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Description: | British private served as signaller with Royal Engineers Signal Service in GB, on Western Front and in Ireland, 1916-1919
REEL 1 Background in Port Talbot, 1901-1916: lay-offs in steel works; port activity; living conditions; pay in steel works and effect of outbreak of war; post-war situation including economic changes, attitudes to war time profiteering and attitude to conscientious objectors; increased wartime food production.
REEL 2 Continues: post-war situation including stripping of Margam Woods during war. Aspects of period as sorting clerk and telegraphist with Post Office at Tewkesbury, 3/1915-9/1916: geographical and social contrasts with Port Talbot; postmen with part-time jobs; Tewkesbury Abbey; reactions to war; complications of inward and external mail sorting system linked to railways.
REEL 3 Continues: different types of mail delivery round; frequent sorting night shifts and introduction of women sorters; failure of attempt to join Royal Navy due to status as post office telegraphist. Aspects of period with Wireless Section, Royal Engineers at Worcester and Great Malvern, 9/1916-1/1917: selection for duties on trench wireless sets; lectures in wireless set; exercise in erecting and sending messages from mobile wireless sets; comparison of crystal and valve wireless sets; ignorance of intended role. Recollections of attachment to Third Army in Arras area, France, 1/1917-4/1917: planned attack using creeping artillery barrages.
REEL 4 Continues: assignment to accompany first wave of infantry in attack; description of portable British field wireless set and ancillary equipment required; personal equipment; problem of heavy loads carried by wireless team and consequent difficulty crossing No Man's Land during attack, 9/4/1917; muddy conditions; story of deliberately throwing away spurs; personal morale. Account of accompanying first wave during Battle of Arras, 9/4/1917-14/4/1917: objective in Hindenburg Line, question of status as first wireless operators to accompany troops during attack; German shrapnel; German POW; German dugout; erecting aerial.
REEL 5 Continues: success in getting in touch by wireless with Directing Station; failure of neighbouring infantry units to appreciate possibilities of wireless in contrast to telephone communications and consequent lack of work; snow fall; subsequent recall to base in Arras; confidence in progress of Arras offensive; story of being wounded in leg by shell, 28/4/1917; medical treatment during evacuation, 4/1917-5/1917: initial treatment; electric light railway journey to Arras; conditions of service in Arras area, 1/1917-4/1917. Sings songs 'When this wicked war is over' and 'Fred Karno's Army' as illustration of sense of humour.
REEL 6 Continues: trench feet; Salvation Army hostel; question of state of morale and opinion of high command; story of erecting wireless aerial; opinion of staff officers. Aspects of period in GB, 1917: crossing English Channel; reception of hospital train at Leicester; situation during leave in Port Talbot; convalescent course at Thetford. reception from civilians in Worcester; training at Bletchley.
REEL 7 Recollections of periods at Cork, Castletown, Buttevant and Limerick, Ireland, 1/1918-5/1919: prior cancellation without warning of posting to Western Front; role establishing network of wireless communications to replace sabotaged telephone lines; destruction of shop popular with British troops in Cork; story of insurgents shooting at lorry in Castletown whilst releasing homing pigeons; plentiful food; story of receiving news of Armistice from Eiffel Tower wireless broadcasts and subsequent celebrations, 11/11/1918; question of demobilisation; promotion to acting lance corporal and story of escorting demobilisation draft back to England.
REEL 8 Continues: rejecting opportunity to join 'Black and Tans'; volunteering to serve in Russia and rejection as ex-Post Office staff. Demobilisation and return to Port Talbot, 12/1919: background to decision to leave Post Office; socio-economic situation; reactions to war and symbolic nature of election of Ramsey Macdonald as Labour Party MP, 1921. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Lance, David G | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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