Interview with Eward Lyster Gibbon

British officer served with 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers in North Africa and Italy, 1943-1944; served with 3rd Sqdn 2nd Special Air Service Regt in Italy and North West Europe, 1944-1945; served as staff officer with British Military Mission in Romania, 1945-1946

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1921-1939: family circumstances; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 9/1939. Aspects of enlistment and training as private with Royal Berkshire Regiment Regimental Depot, Brock Barracks, Reading, 1940-1941: experiences as private at Reading, 1940; first contact with soldiers from the East End of London; officer training at Royal Military College Sandhurst, Camberley. Aspects of period as officer with Royal Irish Fusiliers Regimental Depot, Ballykinlar, Northern Ireland and 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers, 38th (Irish) Infantry Bde, 6th Armoured Div in GB, 1941-1942: commissioning into regiment, 1941; role with regiment at Ballykinlar and Omagh, Northern Ireland; posting to 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers at Thetford; experiences during Operation Wetshod, 1942. Aspects of operations as officer with Anti-Tank Platoon, 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers, 38th (Irish) Infantry Bde, 6th Armoured Div in North Africa, 1942-1943: character of voyage from GB to French Algeria; landing at Bougie, French Algeria; entering frontline at Medjez-el-Bab, Tunisia, 12/1942; initial reaction to being under German fire. Aspects of operations as officer with Anti-Tank Platoon, 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers, 38th (Irish) Infantry Bde, 78th Infantry Div on Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944: use of solid shot against German Army snipers; reasons for joining 2nd Special Air Service Regt at Bari, 1944. Aspects of training with Special Air Service in GB, 1944: return to GB, 1944. REEL 2 Continues: character of parachute training at No 1 Parachute Training School, RAF at RAF Ringway; formation of 3rd Sqdn, 2nd Special Air Service Regt in Scotland, 1944. Recollections of operations as officer with 3rd Sqdn, 2nd Special Air Force Regt in Italy, 1944-1945: move to Bari for Operation Galia; organisation of squadron; objective of Operation Galia, 27/12/1944-10/2/1944; equipment carried; character of parachute descent in Rossano area; nature of operations under Bob Walker-Brown; regaining Allied lines, 10/2/1945; role of Italian Partisans; German Army soldier who deserted and fought with squadron; memories of Roy Farran; living conditions; incidents during Operation Galia. Aspects of operations with Special Air Service in Germany and Norway, 1945: reconnaissance role; danger of German panzerfaust attacks; relations between Special Air Service personnel and Norwegian civilians in Bergen, Norway after VE Day, 8/5/1945. REEL 3 Continues: reaction of German population to sight of red berets, Germany, 4/1945. Aspects of period as staff officer with British Military Mission in Romania, 1945-1946: role as G3; arrest by Soviets on frontier with Bulgaria, 1946; role as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to head of mission; life in Romania. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers in Palestine, 1948: basing in Syrian Orphanage in Jersusalem; leaving regiment as staff officer, 5/1948.