Description
Object description
British private and NCO served with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's), 129th Infantry Bde, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Div in GB and North West Europe, 8/1939-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Rowde, GB, 1919-1938: family; education; desire to join Royal Navy; civilian work; leisure activities; enlistment in Territorial Army, 3/1938; pattern of training; annual camps; details of pay; mobilisation and posting to Salisbury. Aspects of period as private and NCO with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's), 129th Infantry Bde, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Div in GB, 8/1939-6/1944: guard duties and reactions to situation; background of and relationship with first intake while at Trowbridge; duties as lance corporal; memories of and contact with officers; rifle training at Tidworth Camp; training undertaken with Carrier Platoon; trench exercise; exercises with Universal Carriers at Shaftesbury; relationship with officers; field craft training; preparation for posting to Burma and its subsequent cancellation; postings on Kent; Universal Carrier training including composition of crew; invasion training; waterproofing of Universal Carriers; characteristics of Universal Carrier; relations with officers.
REEL 2 Continues: relations with Other Ranks including story of writing to wife of casualty; rivalry between platoons; kit inspections; need to instil discipline; story of escorting prisoner to Shepton Mallet Military Prison; journey through London during an German Air Force raid; writing to families of casualties; attending Divisional Battle School at Sandwich; accidents during training with Canadian Army troops; effect on morale of wider events; conditions in sergeants' mess; background and turnover of sergeants; story of arrest of four sergeants at Peasmarsh; knowledge of future role; reactions to D-Day and approaching action; troops suffering from psychological stress and effect on morale; relation with Other Ranks; reception from civilians during journey to Tilbury Docks, 6/1944; voyage from Tilbury to Normandy, France including rations and loss of 43rd Reconnaissance Regt members. Recollections of operations as NCO with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's), 129th Infantry Bde, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Div in Normandy, France, 6/1944-7/1944: landing and movement inland; reaction to situation; relieving 7th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers at Sommervieu; details of Officer 'O' Groups including first casualty; role and activities of Carrier Platoon; slit trench dug at Tourville-sur-Odon.
REEL 3 Continues: climate; lesson learned during first night in front line; relieving 7th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers at Sommervieu; opinion of artillery support received; searches for German Army snipers; details of position held at Tourville-sur-Odon; breakfast and briefing prior to attack on Hill 112; role of section; advance through cornfield; further orders received at objective; crawl forward, artillery fire received and casualties; return to collect personal effects and wounding; initial medical treatment received; opinion of order to collect personal effects; details of regimental aid post; evacuation to Southampton, GB; hospitalisation in Southampton, GB; medical treatment received for wounds; convalescence; desire to return to battalion; events during absence. Recollections of operations as NCO with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's), 129th Infantry Bde, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Div in North West Europe, 9/1944-5/1945: return journey to battalion at Elst, Netherlands, 9/1944; reception on arrival; role of battalion; details of standing patrol undertaken including supply of rations and scenes from position; memories of officers; evacuation of airborne troops across River Nederrijn, Netherlands; knowledge of wider situation.
REEL 4 Continues: accommodation and rations at Gillrath, Germany; extra rations gained in Germany; methods of cooking meals; relationship with civilians in Brunssum, Netherlands and Belgium including items looted from Germany for Dutch civilians; question of collaborators in Netherlands; washing facilities in Brunssum, Netherlands; methods of maintaining morale; description of attack on Kleve, Germany; replacement of casualties; details of towns captured in Germany; relief of 5th Bn Wiltshire Regt ((Duke of Edinburgh's) and subsequent events; opposition faced including Hitler Youth; posting in Bremen, Germany; reaction to end of war including celebrations. Recollections of period as NCO with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's) in Germany, 1945-1946: knowledge of concentration camps; duties at Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp.
REEL 5 Continues: problems with displaced persons attacking civilians; relationship with civilians; return of Displaced Persons; riot over issue of Red Cross parcels; relationship with displaced persons including bartering and entertainments; return of Displaced Persons to country of origin; details of hygiene procedures in camp; visit from former camp workers; visit to trial of camp workers; story of former Royal Hungarian Army soldier in camp; items buried in camp; attitude towards Displaced Persons; details of sergeants' mess; details of mine clearance at Bremen including casualties and wounding; medical treatment received; reflections on incident; memories of officers and NCOs.
REEL 6 Continues: turnover of troops including thoughts about demobilisation; reunions with old comrades; attitude to possible posting in Far East; background to gaining posting in Brussels, Belgium; duties as regimental quartermaster sergeant in leave centre; confiscation of items on return to GB; story of items taken from surrendering German Army troops; demobilisation at Aldershot Garrison. Reflections on military service with 4th Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's), 1939-1946: return to civilian employment; comradeship in British Army; details of pension claim; question of fatigue in action; effects of psychological stress among troops; contact with officers; mail; story of Canadian Army officer attached to battalion; contact with and opinion of Free French Forces and United States Army troops; support given to United States Army in Ardennes, Belgium; opinion of German Army troops; story of German cart captured; reaction to dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, 8/1945; lessons learned from military service.
REEL 7 Continues: reason for rejoining Territorial Army; details and opinion of Territorial Army; commitment and duties; departure from Territorial Army; reflections on service; application for pension; visits from senior officers; stories of and reflections on brave acts; composition of battalion; dangers in using German weapons; story of pianist in platoon; opinion of posting with Carrier Platoon; work and opinion of chaplain; reunions with comrades; receiving mention in battalion history; opinion of training received.
