Chotie's 17th birthday - Thursday 5th September 1940

 

 

 

Bemerton

Wilts

Thursday

My Darling Cho,

 

                                    Well, Darling, I must start by wishing you Many Happy Returns of the 6^th*, and in your own words to ‘wish you everything you wish yourself’.  I think, and sincerely hope that everything will come out alright in the end, in spite of this wretched war.

 

          I hope you like the present I’m sending along with this letter.  I’m afraid it’s nothing much, but in the circumstances, you know!  However, Darling, I hope you’ll think more of the wishes (and hopes) that go with it.

 

            I was only thinking last night, of when this show’s over, and we’ll be able to settle down again…. And buy a little boat to explore the whole harbour**.  What a time that will be.

 

            I went down to the river for a swim this afternoon, soon after dinner.  As usual it’s terrifically hot to-day, much too hot to take P.T.  I am forced to have a shower about ten times a day to preserve my mental equilibrium, which I may say I nearly lost last night, when I was woken up by a veritable rain of bombs descending around. So far I’ve heard no news as to where they landed.

 

They had a Salvation Army band here in camp last night.Mercifully, I was allowed out – a blessing for which I was very thankful, though I rather think it’s the best army to be in anyway.

 

Well, I must close now Darling, for tea parade.

 

Your own devoted hubby

                                                                                        Dicker

 

* Chotie’s 17^th birthday on 6^th September 1940.

**Poole Harbour, Dorset.

  

© Chotie Darling, 2010

 

 

7^th September 1940 – start of ‘the Blitz’, night bombings on London and the Luftwaffe’s intensive bombing campaign against Britain’s cities and industries which lasted until 16^th May 1941. London was attacked on 57 consecutive nights between 7^th September and 2^nd November 1940. Over 41,000 British civilians were killed during the Blitz (included by permission of the Imperial War Museum ).

 

The Dorset Blitz - Having failed to destroy the RAF and pave the way for invasion, Hitler believed that the bombing of cities and towns would break Britain's will to resist. As far as Dorset was concerned the Blitz prompted a second wave of evacuation from London and the industrial areas of the North but even 'safe in the country' evacuees found themselves subject to bombing. 

 

The German Blitz against Dorset was not on anything like the scale of that on London or, for example, Coventry, but it did bring the war, along with death and destruction, to all parts of the county. Weymouth alone suffered forty-eight air raids in which civilians, including children, were killed and wounded as well as naval and military personnel.

 

The Dorset Constabulary recorded that approximately 4,307 heavy high explosive bombs were dropped on the county during the Blitz of which 396 failed to detonate. There were 37,007 incendiary bombs recorded as being dropped on Dorset towns and villages, along with 14,550 smaller bombs, categorised as anti-personnel (The Keep Military Museum, Dorchester).