Description
Object description
British trooper served with A Sqn 2nd Bn Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB and North West Europe, 1939-1945; trooper served with Royal Tank Regt in Italy, 1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Guthrie Place, GB, 1919-1939: education; time in Boys Brigade; civilian work; joining of territorial army and details of unit. Aspects of period as trooper with A Squadron 2nd Bn Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1939-1940: stories from weekend camps; activities on drill nights; opinion that war would not come and intention to hope for six months service; farm work; postings around area including Markinch; equipment used on exercises; payment for wearing civilian suit; story of trick played on Stanley Thompson; discipline in Aldershot; accommodation in Farnham; cancellation of posting to France; training to be driver mechanic; details of Mk 6B including problems. Aspects of period as trooper with A Squadron 2nd Bn Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in Northern Ireland, 1939-1940: accommodation and mess hall in Dungannon; story of meeting wife; fire fighting and opinion on reason for fires; funeral parade for policeman; problems among civilians in Northern Ireland; relationship with civilians and marriage; story of civilian women on train with illegal shopping; Christmas 1940; story of donkey in billet; problems during posting in Newry.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as trooper with A Squadron 2nd Bn Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in GB, 1941: posting in Whitby; differences between Mk 6B tanks and new Matilda and Valentine tanks; scenes along coast; accommodation; leisure activities; stories of charges received; digging train out of snow; driving tanks in snow; restriction of vision in tanks; reason for later removal from tank driving; maintenance of tank; exercises; opinion of changes within unit; posting in Brighton including air raid while in Stanmer Park accommodation; arrival of Crusader tanks; knowledge of roles in tank crew; sleeping arrangements; more on air raid while in Stanmer Park; conditions in Bury St Edmunds camp; changes in unit; friends in unit; memories of NCOs; story of fire in Newmarket Camp; opinion of effects of meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in Casablanca; advance draft sent to Middle East; reactions to cancellation of draft; return to Newmarket; trip to Wales and fixing of armoured plating on tank; journeys between postings; tanks on journey to France; length of time and role in Wales; postings in Bridlington and Rudston; stories from exercises on York Moors; problems with earwigs in Rudston.
REEL 3 Continues: story of soldier who escaped from Bridlington Police Station; parking of tanks at Rudston; story of woman during a guard duty; turnover of personnel; invasion training; waterproofing of tanks; arrival and opinion of Sherman tanks including engines used in tanks; time in camp waiting for voyage to France; embarkation from Gosport; conditions on and length of voyage. Aspects of operations as trooper with A Squadron 2nd Bn Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in North West Europe, 6/1944- 8/1944: landing and opposition around bridgehead; problems with Sherman tanks; movement at day and night; use of gliders; crossing of a river; Allied air activity; memories of driving Major Powell; casualties in squadron and relief from Guards Brigade; story of leaving Bob Baxter behind death including responsibilities of Major Powell; loss of tank tracks; story of being stuck in minefield; reason for high destruction levels of tanks.
REEL 4 Continues: terrain in Normandy; air support and story of attack from American aircraft; wounding and treatment from German and Canadian medical staff; reason for not flying to GB; description of wounds; escort to boat. Aspects of hospitalisations in GB, 1944-1945: treatment received in Glasgow; convalescence at Keir House in Stirling; visit of wife and story of her losing hair; postings in GB; rejoining squadron in Ypres; training with comet; double hernia operation in Stratford and following illness; postings in GB; news of posting in and journey to Italy including story of Jewish soldier on boat. Aspects of period as trooper with Royal Tank Regiment in Italy, 1945: journey through Italy to Briganza; courses taken to prepare for demobilisation; memories of Regimental Sergeant Major Alan Jack; arrival in demobilisation; story of marriage in 1943 and later death of best man Jim Watson; casualties from A Squadron.
