Interview with Norman Potter

British private served with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), Area Troops Berlin and 31st Lorried Infantry Bde in Germany, 1951-1952; served with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 29th British Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 6/1952-7/1953; served with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 39th Infantry Bde in Kenya, 1953

REEL 1 Recollections of childhood in Reading, GB, 1939-1945: German Air Force bombing of People's Pantry restaurant, 10/2/1943; contact with military personnel; food scrounged from military personnel; victory celebrations, 1945. Aspects of enlistment and training with Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) in GB, 1/1951-4/1951: enlistment, 1/1951; attitude to basic training at Fort George; opinion of 'bulling up'. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), Area Troops Berlin and 31st Lorried Infantry Bde in Germany, 5/1951-2/1952: posting to Berlin, 5/1951; smart dress requirements; exercises in Grunwald Forest, Berlin; tension with Soviets over denial of access to Berlin; attitude of Soviet Army troops in Berlin, 6/1951-8/1951; move to Buxtehude, 10/1951; relations with German civilians, 1951-1952. Aspects of preparations for move to South Korea in Scotland, 1952: receiving news of posting to South Korea; reinforcements received from other Scottish regiments; reasons for wanting to go to South Korea; voyage from GB to South Korea, 5/1952. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of operations as private with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 29th British Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 1952-1953: arrival in Pusan; train journey from Pusan to transit camp; badly maintained transport taken over from 1st Bn Royal Leicester Regt; posting as C Coy's commander's driver; move on to Hill 159; psychological effect of continuous shelling; artillery hits on 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards Centurion Tank; premonition of comrade blown apart by mortar shell; NCO who cracked under heavy artillery bombardment; living conditions in front line; level of health of troops in contrast to United States Army troops; driving duties; inadequate rest; relations with company commander; attitude towards Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops. REEL 3 Continues: Chinese People's Volunteer Army attack on A Coy, The Hook, 18/11/1952 including taking Korean porters to unit to act as stretcher-bearers, bringing back wounded, supplying hand grenades, drinking rum, damage to Willys Jeep, A Coy casualties and collection of Chinese People's Volunteer Army corpses for burial; second period in front line, 1/1953; attitude to going into front line; third time in front line on The Hook, 4/1953; three comrades who were court martialled for refusing to go out on patrol; second attack on A Coy, The Hook, 4/1953; move to Yong Dong Po prior to withdrawal from front line; leaving South Korea, 7/1953; sight of Korean civilians foraging in army swill; use of K ration boxes for civilian roofing; attitude to having served in Korean War; post-war gratitude of South Koreans to British Korean War veterans. Recollections of operations as private with 1st Bn Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt), 39th Infantry Bde in Kenya, 1953: arrival 1/8/1953; attachment to B Coy at Gilgil; harshness of NCO in charge at Gilgil; move to Thika District from where patrols were mounted. REEL 4 Continues: nature of patrol; discovery by patrol of body of planter, Mr Shaw, killed in his car by Mau Mau insurgents; death of Major Archibald Wavell in action with Mau Mau insurgents, 24/12/1953 after he had left Kenya; attitude to having served in Black Watch (Royal Highland Regtiment).