Demotion

 

Dick was demoted to Lance Corporal

on 1^st January 1941

and transferred to ‘C’ company of the 70^th Dorsets

 

Copy of Record

Statement of Service  Army No. 5731671 Richard Kelner WILLIAMS

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT

Order 2/40 70^th Y.S. Bn Relinquishes appointment as A/Cpl Army Rank P/L/Cpl 1-1-41

 

 

‘C’ Company, Corsham, Wilts

 2/1/41

 

My Darling,

 

     Thanks for the letter. I’m afraid I’ve some not so good news in this letter. I’ve been chopped from full rank to Lance Corporal, and Pete has been made up.

  

During the last few months, discipline has been neglected and I was the only rank to charge anyone. Today I was hauled up in front of the Colonel and calmly told that I hadn’t any control over the men! I was amazed.

As usually happens, I have been transferred from ‘A’ Company to ‘C’ which is at Battalion Headquarters; actually at Corsham about 10 miles from the Aerodrome. This Company, which was the old ‘L’ Coy, is junior to ‘A’ and is consequently still training. This is a pleasure as it means no more guards, better food and generally better living conditions.

Pete, for some mysterious reason, has been transferred to ‘D’ Company which is also here. I don’t think he’ll last very long as I have just seen him and he isn’t feeling too good, being generally fed up.

 

I don’t give a damn myself. All I want to do is to get back to my little Cho-Cho. Nothing seems to really matter in the Army. All I do is live for that glorious day when this will all be over and just a nightmare best forgotten. If only you knew how much I miss you Tootsie, and how often I think of you, you’d know just how I feel.

 

 I don’t know whether you remember me telling you about J P Clarke (“JP”) who went on a 48 without permission. Well, he’s here, at the Headquarters. At the moment he’s on his first Seven Days. He is, I think, the only bloke here who I really understand. He’s so crazy about his Toots. He’s the only one I’ve got something in common with. All the rest seem so shallow and so far from genuine. He was busted from L/Cpl to private by the Colonel.

 

Corsham is a village of sorts, having a few shops, one half pint sized cinema & a small YMCA. We get very little time off and consequently I haven’t had much chance to see it yet.

 

I’ve met many of the blokes I knew six months ago in the old ‘D’ Coy. Most of them are pretty fed up with everything. There’s no chance of a Commission as the new Colonel hasn’t passed a soul since he’s been here. Toni was passed by Col. Heseltine, the previous C.O. I wish he was still here. At least he showed a little interest in the junior NCOs.

 

Well, Darling I must say Au Revoir here as its lights out.

Goodnight, Tootsie Darling,

all my love

 

Dicker.

 

P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon…

 

New Address : -

L/Cpl RK Williams, ‘C’ Company, 70^th Dorsets, Corsham, Wilts.

 

9th January 1941 – the Allies began their attack on Italian forces in Eritrea, Somaliland and Ethiopia.

 

January 1941 – Poole attacked with incendiary bombs on six of the first twelve days.

9th January – Incendiary bombs caused 37 fires in Poole. 248 houses were damaged and two men were killed by high explosive bombs at Canford Cliffs.

 

(From ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 Tel. 01963 32583).