Description
Object description
British private served with The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regt) Depot in GB, 1942-1943; trooper served with 61st Regt Royal Armoured Corps in GB, 1943; served with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB and North West Europe, 1943-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Lee and Downham, GB, 1923-1942: family; education; sports; temporary move to Downham; time in Boys Brigade; civilian work; awareness of events in Europe; outbreak of war; service of brothers; duties as messenger boy in Auxiliary Fire Service; story of an air raid; effects of war on civilian work; call-up into army. Aspects of period as private with The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regt) Depot in GB, 9/1942- 1/1943: posting to Canterbury; welcome on arrival; opinion of training; description of barrack room; care of uniform including help received from father; ranks held by brothers; rations; physical training including boxing; route marches; drill; opinion of role of basic training; weapons and bayonet training; grenade training.
REEL 2 Continues: background of and relationship among recruits; opinion and memories of NCOs; contact with officers; leisure activities in Canterbury and in barracks; canteen; details of trade tests; posting to Royal Armoured Corps. Aspects of period as trooper with 61st Regt Royal Armoured Corps in GB, 1943: details of camp at Barnard Castle; sleeping arrangements; heating; role in unit; signals training including communications in unit; driving of lorries, bren carriers and Matilda tanks; gunnery training; details of 38 pistol and Thompson sub- machine gun; opinion of sten gun; training in workshops; weather; relationship with civilians and visits to Darlington; passing out; stay on at Barnard Castle; posting to Fife and Forfar Yeomanry at Chippenham.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period as trooper with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1943-1944: arrival in unit; posting in Headquarters Squadron; friends posted with; tanks in squadron; reception from troops; accommodation; activities at Chippenham; opinion and description of Crusader tanks including problems with power steering; chances of survival in Crusader and Sherman tanks; communications and loading of gun; posting to Rudston; opinion and description of Sherman tanks received; duties of crew members; storage of ammunition; details of smoke projectors; work of tank commander; details of engine; awareness of dangers of Sherman tank; maintenance duties; details of schemes on Yorkshire Moors; opinion of realistic nature of schemes; time on firing range at Kirkcudbright including firing procedure.
REEL 4 Continues: memories of Lieutenant Webster, "Geordie" Simms, Kenny Mason and Tony Barrett; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; washing facilities; leisure activities; details of pay; description of Warburg Barracks in Aldershot; opinion of Aldershot and Military Police; reason for posting in Aldershot; waterproofing of Sherman tanks; journey to Gosport; air activity on D-Day; morale; period in camp outside Gosport; allocation to LSTs; memories of Colonel Scott and Major Trotter; make-up of Headquarters Squadron and opinion of commanding officers; details of voyage across English Channel including loading of LST. Aspects of operations as trooper with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in North West Europe, 6/1944-7/1944: landing and movement inland; details of camp at Cully; sleeping arrangements; rations; cooking of rations; cigarette rations; pipe smoking; rum rations; latrines.
REEL 5 Continues: contact with civilians; tank wrecks in area; vulnerability of Sherman tanks; German activity; knowledge at start of Operation Epsom; morale; location of Headquarters Squadron during advance; knowledge of and duties during action; communications; brewing up of tanks; use of weapons; description of night laager; replenishment of ammunition and maintenance duties; rations; wireless watch; sleeping arrangements; activity during second advance on Cheux; advance onto and description of Point 112; details of German fire faced; time on Point 112; withdrawal across River Orne including knowledge of situation.
REEL 6 Continues: activities during period following Operation Epsom; problems with wireless; air raid on Caen; briefing before Operation Goodwood; formation at start point; details of advance and covering barrage; cover taken in orchard; terrain ahead; scene from orchard; action against Panther tanks and decision to withdraw; awareness of tank losses; length of time in orchard; details of withdrawal to laager; reactions to situation; air raids; crews from brewed up tanks; knowledge of wider situation; wireless watch during night in laager; story of wounding caused by shelling, 19/7/1944; details of wounds and reaction; initial treatment; knowledge of wider events on 19/7/1944; pain from wounds; evacuation; treatment at aid post.
REEL 7 Continues: treatment received in hospital including talk with padre; flight to Oxford. Aspects of hospitalisation in GB, 7/1944-5/1945: journey to Whitchurch Hospital near Cardiff; details of treatment and operations; other patients in hospital; opinion of treatment; reaction to situation; relationship with civilians; visits from family; physical state and physiotherapy; use of penicillin; problems with burns; period at Winchmore Hill Hospital; progress and treatment at Southern Hospital in Dartford; physiotherapy including reunion with Jimmy King at Dartford; discharge from army; process of gaining pension. Aspects of period as civilian from 1945: VE Day celebrations; plans for civilian work; morale; story of gaining employment; civilian work; treatment for hand at Roehampton Hospital.
REEL 8 Continues: physical state; mental effects of war and morale; further details of civilian work; opinion of war service; contact with Fife and Forfar comrades.
