Interview with James Hogg

British NCO served with 115th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in GB, North Africa, Italy and Palestine, 1/1942-1/1945; served with 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, Headquarters, Allied Forces in Italy, 1/1945-5/1945

REEL 1 Background in Kingston upon Hull, GB, 1919-1939: family; education at Hull Grammar School, 1930s; life in Kingston upon Hull during 1930s; employment with Hull Corporation cleansing department; anticipation of war, 1938-1939; attempt to join Territorial Army. Aspects of enlistment and training with East Yorkshire Regiment Regimental Depot, Victoria Barracks, Beverley, 50th (Holding) Bn East Yorkshire Regt and 8th Bn East Yorkshire Regt in GB, 1939-1941: call-up for military service to Beverley, 12/1939; incident of racial discrimination during basic training; training as motor transport driver; pattern of basic training; conversion of 50th (Holding) Bn to 8th Bn East Yorkshire Regt, 5/1940; coastal defence duties at Hornsea, 6/1940; move to Sunderland, summer 1940. REEL 2 Continues: relations with civilians in Sunderland area; character of commanding officer. Aspects of period as NCO with 115th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in GB, 1/1942-12/1942: conversion of 8th Bn East Yorkshire Regt from infantry to artillery role; promotion to motor transport sergeant; character of commandeered vehicles; move to St Margaret's at Cliffe near Dover, 1942; voyage aboard HMS Derbyshire from GB to French Algeria, 12/1942-1/1943. Recollections of operations as NCO with 115 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in North Africa, 1/1943-5/1943: arrival in Algiers, French Algeria, 1/1943; move from Algiers, French Algeria to Sedjenane, Tunisia, 1/1943; role giving anti-aircraft support to Royal Artillery Ordnance QF 25 Pounder Field Guns; first unit casualty; German Air Force air superiority; withdrawal from German forces' advance to Djebel Sidi Abiod, 2/1943; sight of 1st Guards Bde returning to support United States Army troops in Kasserine Pass area, Tunisia. REEL 3 Continues: further memories of withdrawal from Sedjenane, Tunisia, 2/1943; recreational time in after Axis surrender, Tunis, Tunisia, 5/1943; promotion to battery quartermaster sergeant. Recollections of operations as Battery Quartermaster Sergeant with 115 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in Italy and Palestine, 9/1943-1/1945: move of unit to Salerno, 9/1943; attaching of unit to X Corps, United States Fifth Army; General Richard McCreery's style of leadership; reasons for slow advance in Italy; impasse on Gustav Line; divisional move to Palestine, 3/1944-6/1944; return to Italy as part of Eighth Army; lack of German Air Force activity; relations with civilians in Fallerone. REEL 4 Continues: disbanding of unit. Aspects of period with 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 22nd Anti-Aircraft Bde, Headquarters, Allied Forces in Italy, 1/1945-5/1945: posting to regiment at Bari, 1/1945; move to Leghorn and Ancona; nature of black market in Rome after VE Day, 8/5/1945. Post-war life and employment: demobilisation, 1946; question of problems with postal vote during General Election, 7/1945; teacher training under emergency scheme in Liverpool; attitude to having served with British Army during Second World War.