Cuss, Walter Henry Peter (Oral history)

British sapper served with 555th Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 1/1940-3/1940; served with 282nd Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, Northern Ireland and North West Europe, 3/1940-5/1945

REEL 1 Background in Penarth, GB, 1919-1940: family, education; employment; enlistment in Royal Engineers; attitude towards conscription; parents' reaction to his enlistment; question of length of war. Aspects of period as sapper with 555th Field Coy Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 1/1940-3/1940: conditions and accommodation at Narberth; sleeping arrangements; uniform issued; background of recruits; opinion of NCO instructors; pay; heating of barrack room; rations; story of false eye in porridge; memories of Major Pink; coping with army life; guard duties; visits to canteen; relations with civilians; posting in Johnstone. Aspects of period as sapper with 282nd ield Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 3/1940-4/1940: accommodation; digging trenches; leave; equipment and uniform issued; pace of drill; weapons training. Recollections of period as sapper with 282nd Field Coy Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in Northern Ireland, 4/1940-11/1941: knowledge of move in Northern Ireland; journey to Banbridge; accommodation; storage of rifles; reactions to posting; ill discipline in unit; memories of John Gandy; weapon and bayonet training; opinion of Boys Anti-Tank Rifle; gas drill; bridge training; move to border areas after Dunkirk Evacuation; preparations for blowing bridges; anti-tank trap dug at Besbrook; description of different bridges; transportation of Box Bailey Bridge. REEL 2 Continues: details of exercises including Irish Republican Army scare in Belfast; role of Royal Engineers in a division and division in Northern Ireland; building of army camps; training with air compressors; morale; air raids on Belfast; leave; organisation of troops in Northern Ireland; pride in division; opinion of officers and NCOs; story of escaping charge for losing a map; work and relations with farmers; comradeship; recreational activities; use of NAAFI; opinion of rations; accommodation; reactions to 'bull'; kit inspections; opinion of officers; offers of promotion; attitude towards period in Northern Ireland; training in mountains; relations wth civilians; rumours of overseas posting. Aspects of period as sapper with 282nd Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 11/1941-6/11944: posting to Hay-on-Wye; accommodation; presence of Army Territorial Service personnel, Christmas 12/1941; deployment of division to Maidstone area; opinion of General Bernard Montgomery. REEL 3 Continues: description of Maidstone; accommodation in Mote Park; experimentation with bridges and vehicles; unit vehicles; description of Exercise Spartan, 3/1943; degree of knowledge and attitude to prospect of invasion of France; opinion of division; reorganisation of unit and reinforcements; reason for postings away from Maidstone prior to invasion of France; waterproofing of vehicles; move to East Ham, London; opinion of civilians; description of camp; visit to Canning Town, London. Recollections of operations as sapper with 282nd Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-8/1944: embarkation in London Docks and delay to voyage; conditions on board ship; rations available on ship and taken to Normandy; boarding of landing craft; landing at Arromanches and movement off beach; removing waterproofing from vehicles; stand to; relief of 15th (Scottish) Infantry Div; activity in brigade area; story of fire in officers tent; morale; German air raid; memories of Jack Fullerton; casualties; effect of casualties; scenes after tank battle in Cheux; opinion on Battle of Normandy; construction of brigade water point; road block blown up at Baron-sur-Oden and subsequent ambush; story of NCO effected by events. REEL 4 Continues: movement of engineers in Normandy; story of engineers arrested as POWs; lifting of minefields; capture of Caen; incident of coming under fire whilst delivering rations; following progress of war; description of 'O'Group; rotation of duties; accommodation and spraying of roads; threat from Germans; listening to radio; contents of Compo Rations; opinion of rations; ENSA concerts; spare time activities; weather; smell and burial of farm animals; problems from blue bottles and dysentery; burial of casualties; contact with and attitude of civilians; troops' health; mail; diaries kept by officers; advance to Falaise Gap and scenes at Falaise. Recollections of operations as sapper with 282nd Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 8/1944-5/1945: rest period; activities in Antwerp, Belgium; nature of fighting during advance; lroute taken through North West Europe; reception from civilians; recieving news of wider campaign from officers and radio; situation on arrival in Antwerp, Belgium; importance of Antwerp, Belgium; arrival of frozen food; story of German unit passing close by in night; V2 Rocket attack on cinema in Antwerp, Belgium; advance up River Maas; cooks. REEL 5 Continues: landing of airborne forces and bridge built on canal at Lommel, Belgium; activities in Reusel and arrival in Nijmegen, Netherlands, 9/1944; news from airborne landings; description of Nijmegen, Netherlands, 9/1944; accommodation; reason for move to Oss, Netherlands; attack on s-Hertogenbosch; reconnaissance and decision of Major Bannister; building of bridges at various places; German air activity; other duties; duties in Ardennes, Belgium, 12/1944; conditions in Ardennes, Belgium, 12/1944; conditions in Reichswald Forest, Germany, 2/1945-3/1945; ration supply; problems from thaw; bridge built in Weeze, Netherlands; link up with US Army; accommodation and rations in reserve; morale; crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; construction of floating platoon bridge; advance into Germany; use of camouflage jackets; story of car accident; evacuation to and hospitalisation in Brussels, Belgium; period in holding camp in Knokke, Netherlands; background to return to unit; story of escaped POWs. REEL 6 Continues: description of construction of bridge over River Ruhr, Germany; rum ration; attitude towards Royal Engineers; description of hospital in Brussels, Belgium; convalescence; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; return to Knokke, Netherlands; duties at Heinekehaus; ENSA concerts in and state of Düsseldorf, Germany; hospitalisation with tonsillitis; recreational activities after return to unit; accommodation; construction of bridge outside Wuppertal, Germany; period driving Major Bishop and offer of transfer and promotion; disbanding of unit and posting to 74th Field Coy, Royal Engineers. Aspects of demobilisation and period on army reserve in GB, 1946-1951: demobilisation process at Aston-under-Lyme; story of time at Manchester Station; call-up to 111th Field Regt, Royal Engineers in 1951; details of Bridging Camp at Wyke Regis, 1951; reaction to initial demobilisation. Reflections on service with 82nd Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 1944-1945: opinion of padre; examples of troops breaking under psychological strain and stories of actions at Liège; opinions of American and Canadian troops; opinion of medical staff. REEL 7 Continues: celebrations at end of war, 8/5/1945; reaction to end of war, 5/1945; relationship with parents following war; clothing issued on demobilisation; retrun to civilian employment; involvement with veteran associations; effects of war on life; state of Russian POWs; opinion of publications written about war.