Moore, Francis Pepys Durie (Oral history)

British officer served with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery, 1st Airborne Div in GB, Italy and during Operation Market Garden, Netherlands, 1943-1944

REEL 1 Background in Clyst St Mary, GB, 1924-1942: family; education; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; membership of 2nd (Cylst) Bn Devonshire Home Guard; family background; German Air Force attacks on Exeter area. Aspects of period training as officer with British Army in GB, 1942-1943: initial training period at University of Edinburgh; nature of pre-Officer Cadet Training Unit at Wrotham; technical training at No 123 Officer Cadet Training Unit, Royal Artillery at Catterick Camp; advice on how to be an officer received from his battery commander. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery, 1st Airborne Div in GB and North Africa, 1943: joining regiment; nature of regiment's guns; German Air Force attack on convoy in Mediterranean; arrival in Oran, French Algeria, 5/1942; contrast in British Army and United States Army rations; memories of Major-General George Hopkinson; parachute course; incident of training NCO who won George Medal for rescuing trainee whose parachute was caught up; reasons for missing landings on Sicily, Italy; effect on morale of arrival of new commanding officer. REEL 2 Continues: dealing with thieves in North Africa. Aspects of operations with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery, 1st Airborne Div in Italy, 11/1943-2/1944: problems of joining unit at Campobasso; casualties amongst Italian children from German laid booby-traps; use of regiment's pack howitzers on River Sangro, 11/1943-12/1943; amusing incidents during fighting; withdrawal of regiment from front line and return to GB. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery 1st Airborne Div in GB, 2/1944-9/1944: question of reputation of United States Army Air Force pilots who had conducted the airborne glider towing during landings on Sicily, Italy, 7/1943; attitude to being stationed in Boston; cancellation of projected airborne operations, 6/1944-8/1944. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery 1st Airborne Div during Operation Market Garden in Netherlands, 9/1944: cancelling of projected drop at Nijmegen; reasons why he was allocated to operation; narrow escape from ill fated glider; use of airsickness pills; sight of numerous airfields during flight; sight of flooded areas in Netherlands; problems of unloading airborne jeep from glider on landing, 17/9/1944. REEL 3 Continues: advance from landing zone towards Arnhem; taking up positions at Oosterbeeck; contacting company headquarters; question of the importance of the unit's position in eventual evacuation of bridgehead; communications problems; under German tank fire in his observation post in church spire; formation of Thompson's Force; question of effectiveness of British anti-tank weapons; Major Richard 'Dickie' Lonsdale's morale boosting speech; casualties in his troop; bravery of Bombardier Rose; his attitude toward award of decorations; wounding by German Army mortars; dead lying outside aid post; reaction to order to evacuate; evacuation of Oosterbeek Perimeter; handling of survivors after reaching southern bank; fate of unit officers. REEL 4 Continues: mercy shown by German tank commander towards first aid post; knocking out of German tank; question of confusion during Battle of Arnhem; evacuation to GB; questions he was asked by relatives seeking men who had not come back from Battle of Arnhem at Penarth; question of promotions from within regiment. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery 1st Airborne Div in Norway, 1945: liberation of Stavanger; handling German prisoners of war; relations with Norwegian civilians and supply of alcohol. Aspects of operations as officer with 22nd Independent Parachute Coy, 6th Airborne Div in Palestine, 1945-1946: attitude to internal security duties; switch in sympathies of troops from Jews to Arabs; meeting his wife; prior recollection of formation of 1st Airlanding Light Regt, Royal Artillery and his first day in the mess.