| Description | Interview tapes re the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment in Palestine 1937-1938. Lieutenant R King-Clark, Sgt Howbrook.
Tameside MBC cannot supply copies of these items. Please see below under Access Restrictions for further information.
Summaries of the interviews taken from the Imperial War Museum's online catalogue:
Lieutenant Robert 'Rex' King-Clark:
British officer served with 1st Bn Manchester Regiment in Egypt, 1937-1938; served with 1st Bn Manchester Regiment and Special Night Squads in Palestine, 1938-1939
REEL 1 Recollections of period as officer with 1st Bn Manchester Regiment in Egypt, 1937-1938: background to joining army; posting to Egypt, 1937; reactions to posting and prior knowledge of Middle East; intelligence gathering whilst flying over French and Italian territories on route to Egypt; type of intelligence required; description of Ismailia Camp; opinion of training; daily routine; relationship with members of platoon; prevalent attitudes to war and regimental system. REEL 2 Continues: necessity for soldiers' brothel at Ismailia; prevalence of venereal disease; efforts to entertain troops; relations between troops and Egyptians; limited experience of internal security role; appreciation of Italian threat; precautionary defensive measures taken by British in Egypt to meet potential Italian threat; lack of anticipation of Second World War; assessment of Italian strength and their performance in Abyssinia; officer lifestyle at Ismailia. REEL 3 Continues: divisional exercises in desert; use of personal aircraft. Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn Manchester Regt in Palestine, 1938: reaction to posting to Palestine; arrival in Palestine and accommodation at Mount Canaan above Safad; convoy escort duties; responses to Arab sniping; origins of Arab unrest; attitude towards Arabs; opinion of effectiveness of Arab tactics; first meeting with Orde Wingate detained in error by King-Clark's troops. Recollections of operations as officer with Special Night Squads in Palestine, 1938: posting to Special Night Squads; purpose of unit and introduction to Orde Wingate's ideas. REEL 4 Continues: background to Orde Wingate's formation of Special Night Squads; purpose and later reputation of Special Night Squads; billeting in kibbutz; description of kibbutz; origins of squad members; training Jewish recruits; Orde Wingate's ideas on battle formation; personal purchase of Mauser machine pistol; nature of operations; Orde Wingate's intelligence sources and use of secrecy and surprise; later squad operations using trained personnel; quality of Jewish recruits; description of training Jewish recruits. REEL 5 Continues: night encounter with Arab insurgents; attacks on villages; Orde Wingate's wounding and his resilience; successful operation in which prominent Arab insurgent killed. Aspects of operations as officer with 1st Bn Manchester Regiment in Palestine, 1938-1939: return to battalion; contrast between battalion sized operation and Special Night Squad operations; accident in which civilian killed; use of personal aircraft for reconnaissance and makeshift adaptations for combat. Recollections of operations as officer with Special Night Squads in Palestine, 1938: Orde Wingate's unorthodox approach and pro-Jewish sympathies. REEL 6 Continues: lack of interest in world affairs amongst officers; attitude towards Arabs; occasion when squad was accidentally fired on from kibbutz guards; equipment and uniforms; navigation during night marches; debilitating boils; frequency of patrols; opinion of and attitude to Orde Wingate; efforts to protect oil pipeline; contact with Trans-Jordan Frontier Force; opinion of and relations Palestine Police. REEL 7 Continues: illustrations of Orde Wingate's eccentricity and independence; reconnaissance trip with Orde Wingate when car broke down in hostile territory.
Sergeant Howbrook:
British NCO served with 1st Bn Manchester Regt and Special Nights Squads in Palestine, 1938
REEL 1 Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Bn Manchester Regt in Palestine, 1938: posting to Palestine, early 1938; ineffectiveness of operations based on Acre against Arab insurgents. Recollections of operations as NCO with Special Night Squads in Palestine, 1938: recruitment to Special Night Squads; training exercise with Orde Wingate on Mount Carmel; Wingate's rationale for necessity of Special Night Squads; command structure; method of patrolling based on Aiyelet ash Shahar; descriptions of encounters with Arab insurgents. REEL 2 Continues: Orde Wingate's rapid return to unit after wounding; story of his shooting of Arab insurgent in village; organisation of Special Night Squads; relations with Jewish population including billeting, food supplies, military training and inclusion of Jews in unit; impressions of Orde Wingate; Wingate's methods of enforcing discipline; attitude towards Arab insurgents; story of plan to incite Arab ambush. REEL 3 Continues: reasons for failure of plan to incite ambush; accommodation in Jewish kibbutz; story of raid on Arab village with unwelcome 'help' from Palestinian policeman; problems caused by flare dropped in error by RAF aircraft; method of moving silently at night; requisition of horses of killed insurgents; story of accidental shooting of Arab during raid on village; throwing of grenade at British patrol in Haifa; reprisals on village near broken pipeline; posting to Singapore, 1938. |
| AccessConditions | These tapes are copies of originals held at the Imperial War Museum. Requests for copies of these tapes should be directed to the Imperial War Museum on +44 (0)20 7416 5215/5309 or by email imagesales@iwm.org.uk.
Howbrook interview: Catalogue number 4619 Creator: IWM (Production company); Howbrook, Fred (interviewee/speaker); Wood, Conrad (recorder). This interview has been digitised and is available for listening via the IWM's online catalogue.
King-Clark interview: Catalogue number 4486, Production date 1979; Creator IWM (Production company); Wood, Conrad (recorder); King-Clark, Robert (interviewee/speaker) |
