Description
Object description
British NCO served with Royal Army Medical Corps in GB, Malta and Egypt, 1934-1940; officer served with Libyan Arab Force in North Africa, 1941-1943; trained with Special Operations Executive in Palestine, 1943; served as staff officer with Greek Section, Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Cairo, Egypt, 1943-1944; served as liaison officer with Special Operations Executive to Greek Resistance in Tropia, Peloponnese, 2/1944-8/1944; served with Z Special Unit, Special Operations Executive in Australia, 1945; served with Special Operations Executive at Balikpapan, Dutch Borneo, Dutch East Indies, 6/1945-8/1945; served on prisoner of war relief work with Special Operations Executive in Formosa and with Rescue Allied Prisoners of War and Internees at Yangchow, China, 8/1945-9/1945; officer served with 1st Bn Suffolk Regt, Malaya Command in Federation of Malaya, 1951-1952
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Lowestoft, GB, 1916-1934: family; education; employment; attempt to join Royal Marines, 1931. Aspects of period as NCO with Royal Army Medical Corps in GB, Malta and Egypt, 1934-1940: joining Royal Army Medical Corps in GB, 1934; attitude towards outbreak of Second World War in Malta, 1939; return to GB for officer training, 1940; return to Egypt as warrant officer, 7/1940; desire for active service; commissioning in Cairo, Egypt, 1940. Recollections of period as officer with Libyan Arab Force in North Africa, 1941-1943: volunteering for Libyan Arab Force, 1941; character of unit's officers including Vladimir 'Popski' Peniakoff; origins of Libyan Arab Force; handling Senoussi troops; role of force in defence of lines of communication; attitude towards life in desert; role guarding American Camp Huckstep, outside Cairo, Egypt from local pilferers.
REEL 2 Continues: German entry into desert campaign, 2/1941; defence of airfield at Bagoush in Western Desert, 1941; aid given to Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service; retreat of Allied forces during German offensive, 1942; reconnaissance duties in desert, 1942; retreat of unit towards El Alamein, Egypt and pursuit by Germans; regrouping at Minya, Egypt, 5/1942; opinion of senior officers in desert campaign; character of Senoussi troops.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of training as officer with Special Operations Executive in Palestine, 1943: background to volunteering for Special Operations Executive, 3/1943; nature of discipline and training; difficulties of route march; parachute training. Aspects of period as staff officer with Greek Section at Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Cairo, Egypt, 1943-1944: duties; attitude toward period at headquarters; plan to parachute him as liaison officer to resistance into Greece. Recollections of operations as liaison officer with Special Operations Executive to Greek Resistance in Tropaia, Peloponnese, Greece, 2/1944-8/1944: problems inexperienced Douglas Dakota pilot had locating drop zone, 2/1944; dangerous parachute landing in Peloponnese, 2/1944.
REEL 4 Continues: posting to Greek Resistance headquarters at Tropaia; evacuation of villagers from Tropaia as Germans moved into area; German seventeen day operation to find Greek Resistance in Peloponnese, 4/1944; resistance leaders refusal to allow him to rest in cave; meeting Canadian boy of Greek parentage and employing him as interpreter; arrival of Communist leader Aris Velouchiotis; Aris Velouchiotis' insistence that Martin should be under his orders; decision to end mission to the resistance; attempts to get locals who had assisted him out of Aris Velouchiotis control; escape to coast.
REEL 5 Continues: evading Aris Velouchiotis and Germans, 8/1944; physical condition on leaving Greece, 8/1944; fate of Greek refugees in Italy; nature of his work in Greece. Recollections of period as officer with Z Special Unit, Special Operations Executive in Australia, 1945: volunteering for work in South East Asia; leave in Lowestoft, GB, 1944-1945; reporting to Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Melbourne; reasons for use of cover name Services Reconnaissance Department for Special Operations Executive in Australia; method of parachuting from Consolidated Liberator aircraft.
REEL 6 Continues: move to training ground on Fraser Island; jungle training on Fraser Island including how to eat Witchety Grub; learning to capture and kill a snake; preparation of the Taro Root for food. Recollections of operations as officer with Special Operations Executive at Balikpapan, Dutch Borneo, Dutch East Indies, 6/1945-8/1945: arrival at forward headquarters, Moritai Island; training in jungle on Morotai Island; plan for him to lead party into Dutch Borneo; size of parties sent into South East Asia; dangers of operating in swamps in Dutch Borneo.
REEL 7 Continues: parachuting in swamp, 6/1945; coping with mosquitoes; terrain in area in which he established operating base; damage to Consolidated Catalina Flying Boat landing on Lake Melintang; relations with local population around Balikpapan; difficulties of getting arms supplies requested by local population; Imperial Japanese Army attack, 8/1945; problem restraining his Australian party's eagerness to engage Japanese forces; plans to evacuate from Balikpapan area; second Japanese attack using armoured barge, 8/1945.
REEL 8 Continues: accidental attack on his party by Supermarine Spitfire aircraft, 8/1945; use of mortars to attack Imperial Japanese Army, 8/1945; escape from Imperial Japanese Army, 8/1945; receiving news that the war was over, 8/1945; problems escaping safely from Dutch Borneo even though war was over, 8/1945; refusal of Imperial Japanese Army commander to accept surrender in Dutch Borneo. Aspects of period on prisoner of war relief work with Special Operations Executive in Formosa, China, 8/1945: rapid posting to Formosa; reaction to physical condition of former prisoners of war; learning details of former prisoners of war treatment by Japanese in copper mines.
REEL 9 Continues: evacuation of former prisoners of war by Royal Navy. Recollections of period on prisoner of war relief work with Special Operations Executive attached to Rescue Allied Prisoners of War and Internees in Yangchow, China, 9/1945: voyage from Formosa to Shanghai; renaming of unit; discovery of British internees in confinement at Yangchow Internment Camp; entry into Yangchow Internment Camp; meeting with camp commandant; making arrangements for well-being of internees.
REEL 10 Continues: instructions he gave to internees about how they should conduct themselves; receiving news from commissar with 4th Route Army, Chinese People's Liberation Army of impending attack on Yangchow; receiving money from American Office of Strategic Services; refusal of his request for a platoon of United States Marine Corps marines to be sent to Yangchow; question of logistical problems of evacuating internees from Yangchow; evacuation of sick internees by Douglas Dakotas; evacuation of bulk of internees to Shanghai; difficulties returning to Morotai Island, Dutch East Indies; story of being forced to leave American manufactured aircraft he was travelling in due to end of Lease-Lend, 9/1945; return to GB via Australia and reporting to Headquarters, Special Operations Executive in Baker Street, London, GB, 11/1945.
REEL 11 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn Suffolk Regt, Malaya Command in Federation of Malaya, 1951-1952: background to posting to Federation of Malaya; historical background to Malayan Emergency; how Malayan Communists managed to obtain arms during Second World War; Communist Party of Malaya organisation during 1940s including Min Yuen.
REEL 12 Continues: strength of Communist Party of Malaya, 8/1945; establishment of 'People's Courts' set up by Communist Party of Malaya, 8/1945; extensions of Communist Party of Malaya control of trade unions after 8/1945; launch of insurrection, 6/1948; importance of Chinese squatters; measures taken to deny Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents aid from Chinese squatters; government control structures during Malayan Emergency; troopship voyage from GB to Singapore, 1951; train journey to Kajang.
REEL 13 Continues: duties; opinion of platoon commanders; attitude of High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney; problems of illiteracy amongst Malayans; difficulties with identification of dead Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents; assassination of Sir Henry Gurney, 6/10/1951; memories of General Sir Gerald Templer; opinion of General Sir Gerald Templer's food denial measures in jungle areas; organisation of military operations; how he familiarised himself with Malayan National Liberation Army movements in Selangor; use of Iban trackers; opinion of National Servicemen in battalion; his collapsing from exhaustion during first jungle patrol.
REEL 14 Continues: shooting of two Min Yuen on first jungle patrol; difficulties of removing bodies of Min Yuen out of jungle; rest periods for those engaged on jungle patrols; dangers of accidental 'friendly fire'; story of interception of food party sent by Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents into village.
REEL 15 Continues: mission to Sarawak, British Borneo to recruit Ibans; attitude of civilian administration in Kuching, British Borneo towards recruitment of large numbers of Ibans; threefold division of Ibans, Sea Dyaks, Land Dyaks and Punans; attitude of Sea Dyaks to enlistment; selection of Iban recruits; transport of Iban recruits to Federation of Malaya; problems of Ibans adjusting to army life; contrast between operating in Klang and Kajang circles.
REEL 16 Continues: second hand story of Ibans first patrol an how they killed three Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents; battalion operation in which insurgent leader Liew Kon Kim killed, 5/7/1952; return to GB with regimental colours, 1952.