Wright, Ronald Charles (Oral history)

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Description

Object description

British schoolboy in London and Essex, 1935-1947; NCO drill instructor served with RAF in GB, 1947-1952

Content description

REEL 1 Recollections of childhood in Forest Gate, London and Canvey Island, GB, 1930-1939: review of family background; father's service with Home Guard; move to Canvey Island; Thames shipping; geographical layout; walks across Canvey Island; archaeological relics of Viking boats; education; story of watching women linseeding calico to make fishermen's waterproof clothing. REEL 2 Continues: role of local builder in developing Canvey Island; family situation. Recollections of childhood in Barkingside, London, GB, 1939-1947: background to move; story of playing with Zulu relics and activities with Cubs; reactions to outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; naval reservist; story of digging and installing air raid shelter; view of clash between formations of German bombers and Spitfires above nearby anti-aircraft battery; sandbagging school; home classes; nature of Air Raid Precautions Posts; opinion of role of Home Guard; father's service with Home Guard and equipment issued; bomb incident; second hand story of Home Guard shooting at low flying German aircraft; reactions to death of school friend in German bombing raid. REEL 3 Continues: question of evacuation. Recollections of childhood in Little Warley, : reasons for move; education at Great Warley Junior School including story of practical joke, cleaning boots, interest in drawing; background to move into Glenwood Cafe on main London to Southend road; local characters; local terrain; view of German air raids on London; shrapnel from anti-aircraft guns; land mine casualties; close escape from land mine; story of brother attempting to get parachute from unexploded land mine and its subsequent detonation; story of visiting and collecting souvenirs from crash site of Heinkel 210, ca 1944; navigational use of A127 road by German aircraft; story of low level German aircraft raid on Uxminster. REEL 4 Continues: mobile anti-aircraft guns on A127; German propaganda leaflets; story of visiting and collecting souvenirs from crash site of Heinkel 110 in Hartswood; view of low level US aircraft; story of being first to crash site of B-17 Flying Fortress including prior mid air collision, close escape from explosion, state of corpses, reaction and subsequent discovery of corpse torso next day; story of putting out incendiary bombs landing near cafe and rescue of animals in stables in nearby farm; unexploded incendiaries; background to opening cafe for local soldiers; food served; central location of cafe near Warley Barracks, dock areas and Land Army billets; atmosphere in cafe; story of Bren gun carrier accidental damage to cafe porch. REEL 5 Continues: story of officer arranging repair of damage to cafe porch; food gifts to cafe; absence of recognition of rank amongst troops using cafe; cafe staff; hours of opening; troops arrangements to get beer supplies; music; question of profit margins; troops' standard of behaviour; stories illustrating sympathetic approach of local policemen; story of first V1 attack; reaction to V1 attacks; story of V2 attacks; German aircraft low level strafing along A 127 corridor; convoys of vehicles parking up on and alongside A 127 and establishment of camps in preparation for D Day, 1944; increased activity at cafe. REEL 6 Continues: troops work water-proofing vehicles; casualties amongst troops sleeping troops under tanks; story of practical joke on local character whilst shooting rabbits for troops; departure of troops, 6/1944; view of paratroopers before Arnhem operation; diversionary role of troops in Little Warley sector and importance of secrecy; desire to join RAF; work as farm labourer including heavy loads carried and picking Brussels sprouts, story of meeting future wife on neighbouring farm; radio; Dutch troops training at Warley Barracks; following progress of war; question of German air activity; reactions to VE Day, 8/5/1945; contemporary patriotic attitudes to war and nationalism; post-war trade of cafe. REEL 7 Continues: post-war trade of cafe; Dutch troops training at Warley Barracks; opinion of Harry Krauthoff; work in tailor's shop; volunteering to join RAF, 6/1947. Period at RAF Cardington, 6/1947: story of fight with airman over swearing and amusing response of sergeant following completion of attestation; kitting out. Recollection of conditions of service, daily routine and training with No 2 Wing at RAF Wilmslow, ca 6/1947-8/1947: deliberately disorientating reception from drill instructors in drill shed; meaning of service number; prior service with Air Training Corps; efforts to improve personal education; organisation of base; relationship with instructors and question of their use of bad language; learning regulations; question of bullying; hut accommodation and laying out of kit impersonal area; daily room orderlies. REEL 8 Continues: rota of room cleaning duties; polishing boots; home leave; amusing story of accidentally hitting wing commander with pear during train journey back to camp, punishment peeling potatoes and consequent nickname 'Chuck'; morning routine; food rations; practical jokes; purpose of drill; question of relationship between recruit and instructor; rifle cleaning and training; question of hand grenade, Bren gun and bayonet training; fitness training; background to policy of training all RAF personnel as soldiers; reaction to army discipline; passing out. REEL 9 Period as PT instructor with Coastal Command, RAF Thorney Island, ca 1947-1948: situation; Thorneycraft rescue boats dropped by parachute from Lancaster Bomber; rescue flights and story of pilot's near accident attempting to scare crew at Beachey Head; story of refusing entrance to camp whilst on guard to group captain without his pass; nature of fighting with sailors in Portsmouth; drinking habits; dances and fighting in Portsmouth. Posting to RAF North Weald, ca 1948: reception and posting to stores; activities of criminal gang of airmen, refusal to participate, fight with gang ringleader and subsequent reputation; posting to run staff in officers mess including former gang leader. REEL 10 Continues: fight with mess steward and return to stores. Attending drill instructor's course at School of Drill, RAF Credenhill <nr Hereford>, ca 1948: reception and story of dispute with sergeant instructor; low pass rate on course; commanding officer; learning drill books and course syllabus; story of sergeant's assistance to pass final verbal examination on passing out parade; story of engineering exercise building suspension bridge across River Wye; story of soldiers falling into river when crossing bridge drunk on cider; poaching activities to supplement food rations; low passing out rate. REEL 11 Continues: dispute over inadequate food rations caused by corrupt catering officer; relationship with sergeant instructor. Period at RAF Wilmslow, ca 1948: relationship with sergeant instructor; base layout; ban on contact with Women's Air Auxiliary Force personnel and consequent assignment of group of NCOs to hut within WAAF lines to enforce ban; story of drunken NCO accidentally entering WAAF hut; role as corporal drill instructor and influence of own instructors; corporals' mess and story of NCO's clash with WAAF NCO. Period on detachment to re-establish discipline amongst apprentices at RAF Locking, ca 1948-1949: reception and disciplinary situation; halting mass bread fight amongst apprentices. REEL 12 Continues: story of disciplining untidy sergeant instructor; nature and purpose of disciplinary methods; story of taking knife off apprentice; lack of drill instructors in camp; stories illustrating methods of enforcing discipline; success in restoring discipline and story of air commodore's approval of methods employed in training his son. Recollections of period as corporal drill instructor at West Kirby, ca 1949-1952: advantages of not having WAAF personnel on camp; dances attended by local civilian women; NAAFI recreations; question of quality of instructors; philosophy behind Wright's methods as instructor employing verbal bullying and discipline. REEL 13 Continues: story of bar fight whilst at RAF Locking; reception from drill instructors designed to disorientate recruits on first arrival at drillshed and in barrack rooms; story of curing recruit's stammer; story of reception given to Recruit Simon Barrington-Ward illustrating necessity of careful treatment and covert support from instructor's and more 'worldly' recruits to recruits not able to cope; amusing story of Barrington-Ward blancoing all his kit and uniform in literal obedience of orders; question of dealing with instructors behaving inappropriately; amusing story of dissuading suicidal recruits. REEL 14 Continues: inspecting barrack room and amusing reaction of recruit and his connections with Wright's family; story of hitting 'civilian' bullying recruits at social function and subsequent discovery he was new flight sergeant; background to policy of training all RAF personnel as soldiers; story of developing unofficial off camp friendly relationship with officer to discuss disciplinary matters and subsequent practical joke on another NCO during officer's inspection of huts. REEL 15 Continues: off camp friendly relationship with officer; story of officer ordering Wright to make raft for frog trapped in static water tank; story of ordering recruits to drain and clean static water tank and its subsequent use by them as swimming pool; amusing story of accidentally insulting officers whilst calling for squadron salute on parade ground; story of period of home leave and brother in law Roy King's reaction to being conscripted; story of reception of Roy King as recruit initially assigned to Wright's flight, transfer to another flight and eventual success as best recruit. REEL 16 Continues: story of meeting Roy King after he passed out as best recruit; story of Barrington-Ward's passing out parade, subsequent invitation to visit his family and his subsequent career; dances attended by local civilian women and warnings to recruits to avoid local prostitute; story of arranging for recruits guilty of indiscipline to be unneccessarily treated for VD as unofficial punishment; story of hitting recruits to stop them from fighting; role of instructors in forcibly preventing anyone from attacking recruits when attending civilian social functions. REEL 17 Continues: question of promotion and role of corporal instructors; marriage and billets; requirement to serve extra year; question of value of military service; demobilisation. Post-war career: work running pig farm; acclimatisation to civilian lifestyle; work with film manufacturers and as press photographer; story of clash between Billy Fury and Yeoman of Guard NCO during photo shoot at Tower of London.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Hart, Peter M (Recorder)
Wright, Ronald Charles (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1998
Dimensions: whole: Duration 495, Number Of Items 17
Catalogue number: 18483

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