Interview with Stewart John Irwin

British private served with 1st Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Armoured Div in North West Europe, 7/1944-5/1945; served with Headquarters, 7th Armoured Division at Osnabrück, Germany, 1945-1947

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1923-1939: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of training with Rifle Brigade and 1/8th (Machine Gun) Bn Middlesex Regt (Duke of Cambridge's Own) in GB, 1942-1943: basic training Ranby Barracks, Retford; reasons for being sent to Rifle Brigade; infantry training with 1/8th (Machine Gun) Bn Middlesex Regt (Duke of Cambridge's Own), Cross Hills near Skipton. Aspects of period as private with 7th Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps in GB, 1943: transfer to unit near Barnsley; relations between miners and troops; reaction to being made batman to two officers; attitude to suggestion of becoming wireless operator for Special Operation Executive; story of questioning decision to send an epileptic as Special Operations Executive as wireless operator to Yugoslavia. Recollections of operations as private with A Coy, 1st Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Armoured Div in Normandy, France, 7/1944-8/1944: landing in Normandy, 5/7/1944; background to transfer from 7th Bn King's Royal Rifle Corps to 1st Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own). REEL 2 Continues: initial experience of German artillery bombardment in Caen; Canadian Army troops who had 'enough' after German artillery bombardment; attitude towards Maquis; members of Maquis adopted by battalion; dust problem in Caen area; use of White M3 Half-Track. Recollections of operations as private with A Coy 1st Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Armoured Div in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: treatment of female collaborators in Belgium, 9/1944; incident of former Soviet forced labourers beating up farmer in Germany, 4/1945; incident of German farmer who hung himself; Dutch girls fear of being raped by British Army troops, Netherlands; effect of propaganda on view of Germans; incident were British Army officer tried to kill him; character of officer who mistreated Dutch civilians and German paratrooper prisoner of war, Netherlands; story of officer's reaction to Irwin's threat to shoot comrade. REEL 3 Continues: question of class structure in British Army and how it affected other ranks/officer relationship; experience as middle class soldier among working class men; supporting for Labour Party in 1945 General Election. Aspects of period as private with Headquarters, 7th Armoured Div in Osnabrück, Germany, 1945-1947: reasons for posting to unit; role and duties including production of cartoons for unit magazine 'Roaring Forties'; attitude in British Army towards war and soldiering; attitude to taking commission; attitude towards British Army on demobilisation, 1947. Reflections on service with 1st Bn Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), 7th Armoured Div in North West Europe, 7/1944-5/1945: sense of freedom from regimentation on active service; soldier's diet and state of health; effects of medical problems contracted in North West Europe, 1944-1945.