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Description: | British wireless operator attached to 3rd, 82nd and 13th Siege Btys, Royal Garrison Artillery from 2, 6 and 4 Sqdns, Royal Flying Corps on Western Front, 1916-1917; served with Headquarters, 30th Heavy Group, Royal Garrison Artillery on Western Front, 1917; served as visiting NCO liaising between detached signallers and Royal Flying Corps on Western Front, 1917-1918; officer trained as observer with Royal Flying Corps at Farnborough, GB, 1918
REEL 1 Recollections of enlistment and training as wireless operator with Royal Flying Corps in GB, 1915-1916: background to recruitment underage as wireless operator, 10/1915; reasons for enlistment including reaction to Zeppelin raids; parents' reactions; training period at Farnborough; reactions to military discipline; problem with puttees and use of non standard pair; training as wireless operator at London Polytechnic, Regents Street, London, 1915: learning Morse code using of five letter groups; learning to tune short wave receiver; method of receiving wireless messages at battery positions from artillery observation aircraft using short wave tuner and clock code.
REEL 2 Continues: method of receiving wireless messages at battery positions from artillery observation aircraft using short wave tuner and clock code including problems disruptive to shoots and question of number of corrections required; question of relative efficiency of batteries and illustrations of special shoots given to 13th and 82nd Siege Batteries, Royal Garrison Artillery in Ypres area, Belgium, 1917.
REEL 3 Continues: practical exercises in setting up aerial mast with tuner and earthing mats in Regents Park; use of cloth strips to signal to aircraft; question of adequacy of training; morning roll call; success of recruiting marches through West End; background to refusal to obey orders from strict NCO, subsequent punishment, and relationship with replacement NCO; wireless telephony experiments using electric valves during course at Brooklands, 1916.
REEL 4 Continues: period at Farnborough, 1916. Recollections of conditions of service and lifestyle during period as wireless operator detached successively to 3rd, 82nd and 13th Siege Btys, Royal Garrison Artillery from 2nd, 6th and 4th Sqdns, Royal Flying Corps at Loos, Vermelles and Ypres, 10/1916-7/1917: initial use of horses to move 6" howitzers; signal station dugout; use of D 3 telephone to command post; latrines; food rations; lice problem; counter battery work; registration of targets; creeping 'barrage' technique; role on moving gun position.
REEL 5 Continues: role on moving gun position; establishing contact with new squadron and question of status within Royal Flying Corps; story illustrating relationship with gunners; story of getting lost whilst stealing coal; number of Royal Flying Corps wireless operators attached to battery; length of 'shoots'; signal station building; period monitoring progress of various battery 'shoots' at Headquarters, 30th Heavy Artillery Group, Royal Garrison Artillery in Ypres area, 5/1917-7/1917; 'zone' calls from aircraft.
REEL 6 Continues: 'zone' calls from aircraft to direct artillery on to target of opportunity. Aspects of period as NCO liaising between detached wireless operators with batteries in Ypres area, 7/1917-7/1918: role; story of getting lost in support trenches; question of competence of signallers; relevance of skills as signaller and consequent selection for commission as observer. Aspects of training as observer with Royal Flying Corps at Farnborough, 1918: use of wireless equipment during practise shoots flying as observer; problem with aerial; problem with detached reserve petrol tank in DH6; use of Sterling transmitter. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Briggs, Leslie Albert | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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