Jan and Madeleine Gevaert - Friday 8th September 1944

 61^st Recce Regt RAC

BLA

Sept 8^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    Once again a few more lines to let you know I’m still OK and a little of what’s going on at the moment.

            Hope you are enjoying yourself in Scotland* – I think you will so long as the weather’s reasonable – I certainly did.  That is, of course, provided the course isn’t too strenuous, though as you say, they usually start off fairly easily and gradually work up to more spectacular things.

            I’ve received your letter, written just before you left home – always rather a miserable business.

            I’ve been having a much more pleasant time lately – that is, pleasant as far as war can be of course.  The town** I mentioned in my last letter (where I had to hold the main bridge) turned out to be the best yet.

            The first person to great me was a chap of about 16 years of age, dressed (as they usually do here) in a plus four suit (or rather plus six) in overcheck with the inevitable ankle-socks.  He later introduced me to his sister (19) who turned out to be very charming.

            The girls dress amazingly well – they’ve saved all the best stuff to greet us.  Everything tends to tweeds and brogues, needless to say, and at least 75% wear knee-length white socks.  This is easily the most predominating feature of dress.  They never wear slacks – think that they are much too masculine.

            Clothes here are a fabulous price – you can’t buy women’s shoes (anything wearable) under 2000f. (£10) – though of course women do buy them. 

            I spent three days and two nights on the aforesaid bridge and knew everyone in the town after the first 12 hours.

            This girl and her brother (Jan and Madeleine Gervaert) were very, very pleasant and did everything possible to make things as comfortable as they could for us.  After I’d expressed an admiration for Balzac and Mozart, Madeleine brought me five of his works and Jan brought me an exceptionally good book on Mozart.  I’ve swopped addresses with them and hope to see them again after the war.  There were countless others of course, but they remain the predominant.

            Last night we had a little party in a country house where the officers of the squadron were invited.  It was a lovely place and luckily had no electric light, so we all sat round by the light of a large wood fire and some candles.  We drank, champagne, claret, Graves and Hock, and as I was the only one present who could speak French, I had the job of entertaining the daughter of the house – which I think I managed pretty well as she also had a taste for Balzac & Georges Sand, two of my favourite authors.

            The general countryside and towns here are much more like England than what we have previously visited.  And, of course, they have pubs here – honestly!  And, what’s more, they have some excellent beer – something like Stout.  There isn’t much of it though.

            I try to get as much conversation in French as possible as I won’t get the chance again.

            Well Darling must close here as there’s work to be done as usual.

            I don’t know when I’ll be able to write you again – things are rather fluid at the moment.

                        All my love, Chotie Darling,

                                                Dicker

P.S  Please excuse this wretched paper but I haven’t yet had a chance to replace the stuff I lost some time ago.  R.

 

*Chotie had started a PT course at No 2 PT School in Scotland on 30^th August, training to be an Instructor.

**Oudennarde/Audenarde, between Lille and Brussels.

© Chotie Darling

 Message (in French) from Madeleine Gevaert on her father's address card. The Gevaert family have a quarter in Oudenaarde named after them in honour of the textile business they developed in the town.

 

Although 50^th Division was still centred somewhere between Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels their Battle for Gheel had begun.  In the early morning of 8^th September 69^th Brigade’s Green Howards crossed the Albert Canal in collapsible boats to establish a bridgehead by the blown road bridge to the town with the East Yorks.  That evening the 151^st Brigade’s Durham Light Infantry cross the Canal to the south-east near the village of Stelen.  A Bailey bridge is erected across the canal overnight.

 

Apparently in Stelen church war cemetery there is a large notice:

‘On the 8^th September 1944 began from here the Battle for Geel by 50^th Northumbrian Division.’

 

Eric Brewer’s diary entry for 8^th September reads:  “Shifted to the Albert Canal, guarding a bridge.  Gerry mortaring and shelling it; a few prisoners taken today.  C Squadron and the HQ surrounded but later on Gerry forced to retreat.  Altogether he put in 14 counter attacks today.  55 captured: two carriers, also crews.” (From Eric Brewer’s Diary by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)

 

8^th September: The Belgium government returns from exile in London.

US forces liberate Liège in eastern Belgium and Canadian troops liberate Ostend on the Belgium coast, north of Lille.  In France Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saone in Burgundy are liberated.

Germany successfully launches V2 rockets for the first time, hitting London and Paris from the Netherlands.