Dutch farmhouse, dated 1660 - Monday 30th october 1944

POSTCARD  of a Baby - Monday 30th October 1944

 

Chotie Darling,                      

                   Can’t send any more cards so will enclose this in envelope.  I forget whether it’s Belgian or Dutch - I think it’s Dutch. 

            Let me know all about Margaret’s baby won’t you.

                                                            Love, precious

                                                                        Dicker

 

Letter written on Monday 30^th October 1944

As usual

Monday Oct 30^th

Chotie Darling,

                                                Just starting a letter today in the hopes of continuing tomorrow.  At present I’m living in a lovely old farmhouse, dated 1660.  It’s a rambling building, thatched and whitewashed, with the date in big metal figures.  The figures themselves are a work of art in wrought-iron.

            I imagine it’s been modernised several times since it was first built but much of the original is still evident.  Geoff and I are sharing a room, and as the electricity is now functioning again, we have the radio going, which makes life much more pleasant.

            I’ve been rather ill for the last four days with flu or something and as I was 2nd in command I couldn’t go sick.  However I’m much better without the doctor’s aid.

            ‘Fraid I’ll have to continue in pencil.

            My friend Junior*, has been sketching me from time to time so I’ll send on some of his rough efforts.

            Hope you received the magazine I sent.  I’m hoping to get my 48 hrs leave sometime during the next fortnight and to get to Brussels in which case I should be able to send you one or two things in this line.

            I’m able to buy and send scent & powder, etc. duty free – only to the tune of four parcels per annum, however - so I should be able to do this when I get the leave.

            The daughter of this house was married this morning, so needless to say everything is pandemonium – even worse than the morbid business of getting married in England.

            I may be able to contact Ted shortly.  I tried yesterday but without success.

                        Must close here for lunch.                               

                                                            All my love darling

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*’Junior’, aka Ronnie Jury, later taught at the Slade School of Fine Art. 

© Chotie Darling

 

Eric Postles also has a sketch from this time: "Crossing the long Nijmegen Bridge, which we often had to do, was not funny because of the German shelling.  You just put your foot down and got over as quickly as you could.  We used to go to Nijmegen for cinema and ENSA shows or a bath.  We were billeted with a family and one of them was an artist who did a pencil sketch of me.  Another bright spot was that unlike in Normandy, the many orchards provided excellent eating apples."  (Extract from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

 

Eric Brewer’s diary for 31^st October reads: “Went to Antwerp today.  Have been relieved by Yank Airborne.”  Then “In Antwerp having a good time" for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd November.

(From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)