Interview with Eric Collins

1809642155
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95772" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
470387060
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95773" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
271383110
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95774" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
535887626
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95775" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
97040265
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95776" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
1393368507
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80018278&media_id=95777" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Description

Object description

British private served with 4th Bn East Lancashire Regt at Squire's Gate Camp, Blackpool, GB, 1/1940-9/1940; served as signaller with 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 126th Infantry Bde, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Div, 42nd Support Group and 71st Infantry Bde, 42nd Armoured Div in GB, 9/1940-10/1943; served with 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 71st Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB and Normandy, France, 10/1943-8/1944; served with 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 158th Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 8/1944-9/1944

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Blackburn, GB, 1917-1940: family, employment as butcher's boy; education; call-up for military service, 1/1940; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Recollections of enlistment and training with 4th Bn East Lancashire Regt at Squire's Gate Camp, Blackpool, GB, 1/1940-9/1940: arrival at Squire's Gate Camp, Blackpool, 15/1/1940; issue of uniform and equipment; hutted accommodation; adjusting to military life; introduction to drill; issue of rifles and range firing; opinion of Bren Gun. REEL 2 Continues: weather conditions during first leave; social activities in Blackpool; volunteering for signals platoon; attitude to being in signal platoon and passing signals course; organising communications with Local Defence Volunteers, 6/1940-7/1940; problems of saluting; attitude towards military life. Recollections of period as signaller with Signals Platoon, 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 126th Infantry Bde, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Div, 42nd Support Group and 71st Infantry Bde, 42nd Armoured Div and 71st Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 9/1940-6/1944: posting to battalion in North Yorkshire; incident of soldier pointing rifle at him; reception at unit; story of NCO who had been demoted for selling equipment. REEL 3 Continues: character of signals training; pride in unit; basing of unit in North Yorkshire; opinion of Major Joe Cetre; exercise on Salisbury Plain; reasons for refusing promotion to lance corporal; route march over Pennine Hills; amusing story of obtaining leave in Blackburn; nature of leave in Blackburn; opinion of benefits of military life; move to transit area Sittingbourne, 1944; officer who wanted to find out abilities of signal platoon. REEL 4 Continues: preparations for invasion of Normandy, France, 1944; sight of Allied air armada, 5/6/1944; move to Tilbury and embarking aboard landing ship HMS Lady of Man, 25/6/1944; issue of self heating cans of rations. Recollections of operations with Signals Platoon, attached to C Coy, 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 71st Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: disembarking from HMS Lady of Man; crossing in English Channel; move inland towards Caen; amusing story of digging in and finding German hand grenades; obtaining hair cut; sight of Allied aerial bombardment of Caen; sight of German corpse in pillbox; laying cable to exchange at Bois Halbout, 8/1944; hornet attack during halt before advance into Falaise Gap, 8/1944; reasons for Canadian Army casualties at Falaise. REEL 5 Continues: sight of destruction in Falaise Gap, 8/1944; nature of advance through Normandy; contracting lice near Bougy; capture of German prisoners of war. Recollections of operations as signaller with Signals Platoon, 1st Bn East Lancashire Regt, 158th Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: contact with British deserter from First World War; arrival in Antwerp, Belgium, 9/1944; orders to cross Meuse Canal, Belgium, 8/9/1944; shooting of sentry; German Army attack through wooded area; contact with Dutch Resistance; cancelling of operation to cross Meuse Canal; wounding during German Army artillery shelling of Signal Platoon Universal Carriers. Recollections of medical treatment and hospitalisation in Belgium and GB, 1944: nature of wounds; evacuation to Brussels, Belgium, 9/1944. REEL 6 Continues: evacuation by air to GB, 9/1944; effect of facial wounds and initial sight of them; move to Birmingham; dental work carried out; move to hospital near Blackburn; story of initial refusal of medical officer to return him to unit; downgrading to C grade; move to 4th Bn East Lancashire Regt; return to civilian life, 1946; psychological effects of wound.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Watkins, Robert (Recorder)
Collins, Eric (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1999-03-10
Dimensions: whole: Duration 280, Number Of Items 6
Catalogue number: 18742

Object associations

Our collections information

We have over 1.7 million object records online, and we are adding to this all the time. Our records are never finished. Sometimes we discover new information that changes what we know about an object, such as who made it or used it. Sometimes we change how an object is interpreted. We sometimes make mistakes in our spelling, transcription or categorisation, or miss information out of our records.

Read more about our collections and the information we hold. Developing our collections information

If you have concerns about the language in this record, or you have information to improve it, please share your feedback.

We receive a lot of comments and can't respond to each one, but we do read them all and will respond where we can.

Interview with Eric Collins

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Associated subjects

Associated keywords

Associated themes

Our collections information

Related content

HMS Belfast at 80