Description
Object description
British private with East Yorkshire Regt Depot in GB, 1942- 1943; trooper served with 54th (Training) Regt Royal Armoured Corps, 1943; served with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB and North West Europe, 1943-1944; served with 1st King's Dragoon Guards in Middle East, 1945-1947
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Everdon and Coventry, GB, 1923-1942: family; details of Everdon; education; civilian work in Coventry; outbreak of war; rationing; air raids on Coventry including details of surface shelters; reason for return to Everdon; civilian work; joining of army; medical; posting to Beverley opinion of training period; period with Home Guard. Aspects of period as private with East Yorkshire Regt Depot in GB, 12/1942-2/1943: journey to and arrival in Beverley; issue of kit and bed; description of barrack room; dentistry work; relationship with fellow recruits; problems with NCO; morning procedures; opinion of rations; details of drill; weapons and bayonet training; grenade training; opinion of training period; trade tests; opinion of posting with Royal Armoured Corps. Aspects of period as trooper with 54th (Training) Regt Royal Armoured Corps, 2/1943-6/1943: posting in Barnard Castle at Deerhorn Camp; accommodation; training as driver including with Crusader tank.
REEL 2 Continues: discipline; selection of stickman from guard parade; story of being chosen to be stickman; ENSA concerts; maintenance work; friends in unit; story of fight; reaction to swearing; visits to NAAFI and into town; wireless and gunnery training; opinion of 2lb gun; posting to Bridlington. Aspects of period as trooper with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 6/1943-6/1944: accommodation; posting as driver; first impressions of unit; troop and squadron posting; relationship with troops; memories of troop members including George Wooldridge and formation of tank crew; relationship with Scottish members of unit and problems with rations; description of Sherman tank; driving of Shermans; visibility from driving position; opinion of tank driving; driving practice; time at Kirkcudbright firing range.
REEL 3 Continues: opinion of Sherman's engines; waterproofing tests in river at Richmond; knowledge of exercises; awareness of Sherman's problems; role of co-driver; details of tank's weapons; make-up of tank crew; opinion of turret work; wireless and gunnery training; tank evacuation; posting to Aldershot; story of journey from Bridlington to Aldershot; accommodation; relationship among troopers; memories of tank crew members; contact with officers; waterproofing of tanks including testing; living conditions; discipline out of barracks; contact with Military Police; awareness of approaching invasion.
REEL 4 Continues: air activity on D-Day; posting to Gosport; reactions to D-Day; sleeping arrangements; time in Gosport; boarding of LSTs and crossing of Channel. Aspects of operations as trooper with 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in North West Europe, 6/1944-7/1944: arrival; removal of waterproofing; dropping of chestnut fencing; arrangement and camouflage of tanks in camp at Cully; sleeping arrangements; storage of rations; details of rations; cigarette rations; latrines; German fire faced and reactions; advance on first day of Operation Epsom, 26/6/1944; description of tank being hit on River Orne; evacuation from tank; dressing down from Colonel Scott; continuation of advance without crew; period under road bridge; rations; scenes of bodies in river; joining of Anti-Aircraft unit; withdrawal and reunion with Fife and Forfar Yeomanry; formation of new tank crew; injuries among unit; opinion at time of Shermans; posting in camp; reaction to German fire faced; opinion of Montgomery; activities in camp; details of night time laagers.
REEL 5 Continues: activity at start of Operation Goodwood, 18/7/1944; advance of unit; role in and scenes from tank; firing from tank; shelling of tank; casualties; evacuation from tank; state of tank; small arms fire faced and cover taken in corn; reactions to situation; scenes from corn; withdrawal to glider site; tanks taking cover in field; air raid and cover taken including wounding; state following raid; state of wounds in face and leg; evacuation to field hospital; treatment received; journey to Ascot, GB. Aspects of hospitalisation and convalescence in GB, 7/1944-1/1945: treatment received; hospitalisation in Liverpool and Wrexham; state of wounds; reaction to wounding; convalescence at Trentham Gardens and medical grading; posting to Catterick; reunion with Fife and Forfar comrades; wait for posting; near posting to Far East.
REEL 6 Continues: length of time at Catterick; journey to Greenock on draft. Aspects of journey from Greenock, GB, to Port Said, Egypt, on the SS Volendam, 1945: time spent in Irish Sea; seasickness; living conditions; time in transit camp; train journey to Cairo. Aspects of period as trooper with 1st Dragoon Guards in Middle East, 1945-1947: posting at Beni Youssef; reaction to posting; details of unit and discipline; driving of Staghelm Armoured Car; make-up of crew; leisure activities in Cairo; activities in Egypt; punishment for washing under a tap; training in desert; VE Day celebrations; details of beer available and glasses made with bottles; situation in and posting to Palestine; details of patrol duties; training and qualification as fitter in Tel-el-Kebir; period in Tiberius; story of journey to Cairo; death of brother; attitude toward demobilisation; duties during posting in Iraq; details of welding course attended in Canal Zone; demobilisation. Aspects of period as civilian in GB from 1947: civilian work.