Description
Object description
British marine served with A Bty, 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Marines, No 1 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation in GB, Egypt and Crete, Greece, 2/1940-5/1941; prisoner of war on Crete and Dulag 183, Salonika, Greece, Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Stalag III-D, Rudow, Berlin, Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke and Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany and Arbeitskommando E702, Sosnowiec, Poland, 5/1941-1/1945; escaped and evaded capture in Poland, 1/1945-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Bristol, GB, 1918-1939: family; memories of announcement of outcome of Munich Crisis in Bristol theatre, 9/1938; education; life in Bristol pre-1939; employment. Aspects of enlistment and training with 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Marines, No 1 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation in GB, 2/1940-5/1940: attitude to call-up as militiaman, 1939; reporting to Yeovil; uniform worn; reasons for transfer for anti-aircraft work; training on predictor of Ordnance 3.7 Anti-Aircraft Gun; move to Plymouth. Recollections of period as marine with A Bty, 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Marines, No 1 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation in GB and Egypt, 6/1940-5/1941: move to Folkestone; duties on anti-aircraft site; success of unit; difficulties in shooting down German Air Force aircraft; sight of aircraft being shot down; attitude to service; relations of officers; opinion of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
REEL 2 Continues: move to Horndean, 1/1941; voyage aboard HMT Rangitata from GB to South Africa; ashore in South Africa; keeping service diary; voyage aboard HMT Elizabethville from South Africa to Egypt; in tented accommodation in Egypt; embarkation at Port Said, Egypt for Crete, Greece, 5/1941. Recollections of operations as marine with A Bty, 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Marines, No 1 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation on Crete, Greece, 5/1941: attack on convoy by Italian Air Force torpedo bomber aircraft during voyage from Egypt to Crete; arrival at Suda Bay; location of gun site at Suda Bay; first action at Suda Bay; nature of German Air Force attacks on gun sites; dealing with wounded gunners.
REEL 3 Continues: effect of damage to predictor; moving gun to sheltered site; orders to make for Spharkia; sight of German paratroopers dropping; nature of march to Spharkia including problems with water and heat; arrival at Spharkia, 30/5/1941; hearing news that last ship had left; taking refuge in cave; reaction to orders to surrender. Aspects of period as prisoner of war on Crete, 5/1941-6/1941: arrival of German forces at Spharkia; conditions on capture and march to Suda Bay; transfer to mainland Greece, 6/1941; reaction to being made prisoner of war.
REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as marine with A Bty, 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Marines, No 1 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation in GB, 2/1940-1/1941: training, anti-aircraft work at Folkestone; accidental shooting down of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley aircraft carrying British scientists; firing on attacking German Air Force Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers; incident of firing on low flying German Air Force aircraft. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Dulag 183, Salonika, Greece, 6/1941-7/1941: move from Athens to Salonika; German guard offering alcohol to prisoners of war during transfer; Australian escape plans in Dulag 183 Salonika; German discovery of escape tunnel; German guards opening fire on prisoners of war; character of camp's location in old Turkish barracks.
REEL 5 Continues: meagre rations in camp; conditions in camp; unloading artillery shells in harbour. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Stalag III-D, Rudow, Berlin, Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke and Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf, Germany and Arbeitskommando E702, Sosnowiec, Poland, 7/1941-1/1945: conditions on train journey from Greece to Germany; post-war recovery of photographs and diary after confiscation in Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde; transfer to Stalag III-D, Rudow, Berlin.
REEL 6 Continues: accommodation in camp; train journeys with work parties; work duties in railway yard; amusing story of visit by German Army staff officer to work party; transfer by train to Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke; character of Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke; transfer to Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf; character of Stalag VIII-B, Lamsdorf; changing identity with American Royal Air Force prisoner of war Jack Pierce; reason for German authorities handcuffing of prisoners of war.
REEL 7 Continues: period in punishment cells; move to Arbeitskommando E702, Sosnowiec, Poland; encounter with German Army soldier on freight train; orders to evacuate Arbeitskommando E702, Sosnowiec, Poland, 20/1/1945. Recollections of escape from Arbeitskommando E702 and period evading capture in Sosnowiec, Poland, 1/1945-5/1945: hiding in and escape from Arbeitskommando E702, 1/1945; hiding in abandoned hut; aid received from Polish civilians; in hiding with Polish family; German evacuation of Sosnowiec and arrival of Soviet Army troops.
REEL 8 Continues: attending marriage of friend to Polish girl; sight of German prisoners of war; nature of Soviet economic reparations; VE Day celebrations in Sosnowiec, 8/5/1945. Aspects of journey from Poland to GB, 1945: train journey to Prague via Brno, Czechoslovakia; arrival in Prague, Czechoslovakia; issue of credit at bank; crossing over into American held territory; train journey to Paris, France; return to GB, 6/1945; period at Lympstone prior to demobilisation, 12/1945; problems of adjusting to civilian life; return to civilian employment; lessons learnt from service with Royal Marines.