On 22nd July 1942 Dick had been assigned to the No3 Technical Training Group in Brighton, to learn to be a Driver Mechanic for the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment
Although slightly dismissive of his new comrades: “a very rough lot - no signs of mental vigour” he was “very thankful” to be out of the Airborne. He enjoyed being back in Kent, his childhood county (he’d attended the Simon Langton School in Canterbury) and found “almost everything was going on” – cinema, theatres, etc. in when he arrived in Brighton. On his 21st birthday, 28th July he was still suffering from his latest vaccinations (43rd Recce had received orders to mobilise for overseas) and had a quiet night out by himself in the town centre. By day he was training at the Dreadnought Garage in Hove and eating in the local 'British Restaurant'.
Postcard sent from Brighton on 4th August 1942.
Dick managed to get home to Pagham on the weekend of 8th August but was also enjoying the delights of Brighton, going to the Anglo-Polish Ballet twice. On 16th August he wrote to Chotie about the films he’d seen in town:
Letter – Sunday 16th August 1942
5731671 Tpr Williams R
Room 28
3rd Technical Training Group
Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex
Sunday
My Darling Chotie,
Many many thanks for polyfotos. They’re marvellous, Darling. I showed them to the boys who now regard me in a different light. I would have sent them back with this letter, but haven’t yet procured a big enough envelope, but I’ll definitely send them in my next.
And also many thanks for a very nice letter.
Well, Lulu belle there’s no news as usual.
I went to the ‘Curzon’ yesterday – saw Viviane Romance in “L’Esclave Blanche” (White Slave) a French film. It was very good but not up to the usual high standard achieved by French Directors. She (Viviane) is very much like Danielle – also has her hair up.
I’m looking forward to seeing Eileen Joyce tonight – never having seen her before. She’s an Australian and extraordinarily good pianist to hail from there.
I saw a rather good film a few days ago – “Mien Kampt” (sic)* – showing Adolf’s rise to power since his early days after the last war and the brilliant way he went about it – the way he removed Ernst Roehm, Dollfuss, Schnussnigg (sic) and the rest**. A lot of it was documentary, ie actual shots, especially of the jolly old Reichstag Fire Trial*** etc, and the flagwrapping parade in the Olympic Stadium***.
Well, Precious, I must close here as it’s now dinner time, and as I didn’t get up in time for breakfast, I’m not missing it.
All my love, Chotie Darling,
Hope to get leave soon
Dicker
*Dick meant ‘Mein Kamf’ - German for ‘My Struggle’, the title of the film and Hitler’s autobiography.
**Ernst Röhm – head of the SA (Sturmabteilung), the Nazi brown-shirted stormtroopers. Arrested and executed in the ‘Night of the Long Knives’, 1934.
Engelbert Dollfuss - Chancellor of Austria from 1932 to 1934, who destroyed the Austrian Republic and established an authoritarian regime based on conservative Roman Catholic and Italian Fascist principles. Assassinated by the SS in July 1934.
Kurt von Schuschnigg – succeeded Dollfuss as Chancellor of Austria. Opposed the Anschluss, (annexation of Austria by the Third Reich) and was imprisoned by the Nazis when they invaded Austria.
***The Reichstag Fire Trial in 1933 followed the part destruction by fire of the German ‘parliament’ building soon after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Marinus van der Lubbe was charged and executed for having set the fire as part of a Communist plot and the Nazis used the incident to ensure the defeat of the Communists and other leftist parties in the following elections.
****The 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
© Chotie Darling
Meanwhile 43rd Recce in Kent was ready for mobilisation and continuing training. They may have been destined for the Far East, Africa or even France…
Churchill arrived in Cairo on 3rd August 1942. The staff changes he made there resulted in Bernard Montgomery (Monty) taking charge of the Eighth Army in Africa. Rommel’s Afrika Corps again attempted to break through the El Alamein line at the end of August but was forced to withdraw. Churchill flew on to Moscow for talks with Stalin who reluctantly agreed that there would be no Allied invasion across the Channel in 1942 to take pressure off Russia. Instead plans went ahead for landings in western North Africa with Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed as Commander-in-Chief for the invasion.
An offensive by besieged Soviet forces in Leningrad prevented the Germans from cutting off their supply line across Lake Ladoga. Germans in southern Russia scaled Mount Elbrus but their over-stretched forces never reached the rich oilfields of the Caucasus.
On 6th August 1942 the World Jewish Congress announced that one million Jews had been killed in Nazi occupied Europe. Roosevelt warned that the perpetrators of barbarism would ultimately have to stand in courts of law and answer for their acts.
On 7th August the Allies began their first major offensive against the Japanese, landing 19,000 US Marines on Tulagi and Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands (which the Japanese had held since May). The Japanese responded, landing thousands more troops and Guadalcanal became a bitter campaign of jungle fighting and survival. In the Battle of Milne Bay on Papua New Guinea the Japanese attacked on 25th August but the (predominately Australian) Allies had won their first decisive victory against the Japanese by 7th September. Japan directly attacked the USA in late August and September, firebombing the west coast forests.
In India the ‘Quit India’ campaign led to the British arresting Gandhi and other Congress leaders. On 19th August 1944 the British and Canadian combined operations raid on Dieppe in northern France ended in disaster.
The first all American bombing raid from Britain went ahead in daylight on 17th August, directed against the railway yards in Rouen, France. The huge RAF night-time raid on Nuremberg on 28th August killed 4,000 civilians.
Dorset, where Dick’s beloved Chotie lived, was still suffering from coastal bombing with 15 people killed in Bridport and Swanage in August. Combined forces practised for the Dieppe Raid off the Dorset Coast and the Small Scale Raiding Force successfully attacked a radar station on the French coast on 14th/15th August. Dorset boats were involved in support of the foiled raid on Dieppe and Portland played an important role in the testing of midget submarines, later used with success against Germany’s greatest battleship, the Tirpitz. The Royal Australian Air Force arrived in Poole on 31st August to fly anti-submarine patrols over the western Channel approaches in Sunderland flying-boats, safeguarding the vulnerable but vital supply convoys.
Recent Comments