Griffiths, Arthur Leslie (Oral history)

British NCO served with 6th Bn King's Own Royal Regt in GB, 1940-1941; served with 9th Bn Border Regt and 1st Bn Berkshire Regt in India and Burma, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Background in Merthyr Tydfil and London, 1912- 1939: family circumstances; education; memories of 1926 General Strike; character of depression, 1930-1933; character of entrepreneaurship during depression; efforts to find work in London; working with landscape gardening; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Recollections of period with 6th Bn King's Own Royal Regt and 9th Border Regt in GB, 1940-1941: call-up, 1940; amusing story of burnt army porridge. REEL 2 Continues: incident of violinist who used a pick for the first time; bayonet practice; coastal defence at Hornsea and Withernsea, 1940-1941; move to Cheddar; construction of beach defences at Penzance, 1941; attitude to not being engaged on active duty; fraternising with civilians in Cheddar; married comrade who insisted on volunteering with him; posting to Newbiggin to join 9th Bn Border Regt; attitude towards officers; disposal of army-issue long johns. Recollections of voyage from GB to India via South Africa aboard Orcades, 1942: allocation of accommodation below water-line; attempt to come to terms with hammocks; forcible washing of soldier; contracting malaria at Freetown. REEL 3 Continues: period in sick bay of ship; story of getting word to his father in Johannesburg from Durban; contact with father; reaction to stay in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and Cape Town; reaction of troops to conditions on board ship at Cape Town; voyage to Bombay. Recollections of period with 9th Border Regt in India, 1942-1943: initial impressions of Bombay; first railway journey across India; re- joining 9th Border Regt at Fort William, Calcutta; initial contact with 'Calcutta Welsh'; effect of monsoon rains on Calcutta; sight of waste in River Hooghly; hospitality of Indian civilians. REEL 4 Continues: insect life in Fort William; comrade who received medical treatment for foot problem; leave period in Darjeeling. Recollections of operations with 1st Bn Royal Berkshire Regt in Arakan, Burma and India, 1943: posting to unit in Arakan; jittering tactics employed by Japanese; retreat in face of Japanese advance; withdrawal; contracting paralysis; meeting cousin in eastern India; move to Ahmednagar; loss of money belt at Ahmednagar. REEL 5 Continues: obtaining US rations on train journey. Period with 9th Bn Border Regt in India, 1943: re-joining unit in Assam; contact with Welsh missionaries; how unit joined 17th Indian Div; narrow escape during training; collapse from malaria in Assam; attitude towards physical training instructors; move of unit to Dimapur; period of hospitalisation at Dimapur; memories of comrade 'Taffy'. Recollections of operations with Headquarters Coy, 9th Bn Border Regt in Burma, 1943-1944: hazards of road journey on Tiddim Road; prevalence of rats; appearance of Imphal Plain; character of the Chocolate Staircase; arrival at unit on Kennedy Peak. REEL 6 Continues: view from unit positions; problems negotiating slopes; method of opening bully beef tins; reaction to encounter with Burmese civilians; sight of Gurkha's corpse on track; guarding engineers detailed to blow bridge; amusing story of quarter-master sergeant's Christmas cake business; eating mule which broke a leg; unit casualties on Kennedy Peak; building of Tyler's Mission c12/1943; effect of quinine; visit for X-ray at casualty clearing station; unit's escape from Japanese encirclement, 3/1944; exhaustion from walking down Chocolate Staircase. REEL 7 Continues: character of withdrawal into India; receiving burn to arm from mortar shell; receiving rations from US Air Force, 3/1944; re-capture of camp containing supplies. Period with 9th Bn Border Regt in India, 1944: treatment of unit by Indian troops; recuperation of unit from exhaustion, spring 1944; attempts to maintain morale; making punjis as punishment; start of monsoon; reporting to Imphal with toothache; appearance of Imphal Plain during monsoon, attitude of troops to officers. Aspects of operations with 9th Bn Border Regt at Potsambang, Burma, 1944: character of actions at Potsambang; looking after wounded comrade in no-man's land. REEL 8 Continues: advance under Japanese shell-fire; end of Potsambang battle. Period in reserve in India, 1944: leave in Kashmir after 6/1944; delights of English cuisine during leave. Recollections of operations with 9th Bn Border Regt in Burma, 1945: weather conditions during advance through central Burma; services provided by Women's Auxiliary Service Burma; opinion of General William Slim; advance across River Irrawaddy to Meiktila; fate of Japanese POW; character of close-quarter fighting; washing away of bridge at Pegu during 1945 monsoon; treatment of Japanese POW in Pegu area; hearing news of atomic bombing of Japan; character of Japanese POWs taken after VJ Day. REEL 9 Continues: conversation with Japanese officer after VJ Day; physical condition he was in at end of Second World War. Attitude to having served with 9th Bn Border Regt in Second World War. Question of soldiers' bravery.