Oral History collection: Major George Young (born 14 Mar. 1894) interviewed by Mrs. Susan Hopkins about Father's life as a sailor; career in the Army; experiences in WW1 - battlefields, etc.; 2nd Battalion Welsh Regiment - life in the trenches, etc.

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 216 TH 48A-B
  • Dates of Creation
      November 1976
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      1 audio recording

Scope and Content

Track 1. [00:00:09] General: Susan Hopkins introduces Major George Young (born 14th March 1894) in November 1976. [00:00:44] Community: Major Young recalls his early life and his Father's career at sea. [00:03:08] Military: 3rd Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers aka Swansea Rifles, Swansea garrison in Swansea castle. [00:04:11] Military: There follows a history of Swansea Rifles, later Welch Regiment. [00:07:11] Military: Major Young describes joining up in 1910, lying about his age to do so. [00:08:46] Military: The death of Edward VII, the honorary Colonel, a detachment attended the funeral. [00:09:17] Military: Arms training on rifles used in the Boer Wars, and using Baglan Moors as a firing range. [00:09:46] Military: List of regiments based in Swansea. [00:10:58] Military: Divisional Training Camp taking place outside Aberystwyth. [00:11:48] Military: First ever Volunteer Soldier to be Court Martialled. [00:13:45] First World War: Receiving notice of mobilisation in early August 1914, when he was a Corporal. [00:14:40] First World War: Swansea soldiers sent to France to join British Expeditionary Force 1914. [00:18:31] First World War: Boarding ships in Southampton off to France at night. [00:19:18] First World War: Landing in France, travelling by train and making camp for 1 month at Asbrooke. [00:22:19] First World War: Getting orders and moving to Saint de Mer in readiness for the front-line. [00:25:15] First World War: Arrival at Mount Kemmel to do first duty in the trenches. [00:27:00] First World War: Arrival at the front line - The Battle of Loos, description of terrible conditions, getting lost. [00:29:39] First World War: Coming under machine gun fire, sheltering under two dead bodies. [00:31:10] First World War: Loss of about 100 Swansea soldiers. [00:33:10] First World War: Reading excerpts from War Diaries. [00:45:05] First World War: Letters to and from home - restrictions and process. [00:47:33] First World War: Award of a Victoria Cross to a soldier who previously drove a horse and cart in Swansea. [00:51:40] First World War: Further account of tour of duty in wartime France. [00:56:32] First World War: Christmas Day 1915. [00:57:30] First World War: 1917, meeting father by chance on London train station, father in navy, son in army.

Track 2. [00:00:07] First World War: Battle of Loos, account of award of DCM to one of the soldiers. [00:04:14] First World War: Reading from War Diaries of accounts of warfare. [00:17:05] First World War: Further account of wartime manoeuvres. [00:19:58] First World War: Trench feet. [00:21:35] First World War: Emergency rations and feeding in the field of war. [00:26:20] First World War: Work of the army 'working parties'.