Interview with Lt Col Brian Mylchreest about the Manx Regiment and interview with St Ninian's High School students about Duke of Edinburgh Award
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Date(s): c.2000
Scope & Content: Track 1: Lt Col Brian Mylchreest talks about the Manx Regiment. He describes how the Manx Regiment came to be formed in 1938; he gives his thoughts on patriotism; recruiting; attraction of travelling abroad; describes how after 12 months training was called up on 24 August 1939 (Second World War) with nearly 500 recruits who met at the drill hall on Peel Road, Douglas; Brian at 21 was a car salesman; describes defending Liverpool Docks against air attack; recalls 3 September when war was declared, they were in church; First World War machine guns on top of factories; mistakenly shot at RAF planes; describes gun training at Cark near Lancaster; describes formation at the same time of a company of 25 ATS girls that accompanied them to Liverpool and the training camp and did all the cooking; describes moving to the south of England defending airfields based in Cotswolds at end of 1939; talks about spring 1940, Hitler’s attack on northern Europe and defending installations along the south coast of England; recalls how in September 1940 the Regiment were sent to Glasgow for 2 weeks to prepare before in November 1940 sailing to the Middle East on 'Viceroy of India' cruise ship; describes conditions and journey out and stopping off in Durban; funny incident on Suez Canal; describes how regiment consisted of 3 Batteries, 41st, 42nd and 129th and how 129th were on the Strathaird; describes desert posting New Year’s Eve 1940; how regiment split, 129th went to Crete, POWs; 41st to Eritrea to fight Italians; 42nd stayed in Egypt on the canal; how at end 1941 went to western desert and was deployed around fighter airfields until 1942 when Rommel arrived to defeat the 8th Army in the desert; withdrawal to El Alamein near Cairo; describes airfield troop tactics; how they joined with the 7th Armoured Division to become the Light Anti-aircraft Division to defend the Desert Rats before Second Battle of El Alamein 23 October 1942 until the end of the war; how Manx Regiment shot down in excess of 300 aircraft during the war; over 80 men lost; how lost 129th battery of Manx were replaced with non-Manx; at end of 1941, recalls a 20-30 reinforcements conscripted from the Isle of Man arriving in Tobruk; mentions Bobby Kelly; remembers July 1942 getting injured when Stuka bombers attacked and two others were killed; recalls visiting El Alamein War Graves to find graves of the two casualties; describes how he returned to the UK following his injuries; field dressing facility; mentions Alexandria, El Qantara on the Suez; and he describes travelling to South Africa on a hospital ship to Durban.
Track 2: Three Year 11 students from St Ninian’s High School talk about what they did and are going to do for their entry into the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The interviewees are Katie Atkinson, Clare Kelly, Felicity Betteridge; they talk about the Award Presentation Ceremony at Castle Rushen High School; Katie got Bronze in 4 sections which were Skill (Clarinet), Service (Working with Girl Guides), Physical Recreation (Canoeing) and Expedition (Observing River Neb,Peel) and it took about 1 year to complete Bronze; Clare’s award was for Skill (Violin, Grade 3), Expedition (Camped out); Felicity’s Skill (Violin, Grade 4) and she is working for Silver will continue Violin and canoeing; for Service, helps run Willaston Brownies with Guides; Clare; says she likes to meet new people doing the same skills, she is also leader at Brownies and will take up new sport for silver; Katie says she is going to Ontario, canoeing and hiking for 5 weeks to contribute to Gold Award and she explains how they were chosen; and Katie gives advantages of scheme for future employment.
Language: English
Extent: 53 min. 36 sec.
Collection: Sound Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: SA 2019-0143
Access conditions: All reasonable attempt has been made by Manx National Heritage to trace and request permission (where needed) from the copyright holder(s) in this sound recording. If however you think you are a rights holder then please contact Manx National Heritage.
Subject tags : #UOSH