The King and Queen - Saturday 23rd May 1942

21^st May 1942 – The Airborne Division was visited by their Majesties the King and Queen at Bulford (Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire) followed by demonstrations by various units of the Division.  1^st Air Landing Squadron was inspected and the Commanding Officer presented to the King. 

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

22^nd May 1942 – Mexico declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan.

 

5731671 Tpr Williams R

1^st Air Landing Sqdn

 Recce Corps

HOME FORCES

My Darling Chotie,

            Hope you will excuse my writing in pencil but expect you are used to it by now...

            Many thanks for letter - as welcome as ever.

            Glad to see you managed to get a swim in - which is more than I've been able to - not that I've got the inclination - seem to have lost all interest in that direction, which is probably a good thing as I always tended to overdo it.  I rather think Brinner has also lost interest.  If ever I get out of this show alive I'm all for a life of ease – swimming’s far too strenuous.

            So Margaret has made it up with Ted to quote your own words.  Well, well...On ne sait jamais*..

            Had quite a thrill on Thursday - when we were inspected by the King & Queen and a score of Generals.  It was a demonstration of Paratroops & Gliders etc.

            I hope Johnny knows what he's letting himself in for.  At any rate he'll find out sooner or later.

            Did you hear the “Barber**” this afternoon (Saturday)?  Unfortunately I was working and missed it.  I cursed my ill-luck bitterly.

            Flying all the morning - cold & cloudy.

            Lucky Diller - wish I was going down, or rather we were.

            Books: “Portrait of a Village” Francis Brett Young**, “Blood & Sand” Ibanez - though rather dull gives quite a true appreciation of the life of a Torero.

            Brinner may have moved by now - probably has.  Near Winchester I believe - couldn't be worse than Oakmere Farm - I was horror struck when I saw it last Saturday. 

            Raining hard at the moment - very miserable - the weather I mean - I'm reasonably cheerful.

            Well, Precious no news as per usual. 

            Incidentally will you get in touch with Eric and get him to send me a GROUNDSHEET. MOST IMPORTANT!!! I'm about to be charged 18/- for one! Will you send it, Darling?  (please...) - and I'll give you a big kiss...(Hope that will do the trick). 

                        Well, bye, bye for now, Darling.

                                                            All yours,

                                                                        Dicker

PS.      I now drive a 15 cwt truck. It was called ‘ Evelyn’ but is now ‘Chotie’ - I painted it in Gothic’s.

                                                                xxxxxxx

                                                                        all for you!

                                                                                    Darling.

                                                                                                Xxxxx

 

*French for “You never can tell”.

**Presumably the ‘Barber of Seville’, an Italian comic opera by Rossini.

***A mystery story set in the Black Mountains of Wales.

****A famous tale about bullfighting in Spain.

Ted Lewis

© Chotie Darling

 

23^rd May 1942 – the British Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces orders an end to ‘blood-lust inculcation’ in battle training.

( From WW2-net Timelines. )

 

26^th May 1942 – Britain and Russia sign a treaty in London pledging to fight Germany until final victory. They also agreed a 20-year alliance. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

The Battle for the Gazala Line in Libya begins with an offensive by the German Afrika Corps towards Tobruk and the line held by the Allies’ Eighth Army while Rommel’s main forces outflanked the line from the south, attacking the forces now cut off at Bir Hakeim where the 1^st Free French Brigade stood firm.   On 31^st May in the ‘Battle of the Cauldron’ the British 150^th Brigade was eventually destroyed.  50^th Recce Regiment, which was also attached to the 50^th Division, was annihilated in the Battles of the Gazala line (leading to Dick’s 61^st Recce taking its place in 1944). It was an Axis victory ending with the withdrawal of the Allies towards Egypt on 14^th June and the fall of Tobruk on 21^st June. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

50 Recce was all but destroyed during the action and its place as the ‘eyes’ of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division was later taken by 61^st Recce – Dick’s Regiment in North-West Europe. (From ‘The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II’ by Richard Doherty, Osprey Publishing 2007)

27^th May 1942 – 152 Berlin students were shot for displaying anti-Nazi posters.(From WW2-net Timelines.)  

On the same day Reinhard Heydrich, the German SS (Shutzstaffel – Nazi paramilitary and police) General and major architect of the Jewish Holocaust was shot in Prague by two Czech volunteers trained by the British Special Operations Executive. He died of his wounds on 4^th June. Lidice, a Czech village of 2,000 people, was raised to the ground by the Germans in reprisal. All the men over 16 were shot and the women and children sent to concentration camps. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

28^th May 1942 – beginning of Operation ‘Blau’, the German summer offensive in Russia.  Defeat of the Soviets at Kharkov. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

29^th May 1942 – 1^st Air Landing Squadron move from Shaw House, Newbury to take up quarters at Bulford on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

I have not been able to identify the soldiers on this photo but they appear to be wearing the 1st Airborne Division's Pegasus badge. If you can help please comment. They were Dick's photos.

 

30th and 31st May 1942 - the Allies’ first 1,000 bomber raid attacked Cologne in Germany, killing 486 civilians and destroying 600 acres of the city.

31^st May 1942 – a Japanese midget submarine entered Sydney Harbour in Australia. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

Eric Postles was now with the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment in Northern Ireland, in 10 Troop 'B Squadron' – he would fight alongside Dick in B Squadron from June 1944 to February 1945.

“After training was completed I was sent on a 6 week course at the Divisional Driver Mechanics School at Cookstown (in the centre of Northern Ireland) where I learnt to mend and maintain vehicles.  On return I joined 10 Troop B Squadron Carriers and Armoured Cars and remained with the troop until the regiment disbanded.  I got an extra 9d a day for passing the course.  Further training included a live firing assault course with Bren guns firing above you as you went along and over obstacles and wire.  The Recreation truck went into Armagh (near the southern border of the Province) at weekends where you could get sweets off ration in the shops.  Fred Neale, one of my pals, was with me in 10 Troop and another pal Jack Reed was in 13 Assault Troop.  Before D-day some of the older soldiers (including Fred) were posted out of the regiment and he went to The Ranges at Warcop…….”

(Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)