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Second World War Archive SWWEC
United Kingdom
Приєднався 2 вер 2020
We are a UK charity that collects and preserves the personal written and oral testimonies of those who lived through the Second World War. Our videos are created using clips of interviews from our audio archive and images from our collection.
Please help us to preserve these memories by subscribing to our channel.
Please help us to preserve these memories by subscribing to our channel.
WW2 Blinded & disabled - Bill Griffiths FEPOW
William ‘Bill’ Griffiths, a long-distance lorry driver from Blackburn, Lancashire, joined the RAF in 1940 as a transport driver. He was posted overseas, arriving on 5th August 1941 at Kalang in Singapore.
When the Japanese invaded, his unit was shipped to Java but soon found themselves prisoners of war. Bill was one of a group of men selected by the Japanese to move an ammunition dump in Java, and it was during this task that he was blown up.
At just 21 years old, he lost his eyes and hands. His other injuries included a leg was broken at the tibia and femur, and he was covered from head to toe in shrapnel wounds.
Bill was interviewed for the Archive in 2003. He describes the effect his disabilities had on him and the coping strategies he used, and of how he overcame adversity to build a successful life helping other disabled veterans.
Bill's full-length interview is available from our Audio Archive
(ref Griffiths, W. 01495)
www.war-expereince.org
When the Japanese invaded, his unit was shipped to Java but soon found themselves prisoners of war. Bill was one of a group of men selected by the Japanese to move an ammunition dump in Java, and it was during this task that he was blown up.
At just 21 years old, he lost his eyes and hands. His other injuries included a leg was broken at the tibia and femur, and he was covered from head to toe in shrapnel wounds.
Bill was interviewed for the Archive in 2003. He describes the effect his disabilities had on him and the coping strategies he used, and of how he overcame adversity to build a successful life helping other disabled veterans.
Bill's full-length interview is available from our Audio Archive
(ref Griffiths, W. 01495)
www.war-expereince.org
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Відео
WW2 with 2/5 Leicestershire Regiment - Peter Moore
Переглядів 1182 місяці тому
Peter Moore served with 2/5 Battalion Leicestershire Regiment. His first experience of combat was at the infamous Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia in February 1943. Peter talks about the emotions he experienced during this battle when he was in a defensive position in a slit trench with enemy guns ranged onto his position and mortar bombs dropping down vertically: ‘Nothing prepared me for an...
WW2 WRNS Patricia Potton
Переглядів 734 місяці тому
Video interview with Wren Patricia Potton. Patricia was born in 1923 in Barry, South Glamorgan, to Patrick and Lily Gervaise, and was the sixth of nine children. Only 16 when war broke out, Patricia had to wait until she was 18 before she could volunteer for the WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service). Her family were opposed to the idea, but although her aunt burnt her call up papers she arrived fo...
D-Day with Edward Pool 7th Parachute Battalion
Переглядів 956 місяців тому
Edward ‘Ted’ Pool took part in Operation Tonga, the airborne assault undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division as a part of D-Day landings. After parachuting in over Ranville, Ted commanded 5 platoon, B Company, the 7th Parachute Battalion, tasked with preserving the eastern flank of the Allies' bridgehead from the German 716th Infantry Division and elements of the 21st Panzer Division, a...
WW2 Bletchley Park supervisor: Ray Scoot
Переглядів 58Рік тому
Ray Scoot was just a teenager when he began working at Bletchley Park as a Hollerith team leader and supervisor in Hut 7 and Block C from June 1941 - June 1946. This work was pre-computer mass data analysis using Hollerith punch cards. Ray was in charge of one of the 6 teams in Hut 7, overseeing 25 girls and 2 engineers. He describes the Tetragram with which the team would look for patterns in ...
WW2 The Great Escape - Alan Bryett
Переглядів 87Рік тому
21-year-old RAF Flight Lieutenant Alan Bryett of 158 Squadron was a bomb aimer in a Halifax shot down over Berlin in August 1943. He was captured and sent to Stalag Luft III, the camp that later became immortalised in film for staging one of the biggest and most daring escapes of the war. Alan, known as Junior, had the role of Little S (S for security) in hut 122. In the hut’s washroom was the ...
WW2 Norwegian Resistance - Eline Gilbert Scott
Переглядів 96Рік тому
Extracts from an interview with Eline Gilbert Scott who worked for the Norwegian Resistance during WW2. Eline was a young woman living in Norway with her mother during the German occupation. She describes how she was introduced to Milorg, the main Norwegian Resistance movement, and that a secret compartment was built in the wall of her house to hide a radio. Her job was to listen to and deciphe...
Surviving Tarpopol Ghetto: Wolf Babad
Переглядів 90Рік тому
Wolf Babad was twenty years old when the Germans occupied his hometown of Tarnopol in Poland, and he was forced into the Jewish Ghetto. He was witness to the pogrom, the aktions, and the deportations to Belzec concentration camp, during which his family perished. When the Ghetto was liquidated, Wolf survived by hiding in a brick kiln in total darkness for 9 ½ months. He was one of only 750 Tarn...
German paratrooper captured at Arnhem: Gunther Wein
Переглядів 125Рік тому
Extracts from an interview with German Fallschirmjager (paratrooper) Guenther (Gunther/Gunter) Wein who was captured near Arnhem. Covers the moment of his capture, treatment by the British, and his realisation that he had been fighting not for his country but for Hitler & the Nazis. Gunther Wein was born in Neumuenster, North Germany, in 1924. He joined the Luftwaffe and volunteered to become a...
Shot down & held in solitary confinement: Reginald Cleaver RAF
Переглядів 108Рік тому
Halifax JD214 VR-U, nicknamed Midnight Cocktail, of 419 ‘Moose’ Canadian Squadron was shot down over the Netherlands by German fighter aircraft on 24/25 June 1943. The event is told using clips of Flight Engineer/2nd Pilot Reginald Cleaver’s 2009 interview & illustrated with some of our Halifax images. The story: Despite fires on board, hydraulics down, bomb doors open, and one engine missing, ...
SOE WW2 Patrick Dalzel-Job by Richard Broom
Переглядів 295Рік тому
Patrick Dalzel-Job was a WW2 British naval intelligence officer and commando. He served with the Anglo-Polish-French Expeditionary Force in Norway in 1940 and with 12 Special Service Submarine Flotilla on X-Craft and Midget submarines, before joining 30 Assault Unit Commando under Ian Fleming. The character of James Bond, written by Ian Fleming, was modalled on Patrick and men like him. The Arc...
Original WW2 Tank photos
Переглядів 105Рік тому
The Archive has thousands of original WW2 photographs. If you are looking for photos for personal, educational, or commercial use, email us with your query at enquiries@war-experience.org.
Omaha Beach D-Day - Hilaire Benbow
Переглядів 166Рік тому
Hilaire Benbow, Royal Navy, was only 19 years old when he served on D-Day in LCA 458 (Landing Craft Assault) which carried US Rangers from HMS Prince Charles for the second wave of the assault at Pointe du Hoc on Omaha Beach. When Hilaire’s LCA was badly damaged, he was forced to abandon ship and take cover at the water’s edge on Dog Green Sector - the beach which featured in the opening scene ...
WW2 Army collapsible cup
Переглядів 36Рік тому
Second World War collapsible aluminium cup with original box.
WW2 Intelligence Corps Burma - Ron Wolfenden
Переглядів 1222 роки тому
WW2 Intelligence Corps Burma - Ron Wolfenden
WW2 Mosquito Navigator & POW - Stan 'Paddy' Hope
Переглядів 3642 роки тому
WW2 Mosquito Navigator & POW - Stan 'Paddy' Hope
WW2 Tank Commander - Major General Henry Woods
Переглядів 1482 роки тому
WW2 Tank Commander - Major General Henry Woods
WW2 Prisoner of the Japanese - Harry Hesp
Переглядів 812 роки тому
WW2 Prisoner of the Japanese - Harry Hesp
WW2 Sinking of San Emiliano - Granville Drayton MBE
Переглядів 942 роки тому
WW2 Sinking of San Emiliano - Granville Drayton MBE
WW2 Home Front - schoolboy Ernest Tate
Переглядів 172 роки тому
WW2 Home Front - schoolboy Ernest Tate
WW2 Bevin Boy - coal miner Frank Robinson
Переглядів 1562 роки тому
WW2 Bevin Boy - coal miner Frank Robinson
WW2 Reconnaissance Regiment - driver Ernest Carr
Переглядів 4372 роки тому
WW2 Reconnaissance Regiment - driver Ernest Carr
WW2 child prisoner of the Japanese - Celia Meade
Переглядів 412 роки тому
WW2 child prisoner of the Japanese - Celia Meade
WW2 Fleet Air Arm - Pilot Eric 'Winkle' Brown
Переглядів 7 тис.2 роки тому
WW2 Fleet Air Arm - Pilot Eric 'Winkle' Brown
My dad joined Naiad at Wallsend and was on her when she was sunk
Riveting interviews! And they speak English the way I was taught in the fifties. Listening to these people reflects badly on modern world "leaders". ☘👿
Many thanks to you good Sir - rest in peace 👍
What an amazing man
Looks very much like my father dad done his training in Weymouth . He was in the SBS and ended up in Japanese concentration camp only for a few weeks the Australians found it and they all scarperd.
A most interesting commentary on Peters' war - told in a very matter of fact manner. He was undoubtably lucky. I would like to have been told about some of the soldiers in his platoon, who were they, who was his Sgt and who was his Commanding Officer and Company Commander.
Great interview. United We Conquer
Dennis D.W. Chief Radio Officer Suffered Serious Burns And Hospitalised In Paramaribo, Awarded George Medal And Lloyds War Medal
Donald Wilfred Dennis 🥲
My great grandfather was the chief wireless officer on board this day you think he’s still alive this man ?
Hi, are you asking if Granville is still alive? If so I’m sorry but he passed away back in March 2022.
@@miadrayton354yeah I spoke to my great aurtny rosemary and she said I’m sorry about that I would of like to of met him aswell thank you for replying
@@Beanolc I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the answers you were looking for. I hope you manage to find them somewhere. He was a great man and despite the war, he lived a happy and fulfilling life, passing a month before his 101st birthday surrounded by family.
Anyone remember the TV series Danger: UXB?
Pic of bombers over the channel low, is that real?
Yes. These are Heinkel He 111 bombers flying literally 'under the radar', English Channel ,1940.
I once tape recorded the Wormhoudt memories of Mr Fahey for the Imperial War Museum. It is possible that this is an extract from that recording.
This is from our interview with Fahey which was recorded by our Life president Dr Peter Liddle in 2001 🙂
Bastard mine owners, scumbags
Would have loved to have met him & say thank you for his service. His life story is amazing!!
My dad served on the Naiad and before that on the Curlew.
" The Bevin Boys were a group of young men in the UK during World War II who were conscripted not to fight on the front lines, but to work in the coal mines. This all started in 1943 when Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour and National Service, realized that Britain was facing a massive coal shortage. Coal was essential for keeping the war machine running-factories, railways, and even the military needed it. So, instead of sending all these young men to the battlefield, about 10% of conscripts were sent underground to keep the country powered. In total, around 48,000 men became Bevin Boys, making up that 10% of conscripts. The program ran from 1943 until the end of the war in 1945, and the last Bevin Boys weren’t released from service until 1948-three years after the war had officially ended. These guys didn’t have much of a choice; they were randomly selected, often by a lottery system, so one day you could be training to fight, and the next day you were handed a pickaxe and a helmet. Public opinion about the Bevin Boys was mixed. Some people saw them as slackers who had dodged the front lines, while others recognized how crucial their work was. The truth is, they didn’t get the same recognition as soldiers, and many felt forgotten and overlooked. If someone refused to become a Bevin Boy, they could be charged with desertion or insubordination, which carried serious penalties, including imprisonment. It wasn’t until 1995 that the Bevin Boys were formally recognized for their contributions. For decades, their work went largely unacknowledged, but eventually, they were honored with a commemorative badge, giving them some long-overdue recognition for the vital role they played during the war. " facebook.com/share/p/ZccqyokSiaoHF1tr/?mibextid=oFDknk
Great to hear these stories and thank you for your service very brave people
What a lovely bloke. My grandad was in the Royal marines commando and he did 2 raids on Norway 1 on France and one on Guernsey. He was then landed shortly after D Day.
I'm from Normandy (Juno Beach). The commandos are our forever friends. We can't thank your grandad enough for what he did. All the best
@@MrVal024 thank you. That means a lot honestly it does. Thanks.
Very interesting film,Thankyou for this👍 What a great man . RIP Bob Millard
I've got his book The British Commandos. It's good. Charles Messenger book is bigger though.
They faced a difficult situation. They came. They understood. They gave. They saved lives.
My great uncle Victor Davies died during operation Ladbroke
My dad was in Ist Bat Border Regiment in Op Ladbroke. His glider landed a long way from the bridge, and he said it was impossible to drag their small handcarts loaded with ammo over the rocky terrain. They had to lug as much as they could by hand. R.I.P. your great uncle.
Very insightful and exciting hearing the experience of a coal miner from the coal miner himself from those times.
Wg. Cdr. (Wing Commander) Roland Beamont of No. 150 Wing, was directly involved in the development of Hawker Fighters in WW II, helping particularly in developing the Hawker Tempest into its role in the Tactical Air Force (TAF II) which crunched the Wehrmacht following D-Day. He fought in all the Hawker fighters, Hurricane MK I. Typhoon Mk Ib, Tempest V. Even today, young men, his age, start their air force training at the Airforce Academy, Colorado Springs. Likewise, the RAF in the U.K.
That was not my father's voice!!!!!
Cpt Eric winkle brown the greatest test pilot ever ,he met the american Chuck yeager, who later broke the speed of sound he says chuck yeager was very ''standoffish'' toward him and never got on together more yeager then brown, eric brown reflects back when he had the opportunity to be the first to break the sound barrier, they had a jet powered prototype ready for a test flight, but for some reason the british government pulled the plug, and ordered brown to cease any further work this left brown in a very angry along with his team and mystified state... why ? he was ordered to hand over all data , drawings , blueprints, collected thus far, including the moving Tail assembly which the americans took to solve the failures it suffered in its record attempt
It was the Miles 52 program The Americans had approached the Brits with a quid pro quo arrangement that they would give the Brits something and would get something on the Miles 52 program The problem was that the Brits were 18months ahead . When Miles handed over the Flying tail it was all ahead full with the US while pressure was put on Miles from the UK Govt to close it down Although Brown never says in his book, the inference is that the US put pressure on the UK government to close the Miles program down . In quite a few times the War Debt was the catalyst . Such things are frequently mentioned in Films etc The Diplomat, Yes Minister
@@jacktattis Yes, I quite agree plus the eagerness of Churchill to play lap dog to American demands, he gave a lot of top secret cutting edge technology away the British were way ahead in rader development and overnight the Americans caught up what I find puzzled over was the the American Norden bombsight the RAF wanted to barrow some while they were working on a new design themselves but it was a year away but the Americans refused because the Germans might get one from a shot down RAF bomber Did anybody tell the Americans that the Germans had already stolen the blueprint years earlier which the Americans refused to believe No it was because of the chief of the US navy who hated the British and refused to help the British it was a waste of money and investment the Germans consider it a fancy full bombsight of little value
@@jacktattis Yes i agree the Americans differently pulled you owe us a favour card out of there bottom or two they knew about what was going on in Britain with there attempt at the sound barrier attempt for sure . they came over the whole bunch of them straight to the prime minister with cap in hand we all know how eager Churchill was to the American when he was in power the demands he was h American himself and basically offered what ever they wanted he gave away the entire family silver to accross the pond. Chuck Yeager was a complete twat towards brown jealous sob he knew of Eric brown and his exploits as a test pilot and he knew he couldn't match him but he could if he broke the sound barrier first hence why the Americans put pressure on Clermont Attlee then British prime minister 1947 Yeager got his revenge on brown over on the British because of the British expertise help irony at itd finest The Norden bombsight is another pet hate why the Americans refused to let the RAF use it they say it was in case the Germans got hold of it didn't nobody tell the Americans that the Germans already had it they stole detail of it and shipped it over Germany the Nazis had a well established spy network in America . industrial espionage was one of the ways they kept tabs on things the Americans were designing bombers guns and the Norden bombsight the Germans thought it was overly complex and unnecessary expensive they had a good bombsight and though it was a waste of effort However the reason the RAF never got there hands on one earlier in the war was because of admiral King . Aside for the fact American bomber's were scattered all over Europe shot down in doves with I tact bombsight lol
Hello, my relative, John W. “Jack” Green, was an America Mosquito pilot in late WWII, after having flown 25 missions in a B-17. He was a member of the Mosquito Aircrew Association and wrote numerous articles for the Mossie, of which I have photocopies of a couple of them. You mentioned ongoing digitization efforts of the Mossie, but I do not see it available on the SWWEC website. Can I access and search/browse the Mossie volumes online somehow? I’d love to read and collect Jack’s articles and photos, as well as read about his unit and fellow service members. Thank you!
What a Man , If only politicians had fraction of the guts of this Man this Country wouldn't be in the state it's in today shame on them.
My father was in he reconnaissance corps. A trooper
What an incredible man. I feel honoured to have seen this. We will never forget what him and his generation did for us.
This is a great video. Col. Archer was certainly one of the key figures in early Bomb Disposal. I read a bit about him before he passed away, so it is nice to now hear his voice as he recounts some of his experiences.
I would love to know what kind of handcuffs were used to secure the prisoners they brought back.
That's an interesting question! There appears to have been 2 main versions of cuffs - the Come-Along (thick chain, T bars) and the heavy-duty wide-hinged one.
A fantastic interview - how well he spoke! But what Winkle Brown relates here is just a small fraction of his experiences. If someone had written a fictional story of someone doing all he did and saw, it would make a great story but nobody would possibly believe it was feasible. And yet he lived it all.
Here is to the memory of the members of the commonwealth who died defending the UK and its overseas territories.
Amazing Hero ....Great Husband good family man....
This man and many others are the heroes of our past lives . They fought for our freedoms. Why do our governments want to give it all away?
Because they are not of us.
In top 5 most competent men of the 20th century. Top 2 or 3 best ever test pilots.
What a great interview and what a nice chap. He was a great help to me when I was researching the WW2 Commandos. His books about the Commandos are excellent especially the one called 'It Had To Be Tough'.
Not just the greatest pilot but one of the great adventurers of history. Arrested by the SS, survived the sinking of his ship, saw the first British jet fly, got a German airfield to surrender to him and one other guy, was there at Belsen, interviewed Nazi leaders and located a lot of the best German technology. That on top of what he did as the greatest test pilot in history.
He must have stayed in England with that accent.
He married his English sweetheart and stayed.
A fascinating snippet of history as usual. Hope your subscriber numbers grow to reflect the quality of your posts..
Thanks that was really interesting, Cheers
Had the pleasure and honour of meeting Eric in person at Shuttleworth, Beds, UK. He was an amazing person and toally captivating in his delivery of war experiences. Very respected and greatly admired and I will always remember him and his siginng his book to me. One of a kind!
I think you mean 'the only one of a kind' (i.e. unique). 'One of a kind' means there are others of the same kind.
And do you know there are some on you tube who doubt his veracity
One of our last great generation.
Do you have any other recordings from this interveiw?
We have the whole interview. If you would like a digital copy or CD, please send your request to enquiries@war-experience.org - we are happy to share.
<3 <3 <3
The Greatest test pilot of ALL time. Not only because of the greatest number of test aircraft he has flown but also because of the myriad of dangerous situations he has been through, and survived in his life!...A REAL HERO.
Probably the greatest pilot ever, period. He flew some incredibly dangerous prototypes, long before flight simulators, when you had to eyeball the plane to decide how it might behave. Good lord! And of course people who flew several of the same planes after him were killed in crashes, as you no doubt know. He tested the DH 108. All three prototypes were destroyed in crashes, and the pilots killed.
Thanks uploader.
Where else would you hear the original voice of a GENUINE understated and no nonsense British hero but on YT? This man survived extracting a fuse that was protected by a "ZUS-40" anti withdrawal device, and then apparently just carried on as if nothing had happened. Can you imagine many of today's youngsters with their minds filled up with shit by the globalist directed "ejukashun sistims" being able to operate like this? We should thank God that such men as Stuart existed !!!!