Workman, Charlie (Oral history)

British officer served with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB and North West Europe, 1943-1945; served as officer with Intelligence Corps in GB, 1954-1985

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Glasgow, 1920-1939: family circumstances; education; work as law apprentice, 1936-1939; sporting activities; interest in motorcycles and cars. Recollections of training with 423 Bty, 57th Searchlight Regt in Glasgow, 3/1939-9/1939: reasons for recruitment; kitting out; opinion of officers; role of unit in co-operating with anti-aircraft guns; role operating Lister generator; drill; question of influence of First World War on training; doubling of territorial army units; confused situation on call up 8/1939. Period on searchlight site at Murdostoun Castle, Wishaw, 1939-1940: site layout; conditions of service; role driving lorry and operating Lister; story of requisitioning car for anti-parachutist patrol. REEL 2 Continues: pit head baths; absence of German air raids; question of boredom; story of appearing in defence of gunner for being asleep on duty during court martial. Period at Caldercruix, 1940-1941: state of unit; role as motorcycle despatch rider riding Norton E52; question of applying for commission; regimental pre-OCTU course; attending War Office Selection Board at Edinburgh; reasons for applying for commission in Royal Armoured Corps. Basic training at pre-OCTU course at Pirbright, 1941. Recollections of attending course at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1942: origins of cadets; tank gunnery training; dispute with instructor during field course; signals and tactical training; role of officer and importance of caring for OR welfare; decision to take commission with Fife & Forfar Yeomanry and interview with Colonel Alec Scott. REEL 3 Recollections of period with 1 Troop, C Sqdn, 2nd F&FY at Chippenham Camp, Newmarket, ca 10/1942-6/1943: reception from Colonel Alec Scott, Major Alastair Nairn and Brigadier Prior-Palmer; opinion of Major Nairn including his map reading skill and rigorous checking of completion of assigned 'daily tasks'; opinion of various NCOs and officers including Sergeants Christie and Hutton, Lieutenants Dick Leith, Hutchison, William Steel Brownlie and Donald Bulley; nature of officers' mess and drinking habits; Cromwell tanks and crew roles; nature of regimental and brigade exercises and story of debriefing; question of active service posting to North Africa; regimental rest camps. REEL 4 Continues: opinion of British tanks; developing relationship with officers from 24th Lancers and 23d Hussars; question of importance of competition; sporting activities; officers' mess; relationship with Other Ranks including Trooper Hutchison; attitude to homosexuality in armed forces. Recollections of periods at Rudston and Bridlington, 6/1943-3/1944: officers' hut accommodation; question of officers wearing civilian clothes at weekends; characteristics of Sherman tank and role of crew members including turret arrangements, wireless set, method of directing gunner in firing 75mm gun and Browning machine gun, role of wireless operator, personal binoculars, role of driver and co-driver, opinion of 75mm gun and comparison with German 88mm gun and opinion of armour protection; question of Sherman flammability; question of different nature of fighting in desert and bocage terrain. REEL 5 Continues: exercises including realistic nature, arrangements for compensating farmers, wireless procedures and subsequent personal morale as tank commander in action; story of overhearing wireless exchange tension between Colonel Scott and Major Nairn, story of Sergeant Brennan accidentally insulting Scott over wireless and ban on approaching horse breeding farm; nature of relationships between officers; opinion of Major George Trotter and his role as second in command, role of adjutant and duties of orderly officer; origins of Trotter, Scott, Nairn and Prior-Palmer; background to replacement of Nairn by Major Chris Nicholls; Nairn's reaction on leaving unit. REEL 6 Continues: opinion of Major Nicholls and question of effects of his North African service; period at Kirkudbrigshire tank firing range including story illustrating status of regimental major, ranging by guesswork, Nairn's ability as gunner and policy of firing when stationary; revolver and Sten gun training; move into billets at Bridlington; nature of officers mess including timing of dinner, mess nights, food, tailored uniforms and unit badges, drinking habits and question of mess games; local dances and visits to yacht club; army and RAF football matches watched by civilian crowds. REEL 7 Continues: awareness of RAF casualties on night raids; competitive sporting activities; presence of squadron leaders wives; petrol shortage. Periods at Warburg Barracks, Aldershot and Gosport, 3/1944-6/1945: operational briefing; waterproofing Sherman and tests; move into tank park outside Aldershot; officers' club and recreations; secrecy prior to move to concentration area at Gosport; leaving behind excess kit; period confined to camp; films; personal morale. Recollections of crossing English Channel aboard Landing Ship Tank and situation on landing on beach at Courcelles, ca 13/6/1944. Period at Cully, 13/6/1944-26/6/1944: bivouac; compo food rations; listening in to wireless traffic from front; attitude of French civilians; latrines; currency. Recollections of Operation Epsom, 26/6/1944-1/7/1944: prior 'O' Group briefing and marking up maps. REEL 8 Continues: synchronised watches; break down of initial attack on Cheux, 26/6/1944, including advance down road, first casualties, move into fields, firing machine gun at advancing German troops, confused situation and view of Shermans 'brewing up'; removal of turret gun guard rail; personal morale; overnight tank laager including layout, importance of refuelling, question of guard and question of casualties including Lieutenant Pritchard; taking up positions on Hill 112, including view of retreating infantry, situation and firing on German transport; nebelwerfer and mortar fire; problem with swollen ankles from remaining in turret; importance of washing and shaving; latrine arrangements in tank; steel helmet and tank uniform; use of binoculars with turret hatch open; war controlled stores; importance of map; story of discovering sniped British infantry whilst scouting ahead of tank on foot. REEL 9 Continues: situation on Point 112; rest camp; personal morale; story of Nicholls premonition of death and subsequent delivery of letter to his family. Account of Operation Goodwood, 18/7/1944: briefing and opinion of plan; prior Allied bombing raid; question of problems in passing through minefield; advance in line formation; crossing first railway line; view of Shermans brewing up; reputation of German 88mm gun in anti-tank role; fitting extra armour to Sherman; situation on hold up in advance including briefing officer of Guards Armoured Bde, question of Montgomery's intentions, difficulty in identifying targets and withdrawal; firing without specific targets; personal morale as tank commander in action and reaction to casualties; reserve crews and tanks; opinion of Major Joe Powell; opinion of Goodwood plan. Recollections of operations during advance to Falaise, 7/1944-8/1944: story of being blown out of Sherman by direct hit. REEL 10 Continues: story of direct hit question on Sherman and question of shooting fatally burned driver; taking over NCO's Sherman and resuming advance; writing to families of casualties and role censoring letters; reactions to casualties and state of unit morale; opinion of Sherman in action; evocative smells; question of reducing Sherman flammability; situation on passing through Caen; shaving and uniform; story of arm and leg wounds from nebelwerfer shell hitting Sherman turret in Falaise sector, 8/1944; evacuation by ambulance and initial medical treatment; rapid recovery during period in hospital in GB, ca 8/1944-12/1944; story of using morphine on infantry wounded by mines; question of treatment of wounded tank crew; administering morphine injections to infantry; problem with panzerfaust and precautionary firing into cover; problem of mines laid in ditches. REEL 11 Continues: problem of mines; mobile nature of operations; question of aerial activity; supply situation; fatigue problem; opinion of Majors Dick Leith and Chris Nicholls; state of unit morale; role in field court martial of officer convicted of cowardice and question of importance of example set by officers; relationship with tank crew and question of importance of various roles; officers' mess lorry. Period at transit camp in Cambridge area, ca 10/1944-12/1944: question of being returned to unit; prior assessment of state of wounds in convalescent camp; visit to RAF station; story of clash with US Air Force Officer and subsequent dispute at meeting of English Speaking Union; rejoining unit. Recollections of period at Ypres, 1/1945-3/1945: reactions to death of Bulley; billets; relationship with Belgian civilians. REEL 12 Continues: characteristics of Comet tank; attending 76 mm gun course at Lulworth; story of securing extra days leave in London; firing practice at Gravelines including clash with border guard illustrating state of mind and calibration of guns; opinion of Lieutenant Eric Lamont; Menin gate ceremony and visits to First World War battlefields; opinion of various officers including Brigadier Roscoe Harvey, Steel Brownlie, Davis Reid, Major Trotter, Major Alastair Grant, Captain Harry Melville and Major John Gilmour; opinion of Sergeant John Thompson; question of award of campaign medals; question of effect of casualties. Period training at Montaigu, 3/1945. Recollections of operations during advance into Germany, 3/1945-4/1945: crossing pontoon bridge over Rhine; reaction to entering Germany; reactions to prior Montgomery speech to officers at Ypres; opinion of high command; initial lack of opposition; inaccuracy of maps. REEL 13 Continues: use of Bren and Sten guns by crew when surrounded by German infantry in Legden, 30/3/1945; problem of panzerfausts; age of German troops; speed of advance; question of Comets bogging down in muddy conditions; story illustrating relationship with German civilians; tactical importance of bridges; view of inmates on passing Belsen concentration camp; story of panzerfaust shell hitting closed turret, breaking periscope glass and effect on eyes and ears during street fighting at Osnabruck, 4/1945; subsequent clearance of village by infantry. Hospitalisation and state of eyes and ears, 4/1945. Postings at Catterick Camp and No 2 Formation College, Welbeck Abbey, 4/1945-10/1945: questions of VE Day celebrations and posting to Far East; educational role of college and role as adjutant; demobilisation, 10/1945. Post-war career: studying law at Glasgow University; background to refusal to rejoin F&FY on reformation. Recollections of service with Intelligence Corps, 1954-1985: recruitment, 1954; background role and organisation of IC; role of 51st Field Security Section attached to 51s Div; concentration on military forces of Soviet Union. REEL 14 Continues: study of military forces of Soviet Union; move to 52nd FSS attached to 52nd Div; changes in command structure; nature of training; value of territorial personnel in photographic interpretation; aspects of recruitment including question of security checks and fast promotion of NCOs based on tests; applicants failing security tests; drill night training; loss of recruits on marriage; weekend exercises on internal security situations and interrogations; summer camps including practice movements; formation of Intelligence and Security Group Volunteers, 1967; interrogation exercises and question of Russian speaking personnel; opinion of threat of Soviet Union; situation in West and East Germany; lack of impact of Cuba crisis, 1963; question of relationship with MI5 and MI6; nuclear exercises at Corstophine Bunker, Edinburgh; NATO rather than internal security role of IC platoon based in Belfast and Londonderry. REEL 15 Continues: development of internal security role of army as result of Northern Ireland situation and reliance on territorial personnel; membership of Territorial Army Association, 1969-1977; continued contact with IC; role on posting as Honorary Colonel of Intelligence, 1977-1985; role of TA in providing experts to join Regular Army in exercises and on active service postings; role as Honorary Colonel and Colonel Commandant of IC; continued contact with IC and reaction to reorganisation; situation in Germany; reaction to collapse of Soviet Union and continued threats to world security. Relationship with tank crew and question of tank crew roles, 1944-1945. Membership of F&FY Regimental Association.