Hatfield, George (Oral history)

British NCO served as armed artificer with Army Ordnance Corps attached to B Bty 88th Bde Royal Field Artillery 19th Div on Western Front, 1915-1918

REEL 1: Background in GB, 1912-1914: story of return from posting in India and leave in London, 1912; duties with coastal batteries, Plymouth 1912-1914; posted to Bulford Camp, Aldershot; description of training of Kitchener recruits, 1914; posted to France, 6/1915; description of journey from Southampton to Le Havre; memory of Japanese naval escort. Recollections of operations as armed artificer with B Bty 88th Bde Royal Field Artillery 19th Div on Western Front, 1915-1918: entrained on cattle trucks; arrived St Omer; in line in Bethune area; composition and personnel in B Bty; story of Bty hit by shell and casualties; sheltered in dugout behind haystack; story of journey to 88th Bde HQ; description of collecting and burying bodies of men in B Bty killed by shell; memory of making wooden crosses; problem of identification of bodies; description of training and preparations for Battle of Somme, 6/1916; memory of ammunition dumps; weather conditions; daily life in countryside; memory of artillery barrage; briefing; story of writing name on haversack; story of death of Sergeant Jack Eaves; description of first day of Battle of Somme, 1/Jul/1916; memory of 19th divisional sign of butterfly; description of infantry advance to intended objective in Sausage Valley; description of dead in No Man's Land; opinion of German dugouts; description of terrain. REEL 2 Continues: casualties in Bty and replacements from Div Ammunition Column; posted to Ypres Salient sector, Belgium; description of Ypres and terrain; story of riding bicycle through Menin Gate under fire; posted back to Somme area; problem of heavy rain and mud; danger of falling off duckboards and drowning; problem of tonsillitis; moved with Bty to Passchendaele sector; promoted sergeant-major and transferred to No 11 Ordnance Mobile Workshop, Poperinghe, 8/1917; story of sergeant-major leaving Bty; story of repairing 4.5 Howitzer and request for promotion; amusing story of being hit on head by piece of turf; tin helmets; story of execution of L/Cpl Hughes; question of frequency of executions;description of duties in charge of cadre unit; leave in Zeebrugge. REEL 3 Continues: story of saving life of sailor in Zeebrugge; various memories of leave in Belgium and Paris; reason for removing rank badge; home leave.