Rolls 1 to 6 of a series of interviews about the First World War. This interview is of Andrew George Latta McNaughton, who commanded the 11th Field Brigade and was promoted to counter battery staff officer. ~Reel 11914, Roll 1, Scene 1, Take 1: the counter battery staff officer talks about: the development of counter battery work in the French and British armies, originating with Britain's Colonel Douglas Haig; the Canadian Corps' decision to set up the counter battery organization at brigade headquarters; artillery at the Somme; his enjoyment of his work as commander of the 11th Field Brigade; function of the 11th Field Brigade of the Third Division; knowledge of divisional and corps headquarters; being appointed counter battery staff officer in the fall of 1916; the development of counter battery work in the British and French armies; his work under the direction of Major-General M.S. Mercer and General E.W.B. Morrison; assembling a staff at the corps headquarters; visits with Colonel Haig about artillery intelligence and visits with French associates; the 11th French Corps;.~Reel 11914, Roll 2, Scene 1, Take 1, Part A for Abel: visits with Colonel Sir Douglas Haig and French officers about counter battery work; headquarters with Canadian Corps; the tactical control of guns; heavy artillery behind Vimy front; neutralizing German artillery; artillery as a means to an end; the variety of guns used; railway troops; spur lines; the army's dispute with the navy over 12-inch guns; counter battery work; gathering information about the location of the enemy and the enemy's "nerve centres"; and the job of the corps commander to coordinate the timing of an attack.~Reel 11913, Roll 3, Scene 1B, Take 1: intelligence work; pinpointing the location of the enemy; the means of gathering intelligence information; new methods; army engineer survey sections; series of observation towers and posts connected by telephone to a central post; the development by the French of electronic recording technology [oscillograph?]; sound drenchers; Dr. Darwin and other scientists he worked with, including Gray of Queen's University, Staff Officer [Hemming] of Prince Edward Island and others taken on Gneeral Douglas Haig's GHQ staff; wireless sets provided to aircraft to allow them to communicate with the ground; methods of air reconnaissance; his work with No. 16 Squadron of the RAF, whose membersship was largely Canadian, in preparation for the Battle of Vimy Ridge; and Squadron Leader Charles Portal's becoming Chief of Imperial Air Staff.~Reel 11913, Roll 4, Scene 1, Section C for Charlie, Take 1: the contribution of Squadron Leader Portal; observation balloons used to gather information; the safety of balloons; commanders flying in balloons in order to understand what they were doing; flying over the lines a number of times; artillery observers becoming air observers; watching for German planes; Reel 11913, Roll 4, Scene 1, Section D for David: use of BE2C aircraft at the Vimy front; balloon observation reaching its prime on the Somme; problems with wind and fuel when flying over enemy lines; effects on morale.~Reel 11912, Roll 5, Scene 1, Section E for Edward, Take 1: the pleasures of early flying in planes and balloons; the development of bullets and phosphorus pellets for balloons; several German balloons going up in flames at the same time; the Germans having more long-range artillery in late 1917; his control of observation balloons; his work with British officer P.K. Wise; an incident in which he and Balloon Commander Graham of Winnipeg were up in a balloon, dodging German bullets, trying to jump but not being able to do so and afterward becoming the brunt of many jokes.~Reel 11912, Roll 6, Scene 1, Section F for Freddy, Take 1: gas attacks; stationed at [Fortuine] on the Ypres Salient in April 1915; chief officers observing French flank formations; gathering information about German gas cylinders on the front line; General Harry Burstall ordering tank on front line; unsuccessful in hitting cylinders; report of greenish vapour (the gas) reaching him while he was on an inspection with Bursall and General Sir Edwin Alderson; Owen Haig of Montreal reporting that it was chlorine gas; the lack of gas masks at the time; the rapid development of some methods to ward off the deadly effects of the gas; and advantages of technically trained officers.
