Wroath, John (Oral history)

British officer served with 29th Field Regt, Royal Artillery in Germany, GB and Cyprus, 1957

REEL 1 Background in South Moulton, 1932-1945: social circumstances; education at Barnstaple Grammar School; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; soldiers billeted in town; air raid precautions; following progress of war; rationing; impact of US troops billeted in town and story of fight between black and white US soldiers; build up to D Day, 6/6/1944; following progress of Normandy campaign, 1944; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945. Period living in Cowes, Isle of Wight, 1945-1946: education at Ryde School, 1945-1947; VJ Day celebrations, 10/8/1945;work for family newsagent business, 1947-1949; work as articled clerk training as solicitor, 1950-1956; deferment of National Service. REEL 2 Continues: qualification as solicitor, 5/1946; call up and medical, 6/1956. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during periods with 67 (Selection) Regt, Royal Artillery at Oswestry and 55 (Training) Regt, RA at Tonfanu, ca 6/1956-9/1956: aptitude tests and classification as potential officer; reception; change in blanco colour on changing unit; hut accommodation; morning routine; questions of advantages of being older recruit; food rations and cookhouse conditions; drill; attending and passing unit selection board; transfer to Y Troop and status as potential officers; absence of gunnery training; relationship with recruits and instructors; hair cut; preparing for kit inspections. REEL 3 Continues: minimal recreational facilities; story of stealing table for hut; PT; question of effectiveness of training; weapons training; attending War Office Selection Board at Barton Stacey, ca 8/1956, including interviews, aptitude tests, results procedures and passing for officer cadet training; period on fatigues; vehicle accident and attending board of inquiry; story of accident whilst painting hut. Recollections of period at Officers Cadet School, Mons, Aldershot, 9/1956-: status as officer cadet; origins of cadets; platoon commander tactical training. REEL 4 Continues: man-management skills and question of swearing; pistol training; passing out parade and reactions to Suez crisis; training as gun position officer on 25 pdrs including question mathematics involved, use of director and artillery board, corrections for forward observation officer, use of smoke shells and shrapnel air bursts; gun crew roles on 25pdr gun drill; story of leaving gun behind during exercise; in dropping into action; training as forward observation officer using simulator and wireless procedure; Stallybridge firing camp, 1/1957, including loss of kit, gun aiming points, noise of 25pdr and question of damage to hearing; question of friend's failure and personal narrow pass mark. REEL 5 Continues: question of assessment on course; commissioning parade, 1957; request for overseas posting. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine with B Troop, 8 Bty, 29 Field Regt, RA at Caernarvon Barracks, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1/1957-4/1957: status as officer during journey out; barracks rooms and officers' mess; reception as national service officer; signing for equipment as acting troop commander; process of handing over to replacement unit and destruction of excess equipment; relationship with NCOs including importance of relationship with Troop Sergeant Major Goddard; relationship with Sergeant Boardman in organising unit football team; relationship with ORs; opinion of various officers including Major Charles Porter and Captain Roy Gunn. REEL 6 Continues: opinion of various officers including Lieutenant David Swan, Captain Oliver Nicholas, Captain Donald Horne and Colonel Browne; nature of officers' mess including drinking habits, cocktail parties, formal mess dinners and mess games; friendship with Medical Officer Lieutenant Tom Donovan; recreational visits to Dusseldorf; relationship with German civilians; small arms course and opinion of Sterling sub-machine gun; Guards officers' cocktail party; visit to Netherlands; return to GB. Period at Chiseldon Camp, Swindon, 4/1957-6/1957. Voyage aboard Empire Clyde to Famagusta, Cyrpus, 6/1957: prior drunken officers' party and PT punishment sessions. REEL 7 Continues: conditions; appendicitis case; officers' PT punishment sessions. Recollections of period on battery detachment at Boghaz Camp, 6/1957-7/1957: relationship with Greek and Turkish Cypriot civilians; conditions of service; weapons; internal security role; motorised patrols; personal morale; lack of internal security training; regimental operation intended to seal off Ayiostheodorus including road blocks, attempt to arrest all Greek Cypriot males, violent relation of women and consequent abandonment of road block. Period at Karalos Camp, Famagusta, 7/1957-12/1957: situation; organisation of battery; question of role as 24 hour Middle East Artillery reserve unit; street patrols. REEL 8 Continues: stories of covert patrols penetrating into Greek Cypriot villages; story of Greek Cypriot procession at Tricomo, 28/10/1957, including organisation of riot squad, situation, initial decision to ignore illegal presence of Greek flags, intervention of Major Camel, role of Greek Cypriot priest in triggering riot, retreat to police station, presence of Greek Cypriot women and children in front of rioters, question of opening fire, violent intervention of Turkish Cypriot mobile reserve police, advance to disperse crowd, sealing off town, Greek Cypriot ruses in attempt to get past road block and eventual removal of Greek Cypriot symbols of resistance; question of ambushes; opinion of role of Governors Field Marshal Lord Harding and Sir Hugh Foot. REEL 9 Continues: story of dangerous manoeuvre to escape after accidentally driving landrover into Greek Cypriot demonstration; policy of avoiding opening fire; success of battery firing camp; opinion of Colonel Frowd; question of visits to Famagusta. period on battery detachment at Arkrades Camp, c12/1957-1/1958: story of unofficial truce, tokenistic patrols and Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1957; shooting of Turkish policeman by Greek Cypriot insurgents, 27/12/1957; background to British shooting of Turkish Cypriots in Famagusta and subsequent effect on relationship with Turkish Cypriots; death of father and return to GB on leave, 1/1958; family problems and request for GB posting. Period with 80th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt at Newport, Isle of Wight, 2/1958-5/1958: living at home; minimal duties. Period attending civil defence course at Epsom, 5/1958-6/1958: assignment for service with Mobile Defence Corps and necessity of reporting to muster point at Salisbury in event of Soviet nuclear attack; nature of course; absence of mobilisation. REEL 10 Continues: questions of lack of prior effective warning of nuclear attack, realism of training, radiation protection and ability to leave family in event of mobilisation; reactions to Cuban crisis, 1962. Demobilisation, 6/1958. Post-war career: review of legal career culminating in appointment as judge; question of effects of military service.