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Description: | British private served with 10th, 12th, 11th and 1st Bns Royal West Surrey Regt in GB and on Western Front, 1915-1919
REEL 1 Recollections of training with B Coy, 10th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt at Battersea Park, London and Albuehra Barracks, Aldershot, 12/1915-5/1916: reasons for volunteering; uniform; drill; bayonet drill and question of relevance; experience of NCOs and officers; trench construction. Aspects of period with 12th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt at Northampton, 5/1916-12/1916: question of underage status and age required for active service overseas; reduced medical category.
REEL 2 Recollections of operations with 11th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt in front of Messines Ridge, Ypres area, Belgium, 12/1916-4/1917: journey out to join unit at Alberta Camp, Reninghelst, 12/1916; description of route into front line in St Eloi sector including first experience of German shell fire at Scottish Wood and ignorance of communication trenches; front line relief system; sniper problem; wet conditions and use of trench waders; rat and lice problems; cold conditions; lack of sleep; stand to.
REEL 3 Continues: night sentry duty; food rations; water supply; ration parties; differing nature of German shellfire on front and support lines; carrying parties; working parties building trenches under supervision of Royal Engineers; question of small arms fire reaching reserve trenches at Dickebusch; dugouts; opinion of Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery; cold conditions.
REEL 4 Continues: cold conditions and use of whale oil to prevent trench feet; heavy German shellfire during attempted raid by neighbouring 10th Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt, 2/1917; German high velocity shells; shellfire in open ground; background to selection as Lewis gun ammunition carrier; role of Lewis gun team members; weight of equipment and ammunition carried during attack on Messines Ridge, 7/6/1917; role of Lewis gun Number One. Preparations for Battle of Messines, 4/1917-6/1917: tactical training during rest period at Houlle, 4/1917; battlefield models.
REEL 5 Continues: battlefield models; plan to capture Damstrasse strongpoint; tunnelling operations. Recollections of attack on Messines Ridge, 7/6/1917: move up and organisation of attack into waves of infantry; temporary suspension of artillery bombardment immediately prior to zero hour at 03.10; personal morale; attack across No Man's Land; difficulties with German barbed wire; capture of Damstrasse strongpoint; digging new front line trench; digging forward Lewis gun post and story of accidentally coming under fire from British troops; reasons for not consolidating old German positions; personal morale.
REEL 6 Recollections of operations in Ypres area, 6/1917-7/1917: increase in German long range shelling; enfilading fire on British positions in Ypres salient; ground conditions and question of artillery success in clearing barbed wire; personal morale; problems caused by German concrete pillboxes. Recollections of attack in Battle Wood sector, 31/7/1917: casualties whilst lying on start lines; advance across No Man's Land and capture of German first lines; delay in attack on German pillbox whilst waiting for artillery to lift barrage and consequent casualties; ground conditions effect on pace of advance; taking shelter in shell hole and close escape from German hand grenade; taking shelter in wood hut; stoppage whilst firing Lewis gun.
REEL 7 Continues: Lewis gun jammed by mud; story of being wounded by German machine gun fire whilst crossing open ground; initial treatment by stretcher bearer in shell hole; treatment at advanced dressing station and question of priority for serious wounds; evacuation as walking wounded to Ypres/Comines Canal. Evacuation in stages and hospitalisation in GB, 8/1917-9/1917: question of civilian knowledge of war; hospital uniform. Aspects of period at Shoreham by Sea Convalescent Camp, 9/1917-12/1917: grading of medical condition.
REEL 8 Continues: grading of medical condition; question of medical officer passing unfit men as A1 at medical boards; ruse to avoid being passed A1 a medical board; duties depending on medical grading; training. Aspects of operations with 1st Bn Queen's Royal West Surrey Regt in Ypres area, 1/1918-3/1918: ground conditions; accuracy of German ranging on communications routes; use of shell hole posts to form front line; latrines; use of solidified methylated spirits to boil water for tea. Reactions to Armistice, 11/11/1918. Question of reaction to delay before demobilisation, 5/1919. | 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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