Description
Object description
British NCO served with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, 1st Cavalry Div in Palestine, 1/1940-9/1940; served with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, XII Corps in North Africa, 9/1940-4/1941; served with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry), Regt, Royal Horse Artillery with Tobruk Garrison in Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941-12/1941; served with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Eighth Army in Egypt and Palestine, 12/1941-6/1942; served with 519th Bty 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Eighth Army in Libya, 6/1942; hospitalisation in Libya and Egypt, 6/1942-10/1942; served with 519th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, 10th Armoured Div in Egypt, 10/1942-12/1942
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of membership of various reserve forces in GB, 1935-1939: family military tradition; reasons for joining Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1935; reasons for specialising in signals; brief service with anti-aircraft unit of Territorial Army; signal techniques. Recollections of period as signaller with 339th Battery 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Eastern Command in GB, 1938-1940: joining Essex Yeomanry; character of yeomanry; attending camps; duties with yeomanry; size of batteries; strength of signals detachments; time taken to establish communications; shift systems; mobilisation in Chelmsford, 1/9/1939; address from battery commander and lecture on venereal disease from medical officer, 3/9/1939; uniform worn; importance of quality of voice; quality of officers; influx of recruits from Liverpool; rumour of deployment to Finland. Aspects of period as NCO with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, 1st Cavalry Div in Palestine, 1/1940-9/1940: relations with Royal Horse Guards in 1st Cavalry Div; exchange of service dress for battledress; degree of knowledge of destination on embarkation in GB.
REEL 2 Continues: journey from GB to Palestine; initial impressions of Haifa; accommodation in tented camp; effect on morale of army 'bull'; impressions of Jews and Arabs; encounter with Arab. Recollections of operations as NCO with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, XIII Corps in North Africa, 9/1940-4/1941: move to Western Desert, Egypt; period of acclimatisation in Bagush Box, Egypt; advice received from regular soldier; opinion of cook; slit trenches; night time attack by Italian Air Force aircraft; effect of commanding officer's speech on fall of France, 6/1940; sources of information; impressions of Arabs in Cairo, Egypt; leave in Cairo, Egypt; impressions of 4th Indian Infantry Div; move to Mena; attachment of unit to 7th Armoured Div; issue of Ordnance QF 25 Pounder Field Gun; new telephone sets; performance of vehicles in desert; bombarding Bardia, Libya; unit casualties caused by Italian Air Force bombing; under Italian Army artillery fire; responses of wounded gunners; nature of Italian Air Force attack; initial experience of being under fire.
REEL 3 Continues: NCO's finishing of badly wounded soldier; memories of Sergeant Sidney Pond; character of Bardia, Libya; language and codes used on telephones; signal satchel contents; length of action at Bardia. Libya; moving at night westward to fire from unsuspected direction; unseasonal conduct on Christmas Eve, 24/12/1940; night spotting; encounter with Australian Imperial Force personnel and impressions of them; formation and speed in desert; stopping for tea; supply of water; character and personnel manning signal truck; bombardment and sight of Australian Imperial Force advancing into Bardia. Libya; nickname observation post 'Coventry'; condition of Italian prisoners of war marching out of Bardia. Libya; reaction to sight of dead Italians in positions shelled by his battery; treatment of gunners who suffered panic attacks; investing Tobruk. Libya; growing beard; reconnaissance for night move during advance to Tobruk. Libya; selection of battery positions; gun pits; guiding battery into position; under Italian Army artillery bombardment; repairing broken wires; increasing use of radio; rear link to regimental headquarters.
REEL 4 Continues: observation post outside Tobruk, Libya; rumours of expedition to Greece; arrival of 2nd Armoured Div; amusing conversation between brigadier and Sergeant Sidney Pond; relations with new sergeant; memories of Gunner 'Whacker' Newton; taking up positions at El Agheila, Libya; German Air Force superiority; dug out at El Agheila, Libya; capture of German Air Force prisoner of war; infantry technique for numbering in front line; withdrawal from El Agheila, Libya; writing anti-Nazi slogan on wall; time taken to pack up; nature of retreat and attitude towards Royal Air Force, 1/1941; growing instinct to fire on all aircraft; overnight stop at Beda Fomm, Libya; move onto escarpment; technique for stopping vehicle radiators from drying out; security measures at night; move south eastwards.
REEL 5 Continues: destruction of town water supply on unit's approach; sight military police of Corps of Military Police releasing inmates from prisoner of war cage; free issue of cigarettes; digging in on escarpment; loss of gun on retreat; running out of fuel in desert; encounter with Australian Imperial Force column; encounter with officer looking for stragglers; rejoining unit; collecting abandoned British rifles; loss of regimental headquarters and commanding officer; sense of tension on route to Tobruk; discovery of dead officer; fate of Major Douglas Puckle, killed in action in Tunisia, 29/4/1943; taking stores from Royal Army Service Corps depot; fear of interception at Timimi Crossroads, Libya; humourous response to being overflown by Royal Air Force; covering withdrawal of Australian Imperial Force troops from Timimi Crossroads, Libya. Recollections of operations as NCO with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery with Tobruk Garrison during Siege of Tobruk, Libya, 4/1941-12/1941: vehicles waiting outside of Tobruk; shooting down of German Air Force aircraft; conversation with Australian sentry; perimeter defences; character of town and harbour; Axis air attacks on harbour; opinion of German Air Force dive-bomber pilots.
REEL 6 Continues: water supply; swapping looted rations; observation posts; transmission and form of fire orders; ranging and correction of fire; objects represented in panorama; Australian Imperial Force infantry's use of captured Italian gun; taking up second position in wadi; attempts to knock out long range Italian gun; medical evacuation to Egypt with jaundice; epidemic of jaundice in Tobruk; health problems during siege; character of rations; reaction to return to Tobruk; living in sangars and in cave; characteristics of wadi unit positioned in.
REEL 7 Continues: length of stay in wadi; routine daily duties; location of telephone exchange; dispute over redeployment between commanding officer and battery commander; circumstances of death of Second Lieutenant Peter Yeates, 21/11/1941; reaction to repairing wire; narrow escape from artillery fire during wire repairing duties; a poetry reading under shell fire; Sergeant Strain's drinking of bottle of whiskey; view from wadi; gun positions; memories of Captain Robin Bolton; occasion when he found himself in minefield; cooking facilities; rations; swapping goods; shaving and washing; general state of health; morale; question of false report from British Broadcasting Corps; relations with troops of 9th Australian Infantry Div; Deutsches Afrika Korps armoured car and infantry attack on Australian held positions; 9th Australian Infantry Div method of dealing with Axis tanks; observation post used; registering targets; fire orders; role relaying corrections of fire; equipment used by officers on observation poles; role of artillery specialists; hearing message that New Zealand Army troops arrival, 12/1941.
REEL 8 Continues: hearing bagpipes at night; encounter between Poles and New Zealanders; Polish attitude towards Germans; Polish artillery's catching Germans emerging from positions; naming of Deutsches Afrika Korps positions; Italian Army artillery less effective than Deutsches Afrika Korps; effect on Italian forces' morale of Gurkha patrols; fate of Royal Air Force aircraft in Tobruk; nature of German Air Force raids; use of trumpeter to sound alarm on first day of siege; death of Australian officer who fired on German Air Force aircraft; moving out of perimeter wire; lucky shot on parachute flare; state of siege survivors, 12/1941; rescue of Captain Robin Bolton and Major Douglas Puckle after vehicle blown up by mine. Aspects of period as NCO with 339th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Eighth Army in Egypt and Palestine, 12/1941-7/1942: journey back to Sidi Barrani, Egypt; state of unit morale; story of search for stolen bottle of whiskey; memories of Gunner Forbes and his rescue of wounded men from mined vehicle; effect on morale of Major A H E Howell's speech; death of Captain Philip Beale in Egypt, 3/7/1942; train journey to Alexandria, Egypt.
REEL 9 Continues: move to Sarafand, Palestine; character of Arabs; reaction to role delivering Gunner Paul Bayliss to military prison; behaviour of staff at military prison; leave with Sergeant Jack Chinnery in Jerusalem; fate of Gunner Paul Bayliss; character of cemetery at Sollum, Egypt; activities on leave in Jerusalem and Jericho, Palestine; visit to Dead Sea; avoiding tetanus jab; arrival of reinforcements; memories of Sergeant Jack Chinnery; opinion of regimental chaplain; story of his christening and confirmation in church at Tobruk, Libya; further memories of Sergeant Jack Chinnery; accommodation in reserve positions.
REEL 10 Continues: further details of Second Lieutenant Peter Yeates' death at Tobruk, Libya, 21/11/1941; move to Mena Camp in Egypt; reforming of unit into three batteries; troop's reaction to critical comments by Major Strutt; 'Whacker' Newton's attempts to desert and get home to Liverpool. Aspects of operations as NCO with Signals Troop, 519th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, Eighth Army in Libya, 6/1942: move to Gazala Line; reasons for firing on Royal Air Force aircraft; casualties to signals troops; behaviour of Gunner Morley; work on lines and discovery of abandoned anti-tank positions; withdrawal of his gun battery on return; navigating by observing the sun; return to unit and reporting to Captain Gardner; return to original gun positions; sheltering in shell hole; deliveries of mail in desert. Recollections of medical evacuation with malaria and hospitalisation in Libya and Egypt, 6/1942-10/1942: evacuation by ambulance.
REEL 11 Continues: hearing sounds of battle and sight of his unit's wounded; hospitalisation in Tobruk, Libya; attitude to being abandoned by ambulance men during Axis bombing; evacuation by hospital ship from Tobruk, Libya; treatment for malaria and symptoms; panic in Egypt, 6/1942; behaviour of Jewish nurse; move to convalescent depot near Suez Canal, Egypt; morale of Royal Navy in comparison with British Army; training as instructor at Royal Corps of Signals Signals School at El Marza, Egypt; reverting from sergeant to bombardier; further dose of malaria; generous treatment by New Zealand Army personnel; acting as pallbearer at military funeral; further dose of malaria; futile fatigue duties at Royal Artillery base depot; escort duties from prison compound; reaction to return to regiment in desert. Recollections of operations as NCO with 519th Bty, 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regt, Royal Horse Artillery, 10th Armoured Div in, Egypt, 10/1942-1/1943: attachment to unit's battery captain; role of battery captain; move to rear of El Alamein Line; briefing on general situation; deception measures; navigational aids for advancing troops; role during start of Battle of El Alamein, Egypt, 10/1942.
REEL 12 Continues: crew of K car; location behind El Alamein Line; passing through minefields; initial reaction of new soldier to shelling; went into minefield to record engine number of wrecked truck; collecting supplies of ammunition; memories of 'Froggy' French; effects of malaria; taking load of ammunition round to gun positions; memories of Gunner Handley; reaction of Gunner Bax to divisional shoot; role of Royal Air Force during battle; view of terrain at El Alamein; morale; orders for tank brigade to attack German gun line; destruction of German gun line with counter-battery fire; receiving coded messages; memories of 'Wee' Fleming; behaviour of German prisoners of war; Axis counter-battery fire; sight of armoured break through; death of 'Wee' Fleming; advance to Mersa Matruh, Egypt, 11/1942.
REEL 13 Continues: weather conditions at Mersa Matruh, Egypt, 11/1942; condition of unit on return to Mena Camp, Egypt and contrast with Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert's Own) moving up; story of Driver Kelly's interest in biblical places on route to French Syria, 1/1943. Reflections of military service with Essex Yeomanry in Second World War, 1939-1943: reasons for invaliding out of unit; value of comradeship; attitude to having served with Essex Yeomanry; prior recollections of rejecting joining Air Raid Precautions to join Essex Yeomanry in GB, 1938.
