Beard, Samuel George Thomas (Oral history)

British private served with 12th Bn, Worcestershire Regt in GB and Iceland, 1941-1942; served as NCO with 173 Bty, 179 Field Regt, Royal Artillery in GB and North West Europe, 1942-1945; served with 130th Field Regt, RA in India, 1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Guarlford, 1920-1938: family background father's military service, 1914-1918; social circumstances; education; work as baker's boy, 1934-1938; recreations; reserved occupation status. Recollections o service with 8th Bn, Worcestershire Regt at Upton upon Severn Drill Hall, 9/1938-9/1939: recruitment; kitting out; drill; family military service record; rifle and bayonet training; fieldcraft; annual camp; relationship with officers, NCOs and ORs. REEL 2 call up to drill hall. Recollections of period on permanent staff of R Coy, Worcestershire Regt, Infantry Training Centre, Norton Barracks, Worcester, 1939-1941: reception; role as company runner and room orderly; collecting recruits on arrival; acting as officer's servant; fire in married quarters; case of joint suicide in low medical grade squad; story of punishment over room blackout. Period with Headquarters Coy, 12th Bn, WR, Llanelli, ca 1941: platoon exercises; use of miners' club. Voyage aboard Polaski to Reykjavik, Iceland, ca 4/1941. Recollections of period in Iceland, 1941-1942: reception from Icelandic civilians; role securing Arctic sea route; period in transit camp; move to Borganes; relationship with Icelandic civilians; hut accommodation; duties in charge of recreation room; fatal accident. REEL 3 Continues: patrols and story illustrating relationship with Icelandic civilians; climate and terrain; story of near accident during lorry journey with rear party back to Reykjavik. Voyage back to GB, 1942. Recollections of period with 173 Bty, 179 Field Regt, Royal Artillery at Gravesend, Margate, Ramsgate and Rye, 1942-1944: conversion of unit from disbanded, 12th Bn, WR at Gravesend; composition of unit; duties as medical orderly; 25pdr gun drill including use of artillery board and aiming point; opinion of Sergeant Alsop and story of 'fifth columnists'; story of bringing guns into positions on Ramsgate promenade covering Margate. REEL 4 Continues: story of bringing guns into positions on Ramsgate promenade covering Margate; story of firing supercharged 25pdr towards Margate to test range; promotion to lance bombardier; move to Rye; story of anti-tank shoot cancelled due to discovery of bodies on Lydd beach; preparations for D-Day. Recollections of operations in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, 1944-1945: crossing Channel in Landing Ship Tank (LST) in rough weather, 18/6/1944-20/6/1944 including seasickness, issue of food rations and checking waterproofing; landing at Gold Beach, Arromanches, Normandy; move inland; method of taking up gun positions; question of gun targets; role as gun layer; food rations; dugouts; latrines; necessity of manning guns during attack by Messcherscmidt on gun positions on Carpequet airfield; anti-aircraft Bofors gun attached to unit; German tank threat to airfield; story of infantry deserter turned back into action by officer. REEL 5 Continues: firing to cover crossing and bridgehead across Seine; opinion of Royal Engineers; background to promotion to lance bombardier; rejection of posting to bakery unit with Royal Army Service Corps; story of grapes causing diarrhoea given by suspected fifth columnist; nature of Quad gun tower; reception from French and Belgian civilians; aspects of advance towards Arnham, 9/1944, including threat from Tiger tank on road, camouflaged positions, close escape from Tigers and firing to cover evacuation of parachutists across river; taking up gun positions at Geleen; relationship with Dutch civilians; reserve positions on Meuse, 12/1944-1/1945; preparations for crossing Rhine; taking up gun positions on Rhine bank, 3/1945; effects of premature shell explosion; personal morale; pontoon crossing of Rhine; wearing best uniforms to enter Germany; view of concentration camp. REEL 6 Continues: firing from gun positions at Geilenkirchen; story of direct hit on ammunition train; stories of taking over former SS accommodation; background to posting as 'key' man to Burma; reaction to leaving unit. Return to GB, ca 4/1945. Voyage aboard Celicia to Bombay, India, 7/1945-8/1945. Period with 130th Field Regt, RA at Kalyan, India, ca 8/1945-12/1945: VJ Day prior to joining unit, 15/8/1945; local hill station leave; acting as gunnery instructor and consequent promotion to Battery Sergeant Major; sergeants' mess; story of NCO unsuitable for promotion; story of drink adulterated by jealous NCO; lack of MT; question of remaining with unit and promotion to Regimental Sergeant Major. Voyage aboard Dominion Monarch to GB, ca 12/1945. Demobilisation, 1946. Post-war career: decision not to return to bakery; work with machine tool work with engineering firms; story illustrating workers wartime ruse to evade manufacturing standards during wartime production of 25pdr shells; career as driver. REEL 7 Continues: effects of army service. Recollections of service as BSM with Worcester and Malvern Btys, 267 Field Regt, RA, ca 1948-1962: background to recruitment; opinion of Worcester Bty; role as BSM and safety officer; role of permanent staff instructor; drill night lectures specialising in 25pdr gun recooperator pneumatic system; weekend training; annual camps; situation on transferring to Malvern Bty; story of sabotage of rifle during shooting competition; story of incident at annual camp illustrating reason for discharge due to hearing problems; pension for hearing disability; service as artillery instructor with Army Cadets, 1962-1966.