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 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 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.