/1944-9/1945: role in Yorkshire; troops being trained; wait for demobilisation; discussion groups arranged including growing socialism among troops; help given to troops receiving bad news; story of soldier breaking under strain; reasons for rarely seeing strain in troops; services on VE Day in Keighley and York; process of demobilisation; marriage; worst moment in army; method of being able to carry on and death of Lieutenant Widdecombe; reunions and pride in association with Durham Light Infantry troops.
