Interview with Ronald Thomas Stewart Macpherson

British officer served with 5th Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in GB, 4/1939-6/1940; served with 11th (Scottish) Commando in Greece, French Syria and Libya, 2/1941-11/1941; prisoner of war in Campo PG 41, Montalbo and Campo PG 5, Gavi, Italy, 11/1941-9/1943 and Stalag XVIII-A, Spittal an der Drau, Austria, Stalag I-B, Hohenstein and Stalag XX-A, Thorn, Germany, 9/1943-10/1943; escaped from Germany to Sweden, 10/1943-11/1943; served with Jedburgh Team Quinine, Special Operations Executive in GB and Auvergne, France, 1943-1944; served as agent with Special Operations Executive in Udine area of Italy, 1944-1945; consultant to commission on Italian-Yugoslav border, 1946

REEL 1 Aspects of enlistment and training with 5th Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in GB, 1939-1940: enlistment in Territorial Army, 4/1939; listening to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's speech announcing outbreak of Second World War with fellow officers; mobilisation in Scotland, 9/1939. Recollections of period as officer with No 11 (Scottish) Commando in GB, 6/1940-1/1941: volunteering for unit, 6/1940; question of role of commandos in 1940; issue of black hackle cap insignia; commando training at Lochailort; calibre and nature of instructors at Lochailort including Majors William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes; further training at Isle of Arran. Aspects of period as officer with No 11 (Scottish) Commando in Middle East, 1/1941-10/1941: voyage from GB to Middle East via South Africa, 1/1941 including reception in Cape Town, South Africa; plan to capture Pantelleria Island, Italy, cancellation of operation due to lack of naval support; reception of ready-filled sandbags sent from GB to North African desert; participation in raid on River Litani, French Syria, 7/6/1941-8/6/1941, including Vichy French forces' expectation of commando landing, opinion of Vichy French opposition; prisoners of war taken; officers in unit; operation by submarine to collect Allied personnel escaping Peloponnese, Greece, 4/1941; mobile reserve role of unit in Cyprus after Syrian Campaign. Aspects of operations as officer with No 11 (Scottish) Commando during preliminary reconnaissance for Operation Flipper in Libya, 11/1941: Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Keyes' plans for raid on Rommel's headquarters in Libya. REEL 2 Continues: landing by submarine during reconnaissance operation for Operation Flipper; failure of submarine to make rendezvous; decision to exit area on foot; discovery of unit's concealed boats; evading Deutsches Afrika Korps foot patrols; raiding Deutsches Afrika Korps camp for food; killing pursuing guard dog; mistake of destroying telephone exchange; capture by Italian Army patrol, 4/11/1941; treatment and interrogation by Italian captors, 11/1941. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Campo PG 41, Montalbo and Campo PG 5, Gavi, Italy, 11/1941-9/1943: removal by Italian Navy destroyer from Libya to Reggio di Calabria; move to Campo PG 41, Montalbo; reaction of South African prisoners of war to conditions during winter, 1941-1942; camp conditions; removal to Campo PG 5, Gavi; stories of escape attempts made from Campo PG 5, Gavi; German takeover at Campo PG 5, Gavi, 9/1943; failure of prisoner of war concealment attempt at Campo PG 5, Gavi, 9/1943; failed attempt to escape during train journey to Austria, 9/1943. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Stalag XVIII-A, Spittal an der Drau, Austria, Stalag I-B, Hohenstein and Stalag XX-A, Thorn, Germany, 9/1943-10/1943: story of acquiring French uniform for escape attempt during incarceration at Stalag XVIII-A, Spittal an der Drau, Austria, 21/9/1943; escape from Austria to Italy in an attempt to enter Yugoslavia; recapture by German Army mountain troops at Chiusaforte, Italy, 26/9/1943. REEL 3 Continues: period in solitary confinement at Stalag I-B, Hohenstein, Germany, 30/9/1943; removal to Stalag XX-A, Thorn, Germany, 1/10/1943. Aspects of escape from Stalag XX-A, Thorn, Germany to Sweden, 10/1943-11/1943: plan to escape from Stalag XX-A, Thorn to Sweden via Danzig, Germany; escape to coal dust cargo in Swedish ship from Danzig, Germany, to Visby, Sweden, 10/1943; arrival by aircraft at RAF Kinloss from Sweden, 4/11/1943. Recollections of period with Jedburgh Team Quinine, Special Operations Executive in GB and France, 11/1943-9/1944: reporting to Headquarters, Special Operation Executive at Baker Street, London, 11/1943; background to joining Special Operations Executive; Jedburgh training, 1943-1944; composition of Jedburgh Team Quinine, 4/1944; flight by Handley Page Halifax to Auvergne, France, 8/6/1944; warning of possible French Resistance hostility to Jedburgh Teams parachuting in uniform; nature of French Resistance group worked with in Auvergne. REEL 4 Continues: importance to morale of first action of blowing rail bridge, 9/6/1944; methods of delaying movement of German 2nd SS-Panzer Div 'Das Reich' heading for Normandy, 6/1944 including booby trapping felled trees; resistance operations at Montmouchet; attempting to organise support, training and equipment for Maquis groups; importance of uniformed Jedburgh officers to impress seriousness of intent to resistance recruits; attitude towards French collaboration; absence of briefing on variety of French Resistance groups; Francs-Tireurs et Partisans Francais (FTP) domination of French Resistance in Lot area; knowledge of political ambitions of Communist Francs-Tireurs et Partisans Francais (FTP) from ex-member; insulating Massif-Central area by blocking roads running north-south, 8/1944; nature of working relations with Office of Strategic Services (OSS) team; German threat to French forces at Bec de l'Allier; accepting surrender of German Major-General Botho Elster's troops at Beaugency, 17/9/1944. REEL 5 Continues: capture of Autun; celebrations at Dijon, 8/1944; debriefing at Avignon; reasons for not writing report on Jedburgh Team Quinine operations. Recollections of operations with Special Operations Executive in Urdine, Italy, 10/1944-4/1945: period at Headquarter, Special Operations Executive, Monopoli, Italy, 9/1944-10/1944; briefing for operation in north east Italy, 10/1944; parachute drop into Italy, contrast between operations in Italy and France; Italian Partisan groups of various political complexions in Italy; co-operation of Yugoslav Partisans 9th Corps with Italian Partisans of Garaibaldi Brigade in Venezia-Giulia, their agreement about future political destiny of area; attempt by Italian Partisan Osoppo Brigade to betray Garaibaldi Brigade to Germans; massacre of Garibaldi Brigade personnel by Osoppo Brigade partisans; arrival of British forces; acceptance of German commanding officer's surrender, 4/1945; work persuading Yugoslav Partisans to cease incursions into Italy to establish political rights of occupation after VE Day, 8/5/1945. REEL 6 Continues: repelling German team sent to take Bishop of Udine hostage, 5/1945; advisory role with Italian-Yugoslav Border Commission, 1946; prior recollections of commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Keyes in 1941.