Description
Object description
British civilian in east London, 1930-1940; officer served with 91st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt in GB and North Africa, 1941-1942; served with 94th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in North Africa, 1942-1943; served as intelligence officer with Enemy Equipment Section, Department of Technical Intelligence at General Headquarters, Egypt, 1943-1944; served as lecturer at Middle East School of Military Intelligence in Palestine, 1944-1945; served with Claims Commission in Iran and Iraq, 1945
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Stepney and Hackney, London, 1920-1939: review of family background as Jewish immigrants; family circumstances; education; move to Hackney, ca 1930; education at Parmetters Foundation School; studying law at King's College, London, 1937-1939; socialist beliefs; awareness of Nazi Germany; attending meetings of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists at Bethnal Green; question of anti-Semitism.
REEL 2 Continues: question of family's orthodox Jewish observance and reactions to crucifix; temporary move out of London, 1939; return to London and reactions to outbreak of war, 3/9/1939. Recollections of period studying at King's College evacuated to Bristol, 10/1939-7/1940: volunteering for army and receiving exemption to complete degree; parents' reactions; student lifestyle; reactions to news of Dunkirk during final examinations; advice to leave Bristol due to imminent bombing. Period at Baldock and London, 6/1940-9/1940: driving delivery van for father's salmon smoking business; visits to Lyon Coffee House; effects of German air raids; call up, 9/1940.
REEL 3 Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine with Royal Artillery at Blackdown Camp, 9/1940=1/1941: prior call up of friends; prior OTC training at Bristol; promotion to lance bombardier as potential officer; relationship with ORs; question of observance of Jewish dietary laws; question of anti-Semitism and status as Jew; PT and route marches; drill; question of value as officer of public school education; weapons training and guard duty; gas training; recreations and question of drinking; preparing for kit inspections; relationship with NCOs; reaction to swearing; absence of artillery training; interest in status as member of Jewish immigrant family during interviews as potential officer.
REEL 4 Continues: interest in status as member of Jewish immigrant family and change in family name during interviews as potential office. Recollections of period with Officers' Cadet Training Unit, RA at Shrivenham, 2/1941-6/1941: theoretical gunnery training; revolver training; gun drill on 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns including use of range finder and predictor; comparison of 3.7-inch and 88mm AA guns; setting shell fuses; method of using Mark I radar sets; venereal disease <VD> lecture; question of man management training; officers' mess; commission, 6/1941. Recollections of various postings with 91st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, RA in GB, 7/1941-12/1941: reception from regular officers; opinion of 'ranker' officers; officers' mess nights and drinking habits.
REEL 5 Continues: nature of training exercises; identification of German aircraft and RAF identification <ID> signal; nature of gun positions; mobile role and gun towers; role as gun position officer and use of predictor; pre-arranged barrage fire; relationship with NCOs and Other Ranks; censoring ORs' letters; officers' relationships with women; preparations for overseas service; embarkation leave and mother's reaction. Recollections of voyage aboard Orcades to Port Tewfik, Egypt, 12/1941-1/1942: contrasting conditions for officers and ORs.
REEL 6 Continues: reactions to news of Pearl Harbor attack 12/1941; role as deck officer; convoy route; attack of fever; reception ashore from South African civilians including questions of apartheid and anti-Semitism during visit to Capetown, South Africa; question of threat from Japanese submarines; first impressions on disembarkation. Recollections of period in command of radar station for gun positions at Alexandria, 2/1942-5/1942; relationship with Egyptian civilians; use of Mark I* radar set; personnel; question of protection from sun and discarding pith helmets; leave in Alexandria and visits to Mary's House brothel; question of VD problem and precautions; relationship with European and Egyptian civilians.
REEL 7 Continues: role tracking German reconnaissance aircraft and bombing raids on harbour; Italian midget submarine; visit to shot down German aircraft; posting as reinforcement to Royal Artillery Base Depot at Heliopolis, 5/1942. Recollections of period with 94th HAA Regt, RA during retreat from Fort Capuzzo to El Alamein, ca 6/12942: question of posting to battery left in Tobruk; question of keeping diary; reactions to first experience under fire; sea swimming; situation during retreat in stages; role as GPO; preparing guns for movements; convoy discipline; philosophical discussions; story of loading predictors onto train at El Daba. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during period at Burg el Arab, ca 7/1942-10/1942: gun positions; tent accommodation; officers' uniform and equipment.
REEL 8 Continues: role of officer's servant; food rations; water supply; washing and shaving; visits to Alexandria; desert sores; sandfly fever; constipation; latrines; problem with haemorrhoids; impetigo; medical arrangements; morning routine; practise 3.7" gun drills; inspections; showers; use of German and British petrol cans; effects of heat; sea swimming; lectures; stand to; parties in sergeants' mess; air raid warnings and taking post; use of radar; procedure prior to opening fire with 3.7inch guns; question of over-riding predictor; question of success in shooting down German aircraft.
REEL 9 Continues: situation and build up of Allied forces; importance of full moon; briefing prior to German attack at Ruweisat Ridge; daytime visits to Alexandria; attending radar gun laying course at Haifa, Palestine, 10/1942, including confiscation of camera film for security reasons, limitations of radar and contacts with Palestinian civilians; question of anti-British Jewish insurgents in Palestine; preliminary barrage prior to Battle of El Alamein; German minelaying activities behind British lines; policy of building Montgomery's reputation, Recollections of advance to Tunisia, 11/1942-5/1943: nature of operations; mine and booby trap problems; water rations and shaving; firing at German aircraft and their attacks on gun positions; BBC news reports; nature of terrain; scorpion problem; importance of full moon; speed of advance to Benghazi; coastal gun positions flooded during storm; Christmas and New Year celebrations.
REEL 10 Continues: night advance with 2nd New Zealand Div and entry into Tripoli, 1/1943; opinion of Montgomery; story of minor looting from hotel; currency; importance of Tripoli as port; brothels; behaviour of Australian troops; French colonial influences; operations at Mareth, 3/1943; nature of advance along coast; superior conditions of service for American troops; fall of Tunis, 5/1943. Recollections of period as intelligence officer with Enemy Equipment Section, Department of Technical Intelligence (MI10) at General Headquarters, Kasir el Nir Barracks, Cairo, 1943-1944: prior invention of slide rule devices to determine aircraft altitude; interview.
REEL 11 Continues: unit role; prior hospitalisation with malaria; collection of information on German weapons including use of agents in Balkans; training intelligence sections in use of German weapons including Schmeissers, revolvers and anti-tank weapons; opinion of German 88mm gun; question of superiority of German weapons; opinion of Soviet weapons; role receiving weapons as duty officer at GHQ; promotion to captain; hotel and apartment accommodation; daily routine; Arab servant; social life. Period taking course in German equipment at Middle East School of Military Intelligence at Gaza, Palestine, 1944-1945: story of accidental firing of German anti-tank gun.
REEL 12 Continues: story of accidental firing of German anti-tank gun; illustrations of lack of practical inexperience as lecturer; infiltration of Jewish insurgents on to unit staff; activities of Jewish British Army personnel in assisting Jewish refugees get to Palestine; VE Day celebrations and reactions, 8/5/1945; reactions to activities of Jewish insurgents and Zionist groups; rejection of role as liaison officer with Palestine Police; question of anti-Semitic attitudes amongst officers; attitude of units passing through for Far East service; recreations; review of experiences on courts martial as defending officer and junior judging officer.
REEL 13 Continues: cases of smuggling between Egypt and Palestine; visit from Turkish delegation; reactions to political background to General Election, 7/1945; Japanese surrender, 8/1945; parades on King Farouk's birthday. Period on Claims Commission at Teheran, Iran and Basra, Iraq, 8/1945-12/1945: flight out; story of clash with Iranian troops over dispute in brothel next to officers' mess; German influences; swimming; duties assessing compensation for civilian claims for damages against British Army; visits to Iranian villages; impressions of Basra; train journey; question of exaggerated compensation claims; journey back to GB, 12/1945. Period with 156 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery at Romford, 2/1946-3/1946: question of threat from Soviet Union; visits to theatre; female personnel.
REEL 14 Duties attached to Claims Commission in London, ca 6/1946-7/1946. Demobilisation, 7/1946. Post-war career: disposal of uniform; effects of military service; decision to pursue legal career and qualification as barrister; period working for family hire purchase business; background to formation of export engineering marketing company.