Interview with Fitzroy Douglas Boscawen Somerset

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British officer served with 6th Bn North Staffordshire Regt, 176th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 1944; colonial administrator in Nigeria, 1950-1957 and Aden, Aden Protectorate and Federation of South Arabia, 1957-1967

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Oxford, GB, 1923-1942: family; education; education at Marlborough College, 1939-1942; description of Blacker Bombard and other weapons used by Home Guard; opinion of instructors in 6th (Marlborough) Bn Wiltshire Home Guard instructors. Aspects of enlistment and training with British Army in GB, 1942-1943: call-up for military service, 8/1942; initial training at Bodmin; Royal Artillery training at Newtown; transfer to infantry; attending pre-Officer Cadet Training Unit, Wrotham, early 1943; character of No 166 Officer Cadet Training Unit at Douglas, Isle of Man; breaking ankle during airborne training; sight of German internees on Isle of Man. REEL 2 Continues: commissioning into King's Shropshire Light Infantry; story of how his accent was received by other ranks in barrack room; stoppages in soldiers' pay. Aspects of period commanding Pioneer Platoon, Support Coy, 2nd Bn Herefordshire Regt, 114th Infantry Bde, 38th (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 1943: posting to battalion during Operation Harlequin in Kent; moves to Amersham and Alnmouth, 10/1943; question of instructors lacking experience of action; guarding Pipe Line Under The Ocean (PLUTO) pipeline on Isle of Wight, 6/1944; break-up of unit, 6/1944; duties as commander of Pioneer Platoon. Aspects of period on draft with British Army in GB and Normandy, France, 6/1944-7/1944: move to reinforcing unit at Aldershot, 6/1944; sailing from Newhaven, 11/7/1944; sight of Allied ships off coast of Normandy, France; how German mines can be located by rabbit excrement; differences between Regular and Hostilities Only officers; posting to 6th Bn North Staffordshire Regt. Recollections of operations as officer with C Coy, 6th Bn North Staffordshire Regt, 179th Infantry Bde, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Regt in Normandy, France, 7/1944-8/1944: nature of action battalion had seen prior to his joining; character of bocage terrain. REEL 3 Continues: rations supplied to troops; use of Benghazi cooker to boil potatoes; memories of officers John Towers and Dougie Gage; consequences of battalion prisoner hunting patrols; reasons why patrols should be drawn from reserve companies; story of death of platoon member and loss of his battle dress jacket; reconnaissance patrol to snatch German prisoner; memories of Robert Maxwell; opinion of information about intelligence gathered from prisoners of war; training in infantry-armour co-operation; riding on tanks southwards into Normandy; reconnaissance of River Orne; accidental mining of armoured car. REEL 4 Continues: advance across River Orne, 6/8/1944; problems of radio communication in infantry units; capture of German prisoners of war; impressions of German Army troops; contrast between rates of fire of British Bren Gun and German MG 42 Machine Gun; wounding in back during attack, 6/8/1944; medical evacuation to rear. Aspects of period of hosptialisation in Normandy, France and GB, 1944-1945: two week period in Normandy, France; meeting with wounded officer who did not want to convalesce in GB; evacuation to Southampton, GB; nature of bullet wound. REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of service as officer with British Army in GB and Middle East, 1945-1946: posting to 8th Bn Manchester Regt in Northern Ireland, 1/1945; state of 2nd Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers on posting to battalion after VJ Day, 15/8/1945; move to Egypt; attending course at Middle East Staff College, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Palestine; move to Royal Army Service Corps at Ismailia, Egypt; conscript self-mutilation to avoid service in Egyptian Army; use of German prisoners of war to guard camps in Canal Zone, Egypt, 1946; return to GB. Recollections of period as administrator with Colonial Administrative Service in Eastern Region, Nigeria, 1950-1957: studying for Colonial Administrative Service at University of London, 1949-1950; voyage from GB to Nigeria; journey from Lagos to Eastern Region; initial duties; problems of communication and lack of stone. REEL 6 Continues: initial duties; commanding bush prison; operation of court system in Iboland; spending of taxes; lack of road transport; operation of dispensaries; demeanour of people; different divisions he served in including Nnewi; how over- population caused litigation over land possession; fishing in rivers; use of river transport in Brass; organisation of daily life on launches. REEL 7 Continues: role of District Officers; question of cause of 'leopard murders'; story of prisoner who stood in for his warder the night before his execution; question of ease with which British personnel were able to administer Eastern Region, Nigeria; low-level of crime amongst civilian population; relations between police and local population in Brass; relations between different tribes; attitude towards paid employment with government service; control on firearms size of armed forces available to administration. REEL 8 Continues: interest of local population with judicial process; supervision of native courts; examples of judgements he gave as Assistant District Officer; raid on Andoni Island to collect taxes; parochial viewpoint of Assistant District Officers; question of degree to which government expenditure was dispersed; amount of government tax resources; difference between detribalisation and urbanisation; question of governablity of Nigeria. REEL 9 Continues: question of effect of urbanisation on influence of village collective; loss of educated Nigerians to ambassadorial posts; low-level of entrepreneurship in Eastern Region; absence of actual coinage in Eastern Region; his attitude to levying high taxes on bachelors to pay for universal primary education, 1957; use of letters of appointments; question of effects of Nigeria Regiment serving in Congo, 1960. Recollections of period as administrator in Aden, Aden Protectorate and Federation of South Arabia, 1957-1967: historical background to extension of British influence into Western Aden Protectorate. REEL 10 Continues: job as Assistant Adviser to Emir of Dhala; areas of Dhala not under Emir's control; military forces available to him; lack of political outspokenness; problems of dealing with local potentate; inspection of accounts of Emir of Dhala; use of 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry in cordon and search operations; methods of tax gathering; story of attempt to apprehend Arab who shot at the adviser's house; role of Yemen in supplying insurgents weapons; availability of weapons to both sides; situation of Radfan. REEL 11 Continues: control of tribesmen arms; work he did as Resident Assistant Adviser; building house; wounding by hand grenade at Steamer Point; question of defence of Al Ittihad by Federal Regular Army, 1967; role in last month of British rule; background to flight of Arab rulers to Saudi Arabia, 1967; question of preference for service in Nigeria; political dilemma for Foreign Office in Aden after Yemeni revolution during early 1960s.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Somerset, Fitzroy Douglas Boscawen (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2000-09-01
Dimensions: whole: Duration 330, Number Of Items 11
Catalogue number: 20596

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Interview with Fitzroy Douglas Boscawen Somerset

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