Description
Object description
British gunner and NCO served with Royal Artillery in GB, 10/1939-6/1940; NCO served with Headquarters, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in Iceland, 7/1940-5/1941; officer cadet trained in GB, 7/1941-1/1942, officer served with 511th Coast Regt, Royal Artillery at Heugh Gun Battery, Hartlepool, GB, 1/1942-4/1943; served with 526st Coast Regt, Royal Artillery at Redcar, GB, 4/1943-10/1943; served with Headquarters, Tyne Sub District, Northumbrian District, Northern Command, GB, 10/1943-7/1944; student with Staff College Camberley, GB, 7/1944-1/1945; served with 724(P) Detachment, British Military Government, The Hague, Netherlands, 4/1945-6/1945; served as Military Governor with British Military Government in München Gladbach, Germany, 6/1945-6/1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Germany, Egypt and London, GB, 1927-1939: family; education; familiarity with British Army organisation; lack of ill feeling shown to family by civilians in Wiesbaden, Germany and Cairo, Egypt; rumour about how Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) had behaved in Cairo; civilian employment at War Office, London, GB, 1930's; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; abortive attempt to join Westminster Dragoons. Recollection of period as gunner and NCO with Royal Artillery, GB, 10/1939-6/1940: reporting to 67th Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, Woolwich, London, 10/1939; question of how he 'absorbed bull-shit beautifully'; posting to trade course and chaos at Buller Barracks, Aldershot, 12/1939-3/1940; acquiring map draughtsman trade; posting to Headquarters, 2nd Line of Communication, British Army, Eaton Square, London, 3/1940-6/1940; movements; posting to Headquarters, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div. Recollections of period as NCO with Headquarters, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Div in Iceland, 7/1940-5/1941: voyage from GB to Iceland, 7/1940; awareness of class differences between officers and Other Ranks; question of pro-German feeling amongst civilians in Reykjavik.
REEL 2 Continues: finding Icelanders pleasantly neutral; misbehaviour of French-Canadian troops of Fusiliers Mont-Royal; impressions of Iceland civilians; health problems of Pioneer Corps; opinion of Royal Air Force; living conditions and rations; duties; winter climate; deployment of British units; question of commando raids launched from Iceland to destroy German facilities in Greenland; attachment to anti-aircraft unit on headland in Reykjavik Harbour; regular German Air Force flights over Reykjavik; incident when German Air Force rear gunner caused casualties. Aspects of period in transit in Iceland and GB, 5/1941-7/1941: receiving posting for officer training in GB; voyage from Iceland to GB, 5/1941; keenness of bored soldiers to volunteer for active service during period in transit camp, Glasgow, 5/1941-7/1941. Aspects of training as officer cadet in GB, 7/1941-1/1942: posting to pre-OCTU course, Plymouth; bomb damaged state of Plymouth, 7/1941; officer training with Officer Cadet Training Unit in Devonshire; coastal artillery training at Llandudno. Recollection of period as officer with 511th Coast Regt, Royal Artillery, Heugh Gun Battery, Hartlepool, GB, 1/1942-4/1943: posting to regiment at Hartlepool, 1/1942; improving battery positions.
REEL 3 Continues: reception of Norwegian sabotage team from Norway; story of becoming adjutant; practice shoots, Hartlepool. Aspects of period as officer with 526th Coast Regt, Royal Artillery, Redcar, GB, 4/1943-10/1943: posting to Redcar, 4/1943; firing Ordnance BL 9.2 Inch Guns and role as fire commander; rabbit shoots; prior recollection of Reverend Philip 'Tubby' Clayton founder of Toc H. in Iceland, 1940-1941. Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Tyne Sub District, Gosforth, GB, 10/1943-7/1944: dealing with Home Guard matters; searching for lost minefields. Aspects of period as student at Staff College, Camberley, GB, 7/1944-1/1945: daily routine; German V1 Flying Bomb incidents; attitude to never participated in active service; promotion to major. Aspects of period as officer with 724(P) Detachment, British Military Government, The Hague, Netherlands, 4/1945-6/1945: attending Military Government course at Wimbledon, GB, 1/1945-3/1945; forming advance party; suffering of Dutch population, winter 1944-1945.
REEL 4 Continues: Royal Air Force supply drops to population around The Hague; sight of Dutch civilians turning out to turn backs on exiting German Army troops; composition of unit. Recollection of period as Military Governor with British Military Government in München Gladbach, Germany, 6/1945-6/1946: move to and arrival in München Gladbach, 6/1945; work in administering city; devastated condition of city; method of administrating the 'Stadtkreis'; help given to local orphanage; problems with Protestant and Catholics over education; chain of command in British Military Government; importance to German civilians approval from British Military Government; story of operatic performance by German civilians preceded by 'God Save the King'.
REEL 5 Continues: story of replacing area's loss of cows with supplies from Oldenburg; keenness of Germans to repair factories; contrast in attitude to Germans of British military government and other allies, 1945-1946; respect shown by inhabitants to the person of Military Governor; work as magistrate; incident of sentencing former Nazis farmer; methods of dealing with Nazis/Schutzstaffel (SS) personnel; lack of resistance to military authorities; relations with other Allied forces; liqueurs produced from industrial alcohol; Soviet Army troops sent to round up Soviet Displaced Persons in British Military Government area; reading from birthday cards and document showing attitude of German staff towards him, 9/1945; end of service in Germany and return to GB.