Interview with Thomas Tunney

British private served with C Coy, 16th Durham Light Infantry, 139th Infantry Bde, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in GB and North Africa, 1942-1943 prisoner of war in Campo PG 66, Capua and Campo PG 53, Sforzacosta, Italy, 3/1942-9/1943, Stalag IV-B, Mühlberg and Arbeitskommando W603, Bad Schmiedeberg, Germany, 10/1943-4/1945

REEL 1 Background in Thornley, GB, 1920-1941: family; memories of father; uncles' military service of uncles during First World War; education. REEL 2 Continues: memories of General Strike, 5/1926; further details of education; attending night school to study construction; Catholic schools; decision to not work in coal mine; work as apprentice bricklayer; jobs taken by friends from school; employment of sisters prior to and during Second World War. REEL 3 Continues: leisure activities as teenager; further memories of father; family home; employment selling ice cream while still at school; memories of Peter Baldesera and other friends; work in air raid shelters; music night classes. REEL 4 Continues: objections of parents to his joining Thornley Brass Band; leisure activities; further details of education; story of smoking at school; jobs taken by friends on leaving school; slum clearance in Thornley; work as apprentice bricklayer. REEL 5 Continues: memories of Munich Agreement, 9/1938 and declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; reaction of civilians to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; routes taken by friends into armed forces; work RAF Middleton St George. Aspects of enlistment in Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1941: process of registering for service; wait for call-up; reaction to arrival of call-up papers; air activity and German Air Force bombing during Battle of Britain, 1940; civilian reaction to Dunkirk Evacuation, 1940 and events of 12/1941. Aspects of training as private with Durham Light Infantry Regimental Depot, Brancepeth Castle in GB, 1941-1942: arrival at Brancepeth Castle; accommodation; origins of recruits; use of Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI); issue of uniform; reveille; sleeping arrangements; cleaning barrack room; breakfast; posting of details; physical training; duration of basic training; visits outside of camp details of pay; recruits going Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL); arrival of new intakes; end of basic training and remaining at depot to learn to drive; driving lessons; destinations of other recruits. Aspects of period as private with 16th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1942: posting to C Coy at Rye; deployment of battalion; accommodation and cookhouse in Winchelsea; daily routine; duties; aerial activity. REEL 6 Continues: guard and piquet duties; story of shooting at aircraft; interview with Company Sergeant-Major Arthur Pearson following incident; memories of Company Sergeant-Major Arthur Pearson; German Air Force bombing of cinema in Rye; visits of General Bernard Montgomery; posting to Camberley; inspection from King George VI; journey to Liverpool. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Staffordshire from Liverpool, GB, to Algiers, French Algeria, 12/1942-1/1943: embarkation; composition of convoy; activities and duties on board troopship; composition of platoon and section; sleeping arrangements; storage of kit; reiteration of duties and physical training; ship's crew and other units on board; separation from officers on ship; smell of diesel below decks, seasickness and latrines; knowledge and rumours of destination; arrival in Algiers, French Algeria. Recollections of operations as private with 16th Bn Durham Light Infantry in North Africa, 1/1943-3/1943: march to and description of Les Eucalyptus, French Algeria; training, accommodation and sleeping arrangements at Les Eucalyptus, French Algeria; precautions against sunburn; visits to Maison Carrée and Algiers, French Algeria; train journey through Atlas Mountains towards front line. REEL 7 Continues: dates bought from civilians; prior recollection of rations and supplementing rations in GB; onward journey in trucks; forming up and march to front line; relieving 1st Bn Queen's Own (Royal West Regt) including state of troops relieved; stand-to and description of positions and terrain; fight sightings of Deutsches Afrika Korps troops; sight of wrecked Universal Carriers; company headquarters in railway tunnel; accommodation of platoon officer; rain; cookhouse; description of attack at Sedjenane, Tunisia; details of patrols including own role in patrol and weapon carried; story of a patrol for looking for prisoners; story of threatening NCO and subsequent charge; memories of Lieutenant Duck; troops disappearing from front; German artillery; units on either side; duties as company runner including dangers on shortcut taken; rifle inspections. REEL 8 Continues: German artillery shelling; air activity and Royal Air Force presence; move to Sedjenane, Tunisia; expectation of Axis attacks; receiving United States Artillery support; method of smoking in front line; story of calling up artillery support; carrying a battery for Royal Artillery Forward Observation Officer and retreat from mortar fire; journey to Sedjenane, Tunisia; accommodation; proximity to Deutsches Afrika Korps troops; visit from Roman Catholic chaplain before attack; advance over plain; equipment carried; cover taken; proximity to Deutsches Afrika Korps troops after advance; conditions during second attack; rations; start of artillery barrage prior to final attack; advance towards Axis lines; sighting of machine gun; wounding of Private George Forster; advance with Lance Corporal George Local. Aspects of capture and period as prisoner of war in Tunisia, 3/1943: capture by Deutsches Afrika Korps troops and reasons for not continuing to fight; description of captured troops; fate of other members of C Coy; initial treatment and evacuation by German forces; description of German casualty clearing station; items confiscated by Deutsches Afrika Korps troops; opinion of Deutsches Afrika Korps troops. REEL 9 Continues: strafing by Supermarine Spitfire on march to coast; night in Ferryville; journey to docks; voyage from Ferryville, Tunisia to Naples, Italy including description of ship, latrines, crew, sleeping arrangements, lifeboats and number of prisoners of war on board. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Campo PG 66, Capua and Campo PG 53, Sforzacosta, Italy, 3/1942-9/1943: arrival in Naples; prior recollection of contact with German captors in Tunisia; train journey to Capua; march to Campo PG 66, Capua; accommodation; Red Cross parcels; rations; routine; use of cups made from tin; cigarettes and chocolate bought; contents of parcels received from GB; reaction to capture; hearing news of invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy; journey to Campo PG 53, Sforzacosta; description of camp; trading with guards; activities in camp; problems with lice; NCOs in charge of huts; escape attempts; visits from Italian officers; sleeping arrangements; music lessons taken; other activities available and gambling; use of cigarettes as currency; distribution of Red Cross parcels; piercing of tins in Red Cross parcels; soldier he shared parcels with; arguments between prisoners over sharing parcels; rations; more on distribution of Red Cross parcels; guards; roll-calls; disappearance of guards; medical officers in camp; discovery of guards disappearance with guns; arrival of German forces. REEL 10 Continues: organisation of prisoners of war. Aspects of train journey from Sforzacosta, Italy to Stalag IV-B, Mühlberg, Germany, 9/1943-10/1943: march to railway station; conditions on railway journey including stops and length of journey; description of cattle trucks travelled in; route taken; changing scenery and weather. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Stalag IV-B, Mühlberg and Arbeitskommando W603, Bad Schmiedeberg, Germany, 10/1943-4/1945: arrival and speech by officer at Stalag IV-B, Mühlberg; first night in camp; delousing; processing and allocation of prisoner of war number; accommodation; length of stay and routine; presence of Dutch police in camp; camp compounds; presence of prisoners of war from battalion; journey to Bad Schmiedeberg and arrival at Arbeitskommando W603; accommodation and selection to work in brickyard; memories of German supervisor; reason for lie about occupation; morning procedures; march to work; work in brickyard; civilian workmates. REEL 11 Continues: fellow prisoners of war identified from a photograph including stories of time in Halle, Germany and Brussels, Belgium with Ben Lewis after liberation and route taken on journey to Durham, GB; presence of French prisoner of war in Bad Schmiedeberg; working day; distribution of evening meal; state and work of Soviet prisoners of war; further details of work in brickyard; jobs worked by other prisoners of war; use of explosives; German civilians working in brickyard including attitudes towards prisoners of war; learning German language; pay and items available to buy; contents of Canadian Red Cross parcels. REEL 12 Continues: regularity and distribution of Red Cross parcels; cigarette ration; sharing of Red Cross parcel; argument with fellow prisoner of war over lice; baths and unloading of coal at brickyard; Allied bombing of Hitler Youth in local woods; story of United States Army Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress; air raid shelters; air activity including Allied propaganda leaflet drops; reaction to Allied air raids; issue of French uniform and prisoner of war patch worn; reiteration of working day; collection of rations each evening and breakfast; potatoes stolen from brickyard; food and drink given at brickyard; reiteration of Red Cross parcel contents; Indian Red Cross parcels; treatment and condition of Soviet prisoners of war. REEL 13 Continues: nature of ersatz coffee; French and Italian parts of uniform worn; arrival of first Red Cross parcels; trading with guards and reasons for their occasional refusal to trade; visits from prisoner of war officers; reiteration of use of baths and unloading of coal at brickyard; Allied air raids and air raid shelters used; freedom of movement and presence of French prisoners of war in village; shortage of bread; reiteration of the collection of rations each evening; method for distribution of rations; story of prisoner of war who would not eat rations; reiteration of jobs worked by other prisoners of war; leisure activities including instruments sent by Red Cross; news of war gained from neighbour; change in attitude of civilians toward end of war including Christmas Concert party, 25/12/1944; visits from father of guard; prisoners of war visit to cinema; German civilians' faith in secret weapons; pictures of Adolf Hitler around Bad Schmiedeberg; treatment received from civilians; greetings between civilians; journeys to hospital; story of encounter with officer on railway platform. REEL 14 Continues: details of the brickyard owner; discovery of occupation as bricklayer; work loading kiln; further details of use of explosives; air activity including reiteration of United States Army Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and bombing of Hitler Youth stories; arrival of United States Army and Soviet Army patrols; German Army troops passing through Bad Schmiedeberg; Allied air raids whilst hiding in loft to escape forced march; warning of Soviet Army's approach and time hiding in woods; state of Soviet Army prisoners of war left behind in camp; first sight of United States Army troops; hiding in loft and woods; return to Bad Schmiedeberg prior to arrival of Americans; last sight of German Army; length of time spent in loft; watching German guards look for them through loft cover; return of prisoner of war column; arrival of United States Army and Soviet Army troops in area; Soviet Army mortaring of and entry of United States Army troops into Bad Schmiedeberg; leaving with American forces and return to GB; celebrating with United States Army and Soviet Army troops in market square of Bad Schmiedeberg; story of dissuading Soviets from removing Germans from hospital and discovery of an Indian prisoner of war there; overnight accommodation; overindulgence with American breakfast rations. REEL 15 Continues: hearing news of President Franklin D Roosevelt's death from American soldier. Recollections of journey from Germany to GB via Brussels, Belgium, 4/1945: flight from Halle, Germany to Brussels, Belgium; time spent on airfield at Halle, Germany including souvenirs taken from officers mess, accommodation and organisation, isolation on airfield, method of getting into Halle and activities there; rations; processing by British personnel in Brussels, Belgium; prior recollection of journey to Halle, Germany; home-made alcohol offered by American soldier; stay in Brussels, Belgium including night out; flight from Brussels, Belgium to GB; journey to Thornley via Darlington; telegram sent to parents; reception from mother on arrival home; story of anxious pilot on flight from Brussels, Belgium to GB; story of first night out in Thornley; reaction to return to Thornley; villagers killed during Second World War; discussion of choices at start of war; war service of siblings. REEL 16 Continues: leave including reception from civilians; VJ Day celebrations, 15/8/1945. Aspects of period as private with No 5 Selection and Training Infantry Bn in GB, 1945: nature journey to Piper's Wood Camp; details of unit; medical grading; fitness training; leisure activities; pay parade and paybook; story of signals examination taken and passing after mistaken identity; composition of Headquarters Coy; training with grenades including accident; story of Royal Scots NCO in Warminster. Aspects of period as NCO with 9th Bn Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment in GB, 1945-1946: promotion to lance corporal; pay and price of beer and cigarettes; father's rate of pay following war; duties training conscripts; summary of duties; news of demobilisation and offer of extension to military service; final night in Dunbarton; process of demobilisation in York. REEL 17 Continues: sale of demobilisation suit. Aspects of period as post-war life and employment: events following demobilisation; return to civilian employment; rationing and black market; father's employment after Second World War; strike of miners before Nationalisation; return to Thornley Colliery Band; distribution of Welcome Home Fund; musical practice at family home; activity with different colliery bands; opinions of building work and housing conditions in Peterlee and Thornley; local cinemas. REEL 18 Continues: memories of Thornley Carnival before Second World War; trouble with American troops stationed in GB; relations with United States Army and Canadian Army troops; standard of turnout on leave during and after Second World War; story of photograph taken while on prisoner escort duty in Bishop Auckland.