Object description
British légionnaire and NCO served with 1st (Headquarters) Regt French Foreign Legion in Algeria, 1937-1940; NCO served with 5th Regt French Foreign Legion in Indo-China and China, 1940-1945, including period in transit with Alessandri Column, 1945; officer served with Special Operations Executive Inter Service Liaison Department in India, 1945-1946; served with Metropolitan Police S Division in GB, 1948- 1949; served with Special Branch in GB, 1949-1965, including period as bodyguard to Winston Churchill, 1950-1965
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Burnopfield and London, GB to 1937: family; education; civilian work in London; story of joining Irish Guards; reason for buying himself out and cost; period with Irish Guards in Caterham including relationship with one member of regiment; civilian work; decision to join French Foreign Legion; reaction and memories of manager; journey to Boulogne; discovery of nearest recruitment office; journey to Saint Omer including story of losing virginity to prostitute en route; joining of French Foreign Legion at Saint Omer Barracks. Aspects of period as légionnaire with French Foreign Legion in France, 5/1937: story of train journey to Toul.
REEL 2 Continues: reception on arrival at Toul station; march to barracks and activities in Toul; journey to Marseilles; background of fellow recruits; reasons for joining French Foreign Legion; knowledge of unit; story of girlfriend in Chingford; work with Conservative Party in Newcastle; period working in Hampstead; story of bicycle journey from London to Newcastle; uniform issued in Marseilles; processing; help building canteen in Toul including initial problems with manual labour; memories of fellow recruits; selling of civilian clothes; conditions during voyage to Oran. Aspects of period as légionnaire and NCO with 1st Regiment French Foreign Legion in Algeria, 5/1937-1940: reception on arrival from Captain Hamilton including background of officers; reaction to posting in North Africa; journey to Sidi Bel Abbès; march to barracks; army haircut received in Marseilles.
REEL 3 Continues: arrival in transit camp; interviews with officers and marking for band as tenor saxophonist; posting to and details of Saïda; rifle drill; assault course; route marches; uniform issued; story of arresting civilians in local village including suddden alarm calls during training; punishment for carrying wine in water bottle; details of headgear; further reasons for joining French Foreign Legion; attempt to join Metropolitan Police when first in London; army medicals; details of pay during basic training and costs of luxury items; further details of basic training; discipline and punishments; nationalities of and relationships with other troops; restrictions on Far Eastern and French nationals in legion; details of pay received by French troops; impressions of Spanish and German troops; story of theft of first pay; offer of help from father to get him out.
REEL 4 Continues: mail; reaction of family to his joining French Foreign Legion; interest in art and model made for school; story of headmaster and mother's dream; return to Sidi Bel Abbès; joining of band; creation and selling of concert programmes; swapping of wine for dessert at dinner; friends in band; length of service; illicit English lessons given in area; work with English-speaking VIPs including offers of ways out; story of parade in Paris, 14/7/1939, including story of dance with Marlene Dietrich; outbreak of war and contact with American Air Attache in Algiers; attempt to volunteer for action in Norway; work as batman; leisure activities; volunteering for draft for Indochina; make-up of draft; reason for creation of draft.
REEL 5 Continues: changes following outbreak of war; manouevres; rumours of German officials in Algeria; reasons for joining Indochina draft; reactions to fall of France; lack of news; military organisation in Algeria; reactions of German troops to situation; details of manouvres; reaction of Spanish troops to situation; English-speaking troops; relationship with colonial troops; details of uniform; description and opinion of rifle including proficiency; sighting of rifle; other weapons in unit; details of light artillery unit; discipline and punishments; details of military prisons including description of meals; description of a banned punishment.
REEL 6 Continues: story of seeing banned punishment in action; story of thinning out troops with prison records; age of troops; brothels in Sidi Bel Abbès including guard duties; relationship with civilians; sports; card and board games; memories of Jewish troops; cinemas; concerts including visits of Maurice Chevalier and Josephine Baker; bars in Sidi Bel Abbès; bullying and services paid for among troops; treatment from NCOs; bullying of Jewish troops; opinion of and relationship with troops of other nationalities; gambling among troops; discussion on desertions from unit and punishments; details of military prison and area around it; details of prisoners and regime in prison.
REEL 7 Continues: further details of Jewish troops; mail; changes to mail following outbreak of war and fall of France; transfer to transit camp at Sidi Bel Abbès; journey to Casablanca; accommodation in docks; visit to friend in city including opinion of reasons for being allowed such freedom allowed by superiors. Aspects of journey from Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria, to Saigon, Indo-China, 1940: duties during voyage; make-up of draft; details of ship and route taken; story of man posing as engineer; water rations; sleeping arrangements; Indochinese troops onboard; physical training; further details of duties during voyage including accommodation; rations before and after Dakar; supply of meals to Indochinese troops; homosexual activity during voyage including punishment when caught; earlier homosexual activity in Algeria; stops in Madagascar; reason for unit not being allowed shore leave in Dakar; visit to dentist on Magagascar.
REEL 8 Continues: leisure activities on Magagascar; discussion of British activity in French colonies; effect on relationship with civilians in Sidi Bel Abbès following sinking of French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir; memories of friend in Sidi Bel Abbès; relationship with civilians in Madagascar and Laos; story of visit to American boat; listing of ship; route taken to Indo-China; decision to desert; plan for desertion; reason for initial cancellation of plan; sending of SOS signals from ship including learning of Morse code; search of ship by Dutch Navy including attempt to join them; reasons for attempts to desert; interview with officer; arrival in Saigon.
REEL 9 Continues: Aspects of period as NCO with 5th Regiment French Foreign Legion in Indo-China, 1940-1945: Japanese troops in Indo-China and story of visit to British Embassy; leadership of Indo-China; Japanese patrols in Saigon; atmosphere and scenes in Saigon; voyage to Hai Phong; Japanese presence in port; train journey to Vi?t Trì and clothing worn; details of area and town including length of posting in Vi?t Trì; description of barracks including situation in Indo-China; spread of regiment and terrain; duties in stores; role of regiment; details of troops and regiments in Indo-China including French civilians living in Indo-China.
REEL 10 Continues: details of pay; relationship with French civilians and visits to out of bounds areas; other civilians in Indo-China; Japanese troops in area; opinion of Japanese; settling in of légionnaires in Indo-China; living conditions; malaria among troops.
REEL 11 Continues: English lessons given; hospitalisation with Yellow Fever; malaria precautions; living conditions; latrines; French and Indochinese civilian attitudes to Japanese; Japanese attacks 9/3/1945 including knowledge of attacks; details of Military Academy set up at Dong Sang in 1942; relationship with officers; posting to academy, 1943; journey to Dong Sang; description of Dong Sang; visits to and details of brothels in town; posting at Military Academy; route marches including terrain; duties; tiring nature of work; civilian use of opium and involvement in hunt for Communists.
REEL 12 Continues: story of being brought into resistance against Japanese; description of collecting air drops including contents and role with communications; American air raids; details of Japanese produced English language newspaper; reactions to news of Japanese successes; acts of sabotage including details of blowing up trains; story of interview with officer following late return from resistance activities; further details of American air raids including story of shot down American pilot.
REEL 13 Continues: conditions for French civilians in Indo-China; curfew in Hanoi; French civilian collaborators; opinion of Japanese aims in Indo-China; Japanese activities before 9/3/1945; reaction to prospect of action; siestas; breakfast; morning parade; sick parades; trick used to feign illness; start of resistance work; warning received of Japanese attack, 9/3/1945; organisation of French forces; attitude of French units to Japanese; reflections on situation in Europe; aim of unit following start of Japanese attacks; status of Dong Sang as open town; civilians and troops left in town; events following Japanese invasion of Dong Sang including details of town; Japanese takeovers in other towns.
REEL 14 Continues: story of Battle at Lang Son. Aspects of period in transit with Alessandri Column in Indo- China and China, 3/1945-5/1945: aim of column; make-up of column; dispersal of local troops; use of mules; weapons carried; distance to destination; rations including help from American air-drops; water supply; climate; altitude travelled to; inappropriate footwear of some troops; length of march; number of actions against Japanese; reconnaisance; communications; contact with civilians and other columns; details of actions against Japanese; air activity; terrain; details of paths used and organisation of withdrawal; night time laagers including time of day of Japanese attacks and creation of strongpoints; weapons used by each side; route taken.
REEL 15 Continues: length of march; state of clothing and boots; surrounding by Japanese forces and breakout; condition of troops and medical posts; abandonment of worst wounded; story of légionnaire left behind; question of POWs taken by Japanese; symptoms of beriberi; survival skills learned from courtesan; fruits gathered in jungle; mules; sending of bush telegraphs; earlier use of Indo-China roads by Japanese; wildlife in jungle; rotation of duties; chaotic moments during withdrawal; Japanese climbing boots; story of dealing with Japanese soldiers climbing in bamboo; medals awarded; rotation of Japanese troops; snakes and leeches; story of heaviest Japanese attack; splitting up of column and crossing of border into China.
REEL 16 Continues: forming up in China; first contact with Chinese troops; survivors of column and other escapees from Indo- China; march into China and stay outside village including cooking arrangements and payment of civilians; details of area; accommodation and rations; continuation of route march; meeting with Chinese senior officer including agreement to keep hold of weapons; continuation of march and arrival at town; departure from unit; details of Simao; attitude toward Indo- Chinese civilians; knowledge of foreign languages; importance of NCOs in French Foreign Legion.
REEL 17 Continues: activities of unit after his departure; details of Dien Bien Phu including sucrose found there and reasons for not making a stand there against Japanese; details of French medals received; attempts to gain British medals; backpay received from French Foreign Legion following march; memories of Methodist priest in Pu'Er Pho; visits to and work of American weather station; uniform worn; presence at interrogations of légionnaires including help given to Swiss soldier and details of French possessions in India; role of weather station; story of visit to British Consulate; joining of Special Operations Executive in Kunming.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80014406
