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Description: | Microfilm copy of a ts memoir (403pp) written ca 1974 and concerning his service with the 2nd Battalion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) (12th Indian Brigade until November 1915, then 30th Brigade, 6th Indian Division) in India (1907 - December 1914) and Mesopotamia (January 1915 - April 1916), where he was involved in the siege of Kut and afterward held as a prisoner of war by the Turks for the remainder of the war, describing his enlistment and initial training, his experiences of service overseas, his part as a clarinet player in the regimental band, involvement in the Battle of Nasiriyeh, attempts to supply the besieged garrison in Kut by sea and air, and the harsh treatment by his Turkish captors including a forced march, forced labour and lack of food. Following the war, Coombes attended the British Army School for Military Music at Kneller Hall (1921 - 1922) before being appointed Bandmaster to the Royal Norfolk Regiment (July 1923) with whom he served in Bermuda and Egypt, and then Bandmaster to the Leeds Rifles with whom he briefly served as part of the BEF in France during 1940.
Cataloguer APR
Catalogue date 2000-12-07 | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Coombes, H J | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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