|
Date: |
|
Description: | British private served with 1/7th Bn Worcestershire Regt in Italy, 1917-1918
REEL 1: Background in Devon, 1898-1914: family; education; employment as farm worker; attitude to outbreak of war; enlistment of brothers; effect of war on farm; daily routine; wages; recreational activities.
REEL 2 Continues: attitude to farm work; story of being sacked; ploughing and care of horses; opinion of food; question of wages; reason for enlisting; attested at Oakhampton, 1/1917. Recollections of training in GB, 9/1917-1/1918: called up and reported to barracks in Exeter, 9/1917; issued with uniform and problem of boots; transferred to Sand Hill camp, Salisbury Plain; accommodation; sleeping arrangements; problem of cold; memory of fellow recruits; drill; PT exercises.
REEL 3 Continues: description of rifle training with Lee Enfield; target practise on range; opinion of Lee Enfield rifle; passed out 1st class shot; bayonet training; care of rifle; tactical exercises; training with Mills bombs; gas training; use of rifle grenades; story of injury to arm; daily routine; opinion of food; messing arrangements and canteen; care of uniform; guard duty; church parade; attitude to military discipline; drafted overseas and description of journey from Dover to Le Havre, France, 1/1918. Recollections of operations as private with 1/7th Worcestershire Regt in Italy, 1917-1918: description of eight-day train journey to Italy; sanitary facilities; recreational activities.
REEL 4 Continues: opinion of platoon officer; reason for British troops in Italy; daily routine; memory of military band and singing songs on march; attitude to Italians; accommodation and sleeping arrangements; story of rat bite; problem of cold; description of trench system on Asiago Plateau and problem of rock; daily routine in trenches; opinion of rations; canteen; story of raid on village; memory of rum ration; stand to and sentry duty; sleeping arrangements; problem of cold; sanitary arrangements; description of being under fire.
REEL 5 Continues: problem of sand fly fever; story of German raid, 15/Jun/1918; story of aid post; duties with wiring party; daily routine in camp; story of raid on German positions at Asiago, 11/1918; use of boot blacking on face and equipment; use of flares; question of fear; rum ration before raid; opinion of commanding officer; attitude to NCOs; opinion of Austrian troops; attitude to Italian civilians.
REEL 6 Continues: further comments on German raid, 15/Jun/1918; story of German POWs; advanced into Austria and memory of dead mules; transferred to Taranto, Italy; story of incident with grenade and problem of West Indian troops; guard duty. Aspects of period as private with 1/7th Worcestershire Regt in Albania, 1918-1919: reason for being transferred to Albania and nature of duties as wagon driver.
REEL 7 Continues: billets; duties guarding British embassy in Tirana; daily routine and guarding POWs; delivering rations to embassy; comparison of mules and horses; demobilization in GB, 12/1919. Various aspects of post-war employment on railways.
REEL 8 Continues: further comments on post-war employment on railways including period of Second World War, 1939-1945. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Mitchell, Charles | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
|
|