Description
Object description
British trooper served with L Detachment, Special Air Service in North Africa, 1941-1942; POW in Stalag VIII B, Lamsdorf, Germany, 1942-1945; also includes contributions from wife Morag Storie.
Content description
REEL 1: Recollections of operations with L Detachment, Special Air Service in North Africa, 1941-1942 and as POW in Stalag VIII B, Lamsdorf, Germany, 1942-1945: reaction to wife joining Women's Army; story of wife locating husband in Stalag VIII B; description of physical condition on liberation, 1945; story of forced march through Upper Silesia; problem of adjustment to civilian life; marriage; reaction of wife to physical and mental condition; story of leaving commandos and volunteering to join SAS in desert, 1941; amusing story about stealing tents and supplies from New Zealand; first impressions of David Stirling; story of walking 90 miles to Heliopolis and attaching 'blown up' stickers onto RAF aircraft; description of training with L Detachment including parachute training; story about two friends killed when parachutes failed to open.
REEL 2 Continues: description of packing parachute and method of opening; reaction to death of friends and improvements in safety procedures after accident; burial of dead in the desert; description of first SAS raid; problem of being blown off course in storm and casualties when jumping; story of injuring back on landing; story about soldier with broken back being left behind with pistol and bottle of water; attitude to failure of raid; co-operation with Long Range Desert Group and use of jeeps; description of Lewes bomb and use to blow up aircraft; story about putting plastic explosives under seats of German fighters; description of Fuka raid; story about David Stirling's jeep being knocked out; description of rehearsal for raid; guns and ammunition; opinion of success of Fuka raid; casualties; reaction to death of Jock Lewes.
REEL 3 Continues: further comments on death of Jock Lewes; story of being captured and taken to POW camp in Upper Silesia; story of surviving in desert for 10 days by drinking own urine; attitude to death; description of jeep being blown up by shell; story of drinking water from Bren carrier radiator; description of raid at Mersah Matruh; story of stopping at German road block and opening fire on Germans in camp; story about delayed action pencil bomb in truck; repetition of story about stealing goods from New Zealand camp; stories about stolen piano and stolen watches; attitude to stealing from other soldiers; story about sergeant nicknamed 'Gentleman Jim'; story about stealing whisky from RAF mess; story about Paddy Mayne; story about first meeting with wife in Scotland.