Maybury, Alan Bradley (Oral history)

British schoolchild Fulham and Cowley, GB, 1939-1945; trooper served with 22nd Special Air Service in Malaya, 1951-1952; private served with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry, 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1952

REEL 1 Background in London, GB, 1933-1939: family; education. Recollections of period as schoolboy living in London and as evacuee in Cowley, GB, 1940-1941: reaction to bombing of family home in Fulham; children's looting of sweets from warehouse after German air raid; character of his evacuation to Cowley; story of encounter with Czechoslovakian refugees including use of Molotov Cocktail; relations with Czech refugees; German Air Force use of Wells Cathedral for navigation; fate of parts of German bomber that fell in Cowley; relations between London evacuees and schoolchildren in Coxley. Recollections of period as national serviceman with British Army in GB, 1951: his wish to avoid deferment; character of army selection process; basic training methods at Borden; effect on his foot of route march; reaction to army method of treating the individual; story on refusing to take the oath. REEL 2 Continues: his objection to army bull; becoming a marksman; corruption involved with army ration books. Aspects of training with Parachute Regt in GB, 1951: volunteering for Parachute Regt; treatment of illiterate conscript; uniforms; character of parachute training at Aldershot and Abingdon; strange choice of venue for sexual union between parachute instructor and packer; method parachute instructor used to acquire beer money. Aspects of period training as trooper with 22nd Special Air Service in GB, 1951: volunteering for Special Air Service; training on Dartmoor including water torture; parachute training including into water. REEL 3 Continues: dangers encountered in parachute training; lack of badging. Recollections of operations as trooper with 8 Troop, B Sqdn, 22nd Special Air Service in Malaya, 1951-1952: arrival in Singapore, 12/1951; how many of his comrades were too old for operational conditions; his estimation of the three cliques in unit at Sungei Bisi; initial training patrol; contrast between Gurkha silence on patrol and jollity whilst relaxing; occasion when he learnt the lesson of silence from a Gurkha; emphasis on reconnaissance role of unit; unearthing insurgent camps; primary and secondary jungle; pace of progress through jungle; techniques and character of Iban trackers; question of retrieving heads, ears and corpses for identification; health problems operating in jungle; medical treatment with purple unction; range of mosquito species; reaction to leech attacks; importance of not smelling fresh in jungle. REEL 4 Continues: method of killing snake; Michael Calvert's problem with amoebic dysentery; insurgent propaganda among Sakai and Special Air Service hearts and minds policy; danger from arsenic poisoning from planters' spraying of trees; results of unit's tree jumping experiments; interview with John Woodhouse about role of national servicemen in unit; role as signaller and radio sets used; problems navigating in jungle; length of jungle patrols; attitude to leaving unit; disappearance of his medical problems. Aspects of voyage from Malaya to Korea aboard Empire Trooper, 1952: conditions on board; allocation to signals platoon; sabotaging a Bren gun exercise; demise of ship's parrot' stop over in Hong Kong. REEL 5 Continues: story of Big Roe's vomit filled boots; question of troops' knowledge of purpose of war. Recollections of operations as signaller with Signals Platoon, 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry, 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1952-1953: reception in Pusan; attachment to B Coy; effect of reprimanding for correcting superior; mock evacuation to Mobile Army Surgical Hospital; allocation to Major Kelly in D Coy; construction of Korean village latrines; medical problems of soldier who fell into latrine; vulnerability during exchange of units in front-line; skirmishing for control of valleys; character of artillery barrages; wounding of Major Kelly and style of leadership of his successor Captain Scott; code devised by signalers; alternation of boredom and terror in front-line; Chinese reception of unit; rotating of units; problems of negotiating 'Murder Mile'. REEL 6 Continues: narrow escape from Chinese shell-fire; rivalry between US troops and New Zealanders at Camp Casey; story of acquiring 'Yorick' mascot; terrain in Korea; attempt to use Flying Fox on Hill 355; encounter with Lando Campesi; psychological effect of closeness of Chinese trenches on Hill 355; Chinese attack on unit's positions; Chinese casualties during attack; Chinese booby-trapping of bodies; Commonwealth Div's attitude towards Chinese; failure of unit snatch squads; encounter with rotting corpse; patrolling with US Ranger unit and ambush by Chinese; John Nott-Bower's method of marking Coronation. REEL 7 Continues: occasion when shooting of deer roused unit; effect of his inventive mind; coping with winter conditions; effect of cold on battery performance; use of self heating tins; effect of freezing on beer; problems of relieving oneself during winter; attempt of US troops to obtain morphine; bartering self heating soup for mortar sights with US troops; rumour of unit commander declining offer to re-take The Hook; encounter with NCO who threaten to shoot him; leaving Korea for GB via Japan. Attitude to having served with British Army; Story of narrow escape from US Air Force napalm attack.