Brennan, Clive Marcus (Oral history)

British officer served with Headquarters 39 Bde and 1st Bn Inniskilling Fusiliers in Kenya, 1953-1955; served as Military Intelligence Officer attached to Special Branch, Kenya Police in Kenya, 1956-1957; attached to Special Branch, Malayan Police in Malaya, 1957-1959; served with 1st Bn Inniskilling Fusiliers in Bahrain, Kenya and Kuwait, 1960-1962; attended Company Commanders' Course at School of Infantry, Warminster, GB, 1962; student at Staff College, Camberley, GB, 1963; served a staff officer with Headquarters, Middle East Land Forces in Aden, 1964-1966; served as company commander with 1st Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Berlin, Germany, 1966-1967; served as chief instructor with Royal Military College, Sandhurst in GB, 1968-1970; student with Joint Services Staff College, Latimer, GB, 1970; served as intelligence officer with Headquarters, Northern Ireland, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, 1971

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1932-1952: family; education at King's School, Canterbury; training with Cadet Corps; awareness of the Korean War. Aspects of training at Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Depot, Omagh, Northern Ireland, 1952: reasons for joining unit during National Service; origins of recruits; accommodation and rations; levels of physical fitness. Aspects of officer training at Eaton Hall, 1952-1953: selection under War Office Selection Board; character of training; exercise Marathon; choice of regiment; posting to Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Dover. Aspects of operations as officer with Headquarters, 39 Bde in Kenya, 4/1953-9/1953: posting as brigade transport officer; problems after crashing Landrover. REEL 2 Continues: outcome of investigation to crashed Landrover; deployment of brigade defense platoon near Fort Hall; shooting of woman by one platoon member; role manning stopline during deployment; character of Motor Transport Section; impressions of Kenya; brigade deployment and operational role; flight from GB to Kenya; accommodation used by brigade headquarters; communications; intelligence available. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn Inniskilling Fusiliers in Kenya, 1953-1955: joining advanced party; duties with unit; patrolling in Rift Valley; cordon and search operations in Nairobi; move to and deployment in Fort Hall area. REEL 3 Continues: use of 'free fire zone'; character of terrain and forest; use of game trails; patrolling; question of level of fitness amongst company commanders; need for small patrols; role leading patrols; attending aftermath of massacre in village; use of tracker dog; injuries after falling into moat at police fort; sources of Mau Mau rations; duration of forest patrols; uniform and equipment; weapons carried; use of surrendered Mau Mau to locate bases; patrolling along stream beds; discovery of large Mau Mau camp; development of own tactics; character of his troops. REEL 4 Continues: soldier who cracked up during ambush; selection of ambush sites; method of setting up ambush; strength of Mau Mau parties; Mau Mau weapons; importance of sight and hearing; forbidding of ambush parties to use soap and brimmed hats; effects of bombing forest; problems with game animals; conditions in mountains; issue of airborne sleeping bags; use of oil cloth to make shelters; rations carried; problems of boredom and need to keep alert; motivation of British troops; treatment of soldier who cracked up; incident of being shot at by Mau Mau at long distance. REEL 5 Continues: return to GB for mortar course; decision to obtain regular commission. Aspects of period as Military Intelligence Officer in Kenya and Malaya, 1956-1957: background to obtaining job; character of intelligence operations in Kenya; opinion of special branch officer Ian Henderson; dealing with surrendered Mau Mau personnel; transfer to Malaya; situation in Tapah; surrender of commander of Independent Platoon of Communist forces; use of surrendered enemy personnel; use of safe houses; attempts to capture Choi Fung; opinion of intelligence course at School of Intelligence, Maresfield. REEL 6 Continues: Aspects of period operations as officer with 1st Bn Inniskilling Fusiliers in Kenya, 1953-1955: opinion of Kenya Police force; lack of courses relating to intelligence and tactics; degree of contact with company commander; co-ordination and liaison with other platoon commanders; importance of physical fitness; further details of decision to obtain regular commission; use of mortars in Kenya; opinion of 3 inch mortar; return to Kenya. Recollections of period as Military Intelligence Officer attached to Special Branch, Kenya Police in Kenya, 1956-1957: background to selection and training at School of Intelligence, Maresfield; character of emergency on arrival in Kenya; memories of special branch officer Ian Henderson. REEL 7 Continues: counter insurgent techniques employed by Ian Henderson; role of Field Intelligence officers; political and military situation in Kenya; reasons for transfer to Malaya. Recollections of period as Military Intelligence Officer attached to Special Branch, Malaya Police in Malaya, 1957-1959: voyage from Kenya to Singapore; reception on arrival in Kuala Lumpur and Tapah; nationalities of police and administrative officers; problems obtaining accommodation; situation in Malaya; degree of intelligence about insurgents; surrender of commander of Independent Platoon of Communist forces; decision to send surrendered enemy personnel back into jungle to obtain surrender of further insurgents; reasons for insurgent commander surrendering. REEL 8 Continues: effect of counter insurgent measures; setting up safe house in Ipoh; providing for needs of surrendered enemy personnel; character of Communist organization in South Perah; success of operation in persuading insurgents to surrender; insurgents' opinion of Malay, Gurkha, British and Australians forces; members of State War Executive Committee and role of Executive Secretary; character of District War Executive Committee; chain of command; character of his Chinese clerk Mr Tong; opinion of Special Branch course in Kuala Lumpur; problems of targeting Secretary of South West Area Committee of Perah, Choi Fung; plan to ambush Choi Fung. REEL 9 Continues: ambush on path to Choi Fung's camp in which company commander in Malay Regt was wounded; insurgent's organization; death of company commander wounded in ambush; discovery of identity of insurgent killed in ambush; fate of Choi Fung; background of insurgents; relations with surrendered enemy personnel; role clearing arms dumps; surrendered enemy personnel's recovery of gold cache and attempt to retrieve gold teeth from executed former comrades; situation on posting to Pehang; character of Federation Regt; Chinese mistresses of police officers. REEL 10 Continues: Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Bahrain, Kenya and Kuwait, 1960-1962: company detachment to Bahrain; attending exercise with Special Air Service in Oman; training in Bahrain; plans for pre-emptive deployment to Kuwait; character of deployment of unit to Kuwait from Kenya; contact with Kuwait armoured forces; character of deployment; flying conditions for close support aircraft; conditions on Kuwait deployment; return to Kenya for staff college examination; role of adjutant. Aspects of period attending Company Commanders' Course at School of Infantry, Warminster, 1962: introduction to armoured personnel carriers; opinion of counter insurgency syllabus; methods of instruction. REEL 11 Continues: theory for use of armoured personnel carriers; importance of close air support and need for forward air controllers; opinion of course. Aspects of period as student at Staff College, Camberley, 1963: emphasis on European theatre of operations; method of instruction; advantages of typing work; battlefield tour of Normandy; opinion of NATO plans for defence of Germany; volunteering for parachute training. Recollections of operations as staff officer with Headquarters, Middle East Land Forces in Aden, 1964-1966: posting to Aden, 2/1964; role commanding improvised brigade for operations in Radfan; composition of brigade; situation in Radfan; start of campaign in Radfan. REEL 12 Continues: estimates of insurgent strength; tactics employed by insurgents; question of initial tactics employed by British forces; opinion of Federal Army; demands of terrain and climate; objectives of operations in Radfan; effects of poor maps on artillery fire; abortive plan for night time parachute drop; fate of Special Air Service patrol infiltrating into Wadi Taym area; withdrawal of Special Air Service patrol from Wadi Taym; narrow escape from mining of vehicle; production of plans; effects of machine gunning of helicopter. REEL 13 Continues: character of campaign in Radfan and question of results; success of Special Air Service under Johnnie Watts in Radfan; use of high speed road surfacing machine to hard top road and prevent mining; character of ad hoc brigade; relations with media; lack of training on dealing with media; staff officer duties; effect of government announcement of British withdrawal from Aden. Aspects of period as company commander with 1st Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Berlin, Germany, 1966-1967: atmosphere in Berlin; crashing of Russian MIG aircraft in British Sector; attitude to service in Berlin; attitude to posting to Royal Military College, Sandhurst at end of tour. REEL 14 Continues: Recollections of period as chief instructor with Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1968-1970: initial impressions of Sandhurst and quality of officer instructors; lessons learnt on visit to Regular Commissions Board; question of whether leadership can be taught; method of grading cadets to determine future employment; quality of officer staff at Sandhurst; character of instructors; attempts to make training more realistic; example of leading by example; failure rate; character of college commander; skills needed by cadets. Aspects of period as student at Joint Services Staff College, Latimer, 1970: character of syllabus. REEL 15 Continues: methods of instruction; discussions and exercises; composition of student body; benefits of course. Recollections of period as GSO 1 Intelligence, Headquarters Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland, 1971: expectation of close liaison with Special Branch; lack of briefing prior to posting; situation in Northern Ireland; tension between protection of sources and exploitation of intelligence; weekly intelligence reports; General Frank Kitson's attitude towards internment; conduct of daily routine at headquarters; problems caused by internment; opinion of future of Ireland; lack of good intelligence and development of alternative sources of intelligence to Special Branch; use of clerks from Intelligence Corps.