Interview with Gerald Charles Farmer

British schoolchild in Bethnal Green, London, GB, 1939-1945 including evacuation to Whitley Bay, GB, 1943; private served with 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt), 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 1952-1953

REEL 1 Background in Bethnal Green, London, GB, 1933-1939: family; education. Recollections as schoolchild in Bethnal Green, London, GB, 1939-1945: German V1 Flying Bomb incident in 1944; memories of German V2 Rocket landing on Hughes Mansions, 27/3/1945 and first German V1 Flying Bomb attack on London, 6/1944; lack of civilian hostility towards German Air Force aircrews; casualties when Lee Brothers Department Store was bombed, 1940; short period family spent in Basingstoke to get away from German Air Force bombing campaign; use of air raid shelters including smell; respect for people's property during Second World War; enjoyment of shelter life; mother's reaction to German Air Force bombing of churchyard in Hackney; apprehension of German V2 Rockets; noise of German V1 Flying Bomb passing overhead; reaction of teacher to children drawing pictures of war; lack of arrangements for enumerating schoolchildren in German Air Force bombing; short period of evacuation to Whitley Bay, 1943 and mother's unease about him mixing with local children; VE Day celebrations in Bethnal Green, 8/5/1943. Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) Regimental Depot, Tower of London, GB, 1951-1952: call-up for National Service, 10/1951. REEL 2 Continues: reaction to being call-up for National Service; reasons why he went into infantry rather than Royal Artillery; how a sword swallower fainted from injection; accommodation and treatment during basic training at Tower of London; story of learning meaning of word 'parasite' from NCO he offended; lack of resentment towards those in charge of basic training; techniques employed for surviving army training; question of effectiveness of basic training; problems faced in basic training; abortive first posting to 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt) in Germany and ceremony at Tower of London on death of George VI, 6/2/1952. Aspects of period with 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt) in Germany and GB, 2/1952-8/1952: arrival in Iserlohn, Germany, 2/1952; trench warfare training in Harz Mountains, Germany; forest training, Thetford, GB, 1952; reaction to announcement of posting to South Korea. Recollections of operations with 1st Bn Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt), 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 9/1952-6/1953: voyage aboard HMT Empire Orwell from GB to South Korea, 8/1952-9/1952; initial impressions of South Korea. REEL 3 Continues: reception in Pusan; acclimatisation near Pusan; move into front line at Hill 159, 9/1952; terrain; riding shotgun on train up to front line; role as driver with Headquarters Coy; driving signals jeep; story of accidentally crossing no-man's land in jeep and sight of Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops gathered around fires; nature of battalion's front line area; story of jeep accident on River Samichon caused by mortar attack, 3/1953. REEL 4 Continues: reprimand for abandoning jeep which was a write off; role as commanding officer's driver, 5/1953; dangers of his driving role on Hill 355 and The Bowling Alley; amusing encounter between commanding officer of battalion and United States Army Military Police at The Bowling Alley; care of commanding officer for conscripts; attitude of cook sergeants to giving away their food; reputation of The Hook; battalion's taking over from 1st Bn Duke of Wellington's Regt (West Riding) on The Hook, 5/1953; premonition of death on The Hook, 12/6/1953; wounding in mortar attack. Aspects of hospitalisation for wounds in South Korea and Japan, 1953-1954: treatment in Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital; comfort drawn from seeing similarity of parliament building in Seoul, South Korea to St Paul's Cathedral in London, GB, 6/1953; reaction to wounding; medical treatment received in Tokyo and Kure, Japan; recuperation and psychological effects of wounding. REEL 5 Continues: advice given to him at Queen Alexandra Military Hospital, Millbank, London; return to civilian life after Korean War; treatment by War Disability authorities. Reflections on service in Korean War, 9/1952-6/1953: role moving Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops' bodies; failure of British Army to slot round pegs in to round holes; story of having to identify body of comrade who wasn't in fact killed; treatment of conscripts in British Army; attitude to participation in Korean War.