Interview with Philip Thomas Tower

British officer with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in India and Egypt, 9/1939-12/1940; served with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 5th Indian Infantry Div in Eritrea, 1/1941-4/1941; served with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in North Africa, 5/1941-6/1942; prisoner of war in Campo PG 75, Bari and Campo PG 5, Gavi-Serraville Scrivia, Italy, 7/1942-9/1943; escaped and evaded capture in Italy, 9/1943-10/1943; staff officer served as brigade major with 1st Airborne Div during Operation Market Garden, Netherlands, 9/1944; served as General Officer Commanding Middle East Land Forces in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 5/1967-11/1967

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1917-1937: family; education. Aspects of period as officer with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery in India, 1937-1940: background to joining unit at Jhansi; hearing news of declaration of Second World War at Nowshera, 3/9/1939. Aspects of operations with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in Egypt, 1940-1941: Italian Air Force attack on convoy, 1940; period in Meena Camp, Cairo; how Italian Army was taken by surprise attack, late 1940; capture of Italian prisoners; nature of desert sores. Aspects of operations with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in Eritrea, 1/1941-4/1941: voyage from Egypt to Sudan aboard HMT Reina del Pacifico, 12/1940-1/1941; move to Agordat; charge by Italian Army cavalry at Keru; hold-up at Keren; supply problems at Keren; uneasy encounter with group of Eritreans at Keren; shark danger in Red Sea; attack on Massawa. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of operations with 25th Field Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in North Africa, 5/1941-6/1942: return to Egypt; discovery of corpses washed ashore in Egypt, 5/1941; breakdown of his vehicle near Sollum, Egypt, summer 1941; conditions at Al Jaghbub Oasis, Libya; memories of Operation Crusader, 11/1941; role as adjutant; advance through Jebel Akhdar to Derna, Libya, 12/1941; return of British Indian Army troops to India, summer 1941; Deutsches Afrika Corps use of illuminating rockets, 1/1942; role as battery commander during defence of Tobruk, Libya; harassing role outside Tobruk Garrison perimeter, Libya, 6/1942; problems of returning into Tobruk, Libya, 6/1942; Battle of Tobruk, 6/1942; circumstances of his capture by Deutsches Afrika Corps, 6/1942. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Campo PG 75, Bari and Campo PG 5, Gavi-Serraville Scrivia, Italy, 7/1942-9/1943: stoning of prisoner of war by civilians at Bari, 1942; effect of food shortage at Campo PG 75, Bari; character of camp life in Italy, 1942-1943; manner in which Senior British Officers ran prisoner of war camps; news of Badoglio Crisis, 9/1943. REEL 3 Continues: Recollections of escape and evasion in Italy, 9/1943-10/1943: escape from Campo PG 5, Gavi-Serraville Scrivia, 9/1943; period of evasion from Germans in Genoa area; trek south eastwards towards Tuscany using Roman road; approach to front line east of Monte Cassino; regaining physical strength by eating raw meat; wounding in chest by mine; entering United States Army positions; return to GB via North Africa and marriage, 12/1943. Aspects of operations as brigade major with 1st Airborne Div during Operation Market Garden in Netherlands, 9/1944: background to joining 1st Airborne Div as brigade major in GB, 4/1944; glider flight to Netherlands; period in Hartenstein Hotel, Oosterbeek; escape across River Nederrijn; duties at Hartenstein Hotel, Oosterbeek. Aspects of period as General Officer Commanding Middle East Land Forces in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 1967: encounter with Foriegn Secretary George Brown before leaving for Aden, 5/1967; crisis of 20/6/1967; role of journalist Charles Douglas-Home in bringing back information from interior; last hours in Aden. REEL 4 Continues: character of last days of British rule in Aden.