Interview with L.J. Ounsworth, Royal Artillery (part 5)

Title

Identifier

6701.mp3

GWA_5754_Chapman_-_3A.mp3

Creator

Ounsworth, L. J.

Abstract

Fifth part of six sections of a recording of a long interview with L.J. Ounsworth, Royal Artillery (interviewer unknown), continues directly from the fourth part. Length 45 mins approx, includes: the appalling conditions at North Command Depot Royal Artillery at Ripon, which provoked a successful mutiny over rations. After refusing to eat, a Captain P.W.M. Bate arranges for another better meal to be prepared and served to the men. Conditions are so poor that Ounsworth does all he can to get posted back to active service, eventually ending up in the 144th Heavy Battery in France. He describes in detail the football games he plays in for his battery in Britain - nine of the eleven players were English or Scottish League professional footballers. On arrival at Le Havre he endures the terrible conditions of the bullring there (a sort of assault course [at Etaples?]) He witnesses a mutiny in May 1917, but does not know what happened to those involved. He reaches his battery on the day of the start of the battle of Messines, 7 or 8 June 1917. He descibes coming under bombardment with gas shells, as well as the technicalities of other ordinance. Continues directly into the sixth part.

Date

1916 - 1917

Date Created

1916-01-01

Temporal Coverage

1916-12-31

Spatial Coverage

Ripon, France

4 Humberdale Close, Swanland, East Yorkshire HU14 3NS

Source

Tape

Medium

Tape

Type

Interview

pages

5

number of pages

6

Contributor

Alun Edwards

Alun Edwards (Ferrens Art Gallery, Hull submissions day 31st May 2008)

Mrs S. Chapman

Rights

The Great War Archive, University of Oxford / Primary Contributor

Publisher

The Great War Archive, University of Oxford

account

suechapman@quista.net

Media