Description
Object description
British NCO served with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, 8th Armoured Div and Hammerforce in Egypt, 6/1942-12/1942; served with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, XXX Corps in Libya, Tunisia and Sicily, Italy, 1/1943-12/1943; served with 234th Bty, 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery XXX Corps in GB and North West Europe, 1/1944-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Great Yarmouth, GB, 1922-1937: family; education. Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Artillery in GB, 1937: background to enlistment in army as boy soldier, 18/1/1937; discipline at Royal Artillery Depot, Woolwich; ditties put to bugle calls. Aspects of period as trumpeter with Royal Artillery in GB, 1938-1939: posting to field regiment at Nelson Barracks, Norwich, 1/1938; duties; replacing of unit's field guns with searchlights, 1938; operating searchlights; overdose of inoculations, 9/1939; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of period as NCO with 36th Signal Training Regt, Royal Artillery in GB, 1939-1940: duties at Colchester Garrison; preparations for attacking German Army tanks in case of invasion, 1940; sight of German Air Force bomber aircraft over Colchester; fire in Nissen Huts; sight of 17th/21st Lancers training with horses; indiscipline of Australian Army troops at Colchester, 1940.
REEL 2 Continues: move of unit to Clitheroe. Aspects of training with as NCO with Royal Artillery in GB, 1940-1941: posting to Hitchin; dismissal of disciplinary case against him; posting to 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, 8th Support Group, 8th Armoured Div at Godalming; promotion to sergeant, 12/1941; story of his being taken to check his rank with Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard, London. Aspects of voyage from GB to Egypt via South Africa, 3/1942-5/1942: accommodation on board ship; shortage of water on board ship; ashore in Cape Town, South Africa; reaction to sight of South African policeman smashing windows of Indian doctor's car; refuelling accident to ship at Aden, Aden Protectorate ; arrival in Canal Zone, Egypt. Recollections of operations as NCO with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, 8th Armoured Div and Hammerforce in North Africa, 6/1942-10/1942: Ordnance QF 6 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun course at Almaza Camp near Cairo, Egypt; experiences in Cairo, Egypt; membership of advance party in desert; abortive action to support infantry of 9th Australian Infantry Div in El Alamein area, Egypt.
REEL 3 Continues: occasion when unit vehicles accidentally brought down fire on infantry positions; initial experiences of action on El Alamein Line, 7/1942-8/1942; later disbandment of 8th Armoured Div and regiment becoming XXX Corps, 1/1/1943; crash landing of German Air Force fighter pilot on coastal road; occupation of Ruweisat Ridge with Gurkha troops, 7/1942; German Air Force Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber attacks and attempts to use machine guns against them; re-equipping with Ordnance QF 6 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun; narrow escape from German Air Force bombing; role of anti-tank guns. Aspects of operations as 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, 8th Armoured Div in Egypt, 10/1942-12/1942: artillery bombardment at El Alamein; sight of Australian Army corpse; loss of vehicles to mines.
REEL 4 Continues: move to edge of Qattara Depression; sight of crew baling out of British medium bomber; problems of passing through minefield in El Alamein; blowing up of his portee in minefield; sight of Italian Army troops' surrendering, 11/1942; advance to Fûka. Recollections of operations NCO with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, XXX Corps in North Africa, 1/1943-5/1943: in action at Wadi Akarit, Tunisia; running out of rations during advance to Tripoli. Libya; arrival of 2nd New Zealand Infantry Div troops in Mareth Line, Tunisia; luring of Deutsches Afrika Korps tanks onto anti-tank screen on Mareth Line, Tunisia; character of Deutsches Afrika Korps infantry attack on Allied lines; method of supporting infantry attacks.
REEL 5 Continues: character of defences on Mareth Line, Tunisia; Allied casualties during attacks on Mareth Line, Tunisia; sight of German Air Force fighter crashing; end of North African Campaign, 5/1943. Aspects of operations as NCO with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, XXX Corpts in Sicily, Italy, 7/1943: glider accident witnessed during Operation Husky, 7/1943; nature of landings; infantry casualties to German S mines; Allied air attack on village; nature of stomach complaint at Messina; firing tracer rounds across Straits of Messina. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Franconia from Italy to GB via Algiers, French, Algeria, 12/1944: conflict between regiment and army dock workers in Algiers, French Algeria; arrival in GB. Aspects of period as NCO with 234th Bty, 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, XXX Corps in GB, 12/1943-6/1944: move to Felixstowe; story of dropping of charges against him relating to actions in North African Campaign.
REEL 6 Continues: posting to 234th Bty; character of M10 Tank Destroy; preparations for invasion of Normandy, France. Recollections of operations as NCO with 234th Bty, 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, XXX Corps in Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944: issue of maps and currency aboard landing craft, 4/6/1944; crossing English Channel; sight of rocket firing landing craft; attempted landing amongst beach obstacles; damage to landing craft from beach obstacles and inability to effect landing; eventual landing at junction of Gold and Juno beaches; narrow escape from German artillery shell; character of German prisoners of war; handling of aged German prisoner of war; escape from German armoured car.
REEL 7 Continues: Recollections of operations as NCO with 234 Bty, 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, XXX Corps in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: role transporting infantry; threat from German Army snipers; characteristics of M10 Tank Destroyer; status as corps troops; regimental relations with 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Div especially 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's); question of the performance of some of the infantry operated with; in action against German anti-tank gun; mortar hit on his tank destroyer; capture of German Army officer; attempt of German forces to draw his fire; unit casualties from mortar fire, c16/6/1944; attempt to recover damaged M10 Tank Destroyer.
REEL 8 Continues: nature of operations in Normandy; narrow escape from German tank fire; damage to his vehicle in bomb crater; incident when contact was lost with infantry; problems caused by mis-identification of M10 Tank Destroyers; method of dealing with personal morale of various crew members; supporting infantry of 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div during Operation Epsom, 26/6/1944-30/6/1944; reasons for withdrawal under German small arms fire during Operation Epsom; loss of comrade Lance Sergeant Ron Barlow to German multi-barrelled mortar fire during Operation Epsom, near Cheux, 27/6/1944; knocking out of vehicle and personal morale after action.
REEL 9 Continues: burying Lance Sergeant Ron Barlow near Cheux, 27/6/1944; consequences of deserting his post; psychological breakdown of his tank destroyer driver; personal morale; taking over role as M10 Tank Destroyer driver for attack; German stalking of his tank destroyer; reaction of infantry to late arrival of M10 Tank Destroyers in Hill 112; close support received from Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoons at Mont Pinçon, 8/1944; blocking of bridge by mined M10 Tank Destroyer at Mont Pinçon; advice he gave to his troop commander; fate of Bombardier 'Yocker' Young.
REEL 10 Continues: Recollections of operations as NCO with 234 Bty, 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery XXX Corps in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: arrival at Vernon, France, 8/1944; crossing River Seine at Vernon, France, 8/1944; reception from civilians in Brussels, Belgium, 9/1944; sight of female collaborators having their heads shaved; sight of German Air Force Messerschmitt 262 jet aircraft; start of advance along Arnhem Corridor, Netherlands, 17/9/1944; arrival in Eindhoven, Netherlands, 18/9/1944; sight of 101st Airborne Div, United States Army airborne forces at Grave; fatal crash landing of Supermarine Spitfire at Malden, Netherlands; shooting down of Royal Air Force aircraft by German Air Force fighter aircraft; comparatively peaceful period in Malden and Nijmegen Netherlands; contact with Dutch civilians.
REEL 11 Continues: effects of German Air Force attacks on Nijmegen, Netherlands; story of shooting down of German Air Force aircraft; contracting tonsillitis and hospitalisation in Eindhoven, Netherlands; rejoining regiment; role of unit supporting United States Army and British Army infantry at Heelen on border of Germany and Netherlands; visit by General Bernard Montgomery; move to Eindhoven, Netherlands, 12/1944; hearing news of German Ardennes Offensive on journey south; taking up positions in Ardennes, Belgium, 12/1944; weather conditions and accommodation in Ardennes, Belgium.
REEL 12 Continues: slaughter of sheep for rations; contact with Belgian schoolboys who had witnessed United States Army prisoners of war being executed by Germans; accommodation in Belgium, 23/12/1944-24/12/1944; character of Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1944; use of artificial moonlight during Operation Veritable in the Reichswald Forest, Germany, 2/1945; capture of German Home Guard unit; attack by German Air Force jet aircraft on road to Kleve, Germany, 3/1945; unit casualties at Kleve, Germany, 3/1945; incident when infantry officer forced his men forward at revolver point near Goch, Germany, 3/1945; sight of Royal Air Force bomber aircraft being shot down, 3/1945.
REEL 13 Continues: nature of journey to and from rear workshops near Nijmegen, Netherlands; advance towards Kalkar, Germany, 3/1945; billeting on poultry farm; occasion of firing Bren Gun over heads of German civilians; leave and course in Rhyl, GB, 3/1945; method of returning to battery in Germany; narrow escape from German ambush; mercy killing of wounded dog; liberation of Mercedes car; reaction to killing of stork nesting on battery headquarters; attempt to forage for food; surrender of Bremen, Germany, 5/1945; sight of concentration camp survivors. Recollections of period as NCO with 73rd Anti-Tank Regt, XXX Corps in Germany, 1945: behaviour of former Soviet prisoners of war.
REEL 14 Continues: capture of Heinrich Himmler; opinion of Major-General Brian Horrocks; reluctance of former Soviet prisoners of war to return to Soviet Union; loss of regiment's M10 Tank Destroyers; move to steelworks in Brunswick; administrating former labour and prisoner of war camps in Wolfenbüttel area; searching for Waffen-SS prisoners of war; relations with German prisoners of war; disbanding of unit; prior recollection of receiving permission to marry his Dutch girlfriend from Nijmegen, Netherlands, 20/12/1945. Reflections on military service in Second World War: question of not reporting shooting down aircraft and other incidents; attitude to having served with Royal Artillery during Second World War; question of psychological effects of military service.
