Sept 5th 1944
Chotie Darling,
Must apologise for the long gap in my correspondence but it’s been virtually impossible to write as we’ve been moving too fast for the outgoing mail to be collected.
It’s impossible to describe the last 10 days – it’s simply been a case of flowers all the way.
I got the job to guard two bridges in the middle of a large town* – and we were the first Allies in the town! The welcome we had was amazing – and quite impossible to relate in writing. We were already covered in flowers – we were soon to be covered with fruit and wine.
The girls here (and there are many) are all very smart, despite the fact that a pair of women’s brogues (they call them “Swing”) cost upwards of £10 (2000 francs). They’ve been living very badly for four years, but they had hidden wine and food for us, as they knew we’d arrive eventually. I’ve got hundreds of addresses to visit after the war – quite hopeless to accept them all.
I’m afraid this is the only ‘writing’ paper** I have as I lost all my other stuff in a bit of a scramble we had some time ago, and I haven’t been able to replenish them yet.
All the ‘best’ people here speak French so I’m still OK on that score, though I’ll be scuppered soon, I imagine.
There are some very charming girls here – one of whom presented me with the complete works of Balzac***, after I’d expressed my admiration for him.
Well, Darling it’s now evening and getting too dark to write.
Had a very happy time ‘on guard’ with scores of civilians around to ask the usual barrage of questions. My French is improving immensely and I hope to achieve fluency before the war is finally ended.
Must close here Darling – my only wish is that you were here with me. I should get less conversation from the local girls though…..
Goodnight, my Darling
Dicker
*Oudenaarde/ Audenarde on the Scheldt / Escaut Canal south of Ghent, liberated on 5th September. Dick received many visiting cards from here including those left in his diary: Monsieur & Madame Louis van Eycken of 10, Jules Lacroixstraat; Gaston Gevaert of 6 Meerschpoort, Bevere; Walter van Lantschoot-Colpaert of 45 Baarstraat and Monsieur André Torrelle of 98 Rue de Tournai.
**the letter is written on German Army accounting paper.
***a French novelist and playwright of the nineteenth century.
© Chotie Darling
Sandy Handley remembers Oudenaarde:
“The stretch of 35 miles where we held the line of the Escaut Canal, from Ghent to a bridge south of Oudenaarde, was bridges all along. I remember our car was on one of these bridges in Oudenaarde and some of the residents here had got into a collaborator’s house and proceeded to smash up all the furniture. As the enemy had almost left the town people went after the collaborators and smashed everything. Earlier on we had seen some girls, who had been friendly with the Germans, having all their hair cut off.
In some of the towns and villages the civilian population came out to cheer us on, they seemed really pleased to see us. Several times a toddler was held up for us to kiss, it was quite moving some times. It had to be seen to know what you felt like. To see all those people clapping and cheering, I will always remember this.” (From Ex Trooper S Handley’s ‘61 Recce - Memories of Normandy 1944 – 1945’, unpublished)
Eric Brewer witnessed worse scenes: "Still at Berchem. Saw the free Belgium people set a collaborator's house on fire, also cut their hair and took them away. We took some SS back to RHQ and the villagers caught some more but before we knew it they had strung them up...Had tea in one of the local houses. Also taken to dance by the people at night."
He wrote home: "I don’t think I shall Learn any more French or even see any more French people for a while as we have become all Belgian fans. I don’t expect I shall have to tell you where I am but the buzz bombs are a decent way from us, I don’t mean in front but behind…
We have had a lot of offers to tea, dinner and supper or been asked to come in and have a drink. If we accepted a quarter of the offers I would always be drunk so what we generally do is say that 'we are full up or had plenty already' but sometimes they won't take that for an answer and we finish up being pulled in for a drink…
Your loving son
Eric XXXX"
(Extract from Eric Brewer’s letter and diary by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)
50th Division was now centred on Brussels, while the Guards Armoured Division took a brief rest after their high speed advance to the city.
5th September 1944: in France Lille, Poitiers and Saint Étienne are liberated. Le Havre is heavily bombed by the Allies.
Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg governments in exile sign the London Customs Convention, the foundation of the Benelux economic union.
Russia declares war on Bulgaria and Soviet forces enter the country.
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