Description
Object description
British private served with Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and Egypt, 1938-1942; craftsman served with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Ceylon, Burma and India, 1942-1945 including during First Chindits Operation, 1943
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Walthamstow, GB, 1918-1938: family; education; civilian work; further details of family; memories of childhood; leisure activities; further details of education including sports; joining of Territorial Army in Leyton. Aspects of period as private with Royal Ordnance Army Corps in GB, 1938-1940: details of weekend camps in Colchester; drill; later offer of promotion; weapons training; mobilisation and uniform worn; first night in army; problem with feet including treatment and leave; return to unit in Colchester; inoculations.
REEL 2 Continues: leisure activities; mail; opinion of army; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; posting in workshops; learning to use sewing machine; make-up of workshop staff; contact with other units; methods of avoiding meals; guard duties; journey to work; change of accommodation and sleeping arrangements; friends in unit; journey to mess including winter conditions; details of workshops including work undertaken; Stand To; posting to Newmarket; posting in defence platoon; road blocks in Newmarket; accommodation; road block duties; contact with Local Defence Volunteers including story of air raid; posting to Bunting; accommodation; details of workshops; hospitalisation in Bishop's Stortford; duties and fiddles in rations stores on return including food sent home; news of posting; period in Nottingham including marriage. Aspects of voyage from GB to Port Tewfik, Egypt, aboard the Duchess of Richmond and New Amsterdam, 1940: boarding of ship; route taken to South Africa; seasickness and scenes from deck; duties in galley; sleeping arrangements; crossing the line ceremonies and problems with sunburn; arrival in Durban; leisure activities including tropical kit; details of pay; smoking.
REEL 3 Continues: drying of clothes; relationship with civilians; gambling; mail; details of the New Amsterdam; sleeping arrangements; friends in draft; duties during voyage; method of washing clothes; visits to crew swimming pool. Aspects of period as private with Royal Army Ordnance Corps in North Africa, 1940-1942: scenes during journey to El Tahag; building-up of kit including mattress gained; leave in Ismailia; background of colleagues; activities while absent without leave in Cairo including contact with Australian troops; official leave; kit issued; description of and trips to camp cinema; Christmas 1940; details of Chevrolet lorries; journey to Tobruk including description of shelling and rations during journey; cigarettes; arrival in Tobruk; signs of battle; details of initial camp in Death Valley; description of Junkers Ju-87 Stuka raids; move to Italian stables and adaptations made; sleeping arrangements; evening activities including description of bedside light and supper; raiding of rations store; method of cooking food.
REEL 4 Continues: supper; scenes of air raids on harbour; Italian POWs; duties in workshop; recovery of damaged vehicles; problems with Italian Lancia lorry including story of accident; story of lift in German half-track vehicle; description of a American Caterpillar tractor; situation in North Africa; withdrawal to El Qassassin including story of Italian rifle and description of Italian grenades; water rations and washing during journey; washing facilities at El Qassassin; sterilisation of water; knowledge of destination; reason for not remembering all place names; smells on journey to Port Suez; boarding of New Amsterdam; return to former duties; voyage to Ceylon including split of 70th Division at Bombay. Aspects of period as craftsman with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Ceylon and India, 1942-1943: arrival in Colombo; food taken from ship; details of train journey to Peradeniya including cigarettes smoked; story of arrival and contact on first night with civilians.
REEL 5 Continues: accommodation; story of visit to Kandy; posting in Kandy; accommodation; details of workshops; repair of sewing machine; relationship with colleagues; details of work undertaken with sewing machines and vehicles; other occupants of workshops; repair of camera found in North Africa; manoeuvres; make-up of 16th Brigade; news of posting to Burma; further details of manoeuvres; length of period in Ceylon; description of shelters taught to build by Australian troops; usual accommodation in jungle; contact with civilians in jungle; health; malaria precautions; leisure activities; relationship with European civilians; stops during journey to Ranchi.
REEL 6 Continues: conditions on Indian trains including latrines; description of Sam Brown made; transport of saddlers kit issued; transport of main kit; details of attachment to Light Aid Detachment. Aspects of operations as craftsman with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Burma during First Chindits Operation, 1943: make-up of Light Aid Detachment; duties; journey into Burma; knowledge of role in Burma; mules and Indian troops; position in formation and transport of ammunition; details of march; description of ambush on Japanese convoy; reactions to situation; equipment carried; condition of feet; crossing of rivers; communication with Ghurkhas; errands run for signals; muffling of generators; contact of column with Japanese; evening activities of Indian muleteers including help given in repairs to equipment; contact with other Light Aid Detachment members; relationship with signalmen; details of mules; position in column; withdrawal to India; opinion of K rations. Aspects of period as craftsman with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in India, 1943-1945: reaction to first meal.
REEL 7 Continues: posting in Dehradun; details of camp; problems with bugs; sleeping arrangements; leave in Mussoorie; relationship with civilians; washing facilities; memories of Arthur Rammer; postings in India; description of troop trains; details of vehicles driven; problems starting machinery; details of train journeys for leave; appearance in film, Born in Blighty; relationship with comrades; preparations for Second Chindits Campaign including changes made to wagons and rucksacks; method of replacing gaskets in sewing machines; repairing wagon canvas covers; changes made to machetes; sleeping arrangements during Second Chindits Campaign; story of helping to strip down and re- build an engine; postings in India including weather conditions in Calcutta; washing facilities; supply of water in different areas; rations; parcels sent and received; cigarettes and matches issued; visits to cinema.
REEL 8 Continues: protection against monsoons in cinema; involvement in concert parties including work making stage and description of comic sketches; organisation of touring a concert party; details of programmes; making do with lack of materials; problems with health and train journey to Gaya; change of uniform in Gaya; details of journey to Britain; arrival home; mail during war; reflections on service; sunsets in India including scenes in Bihar; description of shelters taught to build by Australian troops; rations in jungle; malaria precautions; hospitalisation with dengue fever; story of return to unit after recovery.
REEL 9 Continues: problems with wrist and treatment received; return journey to unit; journey to and arrival in Benares; sightseeing in Benares; comradeship and membership of British Legion.
