May, William Roger Blyth (Oral history)

British officer served with 4th Bn Somerset Light Infantry in North West Europe, 1945; served with 1st Bn Hampshire Regt in Palestine and Egypt, 1946-1947; served with 1st Bn Parachute Regt in the Canal Zone, Egypt, 1951-1952; served with 1st Bn Hampshire Regt in Caribbean, 1960-1962 and Northern Ireland, 1969

REEL 1 Background in India and GB, 1925-1939: family and education. German Air Force attacks on Wellington College 1940-1941. Father's role in army and Home Guard, 1939-1943 including death in accident, 12/1943. Enlistment in army, 1943. Period of training in GB, 1943-1944: initial training in Bury St Edmunds; use of live ammunition during cadet training in OCTU, Isle of Man, 1944; question of maturity of subalterns; commissioning into Hampshire Regt; high casualties from live ammunition whilst training with 6th Bn Devonshire Regt. Recollections of operations as commander of 8 Platoon, A Coy with 4th Bn Somerset Light, 43rd Division in North West Europe, 1945: arrival as reinforcement to 43rd Division, 2/1945; joining unit in Nijmegen Netherlands; arrival at Battalion Headquarters, Cleves, 2/1945; results of attack on high ground above Goch, 2/1945. REEL 2 Continues: reaction of German officers captured in attack on Goch; lessons learnt during first action, 2/1945; operation to clear Xanten, Germany,3/1945 including problems co-operating with Crocodile tanks, loss of NCOs and degree of strength of German opposition; question of difficulty of finding suitable infantry reinforcements and degree of commitment of reinforcements, 3/1945; crossing River Rhine in Buffalo, 3/1945; digging in on east bank of River Rhine, 3/1945; break-out from Rhine bridgehead using Kangaroos under German 88mm anti-tank gun fire, 3/1945; attack on German positions, Vaasefeld. REEL 3 Continues: capture of thirty German POWs in Vaasefeld; attempt to use PIAT on German half track, Vaasefeld; question of luck in war including story relating to house fighting in Xanten; advance of unit as leading battalion in TCVS; capture of German 88mm and transport which mistakenly joined British column; nature of German opposition encountered in Lokkum , Netherlands; question of effects of exhaustion and failure of platoon commander; question of need to remove junior officers who are a liability of men under their command; reaction to Dutch to speed of arrival of mail and rations to unit, Easter Sunday, 1945; German stretcher bearer who was given citation for attending British wounded; push from Oldenzaal to Bremen including capture of U-boat commander; support from Crocodiles whilst clearing road at Burgerpark, Bremen. REEL 4 Continues: capture of Bremen; march to Wilstedt; German use of sea mines, 5/1945; reaction to cancellation of plans for attack an hour before cease-fire, 5/5/1945; casualties suffered by unit in campaign in North West Europe; attitude to having served in North West Europe and performance of unit. Joining 1st Bn Hampshire Regt, 1945. Recollections of operations with 1st Bn Hampshire Regt in Palestine, 1946-1947: role as transport officer; strain of manpower resources during Zone B duties; attack by nine Zionists to blow up house, 1/8/1947; ambush of unit lorry convoy; attitude of battalion to it's role; certificate given by mukhtar stating unit had caused no damage during search. REEL 5 Continues: unit leaving Palestine for Egypt, 10/1947. Egyptian pilfering from army in Moascar, Egypt, autumn, 1947. Recollections of period with 1st Parachute Regt in Germany and Canal Zone, Egypt, 1948-1952: reasons for joining unit in Germany, 1948; relations with US 1st Division during exercises in Germany, 1948; move of unit to Cyprus during Mossedeq crisis in Iran; move to Geneifa in Suez Canal Zone, 1951; role dealing with Egyptian harassment of British in Kilo 125, 1951-1952. Period with 1st Bn Royal Hampshire Regt in Germany and GB, 1950s: return to unit in Germany, 1952; role training recruits for Malayan Emergency in Winchester area, 1950s. Recollections of operations with 1st Bn Royal Hampshire Regt in Jamaica, 1960: move to Jamaica, 1960; attempt to cordon two ex-US Marines who were training Rastafarians; unit casualties and fate of ex-US marines; Haile Selassie's visit and reaction of Rastafarians. REEL 6 Continues: Periods with 1st Bn Royal Hampshire Regt in British Honduras, 1960 and 1961: move to British Honduras to counter threat from Guatamala, summer 1960; account of relief work during aftermath of Hurricane Hattie, 11/1961. REEL 7 Continues: Period with 1st Royal Hampshire Regt during inter-communal rioting, Georgetown, British Guiana, early 1962. Recollections of operations as commanding officer of 1st Bn Royal Hampshire Regt in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1969: problems of re-calling battalion and equipping it for duties in Belfast, 8/1969; dealing with situation in South Belfast; method of removing barricades; use of hotlines to Irish Republican Army and parish priest. REEL 8 Continues: problems of stretching of manpower resources; first use of CS gas in GB and May's cross-examination about it on BBC; incident when Protestant crowd was forced back by unit with fixed bayonets and its consequences; disposition of companies in Belfast; attitude of civilians to unit; story of how he got back a rifle stolen from one of unit's soldiers and how he got it back; return of unit to GB, 11/1969. Period as Ministry of Defence officer in Sri Lanka, 1971: request of Sri Lankan Government for military supplies after loss of a large number of police stations in attempted take-over; role and duties; attitude of civilians towards British presence. REEL 9 Continues: Visits as welfare officer to countries with British troops, 1970's: visit day before coup d'etat to Seychelles, c1978. ;visits to 'loaned servicemen' in Oman and danger of SAM missiles.