Brannigan, Frank (Oral history)

British private served with 6th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1958-1961; private and NCO served with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Germany, GB, Hong Kong, Borneo during Indonesian Confrontation and Cyprus, 1961-1968; NCO served with 4th Bn Light Infantry in Cyprus and GB, 1968-1969; NCO and private served with 3rd Bn Light Infantry in GB and Northern Ireland, 1969-1973

REEL 1 Background in Yorkshire and Spennymoor, GB, 1943-1958: work of father; siblings; family home; memories of childhood and mother; discipline; leisure activities; education; reason for move to Spennymoor; friends in Spennymoor; sports; civilian work; reason for joining army; joining of Army Cadets and attendance at church; family military background; details of cadet unit; training received in cadets; uniform; learning of regimental history; camps at Whitburn; coping with discipline; pace of drill; further details of uniform; frequency of drill nights; joining of Territorial Army. Aspects of period as 6th Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1958-1961: issue of uniform; attendance at camps; help gained from membership of Army Cadets; description of Spennymoor Drill Hall; regulars in unit. REEL 2 Continues: NCOs at Spennymoor; regularity of meetings; details of pay; drill night activities and success of football team; weapons training; comparison of SLR and .303 rifles; bayonet drill; civilian attitude to Territorial Army; army attitude to underage soldiers drinking; medicals; activities at camp; reaction of parents to his joining army; process of joining army; swearing of allegiance and medical. Aspects of period as boy soldier and private with Durham Light Infantry Depot in GB, 4/1961- 7/1961: initial rank; arrival at Brancepeth Camp and reason for being sent on leave before start; bedding and uniform issued; swapping of kit to get right size; storage of kit; description of gas mask; description of barrack room; cleaning of room and facilities; morning procedures; NCOs in barrack room including relationship with Corporal Fitzpatrick. REEL 3 Continues: washing facilities; breakfast; learning of drill; physical training including help given to troops finding PT difficult; troops not coping with army life; morning break and activities; lunch including opinion of meals; making complaints; afternoon activities; end of working day and tea; evening activities; relationship with fellow recruits; visits to football matches; gambling including army attitude toward it; coping with army life; rifle drill; stripping and cleaning of SLR; opinion and description of SLR; details of Thompson Submachine Gun; stripping of and opinion of Bren Gun; make-up of a bren team; description and firing of anti-tank weapon; 3" mortar training; throwing of grenades; bayonet drill; description of bayonet; gas training; WOMBAT anti-tank gun training; field craft training including equipment carried; exercises with live ammunition; army education. REEL 4 Continues: details of road walk and runs followed by assault course and firing range; route marches; foot inspections; memories of Colonel Fleming; officers and NCOs at Brancepeth; details of platoon placed in; length of time before allowed out of camp; contact with civilians; preparation for guard duties; selection of stickman; details of guard and piquet duties; camp cleanliness; passing out parade; care of uniform; leave; posting to 1st Battalion in Berlin; reaction to posting abroad; journey to Berlin; relationship with old soldiers in draft. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Germany, 1961-1963: journey to and reception on arrival at Montgomery Barracks; posting to signal platoon; earlier signals experience from 6th Battalion; make-up of signals platoon; training received in signals cadre; infantryman duties; memories and opinions of officers and NCOs in signals platoon; radios used by platoon. REEL 5 Continues: description and range of A41 radio; spread of signallers in battalion including own posting and duties in Headquarters Company; spares carried; learning of Morse code; proficiency with and use of Morse code; laying of telephone lines; signals transport; make-up of Headquarters Company; infantry training and duties; train guard duties; problems relating to Russian War Memorial; relationship with troops from other nations; building of Berlin Wall including civilians seen killed in attempts to cross it; story of civilian smuggled into West Berlin through Tiergarten; reactions to situation; state of Berlin; guard duties at Spandau Prison; relationship with civilians; visits into Berlin and leisure activities including visits to Stefi's Bar; fights with American troops; pooling of money and draw for brothel visits; relationship with German civilian. REEL 6 Continues: warnings about VD; precautions and treatment; success of sports teams; relationship with other units including fight following theft of Welsh Regiment's mascot; relationship with American and French troops; exercises in Grunewald and Sennelager; comparison of British and German accommodation; animals kept by battalion; rations; alert during Cuban Missile Crisis; guard duties during VIP visits; length of posting in Berlin; leave and posting at Barnard Castle. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1963: preparations for posting in Hong Kong and reactions to posting; relationship with civilians; accommodation; riot drill training; uniform issued for Hong Kong; civilian suits worn during journey and reason foir doing so. REEL 7 Continues: Aspects of period as private and NCO with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in Hong Kong, 1963- 1965: first impressions of Hong Kong; spread of battalion; location of Gun Club Barracks; description of camp and accommodation; civilian workers in camp; takeover of telephone exchange and other duties during monsoons; relationship with civilians; Racecourse duties; description of traffic; duties on border; conditions for civilians; relationship with British civilians; details of pay; out of bounds areas; symptoms and treatment of VD including interview with Military Police; memories of prostitute called Mary; relationship with American troops including weekend following assassination of President Kennedy; cost of prostitutes including attempts of NCOs to warn off behaviour; description of brothels; visits to Kowloon picking up women; further details of Military Police interviews with VD- infected troops and results; Chinese gang attacks on married personnel; story of revenge attack on gang's accommodation and court appearance including interview with commanding officer; sports; duties during civilian riots including reactions to riots. REEL 8 Continues: promotion to lance corporal instructor; working day including rations and duties as instructor; leisure activities; muster parade including uniform worn; guards of honour including uniform worn; changes to uniform while in Hong Kong; opinion of posting; changes to communication equipment; non-battalion transmissions picked up; duties as lance corporal; details of guard duties including visits from Regiment Sergeant Major; story of Private Frankie Gaskell's promotion; details of guard duties on vehicle compound including Vietnamese prostitute snuck into guard building; prostitutes available outside camp; sign of troops having VD; exercises in New Territories including story of losing motorbike; contact with Ghurkha troops; relationship with Hong Kong Regiment troops; exercises with other units; signals duties on exercises; make-up of battalion; weapons held in battalion; water-skiing. REEL 9 Continues: memories and opinions of officers in battalion; details of pay parades; memories of Regiment Sergeant Major "Ferry" Ford; memories and opinions of battalion NCOs; treatment of Private Tweedy for being homosexual including details of Stonecutter's camp; story of Private Tweedy attempting to leave camp in drag; battalion standard of turnout on parades; bugle calls; medical staff; sick parades; story of injuring elbow; medical facilities in Hong Kong; situation on Borneo; jungle training; malaria precautions; problems with snakes; training to deal with wildlife; training for supply drops by helicopter and parachute; use of parachutes. REEL 10 Continues: summary of jungle training elements; wildlife in jungle and Hong Kong; health of civilians; memories of journey to Borneo aboard Sir Galahad; lectures about island. Aspects of operations as NCO during Indonesian Confrontation, 1965-1966: reactions to posting; start of jungle training with signals platoon; creation of open spaces and belief that chemical used may have caused members of battalion to later die from cancer; use of machete; steps taken to hide movements and smell; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; training for ambushes; postings and role as signaller; sounds from wildlife at night; camp defences; transport between rifle companies and for signals work in jungle; setting up and work of relay stations; details of observation posts; story of whistling heard in jungle; use of codes and cipher machine; story of having to perform duties following period of being in jungle on own for ten days; opinion of training; situation on island and opposition faced; civilians in support of battalion; visits to villages; details of duties undertaken in jungle; story of baboon attack; battalion activities during night; stories of coming under friendly and Indonesian shellfire. REEL 11 Continues: relay station duties; longest jungle stints; details of observation post; story of coming in close proximity to opposition; sounds during night; contents of compo rations; details of camouflage used; maintaining silence; weapons carried; stories of signals received from units in action; story of patrol retrieved from Indonesia; movement between different duties and details of signalling duties; health; period of childhood in Stockton while parents were in workhouse; contact and relationship with civilians; help from scouts; problems with density of jungle; story of search for search party; details of rest and recuperation; mail received and sent; river patrols; problems among troops and support received from army; boredom of situation including methods of relieving it; story of an argument during a patrol. REEL 12 Continues: story of mutiny during training; health of battalion; battalion mascots; casualties; length of time in jungle; activities during fortnight in Singapore. Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry in GB, 1966-1967: leave including troops having difficulty setting down; description of Colchester Camp; accommodation; changes among officers and NCOs during posting; new combat uniforms issued; details of radios used; exercises to test range of radios; work with aerials; training including exercise in Denmark; length of posting in Colchester; recruitment drives; story of car accident; rules given for safe driving; story of being stopped by Police. Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry and 4th Bn Light Infantry in Cyprus, 1967-1968: UN posting in Cyprus; spread of battalion including posting in Limassol; uniforms worn; changes made to vehicles; situation and role in Cyprus; details of observation posts including story of losing weapons to Greek Cypriots; story of an officer shooting a civilian; relationship with Greek and Turkish Cypriots; troops from other units and nations. REEL 13 Continues: leisure activities; story of weekend off for brother-in-law's birthday and aftermath; duties in Battalion Headquarters; communications around Cyprus; routine messages received; limits of UN force's power; incidents between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and details of demarcation line; stop and search powers; problems with Greek Cypriots; opinion of civilians; civilian workers in camp; rations; riot control training received; length of posting; return to Colchester; NATO exercise; change of cap badge; reactions to disbandment of regiment. Aspects of period as NCO with 4th and 3rd Bns Light Infantry in GB, 1968-1969: dispersal of 4th Battalion and decision to join 3rd Battalion; joining of 3rd Battalion in Plymouth; relationship with fellow troops and civilians; opinion of accommodation; sudden posting to Northern Ireland; reactions to posting. Aspects of period as NCO and private with 3rd Bn Light Infantry in Northern Ireland, 1969-1970: situation in Northern Ireland; arrival in Belfast and sleeping arrangements; spread of battalion; location of Battalion Headquarters; signals duties; rest and recuperation in Hollywood Barracks. REEL 14 Continues: description of riots attended; work of snatch squads including arrest of Ian Paisley and Bernadette Devlin; sleeping in police stations; barriers set up; rioting equipment; orders given for dealing with rioters; story of shooting a rioter on Shankill Road; make-up of crowds; relationship with civilians; spraying of rioters with dye; story of attack on Land Rover; casualties and medal awards; story of being attacked while taking photographs of rioters; gradual appearance of IRA; rest and recuperation in Hollywood Barracks; story of getting into trouble over affair with wife of another soldier; period in prison and interview with commanding officer; demotion and postings away from Hollywood Barracks; opinion of Colonel Jacobs; relationship with ex-King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry troops and NCOs in battalion; friends from battalion; promotions; relationships between troops and local girls; picking up of punished civilians; clearance of debris in streets; reactions to situation; story of riot broken up in pub; story of trap laid in alleyway; smuggling of guns from houses and process of searching houses; story of arresting civilians with gun; relationship with and opinion of Royal Ulster Constabulary. REEL 15 Continues: activities of civilians in Northern Ireland on first tour; accommodations; return to Plymouth and posting to Minden; description of barracks; activities of battalion. Aspects of period as NCO with 3rd Bn Light Infantry in Northern Ireland, 1970-1971: spread of battalion and posting in South Armagh; activities of civilians; similarities with first tour; attacks on soldiers during riots; reactions of troops to situation; pro-IRA soldier in battalion; opinion of posting; description of riot shields; details and make-up of snatch squads; appearance of snatch squad members in IRA newspapers; dealing with petrol bombs; care needed in relationship with children and girls; escalation of violence against army; change in attitude of civilians to army; return to Minden; details of tour in Canada and USA including reaction to Light Infantry pace; return to Minden. Aspects of period as NCO with 3rd Bn Light Infantry in Northern Ireland, 1972-1973: casualties; street fighting training received in Germany; role with C Company; activities in South Armagh; traps set in countryside; searching of farms including sources of intelligence; reflections on time in Berlin; spotting of bombs; road checkpoints; opinion of and relationship with Royal Ulster Constabulary. REEL 16 Continues: reasons for departure from army; problem arising from having three Light Infantry Battalions in Northern Ireland together; highest rank attained and length of service; attempts of army to keep him on; criticism received for being too familiar with other ranks; reason for keeping troops in Minden; service required for pension. Aspects of period as civilian in GB from 1973: civilian work; deaths of parents and move to Steetly Quarry; story of saving father from bull during childhood; rejoining of 6th Battalion at Spennymoor; friends in unit; drinking at drill hall; payment received while on reserve; best elements of army.