Sharp, David Maurice (Oral history)

British NCO served with Army Personnel Selection in GB and Dutch East Indies, 1945-1947; attached to Malayan Scouts in Malaya, 1948-1950; served as intelligence NCO with Tactical Liaison Office, 1st US Corps and 1st Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, 29th British Infantry Bde in Korea, 1950-1951; POW in North Korea, 1951-1953

REEL 1 Background in Birmingham: family; education. Recollections of bombing of Birmingham, 1939-1945: story of daylight bombing during exams; reaction to bombing; role as cycle messenger for first aid post; view of aftermath of bombing of Corporation Street; opinion of wartime experiences; uncle's military service. Period with Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in GB, 1945-1946: reasons for volunteering; machine gun training at Chester; basic training at Winchester; nature of army discipline; reaction to discipline and training; volunteering for Glider Pilot Regt. Recollection of period in Army Personnel Selection in GB, 1946: promotion to corporal; training; promotion to selection sergeant; role and duties. Period with Allied Land Forces with South East Asia Command, 1946-1947: duties and nature of tests; movements within command; situation in Dutch East Indies, 1946-1947; clash between British troops and mixed Javanese/Japanese group in Jakarta area, 1/1947; opinion of Javanese/Japanese group. REEL 2 Continues: attitude of Javanese to situation; relations with local populace. Recollections of Malayan Emergency, 1948-1950: involvement in jungle operations through attachment to Malayan Scouts; opinion of jungle training; nature of first operation with Malayan Police and West Yorkshire Regt at Kuala Kangsar, Perak province, c8/1948; attitude towards emergency; question of level of efficiency of forces deployed against insurgents; areas of operations and strength of insurgents in these areas; role as anti-insurgency instructor at Singapore, 1949-1950; clashes with guerrillas in jungle; insurgent attacks on train and British countermeasures; question of efficiency of attacks on trains; nature of clash in jungle; incident of ambush on school bus carrying European school children in Cameron Highlands, 1949; attitude towards insurgents; atrocities committed by insurgents against Chinese populace and planters; period staying on tin mine Ipoh; story of incident with irate planter's wife, mid 1949; opinion of Suffolk Regt and other units; question of units misbehaving off duty. REEL 3 Continues: question of efficiency of Malayan Scouts; nature of personnel needed in special forces. Period with W Coy 1st Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers at School of Infantry in Warminister, GB 1950. Recollections of operations as intelligence sergeant in Korea, 1950: preparations for move to Korea; role as intelligence sergeant to battalion and then 29th Independent Infantry Brigade; arrival in Korea; move to Tactical Intelligence Liaison Office of 1st US Corps; role and duties, including inserting agents, extracting, composition of patrols, range of operations, equipment, agents, blowing up bridges during Chinese advance, late 1950 and incident with abandoned Centurion tank 12/1950. Recollections of period as intelligence sergeant with 1st Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, 29th British Infantry Bde in Korea, 1951: role and duties; comparison of role with battalion and that with US forces; prior recollection of capture of Chinese soldier, 1/1951; question of distinguishing between Chinese ranks; Chinese attack on Imjin River, 4/1951; role of unit; role of intelligence officer and disposal of ammunition; encounter with Brigadier Brodie; deployment of battalion 24/4/1951-25/4/1951; evacuation of hill and capture of Chinese POW; story of wounding during Chinese ambush; capture by Chinese, 4/1951. Recollections of period as POW in North Korea, 4/1951-7/1951: incident of Centurion tank firing on Chinese captors and POWs; conditions of captivity; supply of rations and water by Chinese soldiers; move to collection point; impressions of Chinese soldiers; first interrogation by Chinese officer; question of lack of escape and evasion training; destruction of pay book; character of march to camp in north; Chinese attempt to break-down military order; conditions on march; Chinese keeping Korean civilians away from POWs; physical condition; Chinese methods of avoiding air attack; escape from column and recapture, c 5/1951; impression of Chinese captors; arrival at Moon Ha Ri ('Half Way House') for period of intense interrogation; Chinese selection of POWs; nature of interrogation; punishment in underground bunker; question of Chinese knowledge of Sharp's intelligence duties; conditions in bunker and treatment by Chinese guards; Chaplain Sam Davies refusal to tie Sharp up; Chinese threat of execution; reaction to treatment. REEL 5 Continues: nature of captivity. Recollection of period as POW in Chok Song, North Korea, 7/1951-12/1952: arrival at Camp 1; organisation of compounds; attempted political indoctrination; nature of interrogation, 8/1951; conditions during interrogation; solitary confinement during winter 1/1952-2/1952; story of sharing a cell with US Sergeant Golding who had been 'broken' by Chinese; interview with senior Chinese officer; move to Korean Security Gaol in town of Chang Song, 2/1952; conditions in solitary confinement, 2/1952-3/1952; move to former Korean temple, near Chok Song, c4/1952; resumption of interrogations; communication with fellow POW Leo Adams-Acton; second escape attempt; recapture by patrol; question of contrast in treatment of POW between Koreans and Chinese. REEL 6 Continues: removal to Chok Song via Korean interrogation centre, 'Pak's Palace'; wooden box punishment; nature of crime 'confessions' demanded by Chinese captors; third escape from wooden box and recapture; fate of Adams-Acton. Recollections of period as POW at Pyoktong, North Korea, 12/1952- 9/1953: move to Pyoktong with other POWs including Fusilier Derek Kinne; appearance before mixed interrogation team, including a Russian; move to Camp 2 company 3 sergeant's compound; composition and nature of camp; upheaval on Stalin's death, 3/1953; move to company 1 officer compound; organisation of camp; composition of officers' camp; improvement of conditions as release approached, summer 1953; move to Panmunjom area; release, 5/9/1953; view of returning Chinese and North Korean POWs from south; question of being last Commonwealth prisoner to be released. Recollections of release from captivity and debriefings 9/1953-10/1953: issue of British clothing; story of frost-bite damage to toes caused during interrogations; interview with BBC; processing system for returning POWs; debriefings at Kure, Japan; medical treatment. REEL 7 Continues: question of why debriefings took so long; further debriefings in GB; advisory role on how personnel should behave after capture. Recollections of POW life in North Korea, 1951-1953: description of wooden boxes; question of Chinese understanding of Sharp's role; reaction to interrogation and political indoctrination; opinion of having taken part in Korean War; effects of POW experience; decorations; story of Fusilier Derek Kinne being responsible for death of Chinese guard commander; reaction to Derek Kinne being awarded George Cross.