Description
Object description
British private served with 1st Bn, Essex Regt in GB and Germany, 1950-1951; served with 1st Bn, Royal Norfolk Regt, 29th British Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in Korea, 1951-1952
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Romford and Upminster, 1932-1950: family background and social circumstances; brothers' military service; education; outbreak of war, 3/9/1939; issue of gas masks; sweet ration; food rations supplemented from garden; clothes rationing; blackout; metal collection; Anderson shelter; view of aerial fighting and Stuka attack on Hornchurch airfield during Battle of Britain, 1940; effects of German air raids and damage to house; German oil and phosphorous bombs; school air raid shelter; personal morale.
REEL 2 Continues: effects of German incendiary raids; following progress of war; V1 raids; collecting shrapnel and view of shot down ME110; question of playing on bombsites; V2 raids; private evacuation to dairy farm in Farringdon, ca 9/1944; relationship with US servicemen; attending Boys Club; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; football activities and games against German POWs; work in various jobs, 1946-1950; recreations.
REEL 3 Continues: registration and medical prior to call up, 10/1950. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine with 1st Bn, Essex Regt, Meanee Barracks, Colchester, ca 10/1950-2/1951: reception; hair cut; kitting out; barrack room accommodation; preparations for kit and room inspections; morning routine and food rations; drill.
REEL 4 Continues: PT including forced marches, milling and assault courses; weapons training including rifle, bayonet, Bren gun and stoppage drills, Sten gun, hand grenades; Vickers machine gun, PIAT and Inerga rifle grenades; fieldcraft and tactical exercise; relationship with recruits and instructors.
REEL 5 Continues: relationship with officers; canteen and recreational visits to Colchester; parades. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during period at Elizabeth Barracks, Minden, Germany, ca 2/1951-4/1951: journey out; nature of barracks; continuation training and specialisations; posting as driver to MT Section, Headquarters Coy; prior driver and maintenance training at Colchester; opinion of Bedford lorries and Willis jeep; composition of MT Section; morning routine and breakfast muster parade; weapons training including Bren gun; lectures; routine MT maintenance; role driving bus on school run for married families; nature of routine driving duties; recreational visits to Minden including prior inspections, drinking habits and relationship with German civilians.
REEL 6 Continues: nature of tactical exercises; guard and fire picket duties; reactions to posting to Korean service. Recollections of period with MT Section, HQ Coy, 1st Bn, Royal Norfolk Regt at Crowborough Camp, 4/1951-8/1951: joining unit; composition of unit; memories of Regimental Sergeant Major Gilchrist, Captain Chapman, Company Sergeant Major Bert Fitt and Colonel Orlabar; driving in convoy and at night; exercises on Thetford Training Area including camouflaging MT; digging slit trenches and use of Wasp flamethrowers; issue of equipment. Voyage aboard Empire Orwell to Pusan, Korea, 8/1951-9/1951: messdeck conditions; Bren gun and 17pdr training; PT.
REEL 7 Continues: seasickness; loss of watch overboard; visits ashore at Port Said, Egypt; theft of parade boots; visits ashore at Aden, Columbo, Ceylon and Singapore; reception, disembarkation and kitting out on arrival at Pusan. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during operations in Kowang San and Sami Chon sectors, Korea, 9/1951-2/1952: train journey to Britannia Camp; nature of tented camp; playing football in paddy field; briefing; move into line reliving MT Section, 1st Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles in Kowang San sector; role with 'A' Echelon at Pintail Bridge; nature of dugout and improvised heating; cold weather conditions.
REEL 8 Continues: special winter clothing; washing and shaving; food rations and cooking arrangements; role driving Bedford lorry including awareness of Chinese box mines, collecting food stores from 'B' Echelon, road conditions, taking stores to front line units, nature of front line positions, unloading lorry and carrying equipment back to 'A' Echelon; driving officers up to front line; collection of replacement Morris lorry from Inchon; story of petrol freezing; relationship with US troops maintaining pontoons and use of US slang; relationship with South Koreans.
REEL 9 Continues: story of lorry being hit by shrapnel shell burst during Chinese barrage, 5/11/1951; personal morale; guard duties and story of helping dog out collapsed dugout; evacuation of corpses to rear; story of signaller NCO straying into minefield; story of driver killed by US mine whilst collecting sleeping bags; issue of Sten guns; use of reconditioned US lorry; visit to US petrol dump; duties driving water bowser and refilling from water filtration plant in Imjin River; latrines; cold weather; driving soldiers on leave to airport.
REEL 10 Continues: driving soldiers on leave to airport; question of local leave; Christmas celebrations and use of Aldershot over to cook turkey, 25/12/1951; drinking habits; Imjin bridges and fords; US mobile showers and segregation of black US soldiers; socks and boots; opinion of various NCOs; attack of frostbite in hands and feet, 12/1951; period of light duties in armoury; evacuation to 'B' Echelon; positions in Sami Chon valley; medical treatment for frostbite; evacuation by ambulance to Seoul; assessment by medical board; flight to Kure, Japan. Period at Kure, Japan, 2/1952-3/1952: hospital treatment; medical classification as 'walking wounded'. Flight back to GB, ca 3/1952: route; state of injuries; assisting with severely wounded; route; engine problem.
REEL 11 Period at RNR Depot, Britannia Barracks, Norwich and Warley Barracks, Brentwood, 3/1952-10/1952: duties in regimental police; recovery from frostbite and medical classification as P7; move to Warley; demobilisation, 10/1952. Post-service career: work for car manufacturer; work as driver for council; attending annual camps with Essex Regt during period with Army Emergency Reserve; membership of British Korean Veterans Assoc.