Interview with Walter Robins

British NCO served with 1st Bn Duke of Wellington's Regt (West Riding), 29th British Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 9/1952-10/1953

REEL 1 Aspects of background in Mansfield and Derbyshire, GB, 1929-1947: family circumstances; education; lack of impact of Second World War. Aspects of period as private and NCO with Duke of Wellington's Regt (West Riding) in GB and Germany, 1947-1951: basic training at Elgin, 1947; instructional work at Royal Military College Sandhurst, Camberley, 1949-1951; character of unit; move to Germany, 1951; need for reinforcements for move to South Korea; reaction to being made signals sergeant; story of finding out that he was not on advance party to South Korea. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Devonshire from GB to South Korea, 8/1952-9/1952: training of voice procedure on radio. Recollections of operations as NCO with Signals Platoon, 1st Bn Duke of Wellington's Regt (West Riding), 29th British Infantry Bde, 1st Commonweatlh Div in South Korea, 9/1952-10/1953: reception at Pusan, 9/1952; issue of winter clothing; preparations for move into front line; relieving 1st Bn Welch Regt at Yong Dong Po; character of front at Yong Dong Po; aversion of signallers to repairing telephone wires; types of radio sets used and problems encountered using them. REEL 2 Continues: locating wireless aerials; obtaining communications equipment from American personnel; importance of Gloucestershire Regiment NCO to signals line section; organisation of work of signallers; techniques for line-repair; method of acquiring replacement equipment and how this was circumvented; problems of locating charging engines; demand from unit officers for lighting; opinion of National Service personnel in signals platoon; reinforcements from 1st Bn Welch Regt; story of Lance Corporal Davies dealing with two Chinese soldiers in communications during the Battle of The Hook, 5/1953; opinion of work of Major John Mackay during the Battle of The Hook. REEL 3 Continues: role of Royal Artillery, tanks and Royal Engineers during the Battle of The Hook, 5/1953; character of bunkers; running internal mail; size of signal platoon; contact with Korean civilians; trade in beer bottles; search for stolen goods in Korean village; leave in Japan; opinion of Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops; Chinese propaganda including material hung on barbed wire; state of health; use of microphones; question of political aspect of war and personal motivation; opinion of Australian and Canadian troops; question of United States Army methods and degree of professionalism.