Same Address
Sunday
My Darling,
Just a few brief lines to let you know that I arrived back safely, though somewhat late. I managed to miss all connections and didn’t get to bed before one o'clock the forthcoming morning. I hope you also arrived home safely – though in better time than I did.
Well, my Dear, how went the nuptials*? Don’t forget to tell me all about it in your next letter. I trust everything went off all right, and the happy pair duly spliced.
Great excitement this morning, as we were issued with berets – similar to Canadian Officer balmorals – light khaki. Really rather good. The boys took it calmly, though as one wag said bitterly – “all we want now is a skirt…”
I’ve been lumberjackin’ all the morning – just to loosen up after my leave. I certainly needed to.
I went down to the ‘Hippodrome’ last night, & also the local. Not very thrilling after being with you for a week. Got fed up and went to bed before nine.
No news, so will close here.
All my love, Darling and thanks for a very happy leave.
Dicker
xxxx
*Chotie’s elder sister Margaret married Ted Lewis on 12th December 1942.
Ted and Margaret Lewis, married on Saturday 12th December at Parkstone Congregational Church, Poole, Dorset.
Chotie was bridesmaid.
Family wedding group outside Chotie's home, the Hollies. Chotie is next to her sister Margaret, the bride. Her mother is on the left end of the photo and her father next to her.
© Chotie Darling
43rd Recce took part in another 43rd Division Skeleton Exercise on 14th December in Canterbury/Dover and there was a Regimental Skeleton Exercise on the 16th. Pilots from the Royal Australian Air Force arrived as guests of the Regiment on 20th December – see Dick’s letter of 27th. Section Training started on 21st December and continued on most days for the rest of the month. The “HQ” Squadron Company Route March of 21st December is mentioned in Dick’s next letter.
(From the War Diary of the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)
16th December 1942 – Himmler orders that all gypsies (Roma) are to be sent to concentration camps. The Nazi genocide of the Roma claimed 220,000 to 500,000 lives (possibly more than a million).
Operation Little Saturn, the second Soviet offensive, begins at Stalingrad attacking the weakly held Italian front. Although the elite Alpini troops stood firm it put an end to the hope of Operation Winter Storm to rescue Germany's Sixth Army, now 'kettled' at Stalingrad. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)
17th December 1942 – Britain and the USA vow to avenge Nazi war crimes against the Jewish people. By the end of 1942 word had leaked out to the Allied Command of German atrocities and close to four million Jews had been killed in the extermination camps.
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