Sanders, Eric Ian (Oral history)

Austrian Jewish civilian in Vienna, Austria, 1920-1939; private served with 88 Coy, Pioneer Corps in GB and France, 1940-1943; NCO served with Special Operations Executive in GB and Italy, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Background in Vienna, Austria, 1919-1938: family; area of Vienna lived in and family home; further details of family including internment of parents in GB during First World War and memories of childhood; anti-Semitism in Austria; problems with health; religious youth organisations in Austria including details of Zionist group joined; learning about anti-Semitism; start of education; changes after father gained work in an delicatessen; summer holidays; education including discussion of anti- Semitic bullying suffered. REEL 2 Continues: brother's membership of right-wing Zionist group including opinion of Jewish right to own state; leisure activities; politics and language; memories of Anschluss with Germany, 1938; start of violence in Vienna; problems with education; awareness of Nazi student group at school and persecution in Germany; further memories of Anschluss; arrival of Adolf Hitler in Vienna; cessation of education; problems with gaining emigration to GB; process of application; journey of brother with Zionist group to Palestine. REEL 3 Continues: Jewish emigration from Austria; process of emigration including story of gaining passport and desire to emigrate to GB; story of later meeting Mrs Holmes from Visa Office in London, 1944; departure from Vienna and story of journey to London. Aspects of period as civilian in GB, 1938-1940: accommodation with aunt in Dalston; attendance at clerk's college including story of bus journey on first day; employment gained from German-Jewish Aid Committee at Wogan House. REEL 4 Continues: leisure activities; more about civilian work; escape of father to Brussels and attempts to gain him visa for GB; entrance of father into refugee camp; civilian work; arrival of father in GB; family home; work of father and family move to Hannington; family home; civilian work on dairy farm; views gained while working on farm; desire to join army; joining in Reading and classification as friendly alien including attempt to join GB. Aspects of period as private with 88 Coy, Pioneer Corps in GB and France, 1940-1943: basic training at Sandwich; story of accidentally putting down a comrade's wife; relationship with pioneers; activities in Le Havre; German advance and period on guard with broomstick; opinion of service. REEL 5 Continues: evacuation to Abbeville; make-up of unit; background of pioneers; opinion of war; relationship among pioneers; leisure activities in France; details of pay; visit as translator with friend to a brothel in Le Havre including description of interior; issue of rifle and ammunition for night guard duty in Abbeville; evacuation to Saint-Malo via Rennes; wait in harbour and talk between German batman with Captain to ensure company could board; equipment and clothing taken on boat; voyage to Southampton including description and eating of emergency rations; scenes and organisation on arrival in Southampton docks; train journey to Alexandra Palace including message sent to mother; father's imprisonment in POW Camp; leave; dugouts built in Herefordshire; period in London clearing debris during Blitz; assistance given to Royal Engineers lumbering in Wales; education in spare time; leisure activities; period building Nissan huts in Carmarthen; relationship with civilians. REEL 6 Continues: period lumbering in Wales including correspondence course taken and decision to become a teacher; accommodation; latrines; story of carrying latrine buckets; morale; leisure activities; hospitalisation for varicose veins; reasons for leaving band; work helping to build Nissan huts in Carmarthen; background to application to leave Pioneer Corps; relationship with civilians; postings in Penarth and Sennybridge; story of visit to cinema; exams; return to unit and work undertaken; news of posting away; issue of new uniform; story of interview in London. Aspects of period as NCO with Special Operations Executive in GB, 1943-1944: other pioneers joining Special Operations Executive with Sanders; belief he had joined the Commandos; details of training in Liss and personal morale. REEL 7 Continues: accommodation; memories of Theo Neumann; signals training; friends in unit; welcome on arrival at Arisaig; physical and weapons training including details of various assault courses; memories of Walter Freud; security and knowledge of colleagues; terrain at Arisaig; story of map-reading exercise; locomotive training at Fort William; rations; accommodation; explosives training; memories of Lyndon Baum including grenade training; more on explosives training and details of diaries kept; unarmed combat training. REEL 8 Continues: knife combat training; homemade explosives lesson; weapons training; learning not to judge by appearances; training during posting outside Northampton; extra troops received including methods of encoding and decoding messages; parachute training in Altrincham and Ringway including stories of first flight and first jump; injuries suffered by colleagues; details of later training jumps. REEL 9 Continues: leisure activities in Northampton including story of seeing Clark Gable and missing lift; details of Brock Hall; demolition training; memories of Jimmy Bennett; posting at Anderson Manor at Winterborne Kingston; physical training and assault courses; troops arriving while at Brock Hall; route marches from Brock Hall; background of unit members; training at Anderson Hall; leisure activities and relationship with civilians; move of parents to London; more on leisure activities; story of War Office visit and change of name; consequences of name change including story of visit home; posting in Fairford; group allocated to for operations. REEL 10 Continues: memories and importance of Theo Neumann; selection for group; preparations for posting abroad; agents disappearing; story of exercise; events around D-Day; description of exercise involving attack on Portland Harbour. REEL 11 Continues: final training and briefing in London including reiteration of meeting Mrs Holmes story and clothing and equipment issued. Aspects of period in transit, 1944: flight to Algiers; truck journey to Marti Fou; accommodation; story of swimming in sea; journey to Gibraltar and description of landing; activities in Gibraltar; story of flight to Bari. Aspects of period as NCO with Special Operations Executive in Italy, 1944-1945: accommodation; wireless and electricity training; story of medical aid given to friend in Bari; accommodation in Monopoli; setting-up of wireless; continuation of correspondence course; briefing for mission from Theo Neumann; visit to Communist leader's home in Siena; relationship with civilians including story of English lessons given to a young woman. REEL 12 Continues: war service of and regaining contact with brother; story of becoming local doctor; journey to Salerno to see brother; story of stay with brother's girlfriend; news of brother being taken ill; visit to Rome to see rabbi and news of brother's death; visit to brothel; return to Monopoli; lasting effects of brother's death; memories of Michael O'Hara; relationship with civilians including medical aid given out; knowledge of activities of agents; further memories of Michael O'Hara; posting to Siena; wait for start of mission including leisure activities including pet dogs during service. REEL 13 Continues: agents sent into POW Camp in Taranto; selected POWs and training given to them; agents returning from missions; later disbandment of unit; story of first post-war Palio in Siena; morale; story of Yugoslav officer; end of war and advance of Russians toward Austria; details and discussion of Special Operations Executive activity in Austria; disbandment of unit; return to GB; leaves in Rome including stories of civilian women met.