Interview with Carlyle Edmund Seppings [sound recording]
Seppings interviewed about his life in Burma until 1950. Background and education in Burma; university at Rangoon and attitudes to Burmese people; outbreak of World War 2 and joining Burma rifles; 1st Burma campaign, especially action at Sittang Bridge; Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Inte...
| Order number: |
OA4, Memories of the British in India, Sound Cassettes, Box 1 [CLOSED] |
|---|---|
| Date(s) of creation: |
27 October 1982 |
| Level: |
Item |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Seppings; Carlyle Edmund (1921-2005); British Indian Army officer and policeman |
| Other authors: | Blake; David M (fl 1983); librarian and interviewer |
| collection |
SOAS Archive |
|---|---|
| id |
OA4.19 |
| recordtype |
archive |
| scb_item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| scb_loan_type |
Reference only |
| scb_order_with |
OA4, Memories of the British in India, Sound Cassettes, Box 1 [CLOSED] |
| callnumber |
OA4/19 |
| callnumber_txt |
OA4/19 |
| callnumber-sort |
OA4/19 |
| prefix_number |
19 |
| scb_previous_numbers |
OA2/75/1-6 |
| title |
Interview with Carlyle Edmund Seppings [sound recording] |
| scb_date_creation |
27 October 1982 |
| scb_level |
Item |
| level_sort |
8/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File/Item |
| scb_extent |
3 sound casettes (4 hr. approx.) |
| author |
Seppings; Carlyle Edmund (1921-2005); British Indian Army officer and policeman |
| author_facet |
Seppings; Carlyle Edmund (1921-2005); British Indian Army officer and policeman Blake; David M (fl 1983); librarian and interviewer |
| authorStr |
Seppings; Carlyle Edmund (1921-2005); British Indian Army officer and policeman |
| author_letter |
Seppings; Carlyle Edmund (1921-2005); British Indian Army officer and policeman |
| author2 |
Blake; David M (fl 1983); librarian and interviewer |
| author2Str |
Blake; David M (fl 1983); librarian and interviewer |
| format |
Archive |
| scb_admin_history |
Carlyle Edmund Seppings - Indian Army and Inter Services Liason Department 1940-1945. Burma Police 1945-1950. |
| scb_custodial_history |
Recorded as part of the ’Memories of the British in India’ project by India Office Library & Records [subsequently the Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library]. This recording was previously held at SOAS Library as part of the 'British in India Oral Archive Project' collection [Reference OA2], removed from this collection in August 2014 to reflect the recording’s alternative provenance as part of the ‘Memories of the British in India’ project. |
| description |
Seppings interviewed about his life in Burma until 1950. Background and education in Burma; university at Rangoon and attitudes to Burmese people; outbreak of World War 2 and joining Burma rifles; 1st Burma campaign, especially action at Sittang Bridge; Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Inter Services Liaison Department (SILD); account of his SOE work, including 3 undercover missions behind enemy lines and other commando work; end of War and recruitment into Burma Police; operations against bandits and Communist forces pre Burmese independence; contacts with nationalist leader Aung San and assassination of same; his investigations; memories of U Saw, politician executed for the assassination; Burmese independence; dealing with insurgents in Arakan district until he resigns in 1950; memories of Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, Governor of Burma 1941-46; opinion of Earl Mountbatten policy on Burmese independence and present-day relations between Britain and Burma; assesses British rule.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 1: Family background. Education and school life in Burma. His attitudes towards Britain and Burma and to the Burmese people. The differing lifestyle of the British in Burma from their lifestyle in Britain. His university life and contacts with the Burmese students there. His growing understanding of the nationalist cause. Groomed for a career in the Burma Civil Service. His work in the Territorial Army on riot duty. Outbreak of World War II, joined the Burma Rifles. The unpreparedness of the Indian Army for war. Training. Experiences in the 1st Burma Campaign at Sittang Bridge. His "opinion of the Generals and their strategy.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 2: Continuing reminiscences of the 1st Burma Campaign. British unpreparedness before World War II. The Effect of the British failure to defend Burma. The Burmese who fought alongside the Japanese. After the retreat from Burma. Effectiveness of Japanese intelligence before and during World War II. His recruitment into SOE, the procedure and the reasons why he was picked. Description of SOE and its purposes. Nov. 1940: training and first operation. Description of his three missions into Burma for SOE: recruiting agents, setting up intelligence networks, gathering information, cultivating Burmese communists to fight against the Japanese. His experience of being depth charged in a submarine. Other operations and commando raids with which he was involved. Contacts with Force 136, description of ISLD. Married in 19.13. End of the war. Joined Burma Police. Work against bandits and terrorists after the War. Brief description of the Patriotic Burma Front, fighting alongside first the Japanese then the British during the War and its incorporation into the Army after the War.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 3: Rebellion duty with the Burma Police. Reminiscences of Aung San, to whom he was attached as a bodyguard, and a brief description of Aung San's career. Further reminiscences of his own experiences in the War leading a force carrying out rearguard actions during the retreat from Burma. More reminiscences of Aung San, his opinion of Aung San's character.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 4: His surveillance of the nationalist politician U Saw and his suspicions concerning various British officials and army officers supplying arms to U Saw. The assassination of Aung San and his investigations after the assassination. Ordered not to continue investigations against British officers. Arrest of U Saw. Memories of U Saw in the time before his execution. Jan. 1948: promoted and sent to the Arakan district to deal with insurgents. Description of his work there and the increasing disapproval of him by the new independent government of Burma.
Summary: Playback Cassette Side 5: Jan. 1950: resigned his post of Deputy Inspector General of Police. Brief reminiscences of Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith. Evaluation of Mountbatten's policy for Burmese and Indian independence. Present day relations between Britain and Burma. His assessment of British rule in in Burma and which side benefited most from it. |
| scb_access_status |
Closed |
| scb_conditions_gov_access |
Sound recording currently unavailable at SOAS Library due to preservation reasons. Researchers can access a copy of this audio recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418. |
| scb_copyright |
Copyright held by British Library |
| scb_use_restrictions |
Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist |
| language |
English |
| language_search |
English |
| scb_originals |
Original sound recording of interview available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service [Reference: C63/02-10] |
| note |
Burma - 1940-1950 The last tape of low sound quality due to battery running down. |
| hierarchy_top_id_raw |
OA4 |
| hierarchy_sequence |
OA4.0019 |