Taylor, Jack (Oral history)

British marine served with Royal Marines in Netherlands during escape of Dutch Royal Family, 13/5/1940-14/5/1940 and aboard HMS Resolution during Operation Menace the raid on Dakar, French West Africa, 9/1940; police officer served with East Riding Constabulary seconded to Cyprus Police Force in Cyprus, 1956-1958

REEL 1 Background in Leeds, GB, 1922-1939: family; education; employment. Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Marines in GB, 1939-1940: reasons for volunteering for Royal Marines, 1939; nature of training with No 367 Training Squad. Recollections of operations with Royal Marines to evacuate Dutch Royal Family from Netherlands, 13/5/1940-14/5/1940: voyage from GB to Hook of Holland; warnings about Dutch Nazis; improvising rations; in action against German airborne troops; Welsh Guards casualties on jetty at Hook of Holland; attack by German Air Force fighter; escape from Hook of Holland aboard HMS Malcolm; object of operation to cover evacuation of Dutch Royal Family and industrial diamonds; question of British Government over-ruling Queen Wilhelmina's wish to award Royal Marines a Dutch decoration; opinion of Dutch Marines of Netherlands Marine Corps; sight of refugees; opinion of German troops; lack of anti-aircraft equipment. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period as police officer with East Riding Constabulary seconded to Cyprus Police Force in Cyprus, 1956-1958: background to volunteering to work in Cyprus from East Riding Constabulary, 9/1956; role with Special Branch Q Patrol including following Georgios Grivas' girlfriend; method of obtaining information about National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA); pursuit of suspected National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) courier 'Ionides'; capture of 'Ionides' in maternity hospital; background to how Nicos Sampson was captured; interview with Nicos Sampson; memories of General Sir John Harding; posting as liaison officer to British Army in Troodos Mountains, 1957; role during cordon and search operation at Milikouri; relations between Greek civilians and 1st Bn King's Yorkshire Light Infantry after fire-fighting work; question of his vulnerability to assassination at Pedulas; arrest of marine at Agros; mess relations with Royal Marines at Platres. REEL 3 Continues: responsibility for General Sir John Harding's safety at Pergramos, 1957; prior recollection of background to leaving Royal Marines, 1946; how riots would develop; incident when Barbara Castle MP was hit by rock at Limassol, 9/1958; facial injuries received from rock-throwing mob at Pedulas; arresting twenty-three youths at Pedulas; role guarding Rauf Denktash; occasion when British Army officer walked on Murder Mile, Nicosia; how he enforced authority of Cypriot police; role of Special Branch Q Patrols; work of Women's Royal Army Corps' personnel in Special Branch Q Patrols; patrols of brothels in Nicosia. REEL 4 Continues: work as control officer at Limassol, 1958; contrast between Limassol and Nicosia; his attitude to communal loyalties; plight of Greek and Turkish Cypriot police officers; behaviour of Greek monks during Cyprus Emergency; encounter with comedian Jimmy Wheeler; pipe-bomb thrown at Special Branch Q Patrol in Nicosia; question of political attitudes of Greek Cypriots; memories of arrest of Archbishop Makarios, 3/1957; hanging of National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) bomb thrower; how he asked for transfer from Pedulas to Limassol after riot and how his successor was assassinated; capture of National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) insurgent in cave; discovery of arms cache in Nicosia. REEL 5 Continues: British police forces which supplied personal to Cyprus Police Force; attitude of Cyprus police personnel to presence of British police; investigating Cypriot complaints of damage caused by British troops; visit to mess of Blues and Royals in Nicosia; failure to obtain promotion after service in Cyprus. Reflections on service with Royal Marines, 1940-1946: role as courier during Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in Bombay, India, 1946; experiences aboard HMS Resolution, 1940; his action station aboard HMS Resolution during Operation Menace, the raid on Dakar, French West Africa, 23/9/1940-25/9/1940; work after HMS Resolution had been damaged during Operation Menace at Dakar, French West Africa, 9/1940-11/1940.