Interview with Frederick Cyril Hawkins

British private and NCO served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 161st Infantry Bde, 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Div in GB, 9/1939-12/1940; NCO served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, Military Forces West Africa in Sierra Leone, 1/1941-6/1941; served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 161st Indian Infantry and 5th Indian Infantry Bdes, 4th Indian Infantry Bde in Middle East, 7/1941-6/1942; served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 5th Indian Infantry Bde, 4th Indian Infantry Div in North Africa, Italy and Greece, 6/1942-2/1945

REEL 1 Background in Towcester, Belcham St Pauls and Burnham-on-Crouch, GB, 1920-1939: family; education; background to joining 10 Platoon, B Coy, 1/4th Bn Essex Regt in Territorial Army, 1937-1939. Recollections of period as private with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 161st Infantry Bde, 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Div in GB, 9/1939-12/1940: call-up for military service, 1/9/1939; duties in Hackney, 10/1939-11/1939; move to Witham, 12/1939; coastal defence duties on Northumberland coast and at Wooler, 7/1940-9/1940; role of tank hunting platoon; reprimand received for wearing 'dubbined' boots. Aspects of period as NCO with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 161st Infantry Bde, Military Forces in West Africa in Sierra Leone, 1/1941-6/1941: voyage aboard HMT Monarch of Bermuda from GB to Sierra Leone, 1/1941; reasons for late disembarking at Freetown; duties in Freetown; living conditions at Wilberforce Barracks, Freetown; malaria problem. REEL 2 Continues: health problems in Freetown; historical relics witnessed on Bunce Island; plan to capture Cape Verde Islands; military units and ships based in Freetown; invasion training; conditions in Sierra Leone; description of 'Bombay Bloomers'; precautions against mosquitoes; anti-aircraft duties at Kingtom, Freetown; relations with civilians and porters; death of battalion member at Freetown. Aspects of voyage aboard SS Bergensfjord and SS Ile De France from Freetown, Sierra Leone to Port Tewfik, Egypt, via Durban, South Africa, 7/1941: voyage aboard SS Bergensfjord from Freetown, Sierra Leone to Durban, South Africa; reception in Durban South Africa; voyage aboard SS Ile De France from Durban, South Africa to Port Tewfik Egypt; burial at sea; accident on board ship at Port Tewfik, Egypt. Aspects of period as NCO with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 161st Indian Infantry and 5th Indian Infantry Bdes, 4th Indian Infantry Div in Middle East, 7/1941-6/1942: arrival in Egypt, 7/1941. REEL 3 Continues: move to Nicosia, Cyprus, 1941; use of log burning locomotive in Cyprus; move to Nathanya, Palestine; opinion of commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Noble. Recollections of operations as NCO with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 5th Indian Infantry Bde, 4th Indian Infantry Div in North Africa, 6/1942-10/1943: defence duties in Sidi Barrani, Egypt; burns injuries received, 8/1942; relations with Axis prisoners of war in hospital in Egypt; treatment for burns; role guarding military prisoners at Port Said, Egypt; brief transfer to 1st Bn Royal Sussex Regt and return to battalion; later reconnaissance patrols in Enfidaville-Takrouna area, Tunisia, 1943; dock duties in Benghazi, Libya; mines course at Benghazi, Libya. REEL 4 Continues: opinion of German S-mine; attending junior commanders course at Sarafand, Palestine; inspection of unit by King George IV, 1943; problems of keeping clean in desert; investigation of gaps in British minefields with mobile column 'Smithcol', 26/6/1942; linking up with troops of 2nd New Zealand Infantry Div, 27/6/1942; breakout of encirclement at Minqar Qa'im, Egypt, 27/6/1942; battalion casualties, 27/6/1942-28/6/1942; opinion of 2nd New Zealand Infantry Div troops; move to A Coy as platoon sergeant at El Tahag Camp, Egypt; brief move to French Syria, 11/1943. Recollections of operations as NCO with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 5th Indian Infantry Bde, 4th Indian Infantry Div in Italy, 11/1943-12/1944: arrival in Taranto, 11/1943; Christmas celebrations at Avigliano, 25/12/1943. REEL 5 Continues: move into positions at Wadi Patella near Monte Cassino; unit casualties; conditions faced by United States Army troops at Monte Cassino; sight of Allied bombing of Monte Cassino Monastery; losses to Indian Punjabi unit; move from Wadi Patella to Wadi Villa; view Germans forces had from Monte Caira across Liri Valley; effects of spring thaw at Wadi Villa; plan to attack on Monte Cassino Monastery; problems of scaling Castle Hill; reasons why planned attack on Monte Cassino Monastery didn not materialise, 15/3/1944; company casualties, 15/3/1944; German counter-attacks on Castle Hill; truce to bring in casualties, 17/3/1944; decorations awarded to battalion, 3/1944. REEL 6 Continues: return of unit to Wadi Villa after action at Castle Hill, night 19/3/1944-20/3/1944; condition of battalion and removal from 4th Indian Infantry Div, after 3/1944; discovery of hanged Italian civilians; use of mules to supply battalion; elimination of German observation post at Tezzo, 10/1944; award of Mentioned in Despatches; head wound received. Aspects of period as NCO with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt, 5th Indian Infantry Bde, 4th Indian Infantry Div in Greece, 12/1944-2/1945: move from Taranto, Italy to Piraeus, 10/12/1944; injury to finger on landing at Piraeus, 10/12/1944; problems of handling Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS); providing civilians with soup kitchen in Papastatos Cigarette Factory, Piraeus. REEL 7 Continues: return to GB via Naples, 2/1945. Aspects of period as NCO with 10th Bn, Parachute Regt in GB, 1945: transfer to unit under Lieutenant-Colonel Alastair Pearson at Beverley; exercises at Piddlehinton and river crossing on River Hull; grenade accident on Salisbury Plain; attitude to having served with 1/4th Bn Essex Regt in Second World War.