England, Sidney (Oral history)

British trooper served as driver with C Sqdn, 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), British Troops in Egypt in Egypt, 12/1942-7/1943; served with C Sqdn, 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in Italy, GB and Normandy, France, 7/1943-8/1944; NCO served with 3/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945

REEL 1 Background in Birmingham, GB, 1915-1942: family; education; employment as production manager in motor industry, 1935-1942 including re-armament orders, 1938 and driving Bren Gun Carrier. Aspects of training as trooper with 52nd and 57th Training Regts, Royal Armoured Corps at Warminister, GB, 1942: opinion of drill sergeant; basic training; incident of officer being killed during small arms training; story of treatment of trooper who was dirty; attending driver/mechanic course; opinion of Churchill Tank's armour; move to 57th Training Regt at Bovington Camp, 1942. Aspects of voyage from GB to Egypt, 10/1942-12/1942: embarkation at Avonmouth, GB, 23/10/1942; crossing equator; stopover in Brazil; reception in Durban, South Africa; visit to Dunlop company; relations with civilians; arrival in Egypt. Aspects of period as trooper with 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), British Troops in Egypt, in Egypt, 12/1942-7/1943: contrast between rations aboard ship and in desert; training on Sherman Tanks, 1943; amphibious landing training; visit to Pyramids; amusing stories relating to regimental character. REEL 2 Continues: embarkation at Suez, 1943. Aspects of operations as trooper with C Sqdn, 3rd Country of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943: terrain; surrender of Italian forces; meeting German opposition; reception by Italian civilians; officer casualties; period of rest; Mount Etna; sight of German Tiger Tank. Recollections of operations as NCO with C Sqdn, 3rd Country of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in Italy, 9/1943-1/1944: move to Italy; daily routine in Italian campaign; difficulty of driving tank through ruined Foggia; incident of having to pull tanks out of mud under German fire; nature of operations in Italy; German hit on his Sherman Tank; difficult river crossing; number of German tanks knocked out by C Sqdn; incident of inexperienced commander causing tank to run over weapons pit containing Royal Marine Commandos; move into reserve; crossing River Sangro; first experience of German multi-barrelled mortar fire; reaching objective. REEL 3 Continues: withdrawal after capture of San Vito dei Normanni; story of Canadians offering to sell tank crew substandard cigarettes; role of unit, 12/1943; Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1943; German artillery shelling, 25/12/1943; orders to move to GB, 1/1944; embarkation leave in Naples, 1/1944. Voyage from Italy to GB, 1944. Aspects of period as trooper with 3rd Country of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in GB, 2/1944-6/1944: arrival in GB; leave in Birmingham; unit issue of Sherman Tanks; preparations for D-Day including waterproofing; embarkation Lee-on Solent, 5/6/1944. Recollections of operations as trooper with 3rd Country of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: landing in Normandy, 7/6/1944; role of unit's squadrons; daily routine; including refuelling; meeting with Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Carver; loss of unit tanks; amalgamation with 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 8/1944; destruction of tank during push to River Odon. Recollections of operations as NCO with 3/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 4th Armoured Bde in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: sight of carnage in Falaise Gap, France; push from River Seine, France to Antwerp, Belgium, 8/1944-9/1944; contact with civilians in Antwerp, Belgium, 1944; change of role from driver to tank commander; loss of tank; reasons for loss of stripe; crossing Nijmegen Bridge, Netherlands; traffic jam during Operation Market Garden at Elst, Netherlands; weather conditions in Reichswald Forest, Germany, 1/1945; opinion of British infantry's role in Reichswald Forest, Germany; fighting at Uden, Netherlands, 2/1944; preparations for crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1944. REEL 5 Continues: crossing River Rhine, Germany, 3/1944; sight of dead British airborne troops on east bank of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; attachment to 53rd Welsh Infantry Div; German infantry anti-tank tactics; German attack on column on Dutch/German border, 1945; contact with Dutch civilians; advance towards Hamburg, Germany 5/1945; sight of devastation of Hamburg, Germany, 5/1945; capture of large numbers of German prisoners of war in Kiel area, Germany; selling cigarettes to German prisoners of war; demobilisation process; attitude to having served in County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).