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Description: | British NCO served with 1/14th Bn London Regt (London Scottish) on Western Front and in Germany, 1915-1919
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Blackheath and Lee, London, 1892-1914: family circumstances; education and informal drill training; activities with bible classes and Sunday Schools; work as office junior, 1909-1914; cancellation of boating holiday on outbreak of war whilst at Liverpool, 4/8/1914. Recollections of recruitment with 2/14th Bn London Regt at Buckingham Gate Depot, London, 8/1914: reasons; medical; procedure; reaction of employer; question of Scottish family connections. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during period training at Buckingham Gate, 9/1914-1/1915: home billets; drill; posting to C Coy; drill; route marches; rifle training and success on range.
REEL 2 Continues: issue of traditional Scottish uniform; relationship with other ranks, officers and NCOs; reaction to army lifestyle. Recollections of periods at Dorking, Watford and London, 1/1915-4/1915: billets; route marches; inspection in snow by Kitchener at Epsom Downs, 1/1915; move to Watford; story of missing draft with jaundice attack, 3/1915. Recollections of period with C Coy 1/14th Bn, London Regt in Richebourg St Vaast, Vermelles and Cambrin sectors, Bethune area, France, 4/1915-9/1915: prior Channel crossing; initial impressions of unit; composition of 1st Bde; initial impressions of Richebourg St Vaast sector; role in support to attack by Black Watch, 9/5/1915; nature of trenches and dugouts; kit carried; ration parties.
REEL 3 Continues: food rations; water supply; rum ration; question of cigarette smoking; washing and shaving; latrines; lice problem; burial parties; stand to; sentry duty; cleaning rifle; repairing trenches; question of sniping; quiet nature of sector; listening patrols and story of volunteering to assist in rescue of wounded soldier from No Man's Land; special friend; rest periods in Bethune including return to 'spit and polish', story illustrating advantages of kilt in cold weather, visits to estaminet and drinking habits. Recollections of attack at Hulloch, 25/9/1915-27/9/1915: preliminary bombardment; misplaced expectation of minimal opposition; casualties during advance over No Man's Land toward Lone Tree and surrender of front line German troops; role of officers and NCOs.
REEL 4 Continues: surrender of front line German troops; loss of food rations during further advance; assisting in treatment of wounded in estaminet at Four Cross Roads; relief. Recollections of operations in Somme area, 7/1916-9/1916: question of preliminary training; role with cadre in transport lines during attack, 1/7/1916; story of meeting remnants of unit coming out of line; re-organisation with new drafts; view of tank, 9/1916; reaction to view of cavalry moving forward. Various aspects of period on Western Front, 1917-1918: visit to Arras, 4/1917; personal morale; reactions to transfer to 56th Div; question of treatment of Scottish units; reasons for refusing commission; duties as corporal running unit canteen during rest periods; role running officers' mess; view of railway gun in action in Ypres area; retreat in Somme area, 3/1918-4/1918; news of Armistice in Mons sector, 11/11/1918.
REEL 5 Continues: Recollections of period in Hilden, Germany, 11/1918-4/1918: story of visit to brother's grave at Aachen; billets; duties running officers' mess; opinion of colonel. Background to demobilisation, 4/1919. Post-war career: return to work as clerk; effects of war service; question of justification of war. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Hart, Peter M | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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recording
British private served as signaller…
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