2/Lt Williams RK
61st Recce Regt
Home Forces
Monday Eve
Chotie Darling,
Have a few hours to myself , so here goes.
After my having been commissioned for some nine weeks, the adjutant has suddenly discovered that the Joining Certificate (which is the authority for issue of pay) was never sent off by the Orderly Room! However, I have duly completed another which has now been sent off, and I can optimistically hope to see some solid cash within the next week or so. I am now obliged to remain in the mess where I can get my beer on tick, but have to smoke cigarettes as they don’t stock tobacco.
I don’t believe I’ve told you about the billets (?) we live in here. All other ranks live in a castle, which overlooks some 20-30 miles of low-lying country*. The Officers mess is a country house some 600 yds from the castle. It’s quite large – some 6 or 7 bedrooms, and reasonably comfortable. At the moment I have a room to myself owing to the temporary absence of my artist companion on a course.
I came across a Chianti bottle on a scheme and this now takes pride of place on my table. It’s green glass and holds a horse-chestnut twig which I trust will flower (?) in the spring.
Have you found time to read that Claude Houghton yet? Let me know what you think of it – if you think it’s lousy, say so…
My drinking companion is on leave at the moment. His name is Winzer and is known affectionately (?) as the ‘Duke’ by his troop. His WAAF** (from the local waffery) consequently becomes ‘The Duchess’, or sometimes Mrs Simpson***, when the wags are feeling a little bitter.
He’s quite a sound bloke on the whole but tends to drink himself to death – his gin bill over the Xmas week amounting to £15. At least he’s not so completely dead as the remainder here. They all try to give the impression that they’re God Almighty as regards music and the arts. However, when ‘Junior’ (the artist) and I turned up we managed to shake them considerably. They appear to be jumped-up bank clerks, etc. just spreading their wings a little.
(I have to pause here for a wretched mess meeting – the mess is bankrupt at the moment.)
Well we soon wound up the mess meeting. The net result was that messing has been increased by 6d per member and a monthly mess subscription of one day’s pay has to be paid. This will involve an extra 25 shillings per month as far as I’m concerned.
I had a stroke of luck an hour or so ago. Going through some old papers I came across a Post Office book with a quid balance so I repaired to the pub immediately after dinner, for a beer or four.
Met the Duchess there, with a couple of Dutch Officers who it appears are both Barons. Trust her to get a grip as soon as Jeff’s away.
Don’t forget to give me all the dope on Eric’s present position, will you? If I can get his next leave taped, I’ll make the effort to go up and see him - & Eve…When’s the baby expected, or has it come already?
As for leave, as far as I’m concerned, I can’t get away for another eight weeks at least. Perhaps only seven – though I could get a 48 any time now. The only snag with this is that it’s such a devil of a way to travel. However, we might well manage something in the next month or so – I could certainly do with a little relaxation – if you know what I mean.
There’s going to be a colossal inspection by the Colonel on January 22nd and everyone’s getting keyed up with plenty of gimping and you know what.
I’m out patrolling at 3 o’clock tomorrow morning for a couple of hours. Luckily there’s a full moon which makes things very much easier. It’s a pity you’re not here – I could take you round….
Well, Darling there doesn’t appear to be any news to tell you. I had a ten-page epistle from Chunky but haven’t found time to reply yet. Here’s hoping. I should like to spend a day with him in town, but you never seem to get round to these things.
I have to sleep in the castle tonight in an oak-beamed room with stone floor & walls. Very romantic but bloody cold. Why aren’t you here? I reckon we could keep warm, at least….
Must close here ‘Chotie’ to get some sleep in before this wretched patrol.
All my love, Darling
be Good….
Dicker
*Lympne Castle, overlooking Romney Marsh in SE Kent.
**WAAF = Women's Auxiliary Air Force.
***King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry Mrs Simpson, a divorcee. They became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
© Chotie Darling
The troops in the Castle were living a rather different life.
Anthony Rampling remembers being served burnt rice pudding:
‘Everybody got up leaving leaving their rice pudding…the duty Officer caught me leaving mine and put me on a charge - a 252. Later I was marched into the Officer in Command room (Major Johnson) – halt, salute. “Why didn’t you eat your rice pudding?” “It was burnt Sir, everybody left it.” “Case dismissed.” Like a scene from Dads’ Army.’
10th January 1944 - Fascist Ministers responsible for Mussolini’s downfall are sentenced to death by firing squad by the Axis powers in northern Italy. They include Mussolini’s son-in-law, the diarist Count Ciano.(See WW2-net Timelines.)
Russia proposes moving the Polish border west to the 'Curzon line' proposed after World War 1. The Allies eventually agreed to this at the Yalta conference. (From WW2-net Timelines.)
14th January 1944 – Soviet ‘Shock Troops’, secretly brought in to the Soviet bridgehead at Leningrad, attack the German encirclement to break the city’s siege. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)
15th January 1944 – the Australian Army takes Sio on the north coast of New Guinea’s Huon Peninsula, marking the culmination of the Huon Peninsula campaign. Since the landings at Lae in September 1943 the Allies had advanced north fighting the Japanese for possession of the coast guarding the straits that connect the Bismarck and Solomon Seas, between New Guinea and New Britain.
16th January 1944 – Dwight D Eisenhower of the US, having led Operation Torch and the Allied invasion of Italy, becomes Commander–in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Britain in preparation for Operation Overlord.
17th January 1944 – Beginning of the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the most important battles of World War 2 and probably the largest land battle in Europe. The mountains of Monte Cassino defended the Allies only remaining route to Rome and were a linchpin in the German’s Winter Line. The Allies took four months and four major assaults to capture the high ground of Monte Cassino and a quarter of a million soldiers were left dead or wounded. Initial failed attempts to cross the Garilgliano and Rapido rivers on 19th January resulted in 2,000 casualties but succeeded in diverting German attention from the Anzio landings.
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