Russon, Alex (Jim) (Oral history)

Sound: © IWM (34491)

78030732
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2013779704
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

British rifleman served as dispatch rider with B Coy, 1st Bn Rifle Bde in GB and France, 1939-1940; captured at Calais, 5/1940 and POW in Germany, 5/1940-5/1945

Content description

REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1939-1940: called up into Militia, 1939; duties guarding railway bridges and tunnels in Winchester against IRA; trained as dispatch rider; posted to Tidworth and Blandford; kitted out for operations in Norway but not sent; posted to Newmarket area for home defence duties; story about Bren carrier crashing; own motorcycle last vehicle to be loaded on transport at Southampton; description of voyage from Dover to Calais with naval escort, 5/1940. Aspects of operations as dispatch rider with B Coy, 1st Bn Rifle Bde in Calais, France and as POW in Germany, 5/1940-5/1945: description of unloading equipment from ship; accompanied officers on recce mission; reaction to seeing first dead soldier; problem of refugees and sniper fire from Fifth Columnists; duties as dispatch rider; story of narrow escape; attacked by Stukas; duties as runner for 6 Platoon; billets in house; armed only with .38 revolver; story of being captured by Germans and taken to church; description of journey in cattle trucks; story of German soldiers kicking over buckets of water left for POWs on road by French civilians; position in sand dunes near harbour; various memories of men and officers; attitude to operations in Calais; problem of fatigue and lack of food; story of exchanging cigarettes for brandy with German Medical Officer; reaction to being captured; further descriptions of operations in Calais; attitude to role of tanks and lack of air cover; story of friend escaping capture on beach; story about death of Lt Welsh; only issued with 15 rounds of .38 ammunition; further comments on capture and throwing revolver into canal; helped carry wounded POWs; opinion of Major Hamilton-Russell; attitude to evacuation at Dunkirk; story of being liberated by lone US tank near Gratz, Austria, 1/May/1945; description of journey back to GB; demobilized, 1946. REEL 2 Continues: story of forced march from Silesian coal mine to Austria, 12/1944-5/1945; problem of post-war depression caused by experience of march; description of work in coal mine in Silesia; opinion of camp and living conditions; morale aboard ship during voyage to Calais; story of naval guns firing during Channel crossing; reaction to first experience of being under fire; opinion of weapons and equipment; problem with eyesight during musketry training at Winchester.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: Second World War (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: Breyer, Fred (Production Company)
Breyer, Fred (Recorder)
Russon, Alex (Jim) (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1989-09-04
Dimensions: whole: Duration 42, Number Of Items 2
Catalogue number: 34491

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Russon, Alex (Jim)
Britsh Army, Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion
Associated places

Calais, Pas-de-Calais, France
Germany

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Russon, Alex (Jim) (Oral history)

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Our collections information

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