Description
Object description
British signaller served with Royal Corps of Signals attached to 68th Medium Regt, Royal Artillery, Second Army in GB, in GB, 5/1943-6/1944; served with 68th Medium Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Army Group Royal Artillery, XII Corps in North West Europe, 6/1944-5/1945; served with Royal Corps of Signals attached 1st Indian Field Regt, Royal Indian Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div in India, 10/1945-8/1946; served with Headquarters, 3rd Infantry Div at Ismailia, Egypt, 10/1945-12/1945; served with Palestine Command Signal Regt, Royal Corps of Signals at Allenby Barracks, Jerusalem, Palestine, 12/1946-3/1947
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Shepherds Bush and East Acton, GB, 1923-1939: social circumstances; education; evacuation to Peebles, 9/1939. Aspects of period as evacuee in Peebles, GB, 9/1939-4/1941: education; declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; part-time employment in family grocery store; passing London County Council examination. Aspects of period as civilian in East Acton, GB, 4/1941-11/1942: work as pay clerk for London County Council in temporary offices at Shepherds Bush; Anderson Shelter; German Air Force raids; blackout; communal air raid shelters; German Air Force raid, 4/1941; rationing; recreational activities; call-up for military service and medical, 11/1942.
REEL 2 Continues: rejection of application to join Royal Army Pay Corps; aptitude tests. Recollections of period of training as private with at Richmond Barracks, Richmond, GB, 11/1942-1/1943: reception and kitting out; barrack room; relation with fellow recruits; morning routine; rations; drill; physical training and improved physique; weapons training including rifle, Bren Gun, bayonet and hand grenades; tactical training; question of adequacy of training; kit inspections; relation with instructors; minimal contact with officers.
REEL 3 Continues: denim uniform; recreational activities including canteen, drinking habits and visits into Richmond; pay and smoking cigarettes. Aspects of training as wireless operator with Royal Artillery unit at Ramsgate, GB, 12/1942-1/1943: supernumerary status; exercises in tuning to regimental net and in wireless procedure; Morse Code training; telephone exchange training; laying telephone lines; accommodation. Aspects of training as signaller with Royal Corps of Signals at Prestatyn, GB, 1/1943-5/1943: nature of training; Morse Code training; trade tests; batteries; passing out as wireless operator. Aspects of period as signaller with Royal Corps of Signals attached to 68th Medium Regt, Royal Artillery, Second Army in GB, 5/1943-6/1944: establishment of signallers at Tatten Hall; ignorance of artillery; move to Thorn, 6/1843; role of signal office.
REEL 4 Continues: use of wireless on field exercises; operation of No 21 Wireless Set including tuning and aerials; use of 15cwt lorry; routine duties and fatigues; hutted accommodation; relations with Other Ranks, NCOs, signal officer and civilians; impromptu concert party; pay parade; question of awareness of upcoming D-Day operations and move in convoy to Wivenhoe, 5/1944. story of being allowed to visit family; waterproofing vehicles; move to Hackney Marshes, 5/6/1944; embarkation of unit transport; reaction to hearing news of D-Day, 6/6/1944. Aspects of voyage from GB to Normandy, France, 6/6/1944-9/6/1944: embarkation in GB, 6/6/1944.
REEL 5 Continues: crossing English Channel; send off from civilians; conditions on board ship; question of briefing; story of brief strike amongst seamen during transfer to landing ship tank; problem with Willys Jeep breaking down during disembarkation on beach; German minefield; move along coast in commanding officer's staff car; use of 24 hour ration packs at overnight billet; German Air Force low-level air attack; rejoining unit. Recollections of operations as signaller with Royal Corps of Signals attached to 68th Medium Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Army Group Royal Artillery, XII Corps in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: layout of regimental headquarters at Plumetot; digging slit trench; effects of German artillery fire; telephone switchboard dugout.
REEL 6 Continues: initial reduced complement of signallers; switchboard duty; fatigues; Compo rations; differing role of signallers in Royal Artillery and Royal Corps of Signals; gun positions; stand to; sleeping in slit trench; German Air Force night-time activities and consequent anti-aircraft fire; difficulty in staying awake during night switchboard duty; breakfast; water supply truck question of maintaining standards of appearance; letter and parcel contact with GB; cookhouse and latrine fatigues; guard duty; story of first sight of corpse accidentally shot by guard.
REEL 7 Continues: reaction to first sight of corpse; increased scale of firing and employment of wireless during Operation Epsom, 26/6/1944; story of detachment with forward observation officer in M3 White Half-Track to Cheux, 26/6/1944; poor wireless reception in bridgehead; briefing prior to Operation Goodwood, 7/1944; casualties; German artillery fire and incident of NCO being wounded whilst repairing remote control lines to command post at Plumetot, 6/1944; weather conditions; fly problem; diarrhoea; reasons for unwillingness to report sick; dust problem; breakout from Normandy beachhead, 8/1944; attachment to First Canadian Army.
REEL 8 Continues: situation on breakout; air spotting; relations with French civilians; Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon rocket attacks on German tanks; situation. Recollections of operations as signaller with Royal Corps of Signals attached to 68th Medium Regt, Royal Artillery, 4th Army Group Royal Artillery, XII Corps in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: rest period at Yvetot, France, 8/1944-9/1944; drinking calvados in estaminet; relations with French civilians; story of getting drunk in estaminet in Belgium; situation and advance into Belgium; reception from Belgian civilians; situation on advance into Netherlands; problems in laying and maintaining telephone lines; use of despatch riders for routine reports; taking up gun positions in Oisterwijk; weather conditions; accommodation; question of Operation Market Garden in Netherlands, 9/1944; relations with Dutch civilians; local leave; comradeship amongst wireless operators.
REEL 9 Continues: German V1 Flying Bomb and V2 Rocket attacks; train journey and GB leave, 12/1944; German Air Force attack, 1/1/1945; situation, 12/1944-1/1945; snow; accommodation; advance into Germany; question of non-fraternisation policy and relations with German civilians; artillery bombardment and Allied air prior to crossing River Rhine at Wesel, Germany; 3/1945; sight of glider disintegrating in mid-air; crossing pontoon bridge over River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; situation during advance into Germany, 4/1945-5/1945; VE Day celebrations in Germany, 8/5/1945; presence of Displaced Persons, 5/1945; news of German concentration camps; patrols with German policeman in Willys Jeep, 5/1945; arrest and interrogation of Displaced Persons, 5/1945. Aspects of period on draft with British Army in GB, 5/1945-9/1945: question of posting to Far East and journey with draft back to GB, 5/1945; period at Doncaster Racecourse and on leave, 6/1945-7/1945; period with signals unit, 7/1945-8/1945: VJ Day, 15/8/1945; question of demobilisation; recreational activities. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Queen of Bermuda from GB to Bombay, India, 9/1945-10/1945: fatigue duties and sleeping in ship's cinema; issue of tropical uniform; passing through Suez Canal, Egypt; washing uniform; initial impressions of Bombay. Recollections of period attached to 1st Indian Field Regt, Royal Indian Artillery, 4th Indian Infantry Div at Secunderabhad, India, 10/1945-8/1946: train journey to Secunderabab; role of Indian servants; rations and problems with 'kitehawks'; training exercise at Mhow; climate and attack of prickly heat; relations with Indian troops; routine duties; civilians; recreational activities; conditions of service on move into barracks.
REEL 11 Continues: water shortage; background to volunteering for transfer to Middle East; voyage from India to Port Said, Egypt, 8/1946. Aspects of period as signaller with Headquarters, 3rd Infantry Bde in Ismailia, Egypt, 10/1946-12/1946: period at Cairo, 9/1946-10/1946 including train journey; visit to Pyramids; nature of attachment Headquarters, 3rd Infantry Div at Ismailia, 0/1946-12/1946. Aspects of period with Palestine Command Signal Regt, Royal Corps of Signals at Allenby Barracks, Jerusalem, Palestine, 12/1946-3/1947: telephone switchboard duties; awareness of activities of Jewish insurgents; rifles; personal morale; journey back to GB, 3/1947; demobilisation in GB, 4/1947. Post-war life and employment: return to work for London County Council; provision of topped up salary during military service.
