Description
Object description
British officer served with No 2 Independent Coy in GB and Norway, 4/1940-6/1940; served with Commando Training Centre, Lochailort, GB, 9/1940-3/1941; served with No 1 Commando, Special Service Bde in GB and North Africa, 3/1941-5/1943; served with Headquarters, Special Service Group in GB, 7/1943-12/1943; student with Staff College, Camberley, GB, 12/1943-3/1944; staff officer served as brigade-major with 4th Special Service Bde in GB and North West Europe, 4/1944-11/1944; served with No 2 Commando, 2nd Commando Bde in Yugoslavia and Italy, 1/1945-5/1945; commanded 5th Infantry Div Battle School at Holzminden, Germany, 1946; served on directing staff of School of Combined Operations, GB, 1946-1948; commanded Hong Kong Defence Force and served as adjutant with Hong Kong Regiment in Hong Kong, 1948-1951; officer served with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers in Jamaica and British Guiana, 3/1951-10/1953; student with Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, GB, 1953-1954; staff officer with War Office in London, GB, 1954-1956; served with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, Berlin Infantry Bde in West Berlin, 8/1956-1/1958; served with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers in Cyprus, 1958; commanded 4th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers at Wrexham, GB, 1958-1959; served as staff officer with at Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at Fontainebleau, France, 1959-1961; served as defence adviser to British High Commissioner in Tanganyika, 1961-1962; served as staff officer with Ministry of Defence, London, GB, 1963-1967; student with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Defence College, Rome, Italy, 1968; served as staff officer with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe at Mons, Belgium, 1969-1970; served as staff officer with Ministry of Defence, London, GB, 1970-1972
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Llandrindod Wells, GB, 1917-1938; family; education; period as medical student with Guy's Hospital, London and failure of examinations; employment. Aspects of period as officer with 7th (Merioneth and Montgomeryshire) Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, 158th (Royal Welch) Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB, 1938-1939: enlistment in Territorial Army at Rhayader, 1938; rank held and roles with mortar platoon and machine gun company; field exercises; background of other recruits; attending camp at Caernarvon Castle; opinion of Lloyd George; mobilisation in Newtown, 8/1939. Aspects of period as officer with 7th (Merioneth and Montgomeryshire) Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, 158th Infantry Bde, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Div in GB and Northern Ireland, GB, 8/1939-4/1940: attitude to Regular Army personnel; regimental pride; weapons; uniform; opinion of adjutant; regimental funds; sporting activities.
REEL 2 continues: move to Londonderry, Northern Ireland; amusing story of hunt; attitude of local civilians; description of riot control training and peacekeeping duties; battle drill. Aspects of operations as officer with No 2 Independent Coy in GB and Norway, 4/1940-6/1940: background to selection for No 2 Independent Coy, 4/1940; disembarkation at Bodo; uniform; weapons and equipment; description of first action at bridge in Salten Valley; opinion of German Army troops; winter clothing; nature of fighting on retreat to Bodø; casualties.
REEL 3 Continues: destruction of equipment; voyage from Bodø to Scapa Flow and disembarkation at Aberdeen, GB, 1/6/1940. Aspects of training as officer with Commando Training Centre at Lochailort, GB, 9/1940-3/1941: description of amphibious and commando training at Lochailort; explosives and timers; unarmed combat; use of commando knife; posting as adjutant to Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Stockwell; distribution of independent commando companies; home defence duties; amusing story of invasion scare; communications; social life; duties as adjutant. Recollections of period as adjutant with No 1 Commando, Special Service Bde in GB, 3/1941-11/1942: transfer as adjutant to No 1 Commando at Dartmouth, 3/1941; training at Dartmouth.
REEL 4 Continues: story of participation in commando raid Operation Chopper on coast of France, 27/8/1941-28/7/1941; role in planning small scale commando raids; question of notifying Prime Minister Winston Churchill of commando raids; move to Scotland; use of post cards and photographs to identify locations; story of aborted planned raid using camouflaged Royal Navy ships; survival aids used by commandos; amusing story of soup; opinion of American military personnel; story relating to Randolph Churchill.
REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of operations with No 1 Commando, Special Service Bde in North Africa, 11/1942-5/1943: summary of role in Operation Torch, 11/1942; operations carried out in Tunisia. Aspects of period as officer with Headquarters, Special Service Group in GB, 7/1943-12/1943: duties as G2 Ops and Plans; opinion of Lord Louis Mountbatten. Aspects of period as student with Staff College, Camberley, GB, 12/1943-3/1944: holding rank of major; training as staff officer; messing arrangements and social life; leave in London.
REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of operations as staff officer with 4th Special Service Bde in Normandy, France, 7/1944-9/1944: appointment as brigade-major; duties as adjutant to Brigadier Bernard Leicester; story of Roman Catholic chaplain; role of chaplains; breakout from bridgehead; accidental shelling by Royal Navy; codenames and targets; brigade role in providing 'ring of steel' to prevent German forces' breaking out of Calais, France, 9/1944. Aspects of operations as officer with 4th Special Service Bde during Operation Infatuate on Walcheren Island, Netherlands, 1/11/1944-4/11/1944: role in planning landings for Operation Infatuate on Walcheren Island; logistical problems; description of flooding on Walcheren Island; story of being wounded during landings, 4/11/1944; medical evacuation to GB; living conditions for Dutch civilians; opinion of effectiveness of landings on Walcheren Island.
REEL 7 Continues: further description of landings on Walcheren Island; treatment of casualties; attitude to writing letters of condolence; prior recollection of death of friend in North Africa; use by British Army of religious retreats in GB. Aspects of operations as officer with No 2 Commando, 2nd Commando Bde in Yugoslavia and Italy, 1/1945-5/1945: brief period on island of Vis, Yugoslavia; opinion of Josip Tito and Yugoslav Partisans; basing of commando in Bari and Ravenna, Italy; opinion of Italian Cremona Bde; description of crossing Lake Comacchio, Italy, 4/1945; duties as second-in-command; memories of VE Day in Ravenna, Italy, 8/5/1945. Aspects of period in GB, 1945: story of catching chicken pox; attitude to promotion. Aspects of period commanding No 4 Commando at Recklinghausen, Germany, 1945-1946: duties guarding civilian internment camp; conditions in camp; story of inmate being shot whilst escaping; disbandment of No 4 Commando, 1/1946.
REEL 8 Continues: reassignment of commandos; attitude to remaining in British Army. Aspects of period commanding 5th Infantry Div Battle School at Holzminden, Germany, 1946: role in formation of divisional battle school; syllabus; training programme; accommodation; anti-British feeling in Germany; story of victory parade; question of fraternisation; recreational activities. Aspects of period on Directing Staff, School of Combined Operations, GB, 1946-1948: duties as infantry instructor; methods of instruction; opinion of changes in British Army; marriage. Aspects of period commanding Hong Kong Defence Force and as adjutant with Hong Kong Regiment in Hong Kong, 1948-1951: living conditions in Hong Kong.
REEL 9 Continues: duties raising volunteers; background of volunteers; role in training officers; organisation; regulations; purchase of equipment and vehicles; training camps; receiving colours from governor; accommodation; pay; social life; role as adjutant with Hong Kong Regiment; multi-racial composition of Hong Kong Regiment; duties as justice of the peace; story of visit to tuberculosis hospital ward; physical fitness; weapons; climate; memories of HMS Amethyst. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers in Jamaica and British Guiana, 1951-1953: peacekeeping and garrison duties in Kingston, Jamaica; description of operations with C Coy in British Guiana; relations with local civilians; sporting competitions.
REEL 10 Continues: attitude to National Service conscripts; story of Jamaica Coronation Tattoo; accommodation; weapons; visit by Queen Elizabeth II, 1953. Aspects of period as student with Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, GB, 1953-1954: opinion of instruction; training programme; attitude towards Royal Navy. Aspects of period as staff officer with War Office in London, GB, 1954-1956: description of work as PS10 Financial Equity of Pay. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, Berlin Infantry Bde in West Berlin, 8/1956-1/1958: daily routine and duties in West Berlin; guard duties at Spandau Prison.
REEL 11 Continues: story of Soviet commandant of Spandau Prison; attitude to Nazi prisoners serving sentences in Spandau Prison. Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers in Cyprus, 1958: accommodation in Lefka; pursuit and capture of National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) insurgents; description of cordon and search operation on village; problem of conflict between Greek and Turkish communities; transfer to staff of Director of Operations, Nicosia; opinion of Governor Hugh Foot; intelligence gathering methods. Aspects of period commanding 4th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers in Wrexham, GB, 1958-1959: duties and role as commanding officer.
REEL 12 Continues: Aspects of period as staff officer at Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at Fontainebleau, France, 1959-1961: duties planning North Atlantic Treaty Organisation exercises; dress code for British employees. Aspects of period as defence adviser to British High Commissioner in Tanganyika, 1961-1962: duties as defence adviser; story of boats; change of name of country from Tanganyika to Tanzania; reason for having to leave country. Aspects of period as staff officer with Ministry of Defence, London, GB, 1963-1967: description of duties with Army Training.
REEL 13 Continues: Aspects of period as student with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Defence College, Rome, Italy, 1968: training programme; visits to nuclear facilities in United States of America; opinion of Defence Secretary Denis Healey. Aspects of period as staff officer with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe (Shape) at Mons, Belgium, 1969-1970: duties as United Kingdom Deputy National Military Representative (Army). Aspects of period with Ministry of Defence, London, GB, 1970-1972: role in preparation of Joint Defence Study; opinion of Lord Carrington; retirement, 1972. Reflections on military service.
