Interview with Bryan Geoffrey William Platt

British civilian volunteer with Friends' Ambulance Unit in GB, 1939-1941; agricultural worker at Lodge Farm, Thelnetham, Leswidden Farm, St Just and in Worcestershire, GB, 1941-1945

REEL 1 Background in Brentwood, GB 1916-1939: family; religious beliefs; education; pacifist beliefs; dismissal from job for refusal to enlist in armed forces, 1939; attitude to war; activities with Peace Pledge Union and Fellowship of Reconciliation; development of pacifist beliefs; opinion of John Middleton Murry and other pacifists including Donald Soper, Fenner Brockway, Dick Sheppard and George Lansbury; opinion of Mahatma Gandhi; public attitude towards pacifists; opinion of League of Nations; reaction to Munich Crisis, 9/1938; story of leaving Anglican church because of position on war; memories of declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; reaction to losing employment and attempts to be reinstated; family's attitude to pacifist stance. REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as volunteer with Friends' Ambulance Unit in GB, 1939-1941: story of meeting Paul Cadbury and joining Friends' Ambulance Unit in Birmingham, 1939; duties cleaning out stable at Friend's Ambulance Unit Manor Farm, Training Camp; training at Friends' Ambulance Unit training camp; reaction to not being selected for Finnish convoy; role as assistant to John Bailey at second training camp; morale and discipline; memories of Elizabeth Cadbury; relations with other volunteers and question of not being a Quaker; nursing duties at Bethnal Green Hospital, London, 1940; role in charge of wards; fire watching duties; attitude to role with Friends' Ambulance Unit; further training and duties at other hospitals; role as section leader at Royal Victoria Hospital, Dover; German bombing and shelling of Dover and treatment of casualties; attitude to care of German casualties. REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period as agricultural worker at Lodge Farm, Thelnetham, GB, 1941-1943: reason for leaving Friends' Ambulance Unit; further comments on pacifist and political beliefs; story of joining agricultural community Lodge Farm, Thelnetham run by John Middleton Murry, 1941; training at Holton cum Beckering; attitude to running of community and opinion of John Middleton Murry as community leader; character of John Middleton Murry and his wife Mary Gamble; role in agricultural activities with community; further comments on character of John Middle Murry; opinion of writer D H Lawrence. REEL 4 Continues: financial viability of community and pay; rationing; use of conscientious objectors in community; political beliefs of John Middleton Murry reason for leaving community; memories of Hubert Copnall; further comments on John Middleton Murry and his wife Mary Gamble; assessment of success of community; relations with local farmers; attitude to role of Friends' Ambulance Unit during war; story of appearing before tribunals in Birmingham, 1939 and Kent, 1941. Aspects of period as agricultural worker at Leswidden Farm, St Just and Worcestershire, GB, 1943-1945: story of meeting anarchist conscientious objector Gerald Vaughan. REEL 5 Continues: work on Leswidden Farm run by Gerald Vaughan; opinion of Gerald Vaughan; reason for leaving Leswidden Farm and move to farm in Worcestershire. Post-war life and employment: employment as writer and broadcaster with British Broadcasting Corporation; pacifist and political beliefs; activities with Amnesty International and Oxfam; story of Topolski print of Winston Churchill.