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Description: | British gunner served with A Bty Honourable Artillery Company in GB, 1915-1917; survived sinking of HMT Arcadian in Aegean Sea, 15/Apr/1917
REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1896-1915: background in Southend-on-Sea and London: education; studied to be chartered accountant; family; employment as chartered accountant in London; description of activities with school cadet force; memories of outbreak of war, 8/1914; story of attempting to enlist with Royal Army Medical Corps and rejection due to poor eyesight. 1914; duties as part-time volunteer with St John's Ambulance Brigade; training; uniform; enlisted with Honourable Artillery Company, London, 5/1915; interview board; medical examination; amusing story of memorising eye chart. Aspects of training with A Bty Honourable Artillery Company in GB, 1915-1917: basic training including wooden horse; drill; posted to Rolleston camp, Salisbury Plain; question of wearing glasses; description of uniform; reaction of family to enlistment; description of camp on Salisbury Plain; amusing story of horse running away; attitude to army life and discipline; opinion of camp facilities; riding training; question of gunnery training; opinion of officers; recreational activities; transferred to Bulford camp, Salisbury Plain; accommodation in huts; story of playing piano in hut; posted to barracks in Leeds for further training; accommodation; description of gun drill in park; story of applying for commission; drafted to Egypt, 1/1917; description of journey from Southampton to Marseilles; embarked on HMT Arcadian;. Aspects of sinking of HMT Arcadian in Aegean Sea, 15/Apr/1917: description of ship being torpedoed.
REEL 2 Continues: escaped from ship in lifeboat; picked up survivors and rowed to island of Siphnos; question of emergency boat drill; no panic during evacuation from ship; taken into village; received medical treatment for injured hand; accommodation in school building; morale in lifeboat; messing arrangements; sailed to neighbouring island; relations with Greek civilians; sailed aboard Isle of Man steamship to Crete; transferred to troopship; sleeping and messing arrangements; organisation by officer; amusing story of beard; sailed to Alexandria, Egypt and transferred to tented camp; entrained to base camp at Kantara, Suez Canal and refitted; daily routine and training. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Dutton, Phil | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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