Description
Object description
British trooper served with 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in GB and Egypt, 1932-1938; NCO served with 4th Queen's Own Hussars, 1st Armoured Bde in GB, North Africa, 1940-1941; NCO served with 7th Royal Tank Regt, 1st Armoured Bde in Greece, 3/1941-4/1941; prisoner of war in Dulag 185, Corinth, Greece, Stalag XVIII-A, Wolfsberg, Arbeitskommando 720/L, Gersdorf an der Feistritz and Stalag XVIII-C, Markt Pongau, Austria, 4/1941-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as trooper with C Sqdn, 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars in GB, Egypt and Palestine, 1932-1938: family's military service; reasons for enlisting in regiment; joining regiment at Hounslow Barracks, GB; start of basic training and contracting pneumonia; weapons training; boxing; sword and lance training; reasons for being given a bad horse; mounted tests for passing out; riding lessons and character of horse 'Black Tarquin'; adjusting to discipline; accommodation and rations; walking out uniform; guard duties; dealing with bullies; relations with NCOs; boxing skills.
REEL 2 Continues: dealing with bullying NCOs; the 'stick' system; relations between recruits; voyage from GB to Egypt aboard SS Novara; initial impressions of Egypt; arrival at Abbassia Camp, Egypt; manoeuvres in the desert; night routine in desert; duties of horse holder; problems sleeping desert; care of horse; how his horse, 'Black Tarquin' threw him during Royal Parade; attempts to remove bed bugs from barracks; other wildlife in barracks; inoculations; contracting sandfly fever; recreational activities including visits to pyramids; opinion of Sudan Defence Force; deployment into Western Desert to meet threat from Italy, 1935; conversion of Ford Saloon cars at start of mechanisation process.
REEL 3 Continues: learning to drive in desert; drive across Sinai Desert to Palestine, 1936; nature of conflict in Palestine; shooting donkey breaking curfew; patrolling; attacks on railway lines in Palestine; practicality of road blocks in Palestine; secondment to Corps of Military Police in Cairo, Egypt; leave in GB at own expense; attitude to secondment to Corps of Military Police; story of marrying wife without commanding officer's permission, 1936; attempts to get wife onto ship to GB.
REEL 4 Continues: court martial and sentence to hard labour at Mersa Matruh, Egypt; interview with commanding officer; return to civilian employment in GB, 1938. Aspects of period as NCO with 4th Queen's Own Hussars, 1st Armoured Bde in GB and North Africa, 9/1939-3/1941: background to recall to British Army on J Reserve and posting to regiment; learning to drive tank; crew of tank and communication; relations with officer; voyage from GB to Egypt, 12/1940-1/1942; move into Western Desert, Egypt, 2/1941; reaction to first action at Mersa Matruh, Egypt; conditions in desert; embarkation for Greece in Alexandria, Egypt, 3/1941. Recollections of operations as NCO with 7th Royal Tank Regt, 1st Armoured Bde in Greece, 3/1941-4/1941: arrival in Greece; reception from Greeks; driving along mountain tracks on route to Albania; move to border between Greece and Bulgaria; role as batman to Major Harrison a liaison officer with Greek forces; exchanging tank for 15 cwt truck; opinion of Royal Hellanic Army; preparations to demolish river bridge; atmosphere in Greek town prior to German invasion.
REEL 5 Continues: carrying orders to blow bridges; rescue of Major Harrison from Greek Fifth Columnists; passing German Army vehicles and military policeman on drive out of town; rejoining unit; lack of supplies and air support; report of advancing German forces and orders to withdraw; effects of artillery shell hit on his tank turret; character of withdrawal south; attacks by German Air Force; obtaining fuel and supplies; wrecking of his tank by German Air Force Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber; obtaining lift from Australian Imperial Force troops; finding Vickers Medium Dragon Carrier in Athens and drive to Corinth; preparations to demolish bridge across Corinth Canal; digging in on Corinth Canal.
REEL 6 Continues: camouflaging weapons pit; behaviour of Captain Taylor; German Air Force attacks and glider landings; discovery that defenders were cut off; German tannoy announcement and grenading of weapons pits; decision to surrender to Germans, 26/4/1941. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Dulag 185, Corinth, Greece, 4/1941-6/1941: conversation with German Army officer who captured him; investigating contents of officers' mess vehicle with German Army officer; burying remains of German glider pilot; giving whiskey to wounded prisoner of war; transporting wounded prisoners of war in ambulance; night in cemetery and theft of his overcoat; move into Dulag 185 at Corinth, formerly containing Italian prisoners of war; treatment of Italians by Germans; conditions in camp; joining working party to bury dead in area of canal; rations available; participation in working party salvaging German gliders and kit; march northwards.
REEL 7 Continues: overnight stops and treatment of sick; swapped shirt for bag of oats; effects of shrunken stomach. Recollections of period as prisoner of war in Stalag XVIII-A, Wolfsberg, Arbeitskommando 720/L, Gersdorf an der Feistritz and Stalag XVIII-C, Markt Pongau, Austria, 7/1941-5/1945: internal prisoner of war organisation at Stalag XVIII-A, Wolfsberg; accommodation, water supply and latrines; nature of camp dentistry; use of clandestine wireless sets; reasons for volunteering for work party; prior recollection of train journey from Salonika, Greece to Wolfsberg; delousing on arrival in Austria; temporary escape and treatment by civilians; hospitalisation in Graz; farm work at Arbeitskommando 720/L, Gersdorf an der Feistritz; problems with his first farmer and relations with second farmer; visits to gasthaus; visit by German Army officer on leave.
REEL 8 Continues: character of farms; supplementing rations and evading official restrictions on butter ration; decision to escape to Yugoslavia and aid from farmer's family; German methods of searching for escaped prisoners of war; contact with Yugoslav farmer; arrest by police and removal to Arbeitskommando 720/L, Gersdorf an der Feistritz; treatment by German captors; move to Stalag XVIII-C, Markt Pongau; arrival of United States Army and abundance of supplies; flight in aircraft from Austria to GB. Aspects of period as NCO with British Army in GB, 1945: arrival in camp containing Italian prisoners of war; return home; refusal of army scheme for rehabilitation; treatment for psychiatric effects of war service.
REEL 9 Continues: effects of psychiatric treatment; adjusting to civilian life; employment organising Italian and German prisoners of war; attitude to dealing with Italian prisoners of war; dealing with Schutzstaffel (SS) prisoners of war; reaction to commanding officer confiscating prisoners of war personal property; protecting prisoners of war from bad treatment by farmers; question of prisoners of war working with land girls of Women's Land Army; reasons for not keeping in contact with unit and attending reunions; relations with officers during military service, including Major Harrison, Randolph Churchill and Captain Taylor; post-war contact with Major Harrison after Second World War.
REEL 10 Continues: post-war work on estate in Wales for Major Harrison; reasons for leaving Major Harrison's employ; last interview with Major Harrison; advantages and disadvantages of military service.
