Interview with William Francis Johnson

Sound: © IWM (34505)

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Accepted Non-commercial Use

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Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
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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.
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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:
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Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
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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.
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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.
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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 craftsman served with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in GB and Germany, 6/1956-6/1958; craftsman and NCO served with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attachment to Royal Corps of Signals, School of Signals at Catterick Camp in GB, 1959-1961; NCO and craftsman served with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, No 52 Command Workshop and Arms Inspection Team in Aden, Aden Protectorate, 1961-1963; craftsman and NCO served with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to 13/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own), 7th Armoured Bde Group, British Army of the Rhine in West Germany, 1963-1965

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Ellesmere Port, GB, 1936-1956: family; grandfathers and father's military service; German Air Force raids during Second World War; character of education; childhood health; employment with Shell Oil; qualifications obtained. Aspects of period as craftsman with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in GB, 6/1956-4/1958: reasons for deferment of National Service; basic training at Honiton Camp; trade training as armourer at Gosport. REEL 2 Continues: use of Carnegie Free Library; activities with outward bound school at Eskdale; pay as apprentice with Shell Oil. Aspects of period as armourer with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in West Germany, 5/1958-6/1958: attachment to 4th Queen's Own Hussars at Hohne Garrison; amalgamation of 4th Queen's Own Hussars and 8tht King's Royal Irish Hussars to form Queen's Royal Irish Hussars; encounter with Sergeant Jackson during guard duties at Hohne Garrison; completion of National Service, 6/1958. Recollections of period as craftsman and NCO with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in GB, 1959-1961: reasons for re-enlistment at York, 10/1959; attachment to Royal Corps of Signals, School of Signals at Catterick Camp; joining British Army shooting team and competing at Bisley Shooting Ground ; amusing story of taking Sterling Sub-Machine Gun to petrol station near Bisley; trips to Blackpool on scooter. REEL 3 Continues: volunteering for overseas service. Aspects of voyage from GB to Aden, Aden Protectorate, 1961: embarkation at Southampton; amusing story of seasick comrade; stopover at Malta; ashore in Famagusta, Cyprus; visits by 'bum boats' at Port Said, Egypt; conditions on board. Recollections of period as NCO and craftsman with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, No 52 Command Workshop and Arms Inspection Team in Aden, Aden Protectorate, 1961-1963: weather conditions in Aden; British military presence; work for Aden Protectorate Levies; relations with and character of Arab staff; situation in Aden during service; nature of Aden. REEL 4 Continues: promotion after attending courses in GB and Aden; posting to Arms Inspection Team; Yemen's claim to Aden and influence of Egypt's General Gamil Nasser; question of degree of insurgent feeling amongst populace; work with Arms Inspection Team and geographical areas of responsibility in South Arabia Peninsula; story of flight in Taylorcraft Auster; leave in Mombasa, Kenya; stories of meeting merchant seamen from Ellesmere Port during service; story of being caught 'out of bounds' in Mombasa, Kenya. REEL 5 Continues: on safari during leave in Kenya and Tanzania; demotion to craftsman for being caught 'out of bounds' during leave. Aspects of period as craftsman and NCO with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to 13/18th Royal Hussars, 7th Armoured Bde Group, British Army of the Rhine in West Germany, 1963-1965: posting to 13/18th Hussars at Fallingbostel; relations with officers; move to Paderborn; promotion to corporal; story of acting as motorcycle despatch rider during field exercises; friendship with unit boxer; further details of move to Paderborn; attending marriages of unit members to German women; nature of rapid response exercises; question of lack of security about deployment of British Army of the Rhine; story of accident with armoured recovery vehicle during exercise. REEL 6 Continues: opinion of American military personnel serving in West Germany; story of theft of buffalo mascot from American military unit; status and role; reasons for leaving British Army and not taking promotion and remaining; relations with sergeant; arms inspection at Paderborn; background to secondment to an advanced base in Belgium; method of discharge from army and return to civilian employment; story of son's service with Royal Engineers; story of visit to Dusseldorf in Germany; attitude towards service with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
King, Fiona (Recorder)
Johnson, William Francis (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 2017-02-06
Dimensions: whole: Duration 180, Number Of Items 6
Catalogue number: 34505

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