Interview with John Leo Wilson

British officer served with 11th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers, Malta Garrison on Malta, 1941-1943; served with 7th Black Watch in North West Europe, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Background in Wigan, GB, 1921-1940: family and education; employment; role on declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of enlistment and training with Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), Regimental Depot, Queen's Barracks, Perth in GB, 10/1940-12/1940: joining British Army, 10/1940; composition of unit; love of soldiering. Aspects of period as officer cadet at Royal Military College Sandhurst, Camberley, GB, 1/1941-6/1941: reception, 1/1941; punishment for oversleeping; story of going to college ball disguised as 'Miss Gill Wilson'; commissioning into Lancashire Fusiliers, 6/1941. Aspects of Period as officer with Lancashire Fusiliers in GB, 6/1941-7/1941: posting to Aintree Racecourse; working in Liverpool Docks dealing with German Air Force incendiaries; question of local population's reaction to bombing; posting to 11th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers at Duns, 7/1941. Aspects of voyage from GB to Malta via Gibraltar, 7/1941: voyage aboard HMT Louis Pasteur from GB to Gibraltar; transfer to HMS Edinburgh for passage to Malta; German Air Force attacks on convoy including HMS Manchester being torpedoed; running commentary soldiers were given of German Air Force attacks aboard HMS Edinburgh; arrival in Malta, 25/7/1941. Recollections of period as officer with 11th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers on Malta, 1941-1943: movements; role commanding 15 Platoon, C Coy. REEL 2 Continues: rations during siege, 1941-1942; relations with Maltese civilians; question of British Army troops marrying Maltese women; nature of German Air Force attacks on Malta; opinion that Axis would invade and role he would assume on invasion; sight of tanker SS Ohio arriving in Valletta Harbour; morale of British Army troops in Malta; role building camps; arrival of 7th Bn Black Watch; impression of General Bernard Montgomery's visit, 1943; transfer to 7th Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt). Aspects of period as officer with 7th Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 154th Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Infantry Div on Sicily, Italy, 8/1943: story of arriving too late to see action. Aspects of period as officer with 7th Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 154th Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Infantry Div in GB, 12/1943-6/1944: arrival, 12/1943; training for Normandy Landings, 1944; embarkation at Portsmouth. Recollection of operations as officer with 7th Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 154th Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: landing on Gold Beach, 9/6/1944; aspects of action at Bois de Bavent action including death of batman Private Lawrence Boyle, work of Roman Catholic chaplain, German artillery fire. REEL 3 Continues aspects of action at Bois de Bavent including leading a listening patrol and Pioneer Corps officer's misguided sense of humour; sight of German casualties and abandoned equipment in Falaise Gap, France, 8/1944; opinion of French Resistance he met in Seine Valley, 8/1944. Recollections of operations as officer with 7th Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 154th Infantry Bde, 51st (Highland) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 9/1944-3/1945: transporting battalion in Kangaroos during attack on Le Havre, France; casualties caused by German 88mm Gun shell; attack on defences at Le Havre, France, 11/9/1944-12/9/1944 including German defences, passage through chain link fence, attack on bunker, failure of shoddily made grenade, death of officer in attack, shooting German Army soldier who had killed officer, surrender of German Army troops, stores captured, German Army officer prisoners of war; party organised for platoon and visit by General Rennie; sight of Royal Air Force bombing of Le Havre, France; laying siege to Dunkirk, France, 9/1944; German raid on positions; truce arranged so French civilians could be evacuated from Dunkirk, France; amusing story of attack on Lisieux, Normandy, France, 1944; relations with civilians, Lisieux, Normandy, France; advance on Sint Michielsgestal, Netherlands, 10/1944 including bridge blowing before battalion could reach it and crossing river by boat; attack and capture of Vught, Netherlands, 10/1944. REEL 4 Continues: civilians adopting battalion in thanks for liberating Vught, Netherlands, 10/1944; leave in Antwerp, Belgium, 10/1944; story of raising money to pay bill in Century Hotel, Antwerp, Belgium; Germans opening sluices to flood Nijmegen area, Netherlands, 1944; how Canadian Army X-ray unit in field diagnosed osteoarthritis in ankle and how he became assistant signals officer instead of commanding platoon; question of heavy toll taken on platoon commanders during campaign in North West Europe; signals course GB, 12/1944; blood poisoning caused by minor leg wound at Goch, Germany, 3/1945: hospitalisation in Birmingham, 4/1945; story of fellow officer patient receiving Distinguished Service Order for killing three German soldiers with entrenching tool; return to battalion in Germany after VE day: objection to posting to 2nd Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt) in Burma, 1945; opinion of German forces in Second World War.