Description
Object description
British private trained with General Service Corps at Canterbury and Royal Sussex Regiment at 10th Infantry Training Centre at Colchester Garrison, GB, 1942-1943; served with 70th Bn Royal Sussex Regt at Caterham, GB, 1943; private and NCO served with 2nd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry, 185th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in GB, 1943-1944; officer cadet with Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot Garrison, GB, 1944; officer served with 4th Bn Devonshire Regt, 164th Infantry Bde, 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Div in GB, 1944; served with 2nd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry, 185th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in North West Europe, 12/1944-5/1945; served with Army College, Central Mediterranean at Perugia, Italy and Austria, 1946-1947; civilian accountant with Lloyds Bank in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 1965-1967
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Brighton and Whitstable, GB, 1924-1940: family; education. Aspects of period as civilian and member of 4th (St Augustine's) Bn Kent Home Guard in Whitstable, GB, 1939-1942: sitting final school examinations, summer 1940; obtaining employment with Midland Bank; membership of Home Guard; question of prospect of German invasion; uniform worn in Home Guard; degree of arms training and opinion of training. Aspects of enlistment and training as private with General Service Corps at Canterbury, GB, 1942: enlistment; medical; character of barracks in Canterbury; marking out as potential officer; nature of six week basic training. Aspects of training as private with Royal Sussex Regiment at 10th Infantry Training Centre, Colchester Garrison, GB, 1943: move to Colchester; opinion of training; firing Boys Anti-Tank Rifle.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as private with 70th Bn Royal Sussex Regt at Caterham, GB, 1943: posting to battalion; atmosphere in battalion; opinion of battalion; breaking up of battalion. Aspects of period as private and NCO with 2nd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry, 185th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in GB, 1943-1944: posting to battalion; contrast between battalion and 70th Bn Royal Sussex Regt; nature of amphibious training; attending War Office Selection Board (WOSB) in Edinburgh; reaction to leaving battalion, early 1944. Aspects of period as officer cadet at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot Garrison, GB, 1944: attending No 148 Pre-Officer Cadet Training Unit at Wrotham; question of volunteering for British Indian Army; pattern of training; opinion of training received; commissioning into Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment); initial posting to 12th Infantry Training Centre, Canterbury. Aspects of period as officer with 4th Bn Devonshire Regt, 164th Infantry Bde, 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Div in GB, 1944: training work with battalion
REEL 3 Continues: opinion of training given; accidental wounding during training; attending 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Battle School at Slindon; background to posting to 2nd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry as reinforcement officer. Recollections of operations as officer with 2nd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry, 185th Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in North West Europe, 12/1944-5/1945: posting to battalion in Netherlands, 12/1944; commanding officer; reception by his platoon; firing on German Air Force aircraft, 1/1/1945; deployment of platoon; patrol across River Maas in cold weather conditions, Netherlands, 1/1945; deployment to positions in open, 1/1945; effects of thaw; move into reserve in Belgium.
REEL 4 Continues: training for amphibious river crossing, 2/1945; late running of Operation Veritable; battalion and brigade start line, 28/2/1945; nature of terrain; capture of first objective Kervenheim, Germany, 1/3/1945; question of infantry/tank co-operation; casualties; problems of getting tank support during attack on Kervenheim, Germany, 1/3/1945; intensity of German forces' mortar fire; method of advancing towards objective; tank support; use of Kangeroo Armoured Personnel Carrier to advance towards River Rhine, Germany and subsequent problems; nature of German opposition.
REEL 5 Continues: activities on west side of River Rhine, Germany; crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945; background crossing of Dortmund-Ems Canal at Lingen, Germany; opinion of Royal Engineers' bridging of Dortmund-Ems Canal at Lingen, Germany, 4/1945; description of assault boats used; sight of Major-General Tom Rennie at Lingen, Germany; deployment of battalion south of Bremen, Germany; loss of battalion officers to artillery fire; attitude towards last action; waterlogged nature of terrain south of Bremen, Germany; plan for battalion to attack Dreye, Germany.
REEL 6 Continues: initial lack of opposition for his platoon at Dreye, Germany; reaction to hearing of wounding of company commander; capture of Dreye, Germany; clash with armoured officer in suburbs of Bremen, Germany, 4/1945; issue of detailed map; move to village west of Bremen, Germany, 4/1945; leading patrol over dykes, 30/4/1945; reaction to firing of Bren Gun during patrol, 30/4/1945; move to Minden, Germany; reaction to VE Day, 8/5/1945; question of role of infantry in campaign. Aspects of period as officer with British Army in GB, 1945-1946: leave in Whitstable, 5/1945; hospitalisation in GB; medical regrading; reaction to not being able to vote in General Election, 5/7/1945; second hospitalisation; posting to 13th Holding Bn Buffs (Royal East Kent Regt) at Gravesend. Recollections of period as officer with Army College, Central Mediterranean in Perugia, Italy and Austria, 1946-1947: background to posting and promotion.
REEL 7 Continues: organisation of college; move to Spitz, Austria; scope of college's work; basic training wing; increase in mature troops; accommodation and lack of disciplinary problems; efficiency of orderly room; demobilisation, 6/1947; return to civilian life; attitude towards military service in Second World War. Recollections of period as civilian accountant with Lloyds Bank in Aden, Federation of South Arabia, 1965-1967: background to appointment to Aden, 1965; accommodation; shooting of colleague; situation in Aden and how Crater was out of bounds; visit to outlying bank branches; changes in currency; atmosphere and degree of threat; transfer to Steamer Point; problem with rain storm.
REEL 8 Continues: police insurrection, 1966; background to leaving Aden, 7/1967; opinion of Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Mitchell; opinion of evacuation of Aden, 11/1967; how business continued during insurrection; opinion of fate of Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Mitchell; story of failing medical inspection to join Territorial Army, 1947.