Description
Object description
British gunner served with Royal Artillery in GB, 1941; gunner served with 418th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Bty, 140th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 46th and 69th Anti-Aircraft Bdes, 8th Anti-Aircraft Div and 69th Anti-Aircraft Bde, 5th Anti-Aircraft Group in GB, 1941-1942; served with Rees Force in North Africa, 5/1942-6/1942; served with 89th (Cinque Ports) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in North Africa and French Syria, 12/1942-2/1943; served with Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza, Egypt, 3/1943-6/1944; private served with 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 139th Infantry Bde, 4th (North Midland) Infantry Div in Italy, Greece and Austria, 7/1944-3/1946; served with 2nd Bn Loyal Regt (North Lancashire) in Austria, 1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Camberwell, London, GB, 1921-1940: family; education; childhood; employment; awareness of events in Germany; reason for not joining Territorial Army; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; aftermath of First World War witnessed whilst growing up; movement of employment to Chester, 1940; memories of school trips to Epsom Downs. Recollection of period as civilian in Chester, GB, 1940-1941: accommodation in Chester; recreational activities; arrival of call-up papers; formation and joining of Local Defence Volunteers in Chester, 5/1940; weapons in unit; rifle issued; membership of 6th (Chester) Bn, Home Guard, Cheshire Home Guard; duties; training received; firing of rifle; parade at Chester Castle; background and opinion of Home Guard pesonnel; story of rifle accidentally fired in hut; exercises; guards and patrols; uniform issued.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of enlistment in Royal Artillery in GB, 1941: medical; enlistment at Blackpool. Aspects of period as gunner with Royal Artillery in GB, 1941: accommodation; training with and opinion of Lewis Gun; pattern of training; advantage of Home Guard training; coping with drill and opinion of instructor; background of recruits; duration of basic training; guard duties; relations with civilians; opinion of and problems with dinner in billets; question of NCOs upsetting civilians. Aspects of period as gunner with 418th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Bty, 140th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery, 46th Anti-Aircraft Bde, 8th Anti-Aircraft Div in GB, 1941-1942: posting to battery at Weston-super-Mare; learning to fire guns; relative size and stature of comrades; settling into unit and question of bullying; method of firing of guns; incident of gun team member wounded by shrapnel; move to Rochester; role at Rochester; use of First World War era gun; duties in control room; process of return from hospital. Aspects of posting in draft with Royal Artillery at Royal Artillery Regimental Depot, Woolwich, GB, 1942: relations with troops on draft; story of parade and breaking out of barracks on last night at depot; train journey to Greenock; stories from time at Royal Artillery Regimental Depot, Woolwich.
REEL 3 Continues: opinion of permanent staff role at depots. Aspects of voyage aboard HMT Queen Elizabeth from Greenock, GB, to Port Tewfik, Egypt, 1942: accommodation; rations; duties with ship's armament; advice received from old soldiers; death of cabin mate; boat drill; story of tipping 'gash' into harbour at Freetown, Sierra Leone; incident of soldier dying in sun; conditions for officers and service women; stopover in Simonstown, South Africa; air raid scare; stand-to on board; climate in Red Sea; arrival in Port Tewfik; march to Cairo and arrival at Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza. Aspects of operations as gunner with Royal Artillery attached to Rees Force in North Africa, 5/1942-6/1942: attachment to and composition of Rees Force; description of defences built; trips to ammunition dumps; health of troops; rations; nature of contact with Bedouins; unit transport; precautions taken against theft of rifles during night; impressions of civilians; treatment of civilians by troops.
REEL 4 Continues: state of troops; disbandment of Rees Force; return to Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza, Egypt. Aspects of period as gunner at Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza, Egypt, 6/1942-7/1942: activities at base depot; reception on arrival; opinion of treatment. Aspects of hospitalisation in Egypt, 8/1942-11/1942: contracting typhoid; collapse during gas training and evacuation to 5th South African General Hospital; receiving diagnosis; physical state; story of rations being stolen by an officer and his punishment; time in isolation ward; reason for not being sent home; convalescence in Alexandria; treatment; reception from medical officer on return to Royal Artillery Base Depot, Cairo, Egypt and subsequent month on light duties. Recollections of period as gunner with 89th (Cinque Ports) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in North Africa and French Syria, 12/1942-2/1943: posting to regiment on Red Sea; learning to drive; escorting homosexual soldier to Port Said, Egypt; role of regiment; posting to Moses Wells, Libya, 1/1943; health and physical state during hospitalisation; reason for posting with unit; move to Benghazi, Libya, 1/1943; sight of activities of Fifth Air Force, United States Army Air Force at Benghazi, Libya; characteristics of anti-aircraft guns used on site; reason for posting to French Syria; winter on border of Turkey and French Syria; journey to French Syria, 2/1943; accommodation; winter conditions; blankets issued before being given to African Auxiliary Pioneer Corps personnel taking over regiment's guns; accommodation and method of keeping warm; break-up of unit, 2/1943; reaction to joining prospect of joining infantry and state of health. Aspects of period as gunner at Royal Artillery Base Depot, Almaza, Egypt, 3/1943-6/1944: invasion training; knowledge of infantry weapons; opinion of spigot mortars; opinion of role of infantry training; story of accident during training and refusal of medical officer to treat patient.
REEL 5 Continues: visits to canteen; entertainments and opinion that the base entertainers were depressed; sand carving by Czech soldiers; riot squad duties; smoothing of sand; incident of being placed on charge. posting to Italy. Aspects of training as private with Infantry Base Depot, Naples, Italy, 6/1944-7/1944: journey to and time in Taranto, including witnessing fight between French and Italian sailors; train journey to Infantry Base Depot at Naples; training received; contact with Italian civilians; story of NCO who later died in well. Recollections of operations as private with 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 139th Infantry Bde, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in Italy, 8/1944-12/1944: size of draft and joining battalion on Gothic Line; impressions of unit; posting in C Company; NCOs in company; memories of Major Tulloch; sight witnessed in front line; reaction to approaching action; morale of troops; advance towards German forces; start of action at Monte Vecchio, 30/8/1944; rota for leading unit; story of making ammunition run to A Coy; method of finding way back to own lines; disappearance of tank support during advance towards Monte Vecchio; description of being under German MG 42 Machine Gun fire during advance; actions of supporting tank; position of infantry troops and orders given; nature of advance through gates into Monte Vecchio.
REEL 6 Continues: arrival at church and treatment given to wounded French soldier; story of Sergeant Plowright in church and German artillery shelling of Monte Vecchio; meeting with Private Tom Reynolds and journey to collect wounded from a house; scenes in house; evacuation of wounded; night spent in shop in Monte Vecchio, 30/8/1944-31/8/1944; methods of travelling around Monte Vecchio out of sight; cooking of chicken; visits to evacuated wounded with Private James Blackadder; memories of Private Tom Reynolds; prior recollections of chaplain whilst serving in the Middle East; memories of Corporal 'Smudger' Smith; memories of Private 'Doc' Venables and digging slit trenches dug together; promises of the plains before crossing each river; instance of river crossed twelve times; story of patrol.
REEL 7 Continues: guard duty outside a farmhouse; German use of tracer and wooden bullets amongst MG42 Machine Gun rounds; noise made by troops; reaction to treatment of captured Italian civilian; withdrawal for rest period; handing over of captured Italian civilian; selection of troops for night patrol; types and nature of patrols; German forces' multi-barrelled mortar fire and cover taken, near Rimini; nature of compo rations and British Army biscuits; supply of hot water; in action at Fiery Farm; withdrawal from Fiery Farm; Private Harry Coate's run-in with a German Army officer at Fiery Farm.
REEL 8 Continues: using light from fires; artificial moonlight; confusion over crossing of River Marecchia; nature of situation beyond river; background to Captain Verity joining platoon; clearance of house; destruction of German tank; nature of action in village; counter-attack and withdrawal from village; aiding wounded and arrival of M4 Sherman Tanks; German artillery barrage and sight of soldier with artillery shell between legs; tank support; withdrawal across River Marecchia under German multi-barrelled mortar fire; opinion of tank support received; story of what happened to Private James Blackadder.
REEL 9 Continues: Private Joseph Ackling's premonition of death; effect of seeing white crosses on trucks; description of German positions witnessed after Gemmano; story of cooks exhuming bodies for souvenirs; use of camera; Turkmenistan serving with in German Army; march to and arrival at Verucchio; German prisoners of war wounded by artillery fire; nature of crossing of River Cesano; cover taken in farmhouse; discovery of dead British Army soldier in farmhouse; arrival of reinforcements at farmhouse and nature of German positions; contact with headquarters.
REEL 10 Continues: orders given by commanding officer; memories of Lieutenant Lawrence; story of Tom Reynolds's search for Major Tulloch; encounter with half-buried German tank and it's damage to farmhouse; casualties in platoon; withdrawal from front line; reaction to being out of front line; story of damp night spent in San Marino; presence of reconnaissance unit close by; state of battalion and reinforcements. Aspects of period as private with 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 139th Infantry Bde, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in Greece, 12/1944-3/1945: situation in Greece; earlier involvement in mutiny of Greek Navy; attitude toward situation; battalion role in Salonika; situation in Athens.
REEL 11 Continues: guard duties; policing of demonstrations; incident of accident whilst cleaning grenades; recreational activities; opinion of local alcohol; journey to Piraeus; accommodation; activities and reinforcements; memories of Battalion Sports Day; visits into Athens; return journey to Italy. Aspects of operations as private with 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 139th Infantry Bde, 46th (North Midland) Infantry Div in Italy, 4/1945-5/1945: journey to front line; church service and attitude towards religion; celebrations at end of Second World War in Europe, 8/5/1945; crossing of River Po; surrender of German forces in Italy; journey into Austria.
REEL 12 Continues: Recollections of period as private with 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 139th Infantry Bde, 46th (North Midland), Infantry Div in Austria, 5/1945-3/1946: reconnaissance patrols; earlier posting as sniper; meeting with Soviet Army in Judenburg; discoveries made in building formerly occupied in Schultzstaffel (SS) personnel; move to Wietersdorf; story of Soviet manufactured pistol; fishing; relations with Austrian civilians; start of Leave In Addition to Python and Python; leaves; return to battalion at Lassnitz; nature of horse patrols; learning to ride and contact with Cossacks who had served with Waffen-SS; return of refugees to their home countries; initial risk of dealing with former Waffen-SS Cossacks; activities of troops; relations between troops and local women; German prisoners of war working on farms; story of Mercedes car found by Private Tom Reynolds; relations with former Waffen-SS Cossacks; breakdown of non-fraternisation rules; attitude of troops toward former Waffen-SS Cossacks and orders received from officer on dealing with them.
REEL 13 Continues: handover of former Waffen-SS Cossacks to Soviet forces; tree felling; rations; nature of of ski patrols; story of corporal who punched a mirror; adaptations to .303 rifle ammunition to shoot pheasants; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; drunken activities of two privates and revenge taken by NCO; troops doing guard duties in Vienna; nature of guard duties on borers with Yugoslavia.
REEL 14 Continues: incidents on border with Yugoslavia. Aspects of period as private with 2nd Bn Loyal Regt (North Lancashire) in Austria, 1946: posting to battalion on disbandment of 5th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt), 3/1946; relationship between former Sherwood Foresters and battalion troops; state of health during military service; time spent in transit camp in GB; posting to and duties at prisoner of war camp near Chesterfield, GB. Post-war life and employment: demobilisation, 1946; contracting tuberculosis; details of pension and civilian employment; lasting effects of war; discussion of trust in wartime comrades.
