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Description: | British private served with 16th and 12th Bns Middlesex Regt on Western Front, 1915-1917, including Battle of the Somme, 7/1916; served with Army Service Corps at remount depot in Southampton, GB, 1917-1918
REEL 1: Background in Bournemouth and London, GB, 1895-1914: family; education; description of employment as hall boy and footman; recreational activities; accommodation; food; wages; memory of visiting music hall; reaction to outbreak of war; volunteered for army, 1914; enlisted with Middlesex Regt in Whitehall, London, 1/1915. Aspects of training with 16th Bn Middlesex Regt in GB, 1915: uniforms; description of basic training and divisional training on Salisbury Plain; attitude to army life and discipline. Aspects of operations as private with 16th Bn Middlesex Regt on Western Front, 1915-1916: landed at Boulogne, 11/1915; moved into trenches in Givenchy sector, France; memories of fellow soldiers; marched to Somme area; took over trenches in Beaumont Hamel sector, 5/1916; living conditions in trenches; billets in house; story of German machine gun; daily routine and duties; description of trenches; story of corporal killed by sniper.
REEL 2 Continues: preparations for Somme offensive, 6-7/1916; listening patrols; wounded by shrapnel and treatment at Casualty Clearing Stations, 1/Jul/1916; returned to GB for further medical treatment; nature of wounds; home leave; posted to 12th Bn Middlesex Regt. Aspects of operations as private with 12th Bn Middlesex Regt on Western Front, 1916-1917: arrived at camp in Albert sector, Somme, France; problem of frozen ground; outposts; story of German patrol; description of Regina trench; problem of mud and water; duties collecting rations; opinion of rations; iron rations; description of capture of Boom Ravine; story of dead Germans in trench; description of operations in Achiet-le-Grand sector; story of firing on German Uhlan cavalry patrol; role as No 2 in Lewis gun team; memory of retreating Germans setting fire to chateaux; moved back to Albert; description of being under shell fire; memories of Christmas in Albert, 1916; moved into Arras sector, 5/1917; description of role in operations; story of being wounded and medical treatment in GB; memory of casualties caused by shell; rest periods out of line; estaminets; recreational activities including housey-housey; posted to Tipperary, Ireland for convalescence, 1917; played in football team; question of fitness to return to active service.
REEL 3 Continues: graded B1 by Travelling Medical Board and posted to Chatham; posted to Army Service Corps remount depot, Swaythling, Southampton, 1917. Aspects of period as private with Army Service Corps remount depot, Swaythling, Southampton, GB, 1917-1918: participation in football team; description of duties; cleaning and exercising horses; riding training; accommodation; daily routine; cleaning saddles; story of meeting future wife; memory of Armistice celebrations, 11/11/1918; demobilisation; post-war life and employment in hotel trade. Further memories of Western Front, 1915-1917. Aspects of period in Ireland, 1917: story of escaped Irish prisoner; relations with civilians; role in charge of sergeant's mess; sporting activities. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | O'Connell, Rory F | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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