61st Recce Regt RAC
BLA
Monday (sic) Nov 21st
Chotie Darling,
Received your letter, and the gloves yesterday, along with some tobacco from home. So it was really a bumper mail. Thank you very much for the gloves, Precious, they’re certainly the answer out here.
It’s now almost five o’clock in the afternoon, raining steadily and quite dark. As the electricity hasn’t yet been switched on for the evening, I’m writing this by candlelight. I’ve had a very enjoyable afternoon – I went for a walk!
This may sound a little odd, but quite genuinely, I haven’t been walking anywhere since I left England.
I went out about two o’clock in typical November weather – a pale wintry sun, a fair wind, and very muddy underfoot. I went as far as the nearest dyke, as the lane running on top of it was much drier.
There’s no grandeur in the countryside in this country, but there’s beauty in the old white-washed farmsteads, lying in the rich meadows alongside the dykes. Many of these fields were already flooded, and the last autumnal leaves were falling in the water and being banked up against the other side by the wind.
The river, when we got here, was about a hundred yards wide, and now already reaches the dykes on either side – some seven or eight hundred yards apart. If the dykes should fail in their purpose the whole countryside would be flooded for miles, and presumably everyone would be drowned – but they’re pretty stout banks.
By half past three, the sun had vanished and there was a gentle rain coming down – so I walked back into the face of it. Luckily it was a mild, soft rain – which was quite pleasant – as I’d taken the precaution of carrying a rain-coat.
I got back to a warm fire and Spam* & chips for tea so altogether I spent a very happy afternoon. Needless to say I went alone as neither of my brother subalterns share my aesthetic views….
To get back to earth, I find myself instructing on the NCO’s Cadre course from Wednesday to Sunday – which also seems pretty odd, when everyone in England takes us to be in the thick of it all the time!
I suppose you to be back at Bristol now. Have you found the Christopher Hotel** yet? Eric and I had many a drink there back in ’41. It was there that the memorable occasion occurred when I cheerfully ordered two beers, and then, after they had truned up, found we’d only got enough money between us to pay for the one! I still remember the look on Eric’s face as he watched me drink it….
How’s Margaret bearing up these days? You didn’t mention her in your last letter.
Haven’t heard from Bryn for some time so I’ve no idea what he’s doing – or even where he is.
Can’t think of anything more for now, Darling, so I’ll close here.
Much love, Precious
Your devoted
Dicker.
*A canned pre-cooked meat with pork shoulder and ham.
** Mentioned in letter of 1st April 1944.
© Chotie Darling
Other members of ‘B’ Squadron were not having such a peaceful time:
On 21st November Eric Brewer was “moving into burnt house, making it strong point. Gerry shelled us with his 210 (millimetre calibre). A bit of shrapnel hit my tin hat and ricoched off just missing Corporal Heady Grey. I was bending down in the slit trench.”
(From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)
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