Interview with Arthur Wagstaff

British private served with 2/4th (City of London) Bn (Royal Fusiliers) London Regt, 1st Naval Bde, Royal Naval Divison on Malta and Gallipoli, Turkey, 12/1914-1/1916; served with 1/14th (City of London) Bn (London Scottish) London Regt, 168th Bde, 56th (London) Div on Western Front, 5/1916-7/1916; sapper served as forward sound ranger observer with 2nd Field Survey Bn Royal Engineers, Fifth Army on Western Front, 1/1917-11/1918

REEL 1 Background in Tooting and Southwark, London, GB, 1897-1914: family circumstances; reactions to outbreak of First World War, 4/8/1914; employment as office boy. Aspects of enlistment and training with 2/4th (City of London) Bn (Royal Fusiliers), London Regt in GB and Malta, 10/1914-8/1915: recruitment underage Guildhall, City of London, 20/10/1914; training in GB and Malta, 10/1914-6/1915. Recollections of operations as private with 2/4th (City of London) Bn (Royal Fusiliers), London Regt, 1st Naval Bde, Royal Naval Division at Cape Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey, 10/1915-1/1916: landing at Cape Helles, 15/10/1915; situation; effects of changeable climate; state of health; story of Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1915; situation; food and water rations; state of morale; question of shaving; casualties; evacuation from Cape Helles, 1/1916, including question of awareness of Ottoman Turkish Army troops, automatic rifles, strategic background to campaign and drunken captain of tug boat. REEL 2 Continues: move in stages via Egypt to France, 1/1916-6/1916. Recollections of operations as private with 1/14th (County of London) Bn (London Scottish), 168th Bde, 56th (London) Div on Somme, France, 5/1916-7/1916: grenade training; tours of duty in front line; account of attack during Battle of the Somme, France, 1/7/1916 including moving into line, 30/6/1916, effect of Imperial German Army artillery fire on British front line, casualties during attack across No Man's Land, sheltering in shell hole, retirement to front line and discovery brother had been wounded; story of taking shelter from Imperial German Army artillery fire during sentry duty outside company office in reserve area; wiring party; casualties; story of wounding and assisting in evacuation of friend during battalion attack; medical treatment. Recollections of period as forward sound ranging observer with 2nd Field Survey Bn, Royal Engineers, Fifth Army on Western Front, 1/1917-11/1918: circumstances of transfer to Royal Engineers; methods and equipment used in sound ranging. REEL 3 Continues: question of interpretation of sound recordings; question of liaison with Royal Flying Corps; secrecy; nature of observation posts; story of being narrow escape from Imperial German Army artillery fire; background to volunteering and selection for transfer; evacuation of sound ranging equipment during Imperial German Army advance, 3/1918-4/1918; reactions to Armistice, 11/11/1918; brother's commissioning.