Cutts, Douglas (Oral history)

British NCO served with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry India and Burma, 1944-1945

REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1925-1939: family background in Dronfield, Derbyshire, Sheffield and London; evacuated to Ipswich on outbreak of war, Sep/1939; employment at Liverpool Street Station; called up for military service and posted to Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow, 1943. Aspects of training with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in GB, 1943-1944: posted to Gujarat Barracks, Colchester; question of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry marching at quicker pace than other infantry regiments; physical training; weapons training including PIAT and hand grenades; embarkation leave; story of having dream about flying bomb raids before they happened; description of voyage aboard steamer from Glasgow to Alexandria, Egypt via Gibraltar. Aspects of operations with Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in India and Burma, 1944-1945: description of journey to Deolali via Bombay; period of acclimatisation; description of train journey to Calcutta; amusing story of local children singing rude song; posted to jungle training camp; description of learning to shoot from the hip; description of flight over The Hump into Burma; problem of landing on wrong airstrip; travelled by lorry to reinforce 2nd Bn Royal Berkshire Regt; nature of terrain and roads; role in operations during Battle of Mandalay, 1-3/1945; co-operation between British Army and Burmese Communist Party; story about Bren gun jamming due to magazines not being loaded properly; attached to Intelligence Section to draw maps; description of mortar attack on Japanese unit. REEL 2 Continues: living conditions in jungle; ground sheets and mosquito nets; description of creating strongpoint on hill; duties with fighting and reconnaissance patrols; method of detecting Japanese by smell of latrines; responsibility for counting number of enemy dead; opinion of Maj-Gen. Rees's order to fight during wet monsoon; problem of bad weather preventing air drops of supplies; description of Indian Engineers building Bailey bridge; story of running out of rations; problem of mules suffering from dysentery due to wrong feed; reaction to news of atomic bomb being dropped, 8/1945; moved to mining town; description of digging area for lorries to turn round; problem of shortage of rations; opinion of Australian commanders; story about mulligatawny stew; Christmas dinner, 12/1945; volunteered to join Army Educational Corps; story of attending teacher training course and passing final exam with full marks; promoted lance-corporal and returned to Regt; posted to Rangoon; story of contracting malaria and description of medical treatment in military hospital; duties as guard commander training sentries; description of voyage back to GB aboard SS Lancashire, 1946; duties as second-in-command of guard; posted to Aldershot for demobilization; reunion with family; story of giving father army overcoat; adjustment to civilian life; problem of weakness from malaria. REEL 3 Continues: description of duties guarding Japanese POWs at mine in Burma; story about POWs digging trench for officers' latrine; attitude of Japanese POWs to capture and remorse for ill-treatment of Allied POWs; relations with Japanese POWs and attempt to re-educate them; opinion of decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.