Description
Object description
British private served with No 14 Army Field Workshop, Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and France, 9/1939-5/1940; private and NCO served with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Bn Border Regt, 125th Infantry Bde, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Div in France, Belgium and GB, 5/1940-12/1940; NCO served with Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 31st Independent Infantry Bde in GB, 12/1940-10/1941; served with 1st Border Regt, 1st Airlanding Bde in GB, 10/1941-7/1942; served with 283rd (County of London) Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in GB, 7/1942-11/1942; served with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in GB, North Africa and Italy, 12/1942-4/1944; served with 20th Liaison Headquarters, Special Air Service in GB and North West Europe, 4/1944-10/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Halifax, GB, 1919-1939: family; education; enlistment in Army Supplementary C Reserve. Aspects of period with No 14 Army Field Workshop, Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and France, 9/1939-1/1940: situation at Hilsea Barracks, Cosham, Portsmouth, 9/1939; posting to unit at Farnborough; move to France as despatch rider; problems with vehicles in winter weather; duties in Maginot Line during Phoney War; attempt to retrieve vehicle in no-man's land, 1939; hospitalisation with frostbite at No 1 British General Hospital at Dieppe; under canvas at Pornichet, 1/1940; attachment to 1st Bn Border Regt. Recollections of operations as mechanic with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Border Regt, 125th Infantry Bde, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Div in France and Belgium, 5/1940: move into Belgium from Douai, France, 10/5/1940; German Air Force attack on convoy; cutting of line of Communication and orders to forage.
REEL 2 Continues: role as company runner with infantry; shooting at German Army troops on canal near Tournai, Belgium; effect of surrender of German Army troops; amusing story relating to Lancashire Fusiliers; retreat to Poperinghe, Belgium; disabling of vehicles on Dunkirk Perimeter; degree of disorder on Bray-Dunes, France; physical condition he was in; enforcement of discipline on beaches; drunkenness and queuing on beaches; shooting down of German Air Force dive-bomber over beaches; impressions of guardsmen of Brigade of Guards and French Army unit; evacuation on board HMS Icarus; arrival in Dover, GB. Recollections of period as NCO with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Bn Border Regt, 125th Infantry Bde, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Div and 31st Independent Infantry Bde in GB, 6/1940-10/1941: reforming of battalion at Crook, 6/1940-7/1940; character of equipment; invasion scare during coastal defence duties in Northumberland; move to Welwyn Garden City.
REEL 3 Continues: memories of German Air Force incendiary raid on London; coastal defence on Norfolk coast; training as mountain troops with 31st Independent Infantry Bde in Crickhowell area; handling mules in the Brecon Beacons; operating Bren Gun; exercises with Home Guard; move to Barry; amusing story of convoy following circular bus in Llanelli area, 1941. Recollections of period as NCO with 1st Bn Border Regt, 1st Airlanding Bde 1st Airborne Div in GB, 10/1941-7/1942: conversion of 31st Independent Infantry Bde into 1st Airlanding Bde, 10/1941; move to Barton Stacey; toughening up training at Barton Stacey; introduction of No 69 Grenade made of Bakelite; danger of operating Sten Gun Mk 1; opinion of later marks of Sten Gun; training injuries he received at Ilfracombe; arrival of early mark of Willys Jeep; problems of fitting Willys Jeep into gliders.
REEL 4 Continues: character of pilots attached to unit; three types of gliders used; fatal accident during first glider testing; performance of glider in air; death of commanding officer in glider crash at Kiddington; accident in which paratroopers were killed, 1942. Aspects of period as NCO with 283rd (City of London Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in GB, 7/1942-11/1942: character of unit; loading guns into gliders and question of planning behind there use; problems with gliders towed behind Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle; background to having to face court of enquiry; move to Stiffkey for live firing. Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Ant-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in North Africa, 12/1942-7/1943: voyage from GB to French Algeria.
REEL 5 Continues: arrival at Oran. French Algeria; morale of United States Army troops encountered in French Algeria; characteristics of Waco CG-4 Hadrian Glider; lack of navigational training of United States Army Air Force pilots; pattern of training in North Africa. Recollections of operations as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943-8/1943: plans to capture Syracuse; attachment to 1st Bn Border Regt for operation; character of landing and attempts to rescue Willys Jeep; problems of attacking objective; capture of Syracuse; outcome of glider landings; return to North Africa for further operational training, 8/1943. Aspects of operations as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti- Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in Italy, 9/1943-10/1943: landings at Taranto, 9/9/1943; sight of Italian Navy on route to Malta to surrender; losses during mining of HMS Abdeil at Taranto Harbour, 10/9/1943; advance northwards from Taranto and surrender of Italian Army troops. Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, Royal Artillery, 1st Airlanding Bde, 1st Airborne Div in French Algeria and GB, 11/1943-4/1944: return to North Africa, 11/1943.
REEL 6 Continues: conditions on board train in French Algeria; train collision in French Algeria; in transit camp at Blida, French Algeria; return to GB, 12/1943; move to Skegness, GB; reasons for application to join Special Air Service; move to 1st Airborne Div workshops at Sleaford. Aspects of period as NCO with 20th Liaison Headquarters, Special Air Service in GB, 4/1944-6/1944: joining unit at Kilmarnock; use of Vickers K Gun and mounting machine guns on Willys Jeep; use of red beret; composition of different units; briefing at Rickmansworth. Recollections of operations with 20th Liaison Headquarters, Special Air Service in Normandy, France, 6/1944: attachment to 6th Airlanding Bde to operate artillery element of brigade; landing on wrong landing ground; loss of his guns to staff officer; moving Royal Engineers to Troarn.
REEL 7 Continues: blowing of bridge at Troarn; role evacuating wounded at Troarn; role setting up position to withstand German counter-attack near Troan; opinion of Non-Combatant Corps; outcome of assaults on Merville Battery; return to GB, 6/1944. Recollections of operations with 20th Liaison Headquarters, Special Air Service in North West Europe, 1944-1945: character of Operation Barker in Dijon area; aid given by communists amongst railway workers; landing with Willys Jeep near Dijon; memories of French comrade; advance to Épernay before arrival of United States Third Army; policy towards German prisoners of war; air drop in Netherlands during Operation Market Garden; abortive attempt to cross River Nederrijn near Driel, Netherlands; return to GB; role of Special Air Service during Operation Amherst in Netherlands, 1945.
REEL 8 Continues: composition of unit. Aspects of period with 20th Liaison Headquarters, Special Air Service in France and Belgium, 5/1945-10/1945: role he had in Nantes and Paris, France after VE Day, 8/5/1945; hunt for French war criminals; reasons for handing over prisoners to Corps of Military Police in Germany; liaison work between British and Belgian Armies in in Brussels, Belgium; last training parachute jump at Waterloo, Belgium, 10/1945; return to GB for demobilisation. Reflections of service with British Army, 1939-1945: reaction to landings on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943; question of personal morale during operations; length of time special forces are in action in comparison with infantrymen; attitude to having served with different regiments; effects of service; narrow escape from attack by Royal Air Force in the Netherlands, 9/1944; attitude towards Germans and Italians; story of receiving United States Army card stating that 'This Man Has Been Cleared By No 1 Mobile Prophylactic Station, Paris'.
REEL 9 Continues: story of drunken brawl on VJ Day in Paris, France, 15/8/1945.
