Description
Object description
British private served with Royal Army Service Corps attached to Queen's Royal Regt in GB, 1939-1940; private and NCO served with Royal Army Service Corps attached to 24th Guards Bde Headquarters in GB and Norway, 1940-1941; officer cadet served with Officers Cadet Training Unit in Bristol, GB, 1941; officer served with 400 General Transport Coy Royal Army Service Corps in GB and Middle East, 1941- 1942; served with 51 Coy Royal Army Service Corps in North Africa, Italy and North West Europe, 1942-1944; served with 257 Ambulance Car Coy Royal Army Service Corps in North West Europe and Germany, 1944-1946; served with Royal Army Service Corps in GB, 1946-1950
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Banbury, GB, 1917-1939: education; sports; civilian work; family and community; knowledge of events in Europe; outbreak of war; background to joining army; reactions of civilians to war; reactions of parents. Aspects of period as private with Royal Army Service Corps attached to Queen's Royal Regt in GB, 9/1939-2/1940: posting to Guildford; settling into army; treatment from NCOs; rifle training; opinion of training; kit issued; daily routine; discipline; rations; leisure activities; leave; relationship with civilians; posting to Guards at Aldershot. Aspects of period as private with 24th Guards Bde Headquarters in GB, 2/1940-4/1940: arrival with unit; drill and duties; relationship with Guards; choice of postings; question of contact with civilians; air activity; aborted voyage to Finland; voyage to Narvik. Aspects of operations as private with Royal Army Service Corps attached to 24th Guards Bde Headquarters in Norway, 4/1940-6/1940: role in Norway; make-up of forces; reconnaissance of fjord; movement inland and holding of German Army.
REEL 2 Continues: voyage to Bodo Fjord including bombing and rescue; hospitalisation at Halstad; second voyage to Bodo Fjord including sinking and rescue; withdrawal to GB; relationship with civilians in Norway; contact with German POWs; duties with brigadier; wounding of brigadier; visits to front line; transport; story of reconnaissance patrol; equipment issued; duties; successes and opinion of campaign; return voyage to GB. Aspects of period as private and NCO with Royal Army Service Corps attached to 24th Guards Bde Headquarters in GB, 6/1940-9/1941: posting to Barnes; air raids in London and Coventry; role with Guards Brigade in Kent; memories of Brigadier Frederick Boy Browning; posting at Addington; expectation of German invasion; change to brigade group; promotions; opinion of Guards in office; memories of officers; leisure activities; leave. Aspects of period as officer cadet with Officers Cadet Training Unit in Bristol, GB, 9/1941-11/1941: pattern of training; story of exam question; training received; discipline. Aspects of period as officer with 400 GT Coy Royal Army Service Corps in GB, 11/1941-3/1942: arrival with unit in Rochdale; accommodation; leisure activities; organisation of convoys.
REEL 3 Continues: story of air raid during an exercise; provisions for breakdowns; defence against air raids; knowledge of war overseas; marriage and life with wife in Littleborough; relationship with civilians; posting in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Aspects of voyage from GB to Egypt aboard the Arawa and SS Ile de France, 3/1942- 6/1942: details of Arawa; route taken to South Africa; problems with ship's speed; leisure activities; stop at Freetown; details of camp at Durban; relationship with civilians; voyage through Red Sea aboard SS Ile de France. Aspects of period as officer with 400 General Transport Coy Royal Army Service Corps in Middle East, 6/1942-9/1942: health of unit; story of El Tahag; posting to convoy duty; make-up of first convoy and navigation; details of route taken to Persia; make-up of second convoy; driving conditions in desert; reason for changing route; distance travelled each day; story of new Lieutenant John Patten; navigation; vehicles in convoy; story of accident; contact with civilians including in Baghdad; climate; clothing worn; risk of attack; possibility of German invasion; friends made and leisure activities in Nathania; exercise at Masada; relationship with civilians in Palestine; knowledge of war in Western Desert.
REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of operations with 51 Coy Royal Army Service Corps in North Africa, 9/1942-9/1943: news of posting and journey to unit in Alamein Line; role of unit within 7th Armoured Division; problems with rain during Battle of Alamein; duties during advance across desert; reason for problems supplies after Tripoli; trips south to meet and bring troops into Libya including contact with specialist units; problems with air raids; use of sun compass; problems with and use of magnetic compass; navigation; morale; terrain of desert; background to arrival of General Montgomery; history of war in Western Desert; supply problems; morale; mail; memories of Colonel Calder; rations including items written off for unit and traded with civilians; cooking of eggs; problems with wildlife; health problems and precautions taken; sandstorms.
REEL 5 Continues: re-supply of tanks during battle at El Adem aerodrome; reasons for later problems with re- supply; details of journeys to and from depot; frequency of supplying petrol to tanks; loss of Sherman tanks; make-up of supply convoys; story of fire in lorry; problems with explosives; destruction of German ammunition dump at Tripoli; details of minefields; story of hitting mine; different types of mines and booby traps; activities in Tripoli; visit to amphitheatre at El Djem; story of conference with 1st Army; communications; use of wireless for chess games and confusion caused within German Army; posting near Leptis Magna at Al Khums; voyage to Salerno. Aspects of operations as officer with 51 Coy Royal Army Service Corps in Italy, 9/1943-1/1944: landing at Salerno including problem with hornets' nest; start of advance north; turnover of captains; story of problems during advance out of Salerno; contact with civilians.
REEL 6 Continues: relationship with Italian men; duties; period in rest and news of return to GB; story of DUKW fishing trip; voyage to GB. Aspects of period as officer with 51 Coy Royal Army Service Corps in GB, 1/1944-6/1944: leave; posting of Shipley; collection of parts for waterproofing; memories of Lieutenant in charge of waterproofing; details of motorcycle school in East Dereham and accommodation; types of motorcycles used; waterproofing of vehicles; changes in GB since 1942; building-up of invasion force; journey to Tilbury via Newmarket Races; voyage to Normandy. Aspects of operations as officer with 51 Coy Royal Army Service Corps in North West Europe, 6/1944-12/1944: disembarkation; scenes and events on Gold Beach; atmosphere before invasion; problems with terrain and flank; wait outside Paris; activities of civilians; scenes during advance through Low Countries; involvement with court martials including previous legal training.
REEL 7 Continues: details of Sherman tanks; story of officer and air burst shells including writing to families of dead; reception from civilians; hospitalisation. Aspects of operations as officer with 257 Ambulance Car Coy Royal Army Service Corps in North West Europe, 12/1944-4/1945: promotion to captain; duties evacuating casualties; story of air raid on Eindhoven Aerodrome; detachments of ambulances; evacuation of troops from casualty clearing stations; misuse of ambulances; involvement of 7th Armoured Division in Ardennes; advance into Germany; collection of British POWs from Russian Zone; treatment of German POWs; news of German surrender; story of Himmler's body; VE Day celebrations; state of Germany and civilians; treatment of German civilians; assembly of force for posting to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Aspects of period as officer with 257 Ambulance Car Coy Royal Army Service Corps in Germany, 4/1944-9/1946: smell on approach to camp; role of unit.
REEL 8 Continues: preparation of inmates for transfer to hospital at Hohne; role of Belsen- Bergen camp and background of inmates; later problems with inmates; visitors to camp; scenes around camp; reception from and attitude of inmates; movement of inmates; repatriation of Cossacks; story of cousin at Auschwitz; reaction of troops and self to situation; employment of local civilians; burial of dead; burning of camp; reactions of German civilians; article written by Richard Dimbleby; details of riding school in area; deferral of demobilisation; details of posting to Rotenburgh; reason for being kept on in army; duties; hunting for boar; details of riding school horses; process of demobilisation; changes on return to GB; civilian work; background to joining Territorial Army. Aspects of period as officer with Royal Army Service Corps in GB, 1946-1950: activities of unit; story of exercise; reason for leaving; period on Z Reserve; rations toward end of war; mental effects of period at Bergen-Belsen.
REEL 9 Continues: settling into civilian life and work; attitude to German and Italian troops and Germans since war; reflections on war; difference between German and British troops; leadership of different officers; story of theft of unit funds; happiest times in army; troops suffering from stress and reaction to coming under fire; work on war memorial; treatment for stress; nature of war in North Africa and Italy and effect on attitude towards opposition.
