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Description: | British private served with 8th Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry in Salonika, Greece, 1916-1917
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Leominster and Shrewsbury, 1897-1914: father's background and military service; family circumstances; education; work as shop delivery boy, 1909-1913; work as shoemaker's apprentice, 1913-1916; family religious beliefs and Sunday School attendance,
REEL 2 Continues: religious beliefs and failed attempts at preaching; question of recreations; question of awareness of approach of war; visit and flying demonstration by Gustav Hamel, 1910; reactions to outbreak of war, 4/8/1914; father's re-enlistment and service with Royal Defence Corps; family circumstances; question of enlistment; background to enlistment into Army Reserve Class B, 9/1915. Enlistment at Shirehall Recruitment Office and Copthorne Barracks, ca 4/1916: reactions; kitting out with uniform. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during training with B Coy, 9th Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry at Prees Heath Camp, 4/1916-6/1916: reception.
REEL 3 Continues: situation; palliasses; hut accommodation; food rations; morning routine; PT; breakfast; inspection parade and bugle calls; drill; relationship with NCOs; assault course; route marches and use of heavy infantry pace; rifle training and success in firing course on range; story of losing promotion to lance corporal through letting men drink; role as acting unpaid lance corporal; relationship with ORs; priority for married men in leave arrangements.
REEL 4 Continues: Continues: bayonet and hand grenade training; lunch; relationship with NCO instructors; tea; recreations including canteen, attending religious meetings and writing to girlfriend; church parade; relationship with civilians; preparing for kit inspections; minimal contact with officers; reactions to army lifestyle; question of pride in regiment; pre-war view of treatment of deserter; extra food rations; age of recruits; news of disbandment of unit and draft to 3rd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry; journey to Pembroke.
REEL 5 Period with 3rd Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry at Golden Hill Camp, Pembroke, ca 6/1916-7/1916: church parade; near accident during hand grenade training; bayonet training; issue of tropical and then serge uniforms prior to draft and dispute over embarkation leave for draft. Voyage aboard Britain to Salonika, Greece, ca 7/1916: hammocks; submarine guard duty; VD lecture. Period at Summer Hill Camp, Salonika, ca 8/1916: first impressions; role of 'right hand man' on parade; guard duty and award of 'stick'; draft. Recollections of period with 16 Platoon, D Coy, 8th Bn King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry in Varda sector, Doiran Front, 8/1916-11/1918: situation and problem with malaria; journey to Karasuli.
REEL 6 Continues: move to join unit at rest camp; signs of Balkan War; reception; iron rations; relationship with officers, NCOs and ORs; special bayonet training; personal morale; tent accommodation; move into front line to relieve 12th Bn, Cheshire Regt; nature of trenches and dugouts; dugouts occupied during day in ravine immediately behind front line; sentry duty; fatigues; relationship with NCOs; food rations.
REEL 7 Continues: food rations; Bulgarian shellfire on ration parties; reactions of 60th Div to conditions of service in Salonika; cigarette and rum rations; water supply; mobile baths; lice problem; latrines; faunae; bingo; Bulgarian shellfire; story of coming under shellfire crossing open ground; story of mistaking Lancashire troops for Bulgarians.
REEL 8 Continues: story of mistaking Lancashire troops for Bulgarians; composition of 66th Bde; Bulgarian shellfire; width of No Mans Land; outpost duty in No Mans Land; reconnaissance patrols and skirmishes with Bulgarian patrols; movements; wiring parties; gas masks and effect of Bulgarian gas shells; small arms fire; Bulgarian sniping problem; trench raids; opinion of Bulgarian troops and German officers; Bulgarian trench raids.
REEL 9 Continues: tours of duty; rest periods including nature of duties and lack of recreations; importance of religion; trench raids; winter weather conditions; health problems including trench feet, malaria and dysentery; medical treatment during period in hospital, 8/1917; period in convalescent camp, 8/1917, including latrines, working party making roads and volunteering to return to unit; journey back to front line; duties moving petrol supplies and using hose-pipes during Salonika fire, 18/8/1917-20/8/1917.
REEL 10 Continues: duties patrolling to stop French troops looting during Salonika fire, 18/8/1917-20/8/1917; rejoining unit, 8/1917; letter and parcel contact with GB including reactions to end of relationship with girlfriend; anti-malaria precautions including issue of quinine and helmet mosquito nets; uniform including fold down shorts and makeshift spine-pads and body belt; frost bitten trench feet problem including consequent light duty as outpost guide and poor state of boots; slight shrapnel leg wound during patrol; evacuation by mule, ambulance and rail to Salonika. Period at 28th General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps, Salonika, ca 11/1917: question of medical treatment; state of feet; interrogation over cause of frost-bitten feet as possible disciplinary offence.
REEL 11 Continues: interrogation over cause of frostbite as possible disciplinary offence; medical treatment. Voyage aboard Gloucester Castle to Malta, ca 11/1917-12/1917. Period in hospitals at Malta, 12/1917: story of Lord Methuen criticising frost bite cases on arrival; medical treatment; attitude to return to Salonika; improvement to condition. Voyage aboard Rewa to GB, 26/12/1917-4/1/1918: German submarine alert; seasickness and sailor's cure; situation during preparations to abandon ship after being hit by torpedo, 4/1/1918; abandoning ship in lifeboat; casualties; moving away from sinking Rewa.
REEL 12 Continues: view of surfaced German submarine; problem with lifeboat bung; sinking of Rewa; question of wireless SOS and rocket alarms; personal morale and inspirational presence of sailors; worsening sea conditions; circumstances of rescue by naval ship and reception from crew; reception and reaction to view of civilian ration queue on arrival at Swansea, 5/1/1918; train journey to Bristol. Period at South Mead General Hospital, Bristol, 1/1918: state of feet; nightmares. Period in Cedars Hospital, Wells, ca 1/1918-3/1918: stories of civilian visitors. Period at Pressfeld Hospital, Shrewsbury, Churchstoke Hospital and Wrekin Hospital, ca 3/1918-6/1918: circumstances of transfer; reception from family; story of meeting former girlfriend.
REEL 13 Continues: re-establishing relationship with former girlfriend; medical treatment; state of feet. Period at Copthorne Barracks, ca 7/1918: duties in charge of party of Sinn Fein supporters; subsequent trial and imprisonment of Sinn Fein supporters; assessment as unsuitable for further active service at Rehabilitation Centre at Knowsley Park, Liverpool. Period at Park Hall Camp, Oswestry, ca 8/1918: story of appearance at 'Auction Board' to decide future posting; posting as shoemaker to 540 Home Service Bn; dispute over wearing KOSLI badges. Period with 49th Training Reserve Bn, Labour Corps at Prees Heath, ca 8/1918-1/1919: reception and initial scepticism over qualifications; duties; background to arrest of NCO for theft of shoemakers' bonus payments and army leather; promotion to sergeant; reaction to Armistice Day. 11/11/1918; renewed problem with feet and disability pension granted by Medical Board on demobilisation, 2/1919. Post-war career: decline of shoemaking trade; taking over shoemaker's at Trench; lack of profitability in repairs.
REEL 14 Continues: background to building new wooden premises and move into selling new shoes; problems with collecting 'boot club' payments from miners after Miners' Strike, 1926; state of feet including suspension of specialist medical treatment and suspensions of eligibility for disability pension; background to securing specialist treatment and permanent disability pension. Period as civilian clerk with Wages Office, Royal Army Ordnance Corps Depot, Donnington, ca 1937-1962: background to securing position; detachments to sort out problems at other depots; move of Wages Office to Copthorne Barracks. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Jones, Ernest Victor John | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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