Walton, Donald Arthur (Oral history)

1894650411
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Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
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Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

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Description

Object description

British NCO served with Chemical Warfare Coy, Royal Engineers in GB, North Africa and Italy, 1940-1945; participated in Bruneval Raid, France, 2/1942

Content description

REEL 1: Background in Frome, GB, 1918-1939: family; education; employment; description of training with Royal Engineers, Territorial Army, 1936-1939; call-up in Stratford-upon-Avon, 9/1939. Aspects of training with Royal Engineers in GB, 1940-1942: basic training at Warminster; attitude to military service; drafted to Chemical Warfare Coy, Tidworth; description of training in Lake District; firing gas rockets and mortars; gas training; story of volunteering for Combined Operations; composition of unit; posted to Portsmouth. Aspect of operations with 1st Air Troop, Royal Engineers during Bruneval Raid, France, 2/1942: voyage across Channel and landing at Bruneval; role in operation sweeping for mines; description of parachute drop and capture of radar; return voyage to GB; debriefing. Aspects of period with Chemical Warfare Coy, Royal Engineers in Barton Stacey, GB, 1942: marriage; description of training with Royal Engineers; mines and bridges; attitude to prohibition of chemical warfare by Geneva Convention; sailed from Gourock, Scotland, to Algiers, 1942. Aspects of operations with Chemical Warfare Coy, Royal Engineers in North Africa, 1942-1943: journey by road to Tunis; story of first casualty caused by US bomber; drafted to 6th Armoured Div; duties checking for mines and booby traps; rejoined Chemical Warfare Coy at Longstop Hill, Tunisia; living conditions. REEL 2 Continues: rations; toilet paper; moved to Carthage; story of visit by Churchill and speech; sailed aboard American landing craft to Bari, Italy. Aspects of operations with Chemical Warfare Coy, Royal Engineers in Italy and Austria, 1944-1945: attached to various infantry units in Sangro River area; opinion of Montgomery; memory of Vesuvius erupting; moved to Monte Cassino area, 1944; first impressions of Monte Cassino; problem of bad weather and rain; description of ammonal 'pumpkin' mine; description of probing for mines and location of minefields; attached to infantry units of Royal West Regt and East Surrey Regt; mine detecting; shoe mines; casualties in Royal Engineers; worked in groups of three; location, identification and defusing of mines; relations with infantry units memory of Hangman's Hill; opinion of Poles; moved to Florence; story of finding all bridges destroyed except Ponte Vecchio; description of journey through Po valley to Venice and across Brenner Pass into Austria; communication with home; rations; entered Klagenfurt, Austria, 5/1945; reaction to news of VE Day; home leave; demobilised in Aldershot; opinion of RE training. REEL 3 Continues: Post-war life and employment: importance of comradeship; adjustment to civilian life; value of Royal Engineers training in civilian employment; effects of war; story of shell shock case; post-war treatment for shrapnel wound; story of giving up smoking. Further comments on period of military service: opinion of padre; religious beliefs; opinion of Americans; attitude to Germans; story of incident at Brompton Barracks; opinion of officers.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), Second World War (content)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Baker, Lindsay (Recorder)
Walton, Donald Arthur (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2003-03-18
Dimensions: whole: Duration 90, Number Of Items 3
Catalogue number: 24832

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Walton, Donald Arthur
British Army, Royal Engineers, Chemical Warfare Coy
Associated places

GB, England
Associated themes

Cassette

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Walton, Donald Arthur (Oral history)

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

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Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Associated themes

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