Description
Object description
British officer served with 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers in Egypt and Palestine, 1948-1950; served with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), Malaya Command in Federation of Malaya, 1951-1960; served with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), 99th Gurkha Bde and 51st Gurkha Bde during Indonesian Confrontation in British Borneo and Borneo, Malaysia, 1963-1966; served with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), British Forces Overseas Hong Kong in Hong Kong, 1966-1969; commanded Baluch Regiment, Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces in Dhofar, Oman, 1970-1974
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1931-1948: family; father's service with Royal Air Force; education; decision to join British Army. Aspects of enlistment and training as private and officer cadet with Royal Irish Fusiliers in Northern Ireland and GB, 1948: enlistment; nature of recruit training including putting on beret; lack of problems adjusting to army life; accommodation; opinion of training; attitude towards discipline; officer cadet training at Officer Training School, Eaton Hall. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers in Egypt and Palestine, 1948-1951: commissioning into regiment, 1948; move to Egypt.
REEL 2 Continues: attitude towards brief posting to Palestine, 1948; duties on return to Egypt; opinion of role of Mauritian Pioneer Company, Royal Pioneer Corps; incident of drunken Irish soldier; attempts to keep troops occupied; opinion of platoon sergeant and experienced NCOs; how he knew his Gurkha troops during later service; applying to join Gurkhas during leave in GB. Recollections of period as officer with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), Malaya Command in Federation of Malaya, 1951-1960: reception on arrival with battalion; contrast between service in British Army and Gurkha regiments; initial interview with commanding officer; allocation of orderly on arrival in Singapore; learning Gurkhali.
REEL 3 Continues: character of Gurkha regiment; question of his ability to command Gurkhas; story illustrating relations between Gurkhas and officers; accommodation and mess life; duration of battalion's deployment in Federation of Malaya; initial posting to battalion headquarters; attachment to company to learn jungle warfare tactics; opinion of battalion's performance during early 1950s; religious character of Gurkhas; role as company commander; basic jungle tactics employed; composition of patrol; opinion of rations; items carried on patrol .
REEL 4 Continues: cooking food on patrol; precautions taken at night; nature of jungle; navigation in jungle; use of Ibans as scouts; effect of noise in jungle environment; question of purification of water; leeches; drying of wet clothes; question of setting ambushes; sources of intelligence; difficulties of identifying targets in jungle; operating in rubber plantations; visiting rubber tapper's home; degree of contact with rubber planters; liaison with police; fellow officer who arranged surrender of high ranking Malayan National Liberation Army insurgent.
REEL 5 Continues: discovery of insurgent camps; method of attacking insurgent camps; ability of Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents to live in jungle; use of Surrendered Enemy Personnel (SEP); gradual clearance of areas containing Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents; opinion of Royal Air Force and air supply drops; brief staff appointments during period in Federation of Malaya; increase in scope of operations on introduction of Royal Air Force air supply drops; operating in jungle; sleeping arrangements in jungle; how Gurkhas adapted to jungle conditions. Recollections of operations as officer with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), 99th Gurkha Bde and 51st Gurkha Bde during Indonesian Confrontation in British Borneo and Borneo, Malaysia, 1963-1966: flight from Hong Kong; relations with local population; relieving 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's); difference in operational outlook with outgoing 1st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's); changes in weapons and equipment; use of identification markings in bush hats; difference in tactics from Malayan Emergency; cross-border operations.
REEL 6 Continues: method of carrying out cross-border attacks on Indonesian camps; behaviour of Indonesian forces towards local population; helicopter evacuation available for wounded; method of attacking Indonesian forces; refusal of his request to attack Indonesian airfield; attitude towards casualties. Aspects of period as officer with 1/2nd Bn King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (Sirmoor Rifles), British Forces Overseas Hong Kong in Hong Kong, 1966-1969: attitude to posting to Hong Kong; rounding up refugees crossing border from People's Republic of China; question of ability to defend Hong Kong; Gurkhas attitude towards service in Hong Kong; attitude to posting to Headquarters, Southern Command at Salisbury and reasons for taking redundancy. Recollections of operations commanding Baluch Regiment, Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces in Dhofar, Oman, 1970-1974: background to going to Dhofar and initial posting to Muscat Regiment.
REEL 7 Continues: character of officers in Muscat Regiment; ethnic composition of Muscat Regiment; taking command of Baluchi troops; condition of troops; role training and commanding Baluchi troops; effects of training; character of Baluchi troops; question of quality of some British officers; reliance on his Baluchi officers; change in role for Baluchi troops; situation in Dhofar; weapons used by Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) insurgents; emphasis on patrolling; attitude to operating in desert terrain; nature of terrain and climate; formation of patrols; incident of being under heavy fire during contact with insurgents; threat of mines.
REEL 8 Continues: question of ease of getting into contact with insurgents; opinion of air and artillery support; dangers of travelling in Land Rover towing Ordnance QF 25 Pounder Gun; incident of spotting camel tracks used to supply insurgents; unit weapons, uniforms and headwear; question of need for properly trained British officers; attitude towards military service.