Interview with Alfred Charles Wooltorton

British NCO served with 7th Bn Royal Norfolk Regt, 176th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Div in GB, 1942-1944; served with 2nd Bn, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), 227th (Highland) Infantry Bde, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945

REEL 1 Background in Denton, GB, 1923-1942: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; membership of Denton Local Defence Volunteers, 5/1940-6/1940; German Air Force raid on Bungay, 1941. Aspects of enlistment and training with 7th Bn Royal Norfolk Regt in GB, 1942-1944: joining unit at Bacton; move to Northern Ireland; move to Kent and East Sussex; keenness for promotion; hospitalisation for measles in Margate; cases of presumed malingering. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Normandy, France, 8/1944: crossing English Channel to Arromanches-les-Bains on draft and posting to battalion, 8/1944; reception on arrival at B Echelon; posting to B Coy and formation of 10 Platoon; release of chained bull; character of Canadian Canloan officer; reception from French civilians, 8/1944. Recollections of operations as NCO with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: liberation of Deinze, Belgium, 9/1944. REEL 2 Continues: how he handled celebrations at Deinze, Belgium; story of how he became platoon sergeant of 10 Platoon, 9/1944; fighting patrol over Escaut Canal, Belgium; Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) cases; German counter-attack in which his Canadian platoon commander was badly wounded in bridgehead at Aalst, Netherlands, arrival of reinforcements including officer Jock Lawrie; reasons for evacuation of bridgehead at Aalst, Netherlands; nature of fighting around Best, Netherlands; narrow escape from German MG 42 Machine Gun fire; method of handling orders to search for German MG 42 Machine Gun position; move of 10 Platoon to A Coy as 7 Platoon sergeant; reception in 7 Platoon, 10/1944; German use of multi-barrelled mortars at Peel; story of soldier who mistakenly thought he had a serious wound; contact with civilians at Asten, Netherlands; move to Baarlo, Netherlands; foraging for Christmas dinner; patrol work on River Maas, Netherlands; use of Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carriers during liberation of Tilburg, Netherlands. REEL 3 Continues: problems faced by United States Army troops at Tilburg, Netherlands; billeting of battalion in area around Tilburg, Netherlands; memories of commanding officer; attending course at 15th (Scottish) Divisonal Battle School, 1/1945; advance from Nijmegen, Netherlands towards Siegfried Line, Germany, 2/1944; attitude towards entrenching tools; narrow escape of soldier from stray bullet, 8/2/1945; taking over platoon, 8/2/1945; humanitarian gesture of German prisoner of war, 8/2/1945; crossing of dummy minefield; flooding of land before Cleve, Germany; German use of mysterious drums during attack in Reichswald Forest, Germany, 2/1945; issue of rum ration; preparations for crossing of River Rhine, Germany made in Belgium; attitude to having to cross River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; degree of opposition during crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; firing on German 'woman' on bicycle. REEL 4 Continues: nature of actions after crossing River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; memories of casualties; story of platoon fatality who had collection of watches to finance future married life; dealing with rigor mortis in corpses; personal morale on approach to River Elbe, Germany, 4/1945; sight of German resistance crumbling. Aspects of period as NCO with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div in Germany, 1945: move to Trävemunde; return to peacetime soldiering; relations in Trävemunde-Priwall area; German attitudes to Soviet forces; behaviour of Displaced Persons; demobilisation in Wesel; attitude to having served with 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) in Second World War.