Description
Object description
British trooper served with 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1939; served with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1939-1940; served with 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in GB, 1940-1941; trooper and NCO served with 1st Royal Tank Regt in North Africa, Italy, GB, North West Europe and Germany, 1942-1945; NCO served with 15th Scottish Div in GB, 1945-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Kirkcaldy, GB, 1922-1939: family; education; attendance at Catholic Boy's Club; civilian work; reason for joining Territorial Army. Aspects of period as trooper with 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1939: process of joining; medical; drill night; details of instructor; learning of drill; learning to ride Norton motorcycle at Ladybank camp; rifle training at Raith Estate; details of annual camp at Catterick; knowledge of events in Europe; call-up; reactions to situation; issue of age and gaining permission of parents to serve. Aspects of period as trooper with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 9/1939-5/1940: accommodation in Adam Smith Hall; formation of unit; sleeping arrangements; squadron postings with 1st and 2nd; commanding officer; inoculations and after effects; air raids against ships on Forth; route marches with band; football; air activity during march to Leslie; memories of Alastair Nairn and John Ewyle; accommodation; sleeping arrangements; guard duties; relationship with civilians; reason for not drinking in Scotland; smoking and details of Jock's Boxes; lack of vehicles in unit; opinion and role of drill; route marches; other activities in Leslie; news of posting to Aldershot; train journey south; description of barracks.
REEL 2 Continues: posting to Runfold; accommodation; introduction and opinion of Boyes anti-tank gun; posting away of under-age troops; reaction to situation. Aspects of period as trooper with 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in GB, 5/1940-10/1941: joining of unit at Market Harborough; posting in B Squadron; reception on arrival; background to and attendance at cookery course in Cowley including arrival of soldiers from Dunkirk; work as cook in Squadron Officers Mess; accommodation; story of visit to wedding and punishment on return; story of application to gain transfer overseas; story of work with beagles; story of talk at cinema in Northampton; role in southern England; arrival of Crusader tanks; memories of Lord Ashton of Hyde including accommodation and story of unexploded bomb; maintenance work during manoeuvres; wait for posting overseas at Catterick, late 1941; issue and opinion of tropical kit. Aspects of journey from GB to Port Tewfik, Egypt, aboard the Orantes, 1941-1942: conditions onboard; seasickness among passengers; latrines and washing facilities; boat drill and leisure activities; stop in Freetown harbour; routine in Cape Town; relationship with civilians; voyage to Port Tewfik; first impressions of Egypt and train journey to Cairo; accommodation.
REEL 3 Continues: period in barracks including civilian workers. Aspects of period as trooper with 1st Royal Tank Regt in Egypt, 1942: joining of regiment and B Squadron at Mena House; reception on arrival; football and subsequent hospitalisation in Heliopolis; reasons for avoiding convalescence period; arrival of Grants and Lee tanks; description of Lee; make-up of crew; details of gunnery training; gun maintenance; details of Browning machine gun; operation and opinion of 19 set wireless including use of codes and wireless language; communications within tank; role normally taken; equipment worn in tank; details of tank interior; relationship with tank crew members; length of training; visits into Cairo; relationship with civilians.
REEL 4 Continues: news of posting to front and reaction; journey to Gazala Box description of desert; conditions. Aspects of operations as trooper with 1st Royal Tank Regt in North Africa, 1942- 1943: situation and plan of action; attack made by A Squadron; own involvement in Battle of Knightsbridge; casualties and evacuation from tank including description of shell hitting tank; return to A Echelon; knowledge of wider situation; evacuation to Alamein lines in Honey Tanks including involvement with Jock Columns; description of Honey Tank and role in crew; further details of Jock Columns including story of wounded trooper; NAAFI dump at Alamein; arrival of Sherman tanks and posting in Alamein Line; details and opinion of Sherman tanks; location in turret; problems with driver's escape route; memories of Sergeant Tommy "Konky" Harland; details of tank crew; memories and opinion of officers; relationship with colleagues including other Scottish members of unit; memories of NCOs; digging in of tank and details of Alamein Line; involvement in defending Alamein Lines including description of attacks on German Mark IV tanks and evacuating crews; reactions to situation.
REEL 5 Continues: withdrawal of German forces; British rations found in German tanks; activities between battles; plan of action for advance; description of barrage; journey to and wait on start line; withdrawal; advance behind Black Watch; chasing of German forces across North Africa including return to Knightsbridge; story of Italians and a pig in Tripoli; conditions inside tank; washing of clothes; details and opinion of A and B Echelons; rations; brewing of tea; latrines; health; terrain; coping with heat; story of wounded soldier at Alamein; nights in desert and sleeping arrangements; description of overnight laagers; navigation and problems with compasses; formation of movement; opinion of problems within Axis army; discussion on superiority of German tanks; sandstorms; maintenance of Sherman tank; initial news of parade with First Army in Tripoli; arrival in Mareth Line; journey to Kasserine Pass; meeting with Americans from First Army; pass through Tunis and on to Algerian border; work with POWs; activities and training during rest period including rumours of return home.
REEL 6 Continues: leisure activities including leave in Tripoli; news of new posting; boarding of landing craft and voyage to Salerno. Aspects of operations as trooper with 1st Royal Tank Regt in Italy, 9/1943-12/1943: opposition faced on arrival including first experience of nebelwerfers; period in tomato field; opposition faced during advance to Naples; change in terrain from North Africa; reception from civilians; story of truce before crossing of Volturno River; crossing of Volturno via Bailey Bridge; work of Royal Engineers; skirmishes beyond river including problems from terrain and opinion of 88 gun; contact with German infantry; use of main tank gun; infantry patrols across Garigliano and work of infantry in Italy; loss of colonel and arrival of new commanding officer; news of return to GB; rest in Naples; return voyage to GB including stop in Gibraltar and story of losing Africa medal ribbon. Aspects of period as trooper with 2nd Royal Tank Regt in GB, 1/1944-6/1944: arrival in Glasgow; journey to Norfolk; leave; description of camp; opinion and description of Cromwell tanks issued; make-up of crew; exercises and relationship with civilians; period locked into a camp; waterproofing of tanks; boarding of landing craft; crew of craft; rations; delay of invasion and activities during wait for embarkation; voyage to Normandy including scenes on channel; shelling; preparations for disembarkation. Aspects of operations as trooper and NCO with 1st Royal Tank Regt in North West Europe, 6/1944-5/1945: landing and movement up beach including opposition faced.
REEL 7 Continues: advance inland; absence of civilians; changes in tank crew and advance of City of London Yeomanry in Villers Bocage; role in tank; story of first action against a Tiger Tank; award of Military Cross to Lieutenant Walker; German air activity; sleeping arrangements; story of air raid on laager; damage to tank from bombing; repairs made at Light Aid Detachment; promotion to lance corporal and tank commander on return; promotion to sergeant following first action; crew of tank; later promotion to troop sergeant; duties supplying rations to troop including contents of compo rations; problems finding time to eat or brew tea; bombing of Caen; problems with eventual taking of Caen; problems with fighting in Bocage; description of bazookas and problems from them; method of protecting tank against bazookas and story of civilians killed; details of movement through woods; amphetamines taken for fatigue; nerves when leading tank in troop; need to not show fear to crew; communications; story of new officer attached to tank; awareness of casualties in regiment; scenes in Falaise Gap; reception from civilians; treatment of collaborators by Free French; pass through Brussels; activities in Netherlands.
REEL 8 Continues: advance through Eindhoven and activity in Nijmegen and activity near Arnhem; period in Aachen; details of course taken in Bovington; change in morale on return to unit; action in Ardennes; crossing of Rhine; details of advance into Germany; opposition met at Hanover; story of abandoned vehicle on autobahn outside Hamburg; orders not to open fire and subsequent mortar fire received; story of contact with German infantryman; surrender of German officer; advance into Hamburg; state of city; advance to Kiel canal and VE Day; separation of SS and Wehrmacht POWs; state of soldiers in hospital; return to Belgium and collection of Comet Tanks; impression of Comets. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Royal Tank Regt in Germany, 5/1945-11/1945: journey to Berlin; Victory Parade; details of Sergeants Mess; decision to not stay on in army and interview with commanding officer; party on departure from unit; guard duties at house of Montgomery; work with German police; posting to Hanover. Aspects of period as NCO with 15th Scottish Div in GB, 1945- 1946: interview with sergeant major on arrival; leave; move to Catterick; medical; demobilisation in York. Aspects of period as civilian from 1946: settling back into civilian life; marriage; return to Fife and Forfar Yeomanry; annual camp; promotion up to sergeant; enjoyment of time with Fife and Forfar Yeomanry.
REEL 9 Continues: background to action at Duckstead; advance into woods; bazooka attack on tank and damage caused; description of bazooka hitting turret; withdrawal; return forward and situation; attack made against German infantry; evacuation; news of award of Military Medal; presentation of medal in Berlin from General Montgomery; membership of Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and 1st Royal Tank Regiment Associations; ongoing friendship with Tommy Harland.