Description
Object description
British NCO served with 1/7th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers on Western Front, 1915-1916.
Content description
REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1911-1914: story of enlistment with B Coy, 7th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers in Ashington, 1911; training in Scarborough and Bridlington, 1912-1913; civilian employment in coal mine; story of being mobilized at the Drill Hall in Ashington, 31/Jul/1914; marched to Newbiggin-by the-Sea to guard cable station; billeted in local pubs; story of meeting with future wife while on guard duty along promenade, 4/Aug/1914; previous experience as Boy Scout Master; description of training and duties as lance-corporal in charge of Battalion Scouts; description of journey to Calais, France, 22-23/Apr/1915. Aspects of operations with 1/7th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers on Western Front, 4/1915-1916: taken by London bus into line; story of helping French farmer deliver a calf; description of shelling and fires in Ypres, Belgium; reaction to first casualty; story about Transport Sergeant removing door from Ypres Cathedral; role in operations during Second Battle of Ypres, 4/1915; casualties; story about two soldiers losing both legs in shell explosion and subsequent deaths; description of gas casualties returning from front line; casualties in Bn since landing in France; promoted corporal and attached to battalion of an Irish regiment; opinion of Col. Jackson; problem of lice; description of training in trench routine and duties; returned to 1/7th Bn and promoted sergeant; duties in charge of no man's land including listening posts, working parties and patrols; liaison role with NCOs in other companies; description of barbed wire and use of empty tins to mark gaps; description of listening posts and role of covering parties; proximity of German trenches; description of sniper posts and method of defence.
REEL 2 Continues: further description of sniper posts; duties in charge of patrols including training new officers; story of close encounter with German patrol; story about recovery and identification of decomposed body of soldier from Somerset Light Infantry; role in organising and supervising trench routine; story about officer using improvised signalling device to communicate with sentry; story about stealing German sniper plate; story of entering German trenches at night and removing wooden spar; description of work repairing trenches; story of rescuing wounded Pte. Somerville from no man's land and returning to own lines, 1916.
REEL 3 Continues: conclusion of story about rescuing Pte. Somerville and subsequent award of Military Medal; story about Col. Jimmy Gillespie seeing off soldiers returning from convalescence at Alnwick Station, GB; duties in charge of battalion HQ under RSM Casey including collection of rations; story of signallers being chained to cart wheel for 10 hours after failing to bring RSM Casey's rations; procedure for burial of dead in front line; story about death and burial of Pte. Jim Bawden; story about receiving news of Armistice while stationed as Army Physical Training Instructor at Aldershot, GB, 11/Nov/1918; story of being wounded by shrapnel on Hill 60and description of medical treatment in France and GB, 1916; composition of 1/7th Bn and recruiting areas in Northumberland; story of Northumberland farmers providing sheepskin coats for Bn.
REEL 4 Continues: story of wearing sheepskin coat when wounded and loss of coat during voyage aboard hospital ship to Southampton, 1916; description of rest areas behind lines; story of meeting Rev. 'Tubby' Clayton at Toc H, Poperinghe; various memories of period stationed with 1/7th Bn at Cambois, Northumberland including story about invasion scare, 1914-1915; daily routine and duties in trenches in Armentieres area, 9/1915; description of church parades and reason for Protestant soldiers preferring to worship with Catholics; story of escorting prisoner from East Fawdon, County Durham to Stoke Prison, 1918. Aspects of period in GB, 1916-1918: further comments on hospital treatment and convalescence in GB, 1916; discharged to Class W Reserve and worked in coal mine in Ashington, 1916-1918; story of being called up for active service on wedding day, 30/Mar/1918; reaction to being posted to Catterick Army Depot and subsequent posting to 2nd Line Depot of Northumberland Fusiliers, East Fawdon, County Durham. Story of four days home leave in Ashington, 7/1915.