Description
Object description
Australian gunner and NCO served with 43rd Australian Field Artillery Bty, Royal Australian Artillery, Citizen Military Forces in Australia, 1938-1940; NCO served with 7th Anti-Tank Bty, 2/2nd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Australian Artillery, 7th Australian Infantry Div, Second Australian Imperial Forces in Australia, Middle East, French Syria, 5/1940-7/1941; served with Australian Imperial Force Middle East School of Artillery in Palestine, 1941-1942; served with School of Artillery (Anti-Tank), Royal Australian Artillery, Puckapunyal, Australia, 1942; officer served with 13th Armoured Regt, Australian Armoured Corps in Australia, 5/1942-10/1943; served with Headquarters, First Australian Army in Papua New Guinea, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Brisbane, Australia, 1916-1940: family; memories of childhood; father's service in Australian Army; education; period spent with uncle in South Burnett, including influence on joining horse drawn artillery; family's service prior to and during First World War; education; search for employment, 1932; civilian employment with Queensland Cane Growers Council; opinion of why Australians fought in First World War. Aspects of period as gunner and NCO with 43rd Australian Field Artillery Bty, Citizen Military Forces in Australia, 1938-1940: expanding and training of Citizens Military Forces; promotion up to sergeant; reasons for joining Citizens Military Force; money earned from killing swallows; knowledge of situation in Europe during 1930s.
REEL 2 Continues: life in Australia during 1930s; reaction to Munich Agreement, 9/1938; mechanisation of unit; declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; expectation of call-up to regular Australian Army; outlook on possibility of seeing action; life in Citizens Military Force; uniform worn in Citizens Military Forces and Australian Imperial Force; joining of 2nd Australian Imperial Force, 4/1940. Aspects of period as NCO with 2/2nd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Australian Artillery, 7th Australian Infantry Div, Second Australian Imperial Force in Australia, 5/1940-10/1940: background to joining regiment at Kelvin Grove, 13/5/1940; recruits and training they received.
REEL 3 Continues: opinion of why Australians joined military; Australian Government recruitment policy; brother's war service; reaction to possibility of overseas service; train journey to Sydney. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Queen Mary and HMT Indrapoera from Sydney, Australia to Kantara, Egypt via India, 10/1940-11/1940: embarkation aboard HMT Queen Mary; war news and reaction to situation; knowledge of destination; activities during stay in Poona, India; military police duties; relations with other Allied troops; conditions on board troopship; opinion of meals; troops employed aboard ship; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; washing facilities; beer; emergency procedures; sporting activities; composition of convoy and route taken, including stopover at Fremantle; rolling during storm; tour of engine rooms.
REEL 4 Continues: voyage aboard HMT Indrapoera from Bombay, India to Kantara, Egypt; prisoners carried on board; activities during voyage; arrival in Kantara, Egypt. Aspects of period as NCO with 2/2nd Australian Anti-Tank Regt Royal Australian Artillery, Second Australian Imperial Force in Middle East, 11/1940-6/1941: journey from Kantara, Egypt to Qastina, Palestine; accommodation at Qastina; move to Helwân, Egypt, 3/1941; unit's anti-tank guns; activities of batteries sent to Western Desert, Egypt. Recollections of operations as NCO with 7th Anti-Tank Bty, 2/2nd Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Australian Artillery, 7th Australian Infantry Div, Second Australian Imperial Force in Lebanon and French Syria, 6/1941-7/1941: journey to northern Palestine, 5/1941, including reason for issue of Greek money; contact with other Allied troops; posting is Palestine; Australia Army vs France Army football match in Beirut, Lebanon; story of captured Vichy French Army officer; role of different batteries; casualties; reasons for conflict in French Syria; briefings; unit officer; positioning and role of anti-tank guns; opinion of Ordnance QF 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun; vehicles used by Australian forces in French Syria.
REEL 5 Continues: weapons collected; artillery fire received from Vichy French Army, damage to truck and withdrawal; nature of Vichy French fire faced and casualties; successes of regiment against Vichy French Army tanks; role of Royal Australian Artillery; protection from artillery fire; Vichy French Air Force air raids; terrain and supply problems; details of Vichy French opposition faced; nature of advance toward Merdjayoun; role of anti-tank guns; actions at Merdjayoun; firing of Ordnance QF 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun.
REEL 6 Continues: position occupied at time of armistice, 12/7/1941; advance to Northern French Syria; activities in camp; leave in Damascus, French Syria and Aley, Lebanon, including brawls with British Army troops; posting to Beirut, Lebanon; accommodation; activities; journey to Nuseirat, Palestine. Aspects of period as NCO with Australian Imperial Force Middle East School of Artillery, Nuseirat, Palestine, 1941-1942: duties; setting-up of firing range, including thefts by civilians; infantry training; movement of vehicles to Port Tewfik, Egypt. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Dorsetshire from Port Tewfik, Egypt to Adelaide, Australia, 1942: character of troopship; sleeping arrangements; rations, including Tinaroo biscuits; reaction to posting to Australia; arrival in Fremantle; leave in Perth; health problems and latrines during voyage to Adelaide; problems on arrival; accommodation. Aspects of period as NCO with Army School of Artillery (Anti-Tank), Royal Australian Artillery, Puckapunyal, Australia, 1942: school set-up in Adelaide; story of accident; posting to Army School of Artillery (Anti-Tank), Puckapunyal; reaction to being back in Australia; road accidents in Adelaide docks; journey to Puckapunyal; contact with American service personnel; reaction to Japan's entry into Second World War, 12/1941; knowledge of Japanese forces.
REEL 7 Continues: promotion to warrant officer; commissioning. Aspects of period as officer with 13th Armoured Regt, Australian Armoured Corps in Australia, 3/1942-10/1943: pattern of armoured training; disbandment of regiment; driving of M3 Grant Tank; story of accident during training; story of accident during a public demonstration. Aspects of period as officer with Headquarters, First Australian Army in Papua New Guinea, 1944-1945: posting to Papua New Guinea; briefing received in Brisbane; leave; journey to Lae. pattern of service; training given to troops; role of tanks in Australia; description of M3 Grant Tank; tactical training and manoeuvres in Australia; Imperial Japanese Army's use of tanks; contact with and rivalry with American service personnel; knowledge of war against Japanese; discussion of Australian activity; reasons for not being posted to Japan; demobilisation, 10/1945; placement on Australian Army Reserve; reaction to dropping atomic bombs on Japan and VJ Day, 15/8/1945.
REEL 8 Continues: Post-war life and employment in Australia: civilian employment in Sydney, 1946-1947; reflections on military service, settling into civilian life and comradeship in Australian Army.
