Description
Object description
British officer served with 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, 8th Indian Infantry Div in Italy, 12/1943-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Newcastle upon Tyne, 1921-1939: family circumstances and German grandmother; education and story of studying mathematics; holiday cruises aboard HMT Dilwara around Baltic Sea, 1936 and Mediterranean, 1938; Boy Scouts activities; educational qualifications; question of awareness of events in Germany; move to Nottingham, 9/1939.
REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period as student at Nottingham University College in Nottingham, GB, 9/1939-9/1942: studying civil engineering at Nottingham University College, including syllabus, social life, drinking habits and interviews with Joint Recruiting Board; training with Officer Training Corps including .22 rifle practice, aircraft watching and German grandmother's reaction to future officer status; attitude towards military mind; volunteering for Royal Engineers at Nottingham, 9/1942. Aspects of period as officer cadet with Royal Engineers at Chatham, 9/1942: kitting out; drill; relations with other officer cadets; rations and use of canteen.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period as officer cadet in Pre-Officers Cadet Training Unit, Wrotham, GB, 10/1942-11/1942: story of running up escarpment with Boys Anti-Tank Rifle; physical training; weapons training; lorry driving; motorcycle test; bridge building; volunteering for service with British Indian Army. Aspects of voyage from GB to Bombay, India, 11/1942-12/1942: effects of storm and prevalence of seasickness; submarine watch; route and visit to Cape Town, South Africa; arrival at Bombay. Aspects of period as officer cadet with Officers Cadet Training Unit at Kirkee, India 12/1942-7/1943: nature of cantonment and bungalows; Indian servants and caste system; learning Urdu language.
REEL 4 Continues: relationship with Indian civilians; rations; explosives training including use of gun cotton, fuses, Ammonol, dynamite, gelignite, TNT and handling; lectures; hospitalisation with hepatitis; map reading exercise in jungle scrub area; commissioning as Second Lieutenant; leave in Srinager, 7/1943: train journey; story of bear hunt during country trek.
REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with Headquarters, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group at Roorkee, India, 7/1943-12/1943: unit history and composition with Muslim, Hindu and Sikh troops; nature of duties; effects of minor earthquake; use of first aid skills to help heat stroke and drowning victims; lectures on North West Frontier warfare and opinions on overall nature of war; story of organising betting for race meeting, loss of money and subsequent posting.
REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Nieu Amsterdam from India to Taranto, Italy, 12/1943: posting to Italy; train journey to port; role of British Indian Army havildar NCOs; learning Italian; question of punishment of British Indian Army soldier; passing through Red Sea; drunken British senior officer; passing through Suez Canal, Egypt. Recollections of operations as officer with 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, 8th Indian Infantry Div in Italy, 12/1943-5/1945: visits to bars and practical joke played on United States Navy officer in Taranto, 12/1943; train journey to Lanciano; composition and organisation of field company; status and role of British Indian Army viceroy commissioned officers; casualties amongst British officers; posting to Sikh Platoon and role of Indian NCOs; use of Urdu language; method of erecting Bailey Bridge.
REEL 7 Continues: method of unloading and erecting Bailey Bridge story of impressing company's Indian troops with rifle shooting ability; relations with Major William Brown, Lieutenant-Colonel Curwin and Captain John Hill; officers' mess and rations; situation in Monte Cassino area; story of coming under German Army machine gun fire during visit to front line and sheltering in burnt out German tank; abandoned German Army Christmas provisions; role in sanitation and water supply; situation in Cassino area, 2/1944-5/1944; United States Army Artillery barrage.
REEL 8 Continues: blasting out machine gun posts on Monte Porchio; situation in front of River Rapido; morning reconnaissance patrols; slight wound whilst testing salvaged American Bazooka and period in field hospital; story of repairing side panels of Bailey Bridge over bomb crater on vital supply route; use of jeep silencer. Recollections of period as officer with 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, 8th Indian Infantry Div during construction of Oxford Bailey Bridge across River Rapido at San Angelo, Italy, 11/5/1944-12/5/1944: prior reconnaissance missions and confusion over password with Indian sentry; erecting practice Bailey Bridge; waiting in sunken road prior to commencement of battle; poor visibility in fog and smoke and problem in getting bridge laid on correct alignment to cross river; smokescreen laid across river and advance of Canadian Army tanks.
REEL 9 Continues: receiving news of failure of other attempted bridge crossings; nature of German multi-barrelled fire; failed German Air Force Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber attack on bridge; German artillery fire; partial failure of attempt to erect Plymouth Bailey Bridge using turretless tanks to carry bridge and fascines as ramp; withdrawal into reserve; wounding of Major William Brown and replacement with Major John Hill; problem with sinking base plate on Oxford Bailey Bridge. Aspects of operations as officer with 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, 8th Indian Infantry Div in Monte Cassino area, Italy, 5/1944: situation; shell shocked German prisoner of war; German cellar dugout; corpses; story of being under artillery fire in dugout bivouacs; story of visit to Monte Cassino Monastery.
REEL 10 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, 8th Indian Infantry Div in Italy, 5/1944-5/1945: period acting as reconnaissance officer on secondary roads east of Route 6; use of Willys Jeep; abandoned German vehicles and attempt to salvage half-track; question of detection of various types of German mines including Teller Mine, S-mine, Schu Mine, wooden mine and Topf Mine; nature of Adolf Hitler Line; assistance received from Italian civilians; German demolition of culverts and story of getting stuck in crater; story of escorting German prisoners of war back to lines; use of Beretta Pistol; relations with officers of other Royal Engineer units; unit beer and whisky ration; rations; bartering with Italian civilians and United States Army troops; appointment as reconnaissance officer; method of clearing Teller and Schu Mines; German shortage of metals; filling craters with rubble.
REEL 11 Continues: use of beehive charges to clear blocked roads; ruse used to cover building of replacement bridge within German artillery range; story of lying to avoid casualties in unnecessary attack; story of escaped British prisoners of war and their decision to stay in Italian village; Italian Partisans; reports of Sikh soldier's courage during building of bridge at Terni; story of narrow escape from well concealed mines; question of use of Daimler and Humber armoured cars; destructive United States Army Air Force air raid on Poggidonsi; following German Army demolition squad; German booby-traps; use of mules and German motorbike.
REEL 12 Continues: situation; visit to Pisa; story of shotgun accident on shooting trip; departure of Major John Hill for psychiatric treatment; opinion of Major Scratchley; story of night reconnaissance with Major Scratchley across River Arno, Major Scratchley's wounding on detonating mine, securing stretcher-bearer and crossing River Arno under light of German flares; state of mine victims and visit to Major Scratchley in hospital; importance of cigarette smoking; personal morale; return of Major John Hill; advance to Marradi; German hook device for destroying railway tracks; visits to cinema; building Goliath Bailey Bridge across River Senio at Palazzuolo sul Senio.
REEL 13 Continues: technical problems overcome in building Goliath Bailey Bridge; building and testing aerial ropeway; story of Indian mine casualty; winter conditions and situation, 1944-1945; advance onto River Po plain; story of dispute with officer over method used in measuring heights of river levees; story of being obstructed by another unit in attempt to bridge River Senio; question of German morale; situation; German snipers; situation; receiving award of Military Cross; intended use of Fantail Tank; use of pontoon bridge boat to cross River Po; VE Day, 8/5/1945; story of taking over driving bulldozer from exhausted driver and narrow escape from artillery fire; recreational visits; background to accepting leave in GB in return for extending service with British Indian Army, 5/1945-7/1945. Aspects of period at Headquarters, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group at Roorkee, India, 7/1945-8/1945: voyage from GB to India, 7/1945; reactions to use of atomic bomb on Japan, 8/1945.
REEL 14 Continues: role in charge of motor transport unit. Aspects of period as officer with 66th Indian Field Coy, King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners Group, at Jhansi, India, 1945-1946: minimal duties; reaction to news of prposed British withdrawal from India; game shooting trips; review of air flights back to GB. Aspects of period as officer in training role with Royal Engineers at Malvern Wells, GB, 1946: desire to serve in Germany; story of rescuing civilians trapped in flooding of River Severn; demobilisation, 7/1946; post-war career as inventor.