Square Heads Rice Pudding Audio Recordings of WW2 veterans

Hereford &Worcester Archives World War II Reminiscences
Some of my colleagues are enjoying the opportunity to listen to their Fathers/uncles/Grandparents through this latest offering.

British Library

 

A number of audio recordings were by members of the 67th Field Regt.
Frank Price is a 67th related story..
The Tom Averill one is over 2 hours, split into three tapes Read the description before you begin.

These are raw verbal stories often very wrong in historical terms that would amuse some but create a depth of research challenges for some on the forum.
I read the transcripts seven years ago in the Archives.

Tom died in 2008 aged 90, a well known and liked celebrity at Dunkirk Veterans Parades in Worcester, Ramsbury, Aldbourne and De Panne.

Tom and Ken Monk sound at times like a comedy act. Being in their late 70's.when the recordings were made.
They were drinking tea while telling their tales You can sometimes hear the cups clinking if the recordings haven't been cleaned up in the digitisation..
Something to listen to in an evening at home.

You need time to listen to the stories.
A goodly proportion of which are forces related ranging from Private soldiers to Lt Col with RAF and Navy represented.
covering Europe and the Far East.
Even civilians working on Radar at Malvern.


Tom Averill leading the Dunkirk Veterans Parade De Panne circa 1998.

 

Now that these recordings are available members might like to listen to Tom Averill and Ken Monk.
They told the story of Ken Monks life as a POW from his capture at Banana Ridge.
He was taken by barge from Bizerte to Lampedusa.
Ken was Gunner X in the thread below.
Lampedusa

Listen to his story. It should all be there if they haven't altered it. (I haven't found time to listen to all of the tape yet).
The story of the German officers when he was captured, the Spitfire that strafed and wounded him, the coffee in the German workers canteen and the meeting in the forest with two old Volkssturm, Square Heads Rice Pudding, the Commando who loved cats and the American Officer.
Ken was passed up the line of POW camps from Tunis April 1943 to the winter of 1944 when he was sent to Leipzig on a work party repairing Tram lines. He escaped with a friend and came home complements of the US Airforce in early 1945. While his Regiment was still abroad in Palestine.

 

Change of Thread title.
When on the run as escaped POW's Ken Monk and his ex Commando friend met two Volsstrurm (Home Guard).
WW1 Veterans who had been POW's in the UK.
They could remember a bit of English after a while but initially only recalled the words Square Heads Rice Pudding
Their British guards called them Square Heads and they lived mainly on Rice Pudding.
Each day the guards shouted "Square Heads!....... Rice Pudding!"

There is much more about these guys in the story.