Description
Object description
British private served with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, Cyprus, Iraq and North Africa, 1940-1943; private served with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Greece, 1943; POW in Germany, 1943-1945; private served with 49th (West Riding) Division in Germany, 1945-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Hendon and Birmingham, GB, 1920-1940: schools attended; family; memories of childhood; leisure activities; annual holiday in Weardale; work in bakery; visits to cinema; discipline at home; health; education; father's service in First World War; membership of church choir; details of civilian jobs worked; period on dole; training in Birmingham to be semi-skilled machinist; return to Hendon on outbreak of war and work in brewery; signs of approaching war; keenness on army service; call-up; interview at Sunderland YMCA.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as private with Durham Light Infantry Depot in GB, 4/1940-5/1940: arrival at Brancepeth Castle; uniform issued; arrival and accommodation in Spennymoor; memories of Peter Minshella; visits to Tudhoe; troops disappearing from unit; pattern of training; issue Lee Enfield .303 rifles; postings in Rugeley and Otley including weekend leaves. Aspects of period as private with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 6/1940-5/1941: joining of battalion following Dunkirk; make-up of draft; state of battalion; other postings on south coast; accommodation in Abbotsbury; relationship with civilians; rations; story of minefield explosion; air activity; equipment situation; Stand To; opinion of chances against invasion; details of mail; transport of battalion; posting in Honiton; details of route marches and manoeuvres; settling into army life; memories and opinions of NCOs and officers.
REEL 3 Continues: journeys home for leave; reception on return home; accommodation in Honiton; kit inspections and replacement of lost kit; comradeship; heating; ablutions; guard duties; standard of turnout for guard; firing of Boys anti-tank rifle; time as and description of rifle grenade firer; training with Bren gun; make-up of company; opinion of .303 rifle; bayonet training including boar hunting in Iraq; grenade practice; story of an accident in training; issue of tropical kit; train journey to Glasgow; boarding of ship. Aspects of journey from Gourock, GB, to Egypt aboard the Duchess of Richmond, 5/1941-7/1941: conditions onboard; Indian troops on ship; troops deserting at Durban; activities on land; details of escort; activities during voyage; boxing; discipline. Aspects of period in transit through Egypt, 7/1941: posting in Qassassin; first impressions Egypt and bumboats in Freetown; description of camp; health of battalion; journey to Cyprus. Aspects of period as private with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in Cyprus, 7/1941-11/1941: digging of airfield defences in Nicosia; relationship with civilians and accommodation.
REEL 4 Continues: working day; aircraft taken to Turkey; visits to Nicosia including description of Turkish bath; relationship with civilians; more on digging of airfield defences; climate; health of battalion; rest camp visited. Aspects of journey from Cyprus, to Northern Iraq, 11/1941: route taken; scenes in Transjordan valley and Iraq; stops for meals and sleep. Aspects of period as private with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in Iraq, 11/1941- 2/1942: snow piquets and rum ration; method of cooking; hunting and cooking of pigs; reaction to officers getting best of everything; methods of keeping warm and hunting of gazelles; road surfaces; visit to Kirkuk; journey through Baghdad; visit to Kirkuk market; canteen; terrain; rations; opinion of posting in Iraq and contact with civilians; journey through desert to Gazala. Aspects of operations as private with 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry in North Africa, 2/1942-3/1943: accommodation; description of desert; air raids; latrines; coping with flies; rations.
REEL 5 Continues: water ration; discipline; refreshing nature of tea; problems with lice and crabs; washing of clothes in petrol; problems with facial hair; hygiene; visits of NAAFI and beer ration; mail; cigarette ration; rations; use of camouflage; health of battalion; visit to Alexandria; shelling of positions; activities during day; digging of dugouts; details of climate; posting in anti- tank platoon; opinion and description of 2lb anti-tank gun including scenes of tracers during breakout; make-up of 2lb anti-tank gun crew; firing drill; details of patrols; supporting units in box; explanation of Strickland Gap; opinion of 2lb anti-tank gun in action; feeling of vulnerability during German attack; first dead soldier seen; breakout from Gazala Box and journey to Alamein Line; morale; casualties.
REEL 6 Continues: artillery barrage before Operation Supercharge; advance following Axis withdrawal and effect of Montgomery's arrival; wounding of Richard Albro at Mareth; cover taken from shelling; memories of Colonel Jackson; location of anti- tank gun dug in; memories of battle; hospitalisation in Palestine. Aspects of operations as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Greece, 9/1943: reaction to posting with 1st Battalion; opinion about posting in Kos; time on Kos and capture. Aspects of period as POW in transit, 1943: items taken; reaction to capture; treatment from guards; voyage to Piraeus; change of guards; conditions on train journey through Balkans; stops and food on journey. Aspects of period as POW in Germany, 1943-1945: arrival and accommodation in first camp; work digging trenches; rations; guards supervising work; contents and importance of Red Cross parcels; relationship with and background of guards; Russian POWs.
REEL 7 Continues: make-up of working party; details of work; punishments for dodging work; reason for transfer to benzene factory; suspicions over meat in stew; journey to camp at benzene factory; opinion of reason for selection for transfer; description of camp; details of factory; work undertaken in factory; shelter taken from air raids; treatment of civilian prisoners; story of guard killed during air raid; people living in factory; description of air raid shelters; casualties from air raids; filling of shelters with bitumen; contact with other prisoners and guards; description of time in solitary confinement for bartering with items from Red Cross parcel; discussion about possibility of escape; bombing of camp; POWs killed by air raids; discipline; relationship between POWs; health of POWs; comradeship and characters keeping morale up; POWs fraternising with guards; locations of working parties; different types of Red Cross parcels; exchange of items from parcels; methods of making cigarettes; items made by POWs from tins; mail; change in attitude of guards towards end of war; march toward Allied lines.
REEL 8 Continues: deterioration of health and sick leave on return home; rations in camp and details of work for Siemens; padre and medical officer in camp; busyness of POW life; news of war; story of moving casualties following heaviest air raid; relationship with guards; more on repairs and casualties following air raids; senior NCO in camp; air raids at day and night; roll call and punishments for missing work; disappearance of guards at end of war. Aspects of period as POW in transit, 1945: walk to American lines; length of march; rations on march; story of rations stolen by fellow POWs; forced labour and civilian prisoners on march; fear of Russian troops; sleeping arrangements; weather; reception from American troops; issue of new uniform; rations; train journey to Calais; plane journey to GB; reception and processing on arrival; reaction to situation; medical; time in transit camp; leave; details of pay and extra rations.
REEL 9 Continues: Aspects of period on leave in GB, 1945: reception on return home and family's knowledge of his situation; speaking about experiences; settling into life in GB; extra rations; more on talking to people about experiences; leisure activities; health; heaviness of POW work; ration situation as POW and at home. Aspects of period as private with 49th (West Riding) Division in GB and Germany, 1945-1946: joining of 49th Division; basic training in Scotland; Inter Battalion Rifle Competition; story of court martial in Germany including request for volunteers to form firing squad and acceptance; march to site of execution; make-up of squad; description and tethering of condemned man; execution; reason for blank cartridge within squad; discussion of event and effect on him; friend on firing squad; period as batman; learning to ride horse; state of Heber; relationship of civilians; process of demobilisation at York.
REEL 10 Continues: return to civilian work; marriage; gratuity.
