Description
Object description
British private served with 174th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps attached to 51st (Highland) Div in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe, 1942-1945
Content description
REEL 1: Aspects of training with Royal Army Medical Corps in GB: story of being called up, 1940; accommodation in Dunblane Hydro and Perth Dye Works; basic training including hill climbing at night; opinion of CO Col Macklin; social life. Aspects of operations with 174th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps attached to 51st (Highland) Div in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe, 1942-1945: description of conditions in desert at El Alamein,1942; story of lorry breaking down in enemy territory; water ration; reason for washing clothes in petrol; story about desert rat; story of keeping chameleon as pet; attitude to chivalrous nature of war in desert; communication with family; posted to Sicily, 1943; description of voyage in gale and problem of seasickness; story of coming under fire from German sniper; story about sharing food with Sicilian family; story about sharks; memories of Cape Town, South Africa; opinion of conditions aboard troopship.
REEL 2 Continues: description of casualties caused by shell landing in trench; story of near miss with piece of shrapnel; attitude to death; landed in Normandy, France on D+1, 7/Jun/1944; reflections on military life; 174th Field Ambulance disbanded at end of war; role of Royal Army Medical Corps ambulance units with 51st (Highland) Div; relations between medical personnel and infantry; description of crossing Rhine into Germany, 1945; opinion of role of RAF during Rhine crossing; story of looting items in Germany including silk sheets and Singer sewing machine; story of soldier killed by machine gun fire; problem of mines; opinion of first aid training with Royal Army Medical Corps; role of stretcher bearers; reaction to end of war, 5/1945; demobilisation and return to GB; story of hostile reception from French civilians; story of friendly fire incident involving US aircraft; opinion of 51st (Highland) Div; various memories of wartimes comrades.
REEL 3: attitude to treating wounded; story about bullet coming through window; amusing story about friend 'Dunc' Mackay; story about troopship Empress of Australia; comparison of war in desert and North West Europe.