Michie, Joe (IWM interview)

British artist served as NCO pilot flying Horsa gliders with B Sqdn, Glider Pilot Regt based in GB, 1944-1945. Took part in D-Day and Arnhem operations, 1944

REEL 1 Recollections of background in London, 1919-1940: family background and social circumstances; education at Highgate School, 1932-1936, including aeronautics classes, training with OTC and sporting activities; interest in art and aviation; admiration for Major James McCudden; work as apprentice commercial artist, 1936-1938; awareness of approach of war and left wing political sympathies; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; anticipation of German bombing raids. REEL 2 Continues: work as commercial artist, 1939-1940; call up to serve with Royal Fusiliers, 4/1940. Recollections of period with 10th Bn, Worcestershire Regt at Pershore, 4/1940-5/1940: reactions to posting; reception; kitting out; requisitioned billets; food rations; PT; drill; question of weapons training; role guarding against German paratroopers; relationship with ORs, instructors, officer and civilians; recreations. Aspects of periods at Belfast, Cookstown, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 1940-1943: journey out, 5/1942; minor disciplinary charge; billets in brewery; nature of training; relationship with Irish civilians. REEL 3 Continues: question of internal security situation in Catholic areas; move to Cookstown; secondment to Sniper Section, Headquarters Coy; posting as artist to Intelligence Section, HQ Coy; role preparing information poster; role collecting and collating intelligence on maps; background to thwarted attempts to volunteer for RAF; story of losing girlfriend on leave; background to volunteering for Glider Pilot Regt; return to GB. Period at Glider Pilot Regt Depot, Tilshead Camp, 1943: reception; hut accommodation; impressions and stories of Regimental Sergeant Major Jim Cowling; status as corporals; basic training; story of RSM Jim Cowling drilling squad in village. REEL 4 Continues; nature of training. Recollections of period flying Tiger Moth with No 21 Elementary Flying Training School, RAF at Booker, 8/1943-10/1943: hut accommodation; civilian instructors and staff; learning to fly including familiarisation flight, standard dual instruction method, value of aerobatics, methods of turning, spinning and recovery, landing and opinion of instructor; first solo, 24/8/1943; return to Tilshead. Period learning to fly Hotspur Glider with No 3 Glider Training School, 10/1943: nature of Hotspur; dual instructionl solo flight. Recollections of period as second pilot flying Horsa Glider with B Sqdn, 1 Wing, GPR based at Stony Cross and Brize Norton, 1/1944-6/1944: composition of unit; prior posting to paint diagrams for Battle School, Bournemouth, 11/1943-12/1943. REEL 5 Continues: joining unit; first flight; role as 2nd pilot; opinion of Pilot Sergeant Geoff Barkway; exercise in making landing close to trees; story of confusion during mass night landing during Exercise Dingo II at Netheravon, 8/5/1945; gliders ability to land without damage; opinion of pilot Sergeant Arnold Baldwin, Sergeant Arthur Shackleton, Major Ian Toller, Captain Angus Lowe, Sergeant Major Bill Watts and Sergeants Dick Long, Les Bullivant and Denzil Cooper; volunteering for Merville Bty operation and move to Brize Norton; question of training to land within perimeter of Merville Bty. REEL 6 Recollections of abortive mission flying Horsa in attack on Merville Bty, Normandy, France, 5/6/1944-6/6/1944: exercise on mock up of target; move into closed camp; briefing using models and aerial photos; rumours of participation of Jewish unit; question of quality of German garrison; encouragement to kill any German prisoners; attending shortened course in radar navigation system at Netheravon, 6/1944; plan; personal morale; take off, 5/6/1944; flying through clouds; breaking tow line to towing Albemarle; landing at Odium; reactions to failure; question of unit casualties during D Day operations; damage to glider; load carried; take off procedure; towing position in flight; flying controls and instruments; landing procedure. REEL 7 Recollections of period at Brize Norton and Manston, 6/1944-9/1944: nature of training and question of GPR pilots' infantry skills; casualties during D Day operations; Move to Manston; collision between Typhoons; arrival of badly damaged aircraft; flight in Mosquito during low-level bombing practice; briefings for subsequently cancelled operations. Recollections of flying Horsa an participation in Operation Market Garden in Arnhem area, Netherlands, ca 17/9/1944-27/9/1944: question of briefing; troops carried form South Staffs Regt; slogans painted on gliders; opinion of towing Albemarle pilot Flight Sergeant Frank Richards; take off; route; success of Mustags in suppressing German anti-aircraft fire; approach to Arnhem; release and successful landing in field; release of tail and unloading; initial absence of German opposition; move to farm rendezvous; situation on occupying slit trenches overnight; move towards Arnhem; German POWs. REEL 8 Continues: move towards Arnhem; reactions to corpse; reception from Dutch civilians; German corpses posed in staff car posed by press photographer; position on hill near Arnhem; eating horsemeat; positions overnight; ignorance of situation withdrawal; coming under tracer fire; arrival at Oosterbeck; digging slit trench on allotments with Sergeant Arnold Baldwin; noise made by inmates of lunatic asylum; tracer fire; latrines; move to Hartenstein Hotel; digging and occupying slit trenches on sports field; food rations and water supply; situation; personal morale; nebelwerfer fire and casualties; illustrations of prevailing humour; firing in response to German invitation to surrender; firing at German aircraft; situation of German POWs on tennis courts. REEL 9 Continues: move towards house; story of taking cover under nebelwerfer fire; occupying houses and discovery of Dutch civilians in cellar; casualty from German machine gun fire; situation in end house; skirmishes with German troops; question of Dutch resistance; food; question of positions located close to field dressing station; news of imminent withdrawal, ca 27/9/1944; support artillery fire; German attack on houses; attitude to German soldiers; night march back to Rhine; situation; story of German POW; crossing Rhine in small boat; transport to Nijmagen; situation; accommodation in former German barracks; view of Messchersmidt 262; minor head wound from bomb splinter dressed by nuns; visit to first aid post. REEL 10 Continues: visit to first aid post; journey back through Nijmagen corridor; reception at Louvain, Belgium; flight back I US Dakota to GB; reception from wife on return to Brize Norton; flight in Albemarle gun turret. Periods at various bases with B and A Sqdns, GPR in GB, 1944-1945: move to Earls Colne, 10/1944; refresher course on Tiger Moth; story of dispute with officer over assessment of flying ability; cross country flights in Horsa; promotion to staff sergeant and subsequent status as 1st pilot; flight in Hamilcar Hadrian Glider, 1/1945; flying kit; story illustrating stability of Tiger Moth; refresher course as 1st pilot on Hotspur at Exeter, 2/1945-4/1945; end of blackout; attending Horsa conversion course as 1st pilot at Brize Norton, 3/1945; story of visiting newly born daughter and consequently missing Operation Varsity, 3/1945; transfer to A Sqdn on disbandment of B Sqdn, GPR; opinion of Hadrian. REEL 11 Continues: VE Day, 8/5/1945; snatch take off course on Hadrian with Dakota pick up tow at Ibsley, 8/1945; final exercise; disbandment of A Sqdn, GPR, ca 8/1945. Period at Finmere, 1945: artwork activities; minimal duties. Period with Worcestershire Regt Depot, Norton Barracks, Worcester, 1945-1946: reactions to posting from GPR; loss of flying pay; drill course; question of wearing red beret; detachment as quartermaster sergeant to battle school; role on closure of battle school. Demobilisation, 1946. Post-war career: initial work as commercial artist; attending art school; career as art teacher; effects of war service; membership of GPR Association.