Austin, Ken (Oral history)

British trooper served with 7th Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps in GB and Germany, 1948-1951; served with Royal Inniskillin Dragoon Guards in Germany and GB, 1951; served with 5th Irish Dragoon Guards, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1951-1952

REEL 1 Recollections of background in Limehouse and Wanstead Flats and Hornchurch, London, 1931-1948: family background and social circumstances; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; assisting father in ARP duties; nature of communal air rid shelter; effects of German air raids and assisting in clearing up; view of torpedo hitting police boat on Thames; evacuation to Salcombe, 1939-1940, including billeting arrangements, billets, arrival of French naval ships, consequent German air raids and return to London; casualties from balloon cable; murder of bailed out Polish pilot mistaken for German; effects of German air raids; bomb damage to house and move to Wanstead Flats; anti-aircraft shrapnel; move to Hornchurch; food rationing and supplementary food from garden; part-time work and buying sweets; clothes rationing; demonstration against British Union of Fascist marches, ca 1936-1938; effects of war on education. REEL 2 Continues: warning effect of friend birched for stealing; recreations; visit by George VI; education; wok as apprentice plumber, 1945-1947; wok as signal box messenger at Stratford railways, 1945; background to volunteering to join Royal Armoured Corps, 10/1948; parents' reaction. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine at 114/18th Hussars Depot, Catterick Camp, 10/1948-11/1948: reception as regular recruit; kitting out and haircut; hut accommodation; morning routine; food rations; drill; PT; weapons training on rifle, Sten gun, Bren gun an pistol. REEL 3 Continues: hand grenade training; initiative training; relationship with recruits; story of being bitten by bootlace snake from banana boat and serum cure, 1945; relationship with instructors; preparing for kit and room inspections; canteen; passing out parade. Recollections of period with 7th Hussars, RAC at Barnard Castle Camp, 1948-1949: reception as ex-plumber and posting as lance corporal in Maintenance Section, Headquarter Sqdn; routine maintenance duties; map reading courses; driving course and value of previous experience driving lorries; tank gunnery course; wireless course including voice procedure and codes; multiple qualifications; status as lance corporal and promotion to corporal; relationship wt NCOs and officers. REEL 4 Continues: preparations for move to Germany. Recollections of period at Luneberg Heath Camp, Germany, 1949-1951: lack of maintenance role; posting to Reconnaissance Troop; nature of prior reconnaissance course and observation techniques; nature of Dingo Armoured Car; Soviet border patrols and relationship with Soviet guards; story of trooper trying to sell Churchill tank to Soviets; guard duty on train to Berlin; question of Berlin airlift; special deliveries of secret documents; injury to back muscles and successful treatment; exercise including use of Dingo to break up military convoys and role carrying umpires; opinion of re-equipment with Bren carrier; sporting activities; recreational visits to Luneberg; question of drinking habits; relationship with German civilians; story of drunken NCO. Recollections of period with Royal Inniskillin Dragoon Guards at Padderborn and Aldershot, 1951: background to transfer to unit in preparations for Korean service; story of fight in fairground illustrating spirit of unit; move to Aldershot; preparing jumps for horse show. REEL 5 Continues: prior role as assistant projectionist at cinema at Barnard Castle Camp. Voyage aboad Georgic to Pusan, Korea, 11/1951-12/1951: work in ship's cinema; conditions; musical activities; effects of accidental double vaccinations; storm in China Sea; reception from US band at Pusan. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine with Recce Troop, Headquarters Sqdn, 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in Korea, 12/1951-11/1952: role with advance party; initial impressions; lorry journey to Kowang San area; taking over Centurion tanks and Dingos from 8th Hussars; nature of dugouts; building camp canteen and cinema; latrines; question of South Korean workers and security arrangements; assisting in collection of canteen stores from base depots; memory of South Korean canteen worker; story of drunk Canadian soldiers; US food rations; stories of assisting with ENSA concert parties. REEL 6 Continues: stories of assisting with ENSA concert parties; role of Centurions stationed in hills and liaison role of Recce Troop attached to infantry to identify targets; period attached to Australian unit including story of 21st birthday, 27/1/1952, cold conditions and necessity of regularly starting and moving vehicles, uniform, digging dugout, story of accidentally entering minefield, relationship with Australian soldiers and wireless calls for fire support; period attached to Turkish unit including arranging for fire support during attack and relationship with Turkish soldiers; Chinese shell fire and personal morale; night wireless duty; letter and parcel contact with GB; acting as cinema projectionist and story of reaction of South Korean workers to film; role collecting stores from depot; climate; attachment to Maori New Zealand mortar unit including reception, problems with 6" ammunition and liaison role. REEL 7 Continues: attachment to Maori New Zealand mortar unit including relationship with Maoris and problems with 6" ammunition; attachment to South Korean unit including precautions needed on approach to overlooked position, reception at hill observation post, shooting of negligent guard and relationship with South Korean soldiers; story of taking up night ambush positions to prevent attacks on US ambulance unit including story of nearly shooting drunken Australian soldier and opening fire on infiltrators; attachment to Texas Rangers unit including story of success in pistol shooting competition, relationship with US soldiers, story of OP post illustrating US attitude to casualties, markers to delineate front lines, attacks by US aircraft and question of inadequate briefing of US soldiers; effects of Imjin River floods during Monsoons; question of possible post-war effects of regular DDT sprays; local leave in Tokyo, Japan; story of Dingo catching fire; story of bombardment, 5/11/1952. REEL 8 Continues: preparations for relief by 3rd Tank Regt, 11/1952; move back to Pusan; reactions to leaving Korea 11/1952; stories illustrating character of suicide playing Russian Roulette; fever fatality. Voyage to Port Suez, Egypt, 12/1952. Period at Ismailia Camp, Egypt, 12/1952-9/1953: first impressions; nature of camp; hospitalisation with malaria attack and story of being wrongly charged as being AWOL; role of Recce Troop patrolling oil pipeline; roadblock duty including vehicle checks and necessity of searching Arab women; piano wire booby traps across roads; desert exercises; question of attacks on British units and retaliation on Arab village; pay and savings; recreations; flight back to GB, 9/1953. Demobilisation, 10/1953. Post-war career: question of extending service to serve in Panama Canal posting; furniture business; work in car factory; career as garden designer; cancellation of Suez call up due to malaria, 1956; membership of Korean War Veterans Assoc attitude to Korean War service; question of visiting Korea.