"First break since the 6th June" - Friday 3rd November 1944

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC November 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 3^rd – 9th          Place WINSSEN

‘The Regiment still remains at WINSSEN.  It has rained continuously since the beginning of the month so the unit’s first break since the 6^th June comes at a good time.  Despite the weather, many games of football and hockey have been played.

Place ZETTEN

In the Zetten area all is quiet, any aggressive intentions the enemy may have had in that area have apparently gone.’

 

 

Letter written on Friday 3rd November 1944

61^st Recce Regt RAC

BLA.

Friday Nov 3^rd

Chotie Darling,

                                    Of all places to write you from I find myself in a palatial hotel in Antwerp – where I’m spending my 48 hrs leave.  I arrived here at about 3 pm yesterday having had to drive the party here myself in a three-tonner – no mean task in itself as it took about five hours.

            Couldn’t do much yesterday as, by the time I’d got things teed up it was dark and it’s pretty deadly finding your way about in a strange town in the dark.

            Had a walk round the shops this morning – but didn’t see anything worth buying.  I did eventually buy three little books – on Degas, Rembrandt & da Vinci respectively – very good.  I’ll send them on to you if you’ll keep them for me.

            It’s quite a pleasant town with plenty doing.  It’s now nearly mid-night and I’ve been around this evening – ‘bout a dozen night clubs cabaret shows, etc so you can well imagine I’ve pretty well had it.

            The two other officers I came with are pretty deadly – go for ENSA* Shows, etc so I went for the night-clubs (full of Yanks, Canucks**, Poles, ATS Canuck WAACs etc) and saw a few Belgian strip-tease acts, etc.  Aren’t I awful!

            The prices are murder! but to counteract this, drinks in the Officers’ Hotel I’m staying in are very cheap – five francs for a cognac against 60 outside, etc.

            Why is it, as soon as I get drunk I always feel like packing up and writing to you?  It’s always the same.  Must be some psychological reason for it.

            Must close here, Darling – will write you in the more sober light of tomorrow,

                                                            All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*ENSA stood for the ‘Entertainments National Service Association’, which provided entertainment for the British Forces during World War 2.  It was popularly known as an acronym for ‘Every Night Something Awful’.

**Canadians

 © Chotie Darling

 

Chotie was now based at 6^th Hy (M)A.A. Practice Camp

at Cleve near Bude in Cornwall

RAF Cleave was an experimental and training establishment for anti-aircraft gunners on an exposed clifftop near Bude, near the northernmost point of Cornwall.