Description
Object description
British rifleman served with 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade in North Africa, 1940-1942; private served with Special Boat Section in Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean, Balkans and Italy, 1942-1945
Content description
REEL 1:Aspects of period in GB, 1920-1938: story of enlisting with Rifle Brigade in London, 1938; medical examination; attitude to military discipline and length of service; posted to depot at Winchester. Aspects of training with Rifle Brigade and Royal Armoured Corps in GB, 1938-1940: pay and allowances; intelligence tests; physical training; issued with fatigues and kit; not allowed out of depot for first three weeks; haircut; attitude to drill; physical training and sports; weapons training with Lee Enfield rifle; opinion of Boys anti-tank gun; posted to 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade; training course on trucks; role of battalion as motorized light infantry; story of doing jankers; posted to Tank School at Bovington Camp, Dorset; duties in charge of vehicles for officers; types of trucks and vehicles; carried Bren gun; use of scout cars; description of training with First World War tank; opinion of food; issued with overalls instead of uniform; clothing allowance; story of officer's reaction to Munich agreement and possible war; recalled from Bovington and posted to Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) school at Arundel, Sussex; role teaching infantry officers about vehicles; system for maintenance of vehicles; posted to HMS Excellent on Whale Island; duties delivering and installing light artillery guns at coastal sites; opinion of effectiveness of guns; promoted sergeant-instructor; posted to AFV school in Harrogate; opinion of lifestyle in Harrogate; story of requesting posting back to 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade; volunteered for service with S (HQ) Coy following outbreak of war, 9/1939; description of tropical kit. Aspects of voyage to Egypt, 1940: sailed in convoy to Aden via US and South Africa.
REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of operations as rifleman with 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade in North Africa, 1940-1942: problem of clothing being unsuitable; arrived at Fayed and issued with tropical kit; opinion of Italian Army; role with mobile artillery column in desert; description of guns and organisation of unit; opinion of Honey tank; rations and water supplies; opinion of effectiveness of anti-tank guns against German tanks; attitude of officers; description of night patrols; opinion of Coy CO Dickie Bird; role of NCOs; rotation of officers; story of five days leave in Cairo during refit; opinion of Montgomery and tactics at Alamein; posted to Alexandria; story of mutiny over Montgomery's refusal to allow men home after seven years' service; reaction to losing stripes after volunteering for special unit. Aspects of operations as private with Special Boat Section in Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean, Balkans and Italy, 1942-1945: story of being welcomed by Lord Jellicoe at Tiberius, Palestine; attitude to informal discipline including only saluting officers once a day; description of boat training on Sea of Galilee, weapons training in Jerusalem and parachute jumps at Atlit; role in operations aboard Greek boat in Turkish waters; story of being wounded and medical treatment in Alexandria, Egypt; re-joined unit at Bari, Italy; reaction to VE Day, 5/1945; posted back to 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade following Japanese surrender, 8/1945; story of returning to GB in cold weather dressed in tropical kit; demobilised and discharged from Army as medically unfit. Post-war life in GB: pension and leave entitlement; problem of receiving no help from Army after discharge; lived in Hackney, London and worked as tailor; story of joining police force at London Docks; opinion of post-war Labour Government.
REEL 3 Continues: Further aspects of operations as private with Special Boat Section in Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean, Balkans and Italy, 1942-1945: story of quelling mutiny by Arab troops and rescuing hostages in camp; reaction of Colonel to request to leave 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade and join Special Boat Section; question of loyalty to own battalion; attitude to military discipline and reasons for volunteering for Special Boat Section; further comments on mutiny over Montgomery's refusal to allow men home after seven years' service; opinion of Montgomery; description of wearing SBS wings on shoulder and on chest after three successful missions; attitude to wings and medals; question of reduced leave entitlement with SBS compared to Army; importance of secrecy over missions.
REEL 4 Continues: story of taking over observation post from Guards battalion in Tunisia; opinion of media coverage of special operations units; multinational nature of SBS patrols; story about Scottish patrol fighting each other; opinion of officer Bob Berry; amusing story of swimming across harbour at Mersa Matruh with Lord Jellicoe; reaction to deployment of German Brandenburg Division to counter SBS operations on Lake Comacchio; description of marking deep water channels with jerry cans for Royal Marine assault boats; training exercises including mock attacks and diversions; role escorting Royal Marine commando boats to deep water; story about Royal Marine officer's boat stuck in mud; importance of speed in leaving boats; attitude to treatment of German POWs; story about US medic with SBS patrol.
REEL 5 Continues: opinion of medical orderly Sidney Bernstein; attitude to bragging about exploits with SBS; amusing story about Sgt Horsefield and medals; opinion of officers; amusing story about Eddie Philips riding Norton motorcycle; attitude to SBS reunions; opinion of British Legion; attitude to military parades; story of sending Greek girl to negotiate surrender of enemy troops; attitude to use of force to intimidate enemy; opinion of German and Italian special forces; opinion of Len Deighton's book 'The Golden City'.
REEL 6 Continues: summary of movements with SBS in North Africa, Greek Islands and Italy; opinion of success of operations in Yugoslavia; problem of British Army being undermanned and inadequately armed at start of war, 1939; use of captured German weapons on Bren carriers; opinion of effectiveness of British tanks and armaments; story about 1st Bn Rifle Brigade in Calais, France, 1940; opinion of Italian troops and armaments; description of Knightsbridge box; comparison of organisation in regular army and SBS; description of SBS clothing and equipment; one Bren gun allocated per section; problem of German air attacks; opinion of Bofors gun; opinion of SBS uniform and equipment; further description of training including hand to hand combat and parachute jumps.
REEL 7 Continues: description of air experience exercise including method of landing and first parachute jumps; amusing story of paratrooper's chute stuck in hatch door; qualified after six jumps and demonstrated jumps for new recruits; posted to Beirut for first mission from Beirut; description of voyage aboard Motor Torpedo Boat as part of five man patrol; slept round Oerlikon gun in sleeping bags; problem of heavy rain; used 250 ton caique in Port Tewfik as base; types of boats used in operations on Greek Islands including 18ft dory, canoes, fold boats and rubber dinghies nicknamed 'Jellicoe intruders'; reason for not wearing pack; attitude to treatment of casualties in patrol; story of blowing up German gun position on island and killing gun crew; hid in cave overnight and held Greek fishermen captive until left island; further description of dory; story of three month voyage along Greek coast to Corinth and back to Port Tewfik; opinion of mules; story of guarding CO Bob Berry during discussion with Greek partisans in mountains; conditions for Greek civilians; story of sharing meal with ELAS partisans and warning from female Greek-American interpreter about danger of accepting overnight accommodation; story of leaving accommodation through back window and shooting partisan during attack; sailed between islands on caique; story of giving five cigarettes for haircut on Kythera and receiving 1 million drachmas in change; story of coming under fire from Greeks on Piscopi Island and being hit three times; reaction to death of CO Bob Berry; taken to hotel on island for medical treatment; sailed to British Military Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt; opinion of medical staff.
REEL 8 Continues: further comments on medical treatment in Alexandria after being wounded; problem of SBS being mistaken for Polish forces; description of voyage to Bari; amusing story about rum ration; further description of operations on Lake Comacchio; story of NCO from another patrol attempting to steal fold boat; story of ordering young soldier to kill captured German; reaction to death of comrades; attitude to obeying orders; story of learning to ski on Mount Hermon, Lebanon; story of NCO being returned to unit for refusing to carry rucksack; opinion of British senior commanders and establishment; story about shell shocked Welsh soldier in slit trench at Snipe Bridge; story about Gunner Harry Hodgson being unable to open fire on Germans fleeing tank; attitude to shell shock cases; opinion of other men in patrol; opinion of military parades and commemorations; story of returning medals after war; story about Anders Lassen winning posthumous VC; story of fatal friendly fire incident in patrol; problem of Bren gun failing and using hand gun; reaction to being ordered by officer to retreat; opinion of friend Mario; problem of confusion of battle; role of patrols in operations.
