2/Lt RK Williams
61st Recce Regt
NB! A.P.O.
England
Thursday 13th April
Chotie Darling,
Just the few odd lines to let you know I’m still alive at any rate. Having quite a good time here, despite poor living accommodation and even worse food. Weather is excellent, pukka spring – including cuckoos, damn them.
As regards leave of any sort, I’m afraid it’s out of the question – however I will try to get down to your place sometime during your leave, and you should be able to get here, somehow. I’m afraid I can’t give you anything more definite as, for all I know, I may easily be out on a scheme throughout your leave.
I’m very tied up here as regards communications – no telephones or telegrams. Luckily I’m able to censor my own letters, but unfortunately have to censor some forty or fifty letters every evening, which takes time.
We’ll manage to meet somehow, never fear.
My neighbouring subaltern came across a fox cub the other day and we’ve kept it ever since.* We procured a very wee kitten from the Quartermaster (they always have hundreds of kittens) and they live together very happy.
He, (the foxcub) is very small and covered in light down, with a very funny little face. He keeps on going “TWEEK!, TWEEK!”. ‘Formidable!’, as the French say.
“That’s all for now, Kiddies – The Zoo man will be back again, etc, etc”….
Have managed to do a little sun-bathing so far, but not eno’ to worry about.
I’ve just managed to get rid of a Sergeantt from my troop, who’s been giving me a headache for months – a very poor type.
Must close here for dinner (?). (So called)
All my love, Chotie
Dicker
RKWilliams
*The fox became the Regiment’s mascot accompanying them as far as the Ardennes. Trooper Ernie Brobbin of ‘A’ squadron gives an account of finding the foxcub in ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Ron Howard (Brewin Books 2004):
“One particular morning as dawn was breaking, another chap and I were on motor transport guard when we heard a ‘baby’ crying and went to investigate. The ‘baby’ turned out to be an abandoned fox cub. The poor thing was crying after it had been left on its own.
Neither of us had come across a fox before, as we came from mining areas. We picked it up, took it back to camp, fed it on milk, and then made it a cage from saplings.
The cub prospered and eventually we decided to take it with us as a troop mascot.”
The cub was adopted by Lt. Compton Bishop who kept it in his armoured car and took it to France. (See painting by Sandy Handley of the fox on a lead with 61st Reconnaissance Regiment. The original painting is held by the Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset.)
© Chotie Darling
A letter from Trooper Eric Brewer from about this time is stamped no 14529: Lt. Dick Williams’ censor number but the stamp is overwritten ‘Truman’ (possibly Lieutenant Philip Benson Truman who earned the Military Cross at Amay-sur-Seulles later that summer).
Address same as usual
Sunday eight o’clock
Dear Mum Dad and all ….
“Have been doing training and expect to be doing it all next week; plenty to do and little time to do it”….
“Had some white bread for tea today; first piece for three years and isn’t there a difference between it and the present day bread… Also are receiving pears and peaches so the war must be as good as won”…
Eric Brewer went home on leave to Grays, Essex in April, returning just before 25th April 1944.
14th April 1944 – the SS Fort Stikine, a freighter loaded with mixed cargo including 1,400 tons of explosive, catches fire and explodes in Bombay (now Mumbai) docks. She takes with her 13 other ships. Approximately 750 people are killed, many more wounded and extensive further damage sustained to cargo and shipping. (See Bombay Explosion.)
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