Chotie Darling

75 years ago - a move to Hull

At the beginning of November 1944 61^st Reconnaissance regiment were taking their first break since 6^th June (‘D’ Day). 

Dick’s ‘B’ squadron were in harbour at Winssen, 15 kilometres north-west of Nijmegan on the River Waal.  Dick had 48 hours leave from 2^nd November and drove a party the 120 miles to Antwerp along “pretty grim roads” in a three tonne truck.  It took about 5 hours but seemed well worth the effort.

          “The shops are fun and already very ‘Xmassy’ – though everything’s too dear for the local population.  Service men with plenty of money are lashing out as usual….Cafés full of cream cakes, ice-cream and the inevitable acorn coffee…I made a complete pig of myself.”  Dick avoided the ENSA shows and went for the cabarets and night-clubs “(full of Yanks, Canucks*, Poles, ATS, Canuck WAAGs, etc.)” including a few Belgian strip-tease acts. (*’Canuck’ was a nickname for Canadians)

          “Prices are murder! But drinks in the Officers’ Hotel are very cheap.”  He seems to have been rather drunk when he wrote to Chotie on 3rd November.

 

Both Dick and Eric Brewer returned to Winssen from Antwerp on 4^th November but two days later Eric was on the ‘the Island’ front-line again at Zetten on O.P. (Outpost? Operational Patrol?).  Dick wrote to Chotie from the comfort of Winssen on Tuesday 7th  and Wednesday 8th – he was enjoying reading George Bernard Shaw, listening to German radio and talking with the local Burgomaster (magistrate).  The Armoured car Officers held a “miserable” dance on the 7^th with Dick running the bar.  The only beer available was “chemical synthetic stuff…you can drink something like 20 pints without mental troubles…The brewers call it ‘hop-less’ – the boys ‘hopeless’.”

Chotie was now based at the 6^th Heavy (Mixed) Anti-Aircraft Practice Camp at Cleve near Bude in Cornwall.  RAF Cleave used some of the very first drones as targets, launched off the cliff using steam catapults. 

Anti-aircraft ATS training at RAF Cleave, Cornwall

It seems Chotie may have been learning how to tackle the V1 or V2 rocket-bombs, which were becoming a nightmare in eastern England.  One ‘buzz-bomb’ had fallen just near Eric Brewer’s house; on 7^th November he wrote home “I received the Gazette and saw where the BB fell. Blimey, it was close to the house.   Lucky it fell when it did – if it had been in the air a fraction of a second longer it would have hit the house.”

On 9^th November 50^th (Northumbrian) Division, with 61^st Recce, joined 2 Canadian Corps.  They had liberated Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and Ostend and at last succeeded in clearing the Scheldt Estuary of Germans so Antwerp could be used as an Allied port.  (Until 11^th November the front-line had to rely on the ‘Red Ball Express’; a relay of US Army supply trucks from the Normandy beaches.)  Sandy Handley, who had taken a shine to one of the barge girls at Ewijk (the village next to Winssen) was not so pleased when the Canadians “muscled in”.

 

The rest of ‘B’ Squadron moved up to Zetten on 10^th November so Dick was back on the front-line.  He moved into the same house he was in about a month ago (presumably when 61^st Recce were based at Herveld, just south-east of Zetten, from 8^th to 13^th October with the 101st Airborne).  Here he was with a Protestant Minister who spoke six languages - “a man of considerable intellect and general broadness of horizon” - who gave his house as a home for unmarried mothers.   Dick wrote to Chotie again on the 12th “from an armchair in front of a lovely fire…There’s a ton of books in this house – also a Blüthner grand (piano), so I manage to amuse myself during my ‘free’ time.”

Although the men often wrote re-assuring letters to their loved ones at home Eric Brewer (still at Zetten on O.P.) takes it to a new extreme, writing on the same day to say he was visiting ENSA shows and local cinemas and “the lads who are doing the cooking have started to bring our breakfast round to us while in bed.”  On 13^th November the 61^st Reconnaissance war diary records “The water level at Nijmegan bridge has risen greatly in the last few days.  It is believed that the enemy is now in a position to flood ‘the Island’ by blowing the dykes on either the River Waal or the Neder Rijn” (Lower Rhine).  Eric Brewer was on forward O.P. by the river on the 15th “saw two chaps crawling so we changed our position.  Blooming cold tonight.  Plenty of Spandau fire, etc.”

 

‘B’ Squadron was relieved by ‘A’ Squadron the next day and moved back to Winssen.  Dick was busy with personal and vehicular maintenance, including about four hours of washing because “the laundry system here is lousy – there’s no marking ink available and you never get the same stuff back again.”  He wrote to Chotie thanking her for some photos and excusing himself from buying perfume since “all that sort of thing is in Belgium …  there’s the snag of changing guilders into Belgian francs – no mean task as the Field cashier is never seen within 20 miles of the ‘front’ and I’m certainly never 20 miles from it!...

        Thawing out for the first time for days” he enjoyed an evening by the stove with Ronnie Jury, drinking Burgundy and listening to classical music from Munich in Germany. 

 

By the next night all the Regiment were back on ‘the Island’ taking over the sector east of Elst from an entire Brigade (the 151^st).  They had to plan for evacuation in case the Germans breached the dykes – Exercise Noah.  (Anthony Rampling remembers this is just what they did.)  Eric Brewer was near Arnhem again in “about the coldest and wettest position I have ever been in. There is 2ft of water in the slit trenches and we have to stand in it…”  On Sunday 19^th the Regiment was visited by the commander of the Canadian Corps and the temporary commander of 50^th Division, Major General Lynne.  They watched a V2 being launched from just north of Arnhem, behind the German front line.

          The Allies, having crossed the German frontier to the south, now began to mine ‘the Island’.  “Spasmodic shelling and mortaring of the Regiment’s forward positions continued” and Eric Brewer’s position was also subject to machine gun fire.  One of the mine-laying ‘sappers’ dropped a mine and “got his foot blown off.  The shrapnel just missed us.”  By November 20th five of the men in Eric’s troop were also ill.

        That was the day Colonel Brownrigg received the news that 50^th Division was to return to the UK as a training Division and the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment was to be disbanded.  Dick sent Chotie this elegiac letter:

 

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 turned 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

Dick had been with 61^st Reconnaissance for a year, his first as an officer; shifting from coastal defence to preparation for ‘D Day’, fighting in Normandy for two months before crossing France to the Battle of Belgium and Operation Market Garden.  He’d now been stuck on the Netherlands front-line for another two months.

On 21^st November Eric Brewer was moving into a burnt house to make it a strong point when he was shelled by the Germans and shrapnel hit his tin hat.  The burnt-out house was “just like a luxury, as bad as it is.  Gerry still active and also plenty of mortars.”  On 22^nd he wrote home that he’d “been told some good news today but I am very sorry I can’t tell you what it is.” Presumably Eric thought he’d be returning to England.  However, that same day Colonel Brownrigg had driven to XXX Corps HQ and, with the Corps Commander Colonel Horrocks, managed to persuade Montgomery to cancel the break-up of 61^st Recce.  Horrocks said that the Regiment “would be worth a brigade to me”.  (The normal strength of a Reconnaissance Regiment was about 40 officers plus less than 750 'other ranks' while a Brigade was three to six times as large).

 

Back on ‘the Island’ shelling continued and enemy activity was detected, including submachine gun fire (from infantry or paratroopers). The regiment could see several V2s being launched every day only 10 miles north of their positions.

          Chotie’s unit had moved right across England to Barrow-on-Humber on the Lincolnshire coast (possibly to the Barrow Haven anti-aircraft battery, designed to protect the port of Hull).  V2 rocket bombs could reach Hull and the 462 Heavy (Mixed) Anti-Aircraft battery of the Royal Artillery was now part of their defence against the buzz-bombs.

 

Dick had said he was teaching a course from Wednesday 22^nd to Sunday 26^th November but on 25th November he was more than 150 miles south-west of Arnhem in the little Belgian town of Izegem, near Courtrai/Kortnjk.  He was “fixing up civvy billets for the Squadron” and was only about 20 miles from Oudenaarde, the town his Troop had liberated where he had made so many friends. 

Back on the Netherlands' front-line 61^st Recce’s Regimental HQ at Elst was heavily shelled on the night of the 28^th and two soldiers were killed.  Eric Brewer was sheltered in the burnt out house until the end of November.  However, the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment was about to leave ‘the Island’ at last. 

75 years ago - 'The Island'

October 1944 began with 50^th Division battling German attacks on ‘the Island’ – the front-line between the river Waal (with the critical Nijmegan bridge) and the Lower Rhine either side of Arnhem where the Germans held sway after defeating the British in Operation Market Garden.  Most of 61^st Reconnaissance was still on the right flank of the ‘Garden’ corridor between Uden and Grave, at Mill, where for the first time they could look into Germany.  ‘A’ Squadron and some of ‘B’ Squadron had been split from the rest of the Regiment by attacks on the corridor and were already on ‘the Island’, under command of 69^th Brigade (the Green Howards and the East Yorks) who had received the brunt of the German offensive.  Orders were received on 1^st October for those at Mill to move to Nijmegan and Eric Brewer moved that night.

‘A’ Squadron returned to regimental control on the 2^nd October while the British and Americans (101^st Airborne) went into attack - 50^th Division’s 151^st Brigade (Durham Light Infantry)  around Haalderen and 231^st Brigade (Devons, Hampshires and Dorsets) from Bemmel, both east of Elst.

On Tuesday October 3^rd Eric Brewer (and presumably the rest of ‘B’ Squadron’s Assault Troop) were relieved and Eric was able to have a bath – the first since Bayeux!  The next day the rest of the Regiment crossed the Waal onto ‘the Island’ in Divisional reserve near Elst, although ‘A’ Squadron were given a sector to hold for the 151^st Brigade.  On Friday 6th the Regiment moved back into harbour across the Waal south of Nijmegan to carry out maintenance etc. before returning to ‘the Island’ on the 8th, although Eric Brewer continued fighting with the 101^st US Airborne at Arnhem.  The Assault troop was particularly in demand because vehicle movements were almost impossible off-road on the wet boggy ground while the roads were targeted by German bombs and artillery.  Worst was “crossing the long Nijmegen bridge because of the shelling.  You just put your foot down and got over as quickly as you could” (Eric Postles).                                               

Dick had “spent three days with a very nice family” at Nijmegan- he was harboured in an orchard but offered a room and a bed.  ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons were now in forward positions on ‘the Island’, with HQ base west of Elst at Herveld – Dick sent a Field Service Postcard on the 8^th just to let Chotie know he was well.  However, the next day he found himself working as Liaison Officer with an American Colonel (presumably from 101^st Airborne) and, at last, had time to reply to Chotie. She was bemoaning leaving the comfortable farm near Cheltenham to move back to Bristol with her Ack-Ack unit and considering volunteering for work overseas.  (In September 1944 the British Army Act, which meant women serving abroad had the status of ‘camp followers’, was revoked - women in the ATS were asked to volunteer for service abroad to fill the growing need in western Europe.) Dick advised her not to:  “you’ll probably go to Egypt or somewhere and never get demobbed”.

Holding the line in the Netherlands was dangerous work. ‘C’ Squadron patrols investigating barge movements on the Waal on the 9^th were wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans.  Corporal Roy Whitehouse died that day and Trooper Maurice Raine the next day as a prisoner of war near Amsterdam - 61^st Recce lost many other men that autumn and the 101st  US Airborne had more casualties on ‘the Island’ than in the Market Garden airborne landings. 

‘A’ Squadron relieved ‘C’ at Hien (west of Herveld) on the 11^th, finding and capturing an enemy outpost the next day. Eric Brewer was at Wamel (further west on the Waal) until the 16^th, where he alternated between the Forward Outpost, directing artillery fire on the Germans, and tea at the house of a friendly girl called Annie. 

On 13^th October ‘B’ Squadron were relieved by 52nd Recce and the Regimental HQ crossed the Waal and moved to Appeltern on the Maas river (south of Wamel).  61^st Recce now held the area west of Nijmegen between the Waal and the Maas.  On 16^th ‘B’ Squadron’ position was under attack from a self-propelled gun and approaching enemy, crawling along the road and digging tunnels to avoid detection.  Lieutenant Albert Stone was wounded.

The next day the Regiment moved back onto ‘the Island’ and were based at Driel, south-west of Arnhem on the south bank of the Lower Rhine.  Here they were really under the eyes of the Germans – all movements had to be carried out after dark leaving only skeleton crews in the forward outposts (slit trenches where everyone spent the night) by day while the others sheltered in nearby houses.  Eric Brewer was at last in reserve with the Regimental HQ at Lienden.  Dick also appears to have been there too but in very gloomy mood:

 

Letter written on Wednesday 18th October 1944

61^st Recce Regt RAC

BLA.

Wednesday October 18^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    Nothing much to write about I’m afraid, but here goes in reply to yours of the 12^th.

            Weather has been very variable of late, but after a bad start this morning things have cleared up no end, and this afternoon it’s sunny – in fact, autumn at its best.

            Was very pleased to read that you were on leave again and that Mary* was home at the same time.  I expect you had plenty to talk about….

            I had some rather bad news yesterday.  My old friend “Chunky**” was killed in the Falaise Gap, some time ago though I’ve only just heard.  It’s very sad for his wife (whom I met once in London) as they’d only been married some 18 months or so, and Chunky of course, has spent all that time in the Army.  They had a baby son David, who was about a year old.  I’m the only one of the trio left, so it’s my turn next.

            Just received a letter from Brinner.  He’s still at Base but it appears he may have to go into the Infantry – which won’t do my nerves any good, as the Officer Casualty rate with them is appalling.

            Reference ‘demobbing’*** I make the 32 group and Brinner the 42 group so we both beat you – Yah!

            Haven’t shot any Germans lately or anything else of interest.  We’ve been working all the time but haven’t had many encounters.

            The NAAFI van**** has just turned up – for the first time since Normandy and even now, they’ve got no tobacco.  Apart from what Brinner can get at his RHU, I get nothing at all.  Makes me mad to think of it, especially when people in England imagine that the fighting soldier gets everything he needs.  We’re always hearing talk of “Officer Shops” but in four months over here I haven’t been able to buy a collar stud even!

            Must close here, Precious to do some work on the car.

                                    All my love, Darling

                                                Dicker.

*Mary DakinMary Dakin, Chotie’s best friend at home.

**Chunky, the 5 ft 2” tall ex chef of the Trocadero in London, shared a room with Dick and Brian ’the Ham’ when they were training to be officers in summer 1943

***Ernest Bevin's plan for demobilisation was published on 22nd September 1944 - release was based on your age and service number.

****Reg Harper describes “the occasional appearance of ‘Towrope’ Joe Meredith with the NAAFI truck …his opening gambit puffing smoke from his pipe – ‘Sorry Corporal, no pipe tobacco.  Stuff it with Woodbines; we have plenty of bootlaces, blanco, brasso, etc!’  So I settled for toothpaste.”  (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 

 

 

 

 Postcard written Wednesday 18th October 1944 from 'the Island'

 

US troops reported that an enemy patrol managed to cross the river on the night of the 19^th October but they were located by ‘A’ squadron and heavily ‘stonked’ by the artillery. 

Dick and ‘B’ squadron continued in reserve so he bombarded Chotie with a daily letter and the slightly cheesy postcards he’d been given.  On the 20th he was installed in “an amazingly clean house...you change from outdoor shoes to slippers every time you go in the house!”  Their fastidiousness seems highly practical - on the 21st he wrote “The ground here is deadly with mud.  I’ve got five pairs of boots out here (a wise precaution - taken in England) and I wear them in rotation.  By the time I’ve got through them all the first pair are dry again…"

Eric Brewer was back on the frontline beside the Rhine from the night of the 20^th “with Gerry throwing grenades over our positions and plenty of Spandau fire”.  On 22^nd a small patrol of about 10 Germans came up behind their outpost: “I shouted ‘Halt. Who goes there?’ when they were 25 yards away and they were 10 yards away when they stopped – I wasn’t half scared” before “our Bren gun and grenades soon got rid of them.”

Eric Postles had a lucky escape when the squadron were at Arnhem; having called down artillery fire on some Germans, who had got through the embankment to their positions, the last shell fired was so close it blew him over and stunned him. “I found a hole in my greatcoat where a piece of shrapnel had passed through.  Luckily it hit the compass in my trouser pocket putting it out of action but leaving me with no more than a few bruises.”

Dick wrote again on the 22nd sounding rather bored after three days of rest with no other officers around, but was busy again from that night when ‘B’ Squadron were sent to the front-line and he went “up to Squadron HQ tonight to take over duties of 2^nd in command”.  Sandy Handley recalls looking out for “any Airborne chaps who’d managed to get away from the Germans.”  100 of the British Airborne who’d evaded capture were rescued near Renkum (6km west of Driel) on the night of 22^nd/23^rd October.

61^st Recce war diary (only October and November 1944 are available) reports a German deserter surrendering to them while Reg Harper recalls one quiet prisoner who turned out to be an American deserter.  Thirty abandoned vehicles were recovered while the Regiment was at Driel, cited in Captain Joe ‘Tow-rope’ Meredith’s MBE and Lt. Laing’s Military Cross.  Front-line positions were mortared, shelled or machine gunned during the day and enemy patrols tried to get past the outposts at night.  By the 25^th there were “plenty of Gerry dead” around Eric Brewer’s outpost.

In another letter on 26th October Dick describes his work as 2^nd in Command as “nothing very thrilling – just a lot of painstaking work.  It falls to my lot to issue all rations, clothing, rum, etc and entertain visiting Colonels…”  His father was trying to sell their “old London town-house”, Clevedon Lodge, (which had been damaged by flying-bombs) for £1,500.  Dick’s brother was “still at the Regimental Holding Unit… whether Brinner will ever fire a shot in anger seems a moot point”.  Although Dick also wrote “people seem to think the war’s all over…the biggest and most bitter battles are yet to come”.  He was still advising Chotie not to volunteer for work abroad. 

On 27th October the Durham Light Infantry attacked the German front-line through the ‘B’ Squadron position and found it very thinly held: “all active patrolling is being carried out by SS troops…47 Fortress Battalion has shown none of the aggressive qualities, which are apparent in the patrols”.  Orders were received for 61st Reconnaissance to be relieved by elements of the 101st US Airborne, although ‘A’ Squadron was to stay on ‘the Island’ at Zetten (west of Elst) - one of the most unpleasant sectors on the 2nd Army front.  (Troopers in Observation Posts sometimes stood in foxholes in two feet of flood water, with constant shelling.)

The next day Dick’s ‘B’ Squadron and the rest of 61^st Recce moved back across the Waal to the Winssen area, west of Nijmegan.  Dick had “flu or something” but “as I was 2^nd in command I couldn’t go sick.”  He was much better on the 30th when he wrote to Chotie from “a lovely old farmhouse” “rambling, thatched and whitewashed”, with a date ‘1660’ in wrought-iron metal figures.  The daughter of the house had got married that morning “so needless to say everything is pandemonium – even worse than the morbid business of getting married in England”.

Eric Brewer had at last been released on leave and arrived in Antwerp on Monday 30^th.  He had a wonderful time staying in a hotel, enjoying “perfect” meals, dance halls and ice cream and marvelling at the ‘legal’ black market with its eye-watering prices.  He wrote in a letter home “the working classes are very badly off…nearly all of them are undernourished and in many cases starving.  You can thank God that we have a government who stops the black market and that stuff is rationed fairly – else these rich people would grab the lot.”  He would soon be returning to face another month on ‘the Island’.

75 years ago - Belgium and Market Garden

At the beginning of September 1944 Dick and his 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment had at last broken out of the Normandy bridgehead and crossed the Seine at Vernon.  Now they were leading the British 2^nd Army across France on the left flank of XXX (30) Corps.  On 1^st September ‘B’ Squadron paused near Amiens on the infamous River Somme (scene of a devastating battle in WW1).  Near here they encountered a Guardsman, dressed as a civilian, who had hidden out in France since 1940 and had “valuable information” so he was rushed to Regimental headquarters.  The many prisoners they were collecting – Eric Brewer mentions more than 200 on 1^st September - were more of a problem.  On 2^nd September Eric Postles’ troop commander, Lieutenant Soul, was badly injured and two of his troop killed when a prisoner ignited anti-tank mines in their carrier.  Lieutenant Laing, a Scotsman, handed over some 40 prisoners to the local French to “hang on to” overnight and, misunderstanding his accent, they unfortunately hung them all!

    Heading into northern France via Cambrai and Arras (between Lille and Amiens) the Recce ran out of large scale maps, which showed the small roads they were travelling on, and the Germans had smashed up the signposts.  Nevertheless, by the night of 2^nd/3^rd September ‘B’ Squadron of 61^st Reconnaissance were the first British troops to cross the frontier into Belgium, “despite continuous enemy resistance”.   Don Aiken recalls mines across the roads, or sods strewn to simulate mines, and a trip wire loaded with a rocket grenade while Anthony Rampling exchanged fire with crack SS snipers.  Eric Brewer’s unit took on a German convoy in flight in Belgium, knocking out six vehicles before they were ordered to move on.  

    ‘A’ Squadron were held up in the village of Houplin near Lille where their action was recognised with a Military Medal for Trooper John Traynor and Sergeant Smeaton’s and Lt Griffiths’ Croix de Guerres.

 

The Guards Armoured Division (including Chotie’s brother-in-law, Ted Lewis) now took over the spearhead, liberating Brussels, the capital of Belgium on 3^rd September.  The port of Antwerp was taken undamaged by the 11^th Armoured Division the next day but was still unusable until November while the Germans held the Scheldt Estuary approaches.

    As the advance slowed to catch up with supplies, 61^st Reconnaissance held the line along 35 miles of the Escaut Canal from Ghent/Gent to Oudenaarde/Audenarde.  Dick wrote to Chotie on 5th September from Oudenaarde:

        “It’s impossible to describe the last 10 days – it’s simply been a case of flowers all the way.

I got the job to guard two bridges in the middle of a large town – and we were the first Allies in the town!  The welcome we had was amazing…we were already covered with flowers; we were soon to be covered with fruit and wine.

            …They’ve been living very badly for four years but they had hidden wine and food for us, as they knew we’d arrive eventually.

            …Had a very happy time ‘on guard’ with scores of civilians around to ask the usual barrage of questions.  My French is improving immensely.”

    Eric Postles had a less pleasant experience while guarding the bridge at Eine, just north of Oudenaarde.  They were on the far side when vehicles approached at dawn and a German officer strode to the centre of the bridge.  Eric’s new troop commander, Sergeant Atkins, took out the front vehicles with and anti-tank gun – when they eventually found the firing mechanism.  They’d removed it to let the village children climb over the gun while celebrating their liberation the previous day!  The battle, involving several hundred German troops, raged for a couple of days before the enemy surrendered.  Sergeant Atkins was awarded the Military Medal.

    Meanwhile on 6^th and 7^th September Eric Brewer had shifted to just outside Brussels and managed to make a couple of visits to the capital where “the civvies” gave them “as much as we wanted of everything”.  Dick wrote to Chotie on the 8th, mainly about the good time he’d had in Oudenaarde and the generosity and friendship of the liberated Belgians.  As the only fluent French speaker among the officers he’d “had the job of entertaining the daughter” at a party in a country house the previous evening.  Fortunately they appreciated the same French literature.

 

Also on 8^th September 61^st Reconnaissance moved with 50^th Division to the Albert Canal near Gheel/Geel.  Their HQ and ‘C’ Squadron were surrounded when supporting the Durham Light Infantry on a bridgehead across the Canal.  The Germans retreated but Eric Brewer writes that they put in 14 counter-attacks that day and the SS captured two carriers and their crews.  C squadron’s Sergeant-Major Page earned his Distinguished Conduct Medal at Geel and Lieutenant Joseph Pilsbury his Military Cross.  On 9^th September Eric Brewer’s ‘B’ Squadron Assault Troop had turned back German reconnaissance patrols and “Gerry mortar and shells” were “still coming over, also a few bombs dropped in the night.  Plenty of refugees coming into our lines from the Gerry side”.  Dick received ‘a little bit of gold’ – the oak leaf from a ‘mention in despatches’ - at about this time for “lying among the German dead to gain information” (Chotie’s Story).

Dick's citation for a 'Mention in Despatches'

    Reuters reported that “some of the most bloody battles of the whole campaign” were being fought along the Albert Canal.  On 11^th September 61^st Recce were still on the canal south of Herenthals (between Geel and Antwerp).  The Durham Light Infantry had reached the centre of Geel with Sherwood Ranger tanks on 10^th September but the Germans counter-attacked and re-possessed the town by the 12^th, when 50^th Division was withdrawn and replaced by the Scottish 15^th Division.  Geel was finally liberated on 13^th September.

 

61^st Reconnaissance “shifted to harbour” near Bourg Leopold/Leopoldsburg, a former Belgian Army training centre.  Here Eric Postles remembers they found a food depot: “At times both the Germans and ourselves were getting food from it.”

    Dick wrote to Chotie on the 12th with no mention of the Albert Canal engagements – instead he’d had it “very cushy for the past few days” staying “in the grounds of a very old and famous château” where he enjoyed dinners with the Baroness and her sister – a Countess who had sheltered British pilots after they’d crashed in France.  He certainly knew what Chotie would want to hear!

    While ‘in harbour’ they managed to get into some towns “instead of the old perpetual fields and orchards”.  He was also very pleased with the cafés, which were like pubs but had barbers inside “so that you can have a pint while waiting your turn”.

    Eric Brewer was back on the front-line again on 15^th September, carrying out reconnaissance across another canal to find the German positions.  Their observations directed an artillery barrage on 17^th September enabling the Royal Engineers to build a bridge across the canal for infantry.  Eric wrote in his diary: “big push coming and going to push on to the Zuider Zee” (a large shallow bay east of Amsterdam).  This was the beginning of Operation Market Garden.

 

On 17^th September 1944, after an intense bombing of German airfields and anti-aircraft defences, Allied airborne divisions began to land in the Netherlands.  The plan was for the Airborne to seize critical bridges on the rivers and canals in the south of the country, enabling the rapid advance of British ground troops on a narrow front to crack open the German line and a route to Berlin north of the well-defended Ruhr industrial area.  The Germans still held the Channel ports or they were, like Antwerp, unusable and the Allies’ supply lines could no longer support the advance on a broad front. 

            ‘Market’ was the code-name for the Airborne landings:  the US 101st Airborne landed near to the Belgium border around Eindhoven, the US 82^nd Airborne near Nijmegen and Grave and the unfortunate British 1^st Airborne Division landed by the Lower Rhine near Arnhem.  Within an hour some 20,000 combat troops and about 500 vehicles had been safely landed, although not all in the correct drop zones.  The Germans managed to destroy the bridge over the Wilhemina canal at Son, north of Eindhoven, and the Arnhem railway bridge.  However, by the end of the day Colonel John Frost's 2nd Parachute Battalion and some of Major Freddie Gough’s 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron (which Dick had joined in spring 1942) held the north end of the Arnhem road bridge.

    ‘Garden’, the ground forces advance, was the task of XXX Corps, spearheaded by the Guards Armoured Division.  43rd Wessex Division was behind the Guards, then 50^th Division, which had spent three days re-organising at Paal, south-west of Burg Leopold.  Breaking through the defences of the Dutch border the three XXX Corps Divisions had all reached Valkenswaard, south of Eindhoven by the evening of the 17^th.  ‘A’ squadron led 61^st Recce’s advance on the left flank of XXX Corps and were involved in finding routes from Valkenswaard for the tanks which, forced along a single narrow road, were vulnerable to attacks exacerbated by traffic jams and supply problems.

    Dick’s letter of letter of 18th and 19th September gives nothing away about his involvement in the advance, with a brief mention of “this latest Airborne effort”.  However, he’s “met a lot of Ted’s crowd” (the Guards) and is “getting eggs & tomatoes (hundreds of them) instead of the endless run of sausage-meat” – the latter a Belgian speciality while tomatoes are typical of the Netherlands market gardening produce.  Eindhoven was liberated on the 18^th September but the Guards had to wait while a Bailey Bridge was constructed at Son.  Making the crossing the next day they linked up with the 82^nd US Airborne at Grave and added their strength to the assaults on the Nijmegen road bridge.  This was at last taken on the evening of the 20^th – the Guards crossed the Waal and halted for the night 8 miles from Arnhem.  61^st Recce’s ‘A’ Squadron and some of ‘B’ Squadron, including Don Aiken, also crossed the Waal on the 20^th.

            A dwindling force of British 1^st Airborne still held the Arnhem road bridge and the commander of 1^st Airborne, Major-General Urquehart, had gathered the remains of the Division at Oosterbeek, west of Arnhem and next to the river.  On the 21^st September the Arnhem bridge was eventually taken by the Germans who streamed across to set up defences blocking the Guards between Arnhem and Nijmegen at Elst.

    German forces were also continually attacking the ‘Garden’ corridor laid down by XXX Corps, succeeding in breaking through on several occasions and splitting 61^st Reconnaissance in two.  Sandy Handley of Dick’s troop wrote “Our part of the convoy was cut off, held up by enemy tanks”.  ‘C’ Squadron stayed with 101^st Airborne and 52^nd Recce (Dick’s future unit) defending the corridor.  Eric Brewer only crossed the border into Holland on 21^st September.  Tony Rampling remembers going up ‘Hell’s Highway’, the nickname given to the corridor “Gerry picked the bridges out to shell so you had to cross very fast”.  They reached the air-landing zones, which were “littered with smashed up gliders, parachutes everywhere”.  Everyone took bits of parachute silk to put round their necks: “wearing this coarse uniform, it was some comfort to have a silk scarf”. 

    Dick wrote to Chotie on the 21^st from “a well-to-do surgeon’s town-house” saying “there’s only 50% officers with us now – which makes life much duller”.  He doesn’t appear to have crossed the bridge at Nijmegen yet.

            Beyond Nijmegen the Polish Parachute Brigade had dropped at Driel, just south of the Rhine opposite Oosterbeek, on 21^st September.  The next day 43^rd Recce linked up with them and 35 Poles managed to cross the river joining Urquehart’s troops.  German attacks on the Oosterbeek bridgehead were thwarted by the guns of XXX Corps with air support from the RAF and 200 more Poles crossed on the 23^rd.

    On the 22^nd September the XXX Corps lifeline had been severed at Uden (south-west of Grave) and on the 23^rd the line was cut at Sint Oedenrode (between Uden and Eindhoven).  Eric Brewer was “firing shells at where Gerry broke through” and on the 24^th he “shifted to the flank – plenty of mortar fire, shelling and spandos” (German machine guns).  Major Alexander, commander of 61^st Recce’s HQ Squadron, was killed near Uden that day.

    Meanwhile most of 50^th Division had crossed Nijmegen bridge and were engaged in the Battle of Elst.  On 23^rd they were tasked with capturing the village of Bemmel, to the east, and had succeeded by the 25^th.  Elst was liberated the same day.

            Eric Postles and Don Aiken were on the south bank of the Rhine, west of Arnhem with 43^rd Recce on the 24^th September.  315 of the 43rd Division’s Dorset infantry (Dick joined up with the Dorsets) crossed the Rhine from here to safeguard the planned evacuation of the remaining 1^st Airborne from Oosterbeek – 200 were captured but they succeeded in delivering the plans for the evacuation to Urquehart.  That night 2,000 men were successfully evacuated including 160 of the Polish paratroopers and 75 of the Dorset infantry.  Eric Postles recalls “When it became clear that the Arnhem Bridge was beyond 30 Corps' reach our squadron was moved to join 43 Division infantry where we protected their right flank as they advanced to the Waal, crossed it and helped the Airborne survivors back from the Osterbeek area.  The crossing place was just downstream from Driel and the attack took place at night using moonlight (searchlights on cloud) and Bofar gun tracer to mark the boundaries.  43 Division crossed the river and surviving Airborne troops were brought back but the cost in lives of the 43 Division infantry was heavy.” 

 

Dick Williams, our protagonist, had links to almost all the key forces in Market Garden, including his former units – 1^st Airlanding Reconnaissance, 43^rd Recce and the Dorsets, his future regiment - 52^nd Recce, the US Airborne, who he was to fight beside in Holland and the Ardennes, and his brother-in-law in the Guards.

On 25^th September the top commanders in Market Garden – Montgomery, Eisenhower and Browning (Chief of the British Airborne) stopped beside Eric Brewer to give out cigarettes, ask about their food and did they have any complaints?  The bold plan for a rapid thrust into Germany from the Netherlands was dead and had cost 15,000 Allied lives.

There is a verse in the poem ‘Destination Berlin’ (written by the commander of 61^st Recce’s ‘B’ Squadron, Major Frank Harding):

“Monty stood up in his car

Having espied from afar

Chutes in trees and gliders wrecked

Arnhem: he gave cigarettes.”

    

    Dick wrote to Chotie on the 25th September finally admitting that “we’ve been on the move all the time with practically no rest and plenty of work to be done.”  Everyone must have been writing letters since he had about a hundred to censure.

 

On 26^th September Eric Brewer was on a hill next to a canal looking into Germany.  He hoped “to be in there soon as the plan to go to the Zuider Zee has changed because the bridges across the Rhine are blown so we are pushing west into Germany.” (Actually, he was to be in the Netherlands for quite a while.)  He’d found some film and borrowed a camera so there are a few photos from around this time:

Eric Brewer is in the centre in the half-track

 

Dick wrote to Chotie again on 27^th September:

61^st Recce Regt RAC, BLA

Wednesday Sept 27^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    I posted a letter to you yesterday, but as I have a free day today I thought I’d start another, anyhow.

            I’m in a farmhouse writing this, a big rambling place with massive oak-beamed rooms – quite pleasant.  There is also the most wonderful baby you ever saw who belongs to the farmer’s wife.  In keeping with the place she’s a massive woman herself, who’s reared hundreds of children – and looks like rearing hundreds more.

            It’s raining steadily at the moment, which makes it a double pleasure to be indoors – as farmyards are always so depressing in rain.

            My friend Winsor* (‘The Duke’) has now returned, after an absence of some six or seven weeks, which makes life so much more bearable.  He started off in true form last night by taking about 2 quid from me at pontoon….

            I’ve been having a look at this demob. racket.  It appears that I don’t come off too badly.  Brinner of course is worse off, as he’s younger and has less service, so he’ll probably end up in Burma after all.  How do you come off?  I suppose I’ll have to marry you in the end, if only to get you out of the army….What a price to pay!

            I’ve written a letter to Madelaine** to thank her for the books and general kindness shown at Oudenaarde.  It was written in French with the aid of a Dictionary (my written French is pretty poor stuff), and I was quite pleased with the result, though I expect it will provoke some laughter in the family.

            Have just received your letter of the 22^nd, which I’m tacking on to this one.  It’s rather a long time in the post these days isn’t it?  Though I suppose it takes longer by having to go to your home address first.

            Very pleased to hear that you saw the Queen and Princess – bet you were thrilled.

            Congratulations on passing the course at all*** – I suppose you’ll be chucking me about when I get home again….

            It’s lovely and bright this morning – really September – though I think the Autumn will be a little tardy this year, in these parts at any rate.  It should be rather beautiful when it does come, as nearly all the roads are lined with trees.

            Mother had a letter from Monica**** recently telling her that her husband has returned to England from France with gastric trouble and ‘shellshock’ (now called ‘mental neurosis’ I believe, which is a kinder name), so I suppose he’s out of it for good.  I’d better write her, I suppose as she sent me a card on my last birthday.  Mother said she was after my address – a bad sign.

            I must close here, Darling as there’s plenty of work to be done, this sunny morn.

                        All my love, Chotie Darling

                                                                                    Dicker

*Geoff Winsor or Winzer or maybe even Windsor!

**Madelaine Gervaert

***Chotie was now a qualified PT Instructor and back at Dean's Farm, Hunt Court, Cheltenham where her Ack-Ack unit was stationed.

****Dick’s ex-girlfriend.

© Chotie Darling

 

50^th Division, with 61^st Reconnaissance, were now tasked with guarding the bridge and bridgehead north of Nijmegen, an area between the Rhine and Waal rivers known as ‘the Island’ – the new front-line.  On 30^th September a German infantry Division and seventy tanks attacked the section held by 69^th Brigade (the East Yorks and the Green Howards). The battle for ‘the Island’ had begun.

 

75 years ago - out of Normandy and across France

On 1^st August 1944 the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment was still engaged in Operation Bluecoat, Monty’s drive southward on the boundary between Panzer Group West and the German 7^th Army, to the west of Caen.  Dick’s  ‘B’ Squadron was sent in to recce Amayé-sur-Seulles (west of Villers Bocage) in support of 50th Division and took an active part in its liberation by 69^th Brigade (the East Yorks and the Green Howards) despite fierce opposition.  Don Aiken writes that Eric Brewer’s Assault Troop came under fire and sustained casualties and even Eric, in his usual re-assuring letter home admitted that they “came up against some stiff opposition and were held up for about an hour”.  He also describes seeing about 120 prisoners give themselves up, many in poor condition and happy to surrender.  Eric’s Troop commander, Lt. Philip Truman, received the Military Cross for his part in the action at Amayé-sur-Seulles, which is also included in Major Frank Harding’s citation for the M.C.

Meanwhile 11^th Armoured Division had pushed forward, liberating le Bény-Bocage on 1^st August and reaching the outskirts of Vire on 2^nd August with some elements of 61^st Recce, who found the town virtually undefended.  However, 11^th Armoured were ordered east, leaving the town to the Americans.  By the time XIX Corps arrived German forces had rushed in re-enforcements and Vire was not liberated until the 8^th August.  According to Eric Brewer Lt-General Demsey, commander of the British forces, later told 61^st Recce that they’d been three days ahead of 7^th Armoured Division and had to wait for them outside Vire.

However, on 4^th and 5^th August Eric was on recce near Villers-Bocage, which had finally been liberated by the 1^st Dorsets (Dick’s first regiment) of 50^th Division.  The town was one of the Division’s original D-Day targets, almost two months ago.

Dick had a ‘rest’ day on the 4th August collecting food, ammo, petrol, etc and wrote to Chotie, who had managed to spend some time at home with her family in Poole, enjoying the sun.

Some of Roy Howard’s ‘A’ Squadron troop received severe injuries while investigating a booby-trapped building on 4^th August. Snipers, booby-traps and mines were the perils of any advance in Normandy.

 

61^st Recce had taken over ‘holding the line’ near Caumont-l’Eventé from 43rd Division (another of Dick’s former units) who advanced against fierce German resistance to secure the important high ground of Mont Pinçon, south of Aunay-sur-odon, on 6^th August.  On 7^th August the Canadian 1^st Army renewed it’s offensive towards Falaise with Operation Totalize but were halted at Quesnay (north-west of Falaise and Potigny) by the 11^th.  On the 8^th Eisenhower, Montgomery and Bradley agreed a new plan to encircle German forces in Normandy with American forces swinging east to meet the Canadians at Argentan, south-east of Falaise.

On 8^th August Eric Brewer wrote home to say he was ‘still in a kind of reserve’ and helping with the cooking.  On 10^th August they moved on, bringing in six prisoners, and on the 11^th August Major Harding with ‘B’ Squadron captured an important hill (Point 266), north of Condé-sur-Noireau, ‘and destroyed or captured all the enemy on the hill’, holding it until relieved.  Eric Brewer wrote “plenty of mortars, shells and spandaus".  Don Aiken says they moved to a cross-roads near Aunay-sur-Odon on 11^th August where they came under shellfire and a driver in his troop was killed.

 

Chotie, now at Shurdington near Cheltenham (her Ack-Ack unit had moved again), visited the dentist on 11^th August.

Dick wrote to Chotie again on Saturday 12th August, on a ‘rest’ day again, which “involves a vast amount of work as all the armoured cars have to be maintained, all guns taken down and cleaned and all ammo, food, water, etc replenished.  It’s a good six to eight hour job, when you consider that my crews have to do their own cooking as well.”  He was in “quite a pleasant spot…but the artillery is pretty shocking…we’re living in a continual barrage.”

 

61^st Recce’s Lieutenant Flint was awarded a Military Cross for his reconnaissance in Lénault (south of Mont Pinçon) where he and his troop encountered and escaped the enemy and then directed mortar fire on their positions.  Eric Brewer’s commander Lieutenant Truman, carried out a classic patrol clearing up ‘a spot of trouble’ near Mont Pinçon.  Regimental HQ was set up at nearby at le Plessis-Grimault, “one of the most evil-smelling places in the Bocage” – presumably due to the remains of action in the area.

On 14^th August a new offensive, Operation Tractable, was launched to close the gap in the circle between the Canadians and the US 3^rd Army and trap the remains of German 7^th Army and Panzer Group West in the ‘Falaise Pocket’.  XXX Corps (now commanded by Lt-General Brian Horrocks) advanced towards Condé-sur-Noireau with 50^th Division and 61^st Recce, to push at the base of the pocket.  Dick executed his own minor heroics during this advance when overtaking “some armoured cars of a rival regiment, halted short of some suspicious-looking grass turves in the middle of the road.  ‘We can’t get on,’ they said, ‘Mines.’  Without a word Williams threw the turves in the ditch and drove on.”

 

Dick wrote to Chotie again on the 16th August “in some very lovely country now – more open and rolling, something like the Sussex Downs though more wooded.”  He’d very nearly had his third bath since landing and did have his third beer, “which makes 3½ pints since we landed.”  

50th Division were now near Condé-sur-Noireau, which was liberated by the 11th Armoured Division on 17th August.  On 18^th August the ‘big push’ began – 61^st Recce moved forward towards Argentan with ‘the Black Bull’ (11^th Armoured Division).  East of Putanges on19th August ‘A’ Squadron’s Lieutenant Griffiths was leading his troop ‘with the greatest of boldness against forces far superior in numbers’.  11^th Armoured Division captured 900 prisoners while pushing the Germans back north of Argentan.

 

On 19^th August the Canadian 1^st Army, with the 1^st Polish Armoured Division, finally linked up with the US 3^rd Army at Chambois but were unable to hold back the tide of escaping German forces.  Approximately 40,000 Germans escaped.  More than 10,000 Germans died in the Falaise pocket and 50,000 were taken prisoner (2,000 by 61^st Reconnaissance).  Eric Brewer’s diary records that 61^st Recce pushed on through the gap taking 200 prisoners on 20^th August. They advanced 20–30 miles and were the first English boys the civilians had seen.

The US 3^rd Army took Argentan on 20^th August after eight days of fighting and waiting there for the Canadians to break through.  The Falaise Gap was finally closed on 21^st August.  61^st Recce were advancing 30 miles a day, being mobbed by the newly liberated French in the towns and villages.  On 22^nd August they were at Falaise (north-west of Argentan), now a devastated killing field filled with the bodies of Germans piled several feet high – even the planes flying 10,000 feet above could smell the dead, which included thousands of horses used for transport.

 

After a brief time ‘back at base’ 61^st recce moved to Vernon, on the banks of the Seine between Rouen and Paris, on 25^th August – the day of its liberation.

Dick wrote to Chotie on 26th August, with a few hours to call his own.  “There’s little or no devastation where we are at present, which makes things so much more pleasant.”  This also meant the locals were friendlier – Eric Brewer enjoyed a warm welcome from a couple at Vernon and Dick had met a very hospitable chap living in a barn after his house was bombed.  While they were glad to accept alcohol - hoarded and brought out to celebrate the liberation - the British forces had been instructed to refuse meals “as the French people don’t even get enough for themselves, let alone anyone else” (Eric Brewer). 

Letter written on Monday 28^th and Tuesday 29^th August 1944

61^st Recce Rac

BLA

Monday Aug. 28^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for your letter dated the 23^rd which I’ve just this moment received. 

            Glad to hear you’re home at last if only for six days, and the prospect of a month’s course is quite a pleasant one to look forward to.  Don’t do anything too strenuous will you?  The first course I had was a P.T one* and they gave me a bending all right….

            I’ll send this to your home address and they can forward it as soon as they hear from you in Scotland.

            I imagine it’s pretty crowded at Parkstone at the moment now that the coastal ban has been lifted – mother says it’s pretty bad in Bognor.

            Sorry to hear about the pubs** – especially the Sloop.  It’s Dad’s pet grouse, of course, at present, though you’d better be in training for Scotland.

            Very sorry to hear about Adrian – I didn’t realise he was over here.

            I may have a chance to contact Ted in the next few weeks though it’s very difficult.  I spent over two hours trying to find Brinner today but without success.  Apparently he’s still at Base, Somewhere.  At any rate it’s safer there.

            I’ve had a fairly quiet time lately but can’t guarantee it will last.

            I’ve been in many villages first hand and have had a great welcome from the people.  We’re lucky this way of course – it’s one of the few compensations of being in front all the time.

            I’m very fit and still very happy here – I suppose the ability to chat with the people wherever you go helps a lot.

            I wish I could see you again, Darling, but I’d sooner get this business over, than go on leave and have to come back again.

            I think we’ve got the worst of it over but I can’t pretend there aren’t big battles to come.  We’ve beaten a complete army now, but we’ve had precious little time to rest on our laurels.  They still have armies left, but I think we can beat them also.

            I’ve just heard the good news of a day’s rest tomorrow so I’ll write some more then.

            Goodnight, my Darling.

 

Well, Precious, Tuesday has arrived after a wretched night.  I’ve never experienced such a storm as we had last night – simply torrents of rain with added accompaniment of thunder and lightning.  I got soaked through and haven’t yet dried out.

            It’s rather a pity as we’re in very fine country, as I heard it aptly expressed – country that was never meant to hear more than the song of the birds or the pop of a Champagne cork….

            Aren’t the radio programmes wretched?  We have a radio on all day (in harbour) and the stuff they pound out is chronic.  I get heartily sick of the whole thing.

            I’m writing this in a barn full of new-mown hay, very pleasant indeed.  The rain outside is pretty steady and doesn’t look like stopping today at any rate.

            I don’t suppose I can write another letter to reach you before the 6^th, so here’s wishing you all the very best for your 21^st.  As soon as you can give me the address of an account you can use I send on a cheque – ‘fraid it’s all I can do out here.

            Must close here but will try to write you again tomorrow

                                   

All my love, Darling

                                                Dicker

           

P.T.O

 

P.S.  Found the enclosed mags. in Villers Bocage some long time ago.  The magazines were quite indifferent so I just cut out the best.  The rest of the stuff were third-rate patterns.  I thought the kiddies stuff the best.  Am I giving you ideas?

                       

                                    R.

 

*Dick became a P.T. Instructor soon after joining the Army in August 1940.  Chotie attended a P.T. course at Newbattle Abbey, Dalkeith, Scotland from 30th August 1944.

**Not sure what was happening to the pubs around this time but alcohol was at it’s scarcest in Christmas 1994/45 on the home front (see Christmas under Fire).

© Chotie Darling

 

On 29th August 61^st Recce crossed the Seine on a pontoon bridge and began their ‘swan’ across France towards Belgium.  According to Eric Brewer’s diary they were near to Elbeuf (by Rouen) on 30^th August, the same day that the Normandy capital was liberated by the Canadian Army.  The next night they were almost 100 miles further on near Amiens – this critical town on the Somme was liberated by XXX Corps on 31^st August after a night march by the 11^th Armoured Division.

61st Reconnaissance in Humber Armoured car at Beauvais, between Rouen and Amiens (IWM)

According to Colonel Brownrigg these were the most exhilarating days of the campaign.  They were protecting the left flank of XXX Corps but were sometimes 70 miles ahead of divisional headquarters and collected an enormous amount of prisoners.  Some were handed to the French Resistance fighters “who tagged onto us” - they took them to the woods and shot them (from Eric Postles' book).

Speed was essential – they had orders to capture the port of Antwerp in Belgium and the V1 rocket-launching sites terrorising London and the south-east.  (Eric Brewer mentions he saw a ‘Buzz Bomb’ launch site on 31^st August.)  The welcome in French villages and towns was now overwhelming and slowed progress so that often the ‘honours of liberation’ were left to the rearguard echelons.  There were sharp engagements and very little sleep – Sandy Handley confessed that one morning it was 61^st Recce’s job to wake up the Guards commander (the Guards Armoured Division with 50^th Division led XXX Corps in ‘the swan’) but they all overslept.  Monty had urged them to make every kilometre “a bomb less for England”.

 

 

On 1^st August Lt-General Patton’s US 3^rd Army became fully operational.  They swept west into Brittany conquering ‘a lot of real estate’ (Bradley) but failing to seize intact the critical western ports.  Rennes was liberated on 4^th August, Vannes on the 5^th, Angers and Alençon on the 10^th, Nantes on the 12^th and eventually, the Channel citadel of Saint-Malo on the 17^th.  Circling north to Normandy they were at Argentan by the 13^th August.

The Germans had launched a major counter-offensive at Mortain (south of Vire) on 7^th August, attempting to cut through to the coast and sever the US spearhead.  This was a disaster, thinning their defences further east so the British, including 61^st Recce, could at last push through, while Ultra (information via the Bletchley Park code-crackers) had prepared the American commander General Bradley for the attack.  Hitler demanded another offensive on 16^th August but instead von Kluge issued orders for a full-scale retreat and was instantly replaced by Field-Marshall Walter Model, who directed plans for escape through the Falaise gap.

 By now 'Pluto', the Allies undersea fuel pipeline between the Solent and Cherbourg, was operational.  Free French forces in Normandy began secretly hoarding fuel for a drive on Paris.

On 15^th August Allied Forces including the Free French landed on the south coast of France in Operation Dragoon and on the 17^th the Vichy government (except for Marshall Pétain) fled to Germany.

Chartres was liberated on 18^th August and the next day the Battle of Paris began with an uprising by the French resistance – communists led the people onto the streets while the rival Gaullists seized government buildings and institutions.  On 20^th August the US 3^rd Army crossed the Seine north-west of Paris.  Free French forces reached the centre of Paris on 24^th August greeted by a peal of bells from the great church of Nôtre-Dame and, despite Hitler’s order to burn the city, Paris was liberated almost unscathed on 25^th August.

 

On 23^rd August Free French Forces had linked up with the US 3^rd Army near Bordeaux, on the west coast of France, and the Germans retreated from the city.  In south-east France Cannes, Grasse, and Grenoble were liberated and, after fierce fighting, Toulon and Marseilles on 28^th August and Nice on the 31^st.

In Italy Florence was liberated by the British 8^th Army soon after 3^rd August, when the Germans blew all the bridges except the Ponte Vecchio.

 

With the Russian army on its doorstep the Polish Home Army began an uprising in Warsaw and was initially successful in taking control of large areas of the city.  RAF planes dropped weapons and supplies but Stalin set up a puppet Polish government in Lublin and left the uprising to burn itself out.  350 Jews were liberated from the Gesiówka concentration camp as Himmler ordered thousands of Jews from the ghetto at Łódź, south-west of Warsaw, to their deaths at Auschwitz. 

On 2^nd August almost a thousand Roma and Sinti left in the Gypsy Camp at Auschwitz were killed in the gas chambers.

In Amsterdam a young Jewish girl and her family were taken prisoner on 4^th August. Ann Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945 but her diary still tells the world the story of the Holocaust. 

On 20^th August the Allies began to bomb I.G.Farben synthetic fuel factory at Auschwitz with its enslaved labour force of Jews, British Prisoners of War and east European workers.  Primo Levi, the Italian chemist and author of one of the most famous accounts of Auschwitz ‘If This Is a Man’, survived the bombing.

The Russian army had captured Kaunas, the capital of Lithuania, on 1^st August.  They began to attack Romania on 19^th August and the King staged a ‘Royal Coup’, removing the fascist leader Antonescu and declaring war against Germany on 25^th August.  The Bulgarians also withdrew from the Axis coalition on 26^th August, becoming a neutral state while the Slovak resistance began an armed insurrection on the 29^th.

 

In the far east Chinese and American forces captured Myitkina in Burma (Myanmar) on 3^rd August but the Japanese Ichi-Gō advance into southern China continued with the capture of Heng-Yang in Hunan on 8^th August.

US Marines had seized the Japanese base at Tinian in the Marianas Island on 1^st August and by 10^th August Guam was liberated and all of the Marianas were in Allied hands.

 

While war raged around the world representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the USA met at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington to agree the structure of a new international organisation for peace and security – the United Nations.

75 years ago - Preparing for Operation Overlord

On 1st May 1944 Dick became a full Lieutenant.  He was still in Nightingale Wood and acting Squadron Leader – possibly while senior officers attended Exercise Thunderclap, Montgomery’s preparation sessions for D Day with ground force officers who would be involved in the assault.  By now Dick would have known he wasn’t going ashore with 61st Recce on D Day but would follow to France with the majority of the Regiment in later in June.  He wrote to Chotie describing the joys of the countryside and listening to classical music on the radio.

61^st Reconnaissance Regiment was inspected by General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, at the beginning of May and also received a visit from King George VI.  On 6th May Dick was Orderly Officer, checking on the guards at night, and still running the Squadron.  Chotie had been home, to Parkstone in Poole, where her sister Margaret was expecting her first child (Roger).  Dick’s old friend Eric Kessler now had a baby son and Dick was “almost envious”. 

By 10th May he’d “managed to get rid of this Squadron Leader racket”.  On 14th May Bristol, where Chotie was stationed in an Ack-Ack unit, was again attacked by the Luftwaffe.  The Easton-in-Gordano anti-aircraft camps defending the harbour would have played an important role successfully defeating the impact of the attack.  Having at last secured 24 hours leave Dick wrote to Chotie urging her to join him in “the Haunch town” – their favourite pub was the Haunch of Venison in Salisbury (co-incidentally where Eisenhower and Churchill are said to have met when planning D Day).  She went AWOL and they stayed overnight together in Salisbury on Friday 19th May; their last meeting before February 1945.

 

Letter written on Saturday 20th May 1944

Usual address

Saturday

Chotie Darling,

                                    Just a few lines to thank you for a very happy, though all too brief, 24 hrs.

            I managed to get back with ten minutes to spare and just made the afternoon parade.  I hope you managed to get back without too much trouble – I hate the thought of you scrubbing floors all night*.  What you would do for me, Darling, is a constant source of amazement to me.

            I’ve just finished censoring the mail – a man size job tonight as unfortunately no one else bothered to do yesterday’s for me, with the result that I’ve had two days to do at once.

            I regret to say that the 24hr passes have stopped but there may be a chance of some leave a bit later on – three or four days, I imagine.

            I went to the naffy** and imbibed a little beer earlier this evening with the result that I keep running outside.  Sorry….

            All the other officers (both of them) went to the cinema tonight to see “Bombers Moon” – some punk Yank film, but I just couldn’t have stood it so I stayed here, in my little tent and wrote you, my Darling, which seems infinitely preferable.

            After this show, Chotie, I reckon we’ll take a few months off – sheer rest – and forget all about the wretched life we now lead.  Walking in Provence or somewhere like that.  We could find a little hotel every night … and when we’re married things will be different….

            I intend to come out of this business, darling, if only to take the chance of making you very happy, which is what you deserve.

            I must close here, Precious as I have to write a few lines to mother – not having written for some time.

            Goodnight, my Darling – I love you very, very much.

                                                                        Dicker

RKWilliams

 

*Presumably an ATS punishment for going AWOL (Absent Without Leave)

**Slang for the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute’s canteen and recreation building.  Officers weren’t meant to frequent the NAAFI as this was an intrusion on the private lives of the Other Ranks.  The Commissioned Officers had their own ‘mess’, sometimes separated into Junior and Senior, and the senior NCOs had theirs, known as the Sergeants Mess. 

Eric Brewer’s diary reveals he was working in the Sergeants Mess (“not a bad job”) from 22^nd to 30^th May (from Eric Brewer’s Diary by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family).

© Chotie Darling

 

Soon after this Dick moved to Aldershot with the rest of the Regiment not involved in D Day (including Tony Rampling).  He wrote to Chotie with “No news from this end, of course.  The old security racket again.”

 

Eric Postles, Sandy Handley, Eric Brewer and Don Aiken were all to be part of the first assault.  They had been involved in the practice exercises, seen detailed reconnaissance films of their destination (without any names) and waterproofed their vehicles for an amphibious landing.  Eric Brewer went AWOL overnight on 6^th May and was fined three day’s pay, possibly by Dick (RW)

(Eric Brewer's Service Record - copyright Derek Brewer and family)

 

The camp was shared with American Rangers, an elite unit who were to spearhead attacks from Omaha beach.  Sandy was “shaking in my boots at the thought of what was to come.  The majority of us hadn’t seen any action at all so far.” 

Towards the end of the month the camp was sealed off – no-one was allowed out or in.  Personal items had to be sent home and the cars loaded with ammunition and supplies to get through the first 24 hours.  Some of the troops copied the Americans example and shaved their heads in case of lice.  On 31st May they were told they would be embarking the next day and were served steak – an unimaginable luxury in those wartime days. The gunner in Eric Postles car ‘did a runner’, trying to get home to Slough, and was never seen again so Eric went to war with a crew of three, instead of the four he should have had.

 

On 8^th May Eisenhower had decided that D Day would be on the 5^th of June and a week later Montgomery gave a masterly presentation of the final plans for Overlord to the King, Churchill and the Senior Officers of the Allied Armies. 

Map of the Overlord Plan from Olive-Drab website

150,000 troops were to land on the five Normandy beaches: United States 12th Army Group, commanded by Lt-General Omar Bradley, in the west on ‘Utah’ and ‘Omaha’ and the 21st Army Group of British and Canadians in the east on ‘Gold’, ‘Juno’ and ‘Sword’.  XXX (30) Corps would be led ashore on ‘Gold’ beach by Dick’s own 50^th Division.  8,000 British and 16,000 American Airborne troops were to seize crucial inland points ahead of the landings.

It was vital to keep the Germans guessing where and when the invasion would take place.  The deceptions of Operation Fortitude North continued with another attack on the giant battleship Tirpitz (feigning preparations for a Norway landing from Scotland) and Operation Fortitude South built up General Patton’s fake US First Army Group in SE England, threatening the Pas de Calais.  Air attacks on key military and infrastructure targets all over northern France continued with a 5,000 bomber raid on 20^th May.

Berlin suffered a 1,500 bomber raid on 7^th May by the United States Army Air Force but the Allied air forces were now turned towards tactical support for the invasion and the USAAF began strategic bombing of Germany’s synthetic oil manufacture, succeeding in halving production by the end of June.

In Italy the Allies at last broke the Gustav (winter) line, which had stalled them for so long, taking the stronghold of Monte Cassino on 18^th May.  They also broke out of the Anzio beach-head to the north, linking up with the US 10^th Army by the Tyrrhenian Coast on 25^th May.

In Eastern Europe the Red Army’s advance in the Crimea continued with the capture of the Black Sea port Sevastapol on 9^th May.  Hungary was now occupied by German forces – mass deportation of Hungarian Jews began on 15^th May (less than one third were to survive the Holocaust).

The U-gō invasion of India by Japan retreated from Kohima on 13^th May. 

Chinese forces crossed the border to attack the Japanese in Burma on 11^th May and joined with Merrill’s Marauders who had captured the Myitkina airfields.  However, the town and river port of Myitkina remained in Japanese hands until August.

On 18^th May the success of Operation Cartwheel was demonstrated when the US Navy’s Admiralty Island campaign at last isolated the Japanese base of Rabaul, making it useless.

For the British the attention of the world was soon to focus much closer to home.

75 years ago - Nightingale Wood

Writing on Saturday 1st April Dick recounted his ‘pretty cushy’ time in Scotland, visiting Glasgow at the weekend.  He’d returned to Whittlesford on 29^th March and managed to see his sister Diller on a trip to Leicester delivering vehicles.

Now it was time for 61^st Recce to move south to their assembly area for Operation Overlord (D Day), near the south coast.  Dick’s ‘B’ Squadron camped out for two months in Nightingale Wood near Romsey – part of D Day Marshalling Areas C16 and C17, inland from Southampton.  Here Dick received a new member for his No 5 Troop – Sandy Handley, from the Royal West Kents, who was to stay with him throughout the war and become Anthony Rampling’s best friend from the army.  Tony, hearing that the Assault troops were to be issued with bicycles, asked for a transfer (he didn’t much fancy carrying a Bren gun on a bicycle) and also joined Dick’s troop.

The camps were all carefully camouflaged to avoid detection by the Luftwaffe and all leave was cancelled to maintain secrecy, although Dick’s letter of 8th April shows he still had hopes of meeting Chotie before the invasion.  Eric’s Postles’ troop was granted special permission to go on leave and, returning to Wigan, he first met his future wife, Gladys Dandy.  Don Aiken managed to meet up with his brother who was with the Royal School of Signals putting up telephone lines to connect the camps and command centres. 

The Allies' deceptions in Operation Fortitude kept the Germans guessing where and when the invasion would take place – Dick and other Lieutenants spent much of their time censoring letters, like the one from Eric Brewer mentioning white bread, apples and peaches (rare treats that might have hinted he was being given special treatment as part of the invasion force?).  Dick was more interested in 61^st Recce’s latest recruit:

 

Letter written on Thursday 13th April 1944

2/Lt RK Williams

            61^st Recce Regt

NB!    A.P.O.

            England

Thursday 13^th April

Chotie Darling,

                                    Just the few odd lines to let you know I’m still alive at any rate.  Having quite a good time here, despite poor living accommodation and even worse food.  Weather is excellent, pukka spring – including cuckoos, damn them.

            As regards leave of any sort, I’m afraid it’s out of the question – however I will try to get down to your place sometime during your leave, and you should be able to get here, somehow.  I’m afraid I can’t give you anything more definite as, for all I know, I may easily be out on a scheme throughout your leave.

            I’m very tied up here as regards communications – no telephones or telegrams.  Luckily I’m able to censor my own letters, but unfortunately have to censor some forty or fifty letters every evening, which takes time.

            We’ll manage to meet somehow, never fear.

            My neighbouring subaltern came across a fox cub the other day and we’ve kept it ever since.  We procured a very wee kitten from the Quartermaster (they always have hundreds of kittens) and they live together very happy.

He, (the foxcub) is very small and covered in light down, with a very funny little face.  He keeps on going “TWEEK!, TWEEK!”.  ‘Formidable!’, as the French say. 

“That’s all for now, Kiddies – The Zoo man will be back again, etc, etc”….

Have managed to do a little sun-bathing so far, but not eno’ to worry about.

            I’ve just managed to get rid of a Sergeant from my troop, who’s been giving me a headache for months – a very poor type.

            Must close here for dinner (?).  (So called)

                                                            All my love, Chotie

                                                                        Dicker

RKWilliams

 

*The fox became the Regiment’s mascot accompanying them as far as the Ardennes.  Trooper Ernie Brobbin of ‘A’ squadron gives an account of finding the foxcub in ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’  by Ron Howard (Brewin Books 2004):

          “One particular morning as dawn was breaking, another chap and I were on motor transport guard when we heard a ‘baby’ crying and went to investigate.  The ‘baby’ turned out to be an abandoned fox cub.  The poor thing was crying after it had been left on its own.

            Neither of us had come across a fox before, as we came from mining areas.  We picked it up, took it back to camp, fed it on milk, and then made it a cage from saplings.

            The cub prospered and eventually we decided to take it with us as a troop mascot.”

The cub was adopted by Lt. Compton Bishop who kept it in his armoured car and took it to France.

Painting by Sandy Handley of the fox on a lead with 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment. The original painting is held by the Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset.

Dick did manage to get home to Pagham on Sunday 15th April, by cycling four hours each way.  He wrote to Chotie the next day with the good news that there was now beer in the mess.  On 21st April he sent her a ‘shocking photo’ of himself (see blog banner) and launched a plan to meet on Sunday 30^th April at the Haunch of Venison (in Salisbury).  This fell through when he had to cover as Squadron Leader. Major Frank Harding, ‘B’ Squadron’s future commander, wrote a poignant book of poetry about his war experience with 61^st Reconnaissance regiment - ‘War echoes over thirty years’ - including their stay in Nightingale Wood.  More prosaically, Philip Brownrigg, then commander of 61^st Recce’s ‘A’ Squadron describes the role the Regiment was to play in Operation Overlord: about 40% were to go over with the ‘first wave’ on D day itself, with the rest arriving later in June.

All round the coast training exercises to prepare for the landings continued through the month, culminating in the tragedy of Exercise Tiger on 27^th April when German schnell-boats came across troop boats and nearly a thousand US servicemen were killed near Slapton Ley in Devon.  The Luftwaffe began attacking the concentrations of Allied ships at Plymouth and Portsmouth on 25^th April while the British Navy and Bomber Command were already mining the English Channel approaches to protect the invasion fleet. On 3^rd April the Fleet Air Arm had again attacked Germany’s mega-battleship, the Tirpitz, moored in a Norway fjord, causing substantial damage.

Long-range Allied bombers attacked Budapest and Bucharest, the respective capitals of Hungary and Romania.  (The US Army Air Force also bombed the Swiss town of Schaffhausen by mistake, killing 40 neutral Swiss civilians.)  In early April three prisoners successfully escaped from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, publishing their eyewitness accounts of the atrocities from Switzerland in June 1944.  The Red Army was advancing in southern Ukraine, capturing Odessa on 10^th April and Yalta on the 16^th.

The Allies began new campaigns in Indonesia, attacking the Japanese on Western New Guinea and Sumatra.  Ichi-gō, the Japanese major offensive in northern China (aimed at eliminating the USAAF airfields now bombing Japanese territory) began on 19^th April 1944.  Much of the Chinese Nationalist Army was then heavily engaged in south China with the Salween offensive on the Burmese border.

Operation U-gō, the Japanese 15^th Army’s advance into India from Burma was held up by the heroic defences of the 15^th Indian Parachute brigade and the famous stand of the Royal West Kents, with local Assam rifles, at the hill-station of Kohima.  A memorial now stands there:

‘When you go home, tell them of us and say,

For their tomorrow, we gave our today.’

75 years ago - Exercise Vulcan

Letter written on Friday 10th December 1943

“St Margarets”, Pagham

Friday

Chotie Darling,

                                                I’m sitting in front of the fire at home, writing this on nine days leave!  I’d just come back from a five days exercise, when I was told I’d been given a new troop (I only had the previous troop as a temporary measure) and that they were all going on leave the following morning so I’d better go with them.

            I spent the first day in London and I’m going up again for a few days tomorrow – so that I can get this business of ‘seeing the relatives’ over for once and all.

            Had quite a good time on the exercise, as I was not actively engaged – only umpiring, and on a motor bike, which gave me plenty of scope in getting about.  Had half an hour or so in Herne bay and saw Monica and baby.  She’s been under the doctor for treatment of some sort as she’s getting so fat.  The baby looks all right to me, but then I’m no judge of that sort of thing.  Her elder brother has just got married in Scotland so the whole family’s married now.  Didn’t see anyone else I knew as I had so little time there, though most of them are away anyhow.

            Spent one evening in Canterbury and had a little crawl by myself visiting the ‘Falstaff’, ‘Fleur-de-lis’ (sic), ‘Country’, ‘Shakespeare’ and ‘Three Carpenters’ , the five best known there.

            Spent one night on a AA Site and slept on a sofa in the Recreation Hut.  I don’t know whether it was mixed or not – if it was I was taking the helluva chance….these A/A women**….

            Hope to see a couple of lunch-time concerts at the National Gallery – only missed one this week by a few minutes.  Have heard a couple of Beethoven Symphonies this week which isn’t too bad.

            It must seem ages since I wrote you last.  Unfortunately I went on exercise with only about an hour’s notice which wasn’t even time to get a motorcycle or riding kit.  I borrowed breeches for this show and wore them the whole five days.  Either they were cut for a very thin bloke or they’d shrunk or something but they cut my legs to ribbons. Murder!

            How are you these days? – cold I expect…If it were not for the fact that I’m sitting in front of a fire I should probably have written half a page – or less.

            (Interlude for hot chocolate and cake….)

 

                            

            Space to denote passage of time.

Do you remember the Green Child’s  head on the mantelpiece – the one Diller got in Belgium?  Dad’s latest trick is to put a cigarette in its mouth.  Looks horrible!

            Incidentally I’ll send you some shekels for Xmas – it’s no use me trying to get anything – so that you can do some shopping or a show or something in Bristol.  I’ve had to give up coupons for the other ranks’ kit I’ve kept – 18 for 2 pairs of boots! etc so at the moment I don’t know how much I’m worth.  I will send some eventually. 

I’m enclosing a book which I’ve been trying to get for the past year or more.  Tell me what you think of it.

                                    I’d better close here.

                                                All my love, Darling

                                                                        Dicker

 

*’The Falstaff’ http://www.thefalstaffincanterbury.com/?S=GADS&gclid=CIjL7oKBobsCFWfkwgod6zsAnQ and ‘The Shakespeare’ https://www.shakespearecanterbury.com/  are still open, ‘the Country’ was probably ‘The County Hotel’ http://www.dover-kent.com/County-Hotel-and-Tudor-Bar-Canterbury.html  and is now the Abode Hotel http://www.abodecanterbury.co.uk/ , the ‘Three Carpenters was probably the ‘Three Compasses’ http://www.dover-kent.com/Three-Compasses-Canterbury.html (now the Lady Luck http://theladyluck.co.uk/) and the ‘Fleur de Lys’ is closed http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/kent/canterbury_fleurdelys.html.

** Chotie was an AA (Anti-Aircraft) woman in the ATS - they were also known as Ack-Ack Girls. (See http://ww2today.com/27th-december-1942-the-life-of-an-ats-ack-ack-girl.)  The situation of the Ack-Ack Girls, often posted alongside men in mixed batteries, and some initial disciplinary issues, led to a loose reputation https://www.chotiedarling.co.uk/my-blog/2013/04/gunnery-wednesday-28th-april-1943.html that may have been ill-founded (although some male officers might have taken advantage of their command).

Chotie was stationed in a mixed heavy artillery anti-aircraft battery at Markham Camp, Easton-in-Gordano near Bristol.  61st Recce were based at Lympne Castle, near Folkestone, Kent.

  Lympne Castle in 1830 (from Wikipedia) , now a wedding venue

 © Chotie Darling

On 9th December Dick was officially discharged from 43^rd Recce, his regiment before officer training.  Ironically he was to spend a good part of December 1943 on Exercise Vulcan, an exercise designed to train the 43^rd (Wessex) Division for its attacking role in NW Europe while 61^st Division played the defending force.  Dick returned from nine days leave on 16^th December to find himself on the ‘scheme’ from 5 o’clock the next day with his new troop.  He managed to write to Chotie during a 'lull' in the battle and had met up with ‘Chunky’, his room-mate during officer training.  Eric Postles remembers Exercise Vulcan for the incessant rain -  returning on Christmas Eve Dick “spent the whole of the Xmas hols trying to get dry, warm & clean again” (letter to Chotie of 26th December 1943 ). 

At least Dick hadn’t been sent down the mines – one in 10 conscripts were now ‘Bevin boys’ working to ensure Britain’s supply of coal for the war effort.  Hitler’s strangle hold on arms, goods and men, from across the Atlantic, was loosening, however.  Allied shipping losses from ‘U’-boat attacks had more than halved during 1943, thanks to the Navy’s information from the codebreakers at Bletchley Park.  On 8^th December Tommy Flowers produced Colossus, the world’s first programmable computer was, which was quickly installed at Bletchley to obtain crucial information on German Channel defences prior to ‘D-Day’.

On 26^th December the Royal Navy succeeded in sinking the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst in the Arctic Sea.  The RAF continued its heavy bombing of German cities with a firestorm attack on Leipzig on 4^th December and also bombed the V1 flying bomb bases in France – the flying bombs were not used against the Allies until June 1944.

In Italy the Allied 5^th Army at last broke through the Bernhardt line at Monte Camino and the Germans withdrew to the Gustav line at Monte Cassino, guarding the main route to Rome.  The Canadians leading the Allied 8^th Army on the Adriatic side of the Apennines met fierce German resistance on route to Ortona but held the port by 28^th December.  Further south the Luftwaffe raid on Bari on 2^nd December put this port out of action until February and hit a US ship secretly carrying mustard gas (for use if Hitler embarked on chemical warfare in Italy).  Many civilians and troops were poisoned but the Allies tried to cover up the incident, which was not fully exposed until 1967.

In Yugoslavia the Allies recognised Tito’s communist forces, who were leading resistance against the Nazis as the future government of the country on 15^th December.  The same day the first war crimes tribunal against Nazi atrocities was held by the Soviet military at Kharkov in the Ukraine, following the discovery of 15,000 bodies in a mass grave near the city at Drobitsky Yar (from a massacre of the Jewish population in December 1941).

On 4^th December Churchill and Roosevelt had met with President İnönü of Turkey in Cairo trying to enlist neutral Turkey’s support for the Allies (Turkey di not declare war on Germany until February 1945).  Churchill had been exhausted since the Tehran conference at the end of November and almost died from an attack of pneumonia when visiting Eisenhower in Tunis before Christmas (from ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012).   Britain almost lost her leader just as the critical plans for Operation Overlord, the invasion of NW Europe, needed to be put in place.

75 years ago - Commissioned

Chotie was in Whitby in Yorkshire when Dick wrote to her on 9th October to plan his November leave.  On 13th October he filled in a preference form for the Recce Corps and staked a claim to the 61^st Recce (based on family or ‘territory’), possibly because they were by then in his home county of Kent, or maybe because they were not far from his family at Pagham in Sussex

In mid-October he had a “glorious time on exercise in the Cotswolds.  Went to Cheltenham, Gloucester, etc.” – from letter to Chotie back in Easton-on-Gordano on 23rd October.  By 26th October his plans for leave with Chotie were definitely shaping up, mainly based on the Pagham pubs.

On 30th October 1943 Dick received his commission as an officer in the Reconnaissance Corps and was appointed to the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment.  He had already served in the Recce Corps:  from April to July 1942 he was in 1^st Air Landing Reconnaisssance Squadron; then moved to the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment and trained as a Driver/Mechanic before beginning officer training in March 1943

 

We have been following 61^st Recce through the lives of Eric Postles, Eric Brewer and Anthony Rampling, who were now troopers with the Regiment on anti-invasion duties.  Eric Postles writes:

“61 Division was downgraded to home defence and moved to Kent.  The regiment was responsible for patrolling the coast from New Romney to Battle.  Our squadron was stationed in Lympne Castle next to an RAF airfield.  We did day and night mobile patrols into Folkestone and Romney.  On a clear day you could see France from the castle tower and at night flashes from the German guns shelling the Dover area.  One night we watched as a night fighter shot down a German bomber in flames.  Our fighter planes took off and returned from France very low over the castle often returning damaged and sometimes with their rockets hanging down from the wings.  On our patrols we reported to the Coastguards and coastal gun sites.”   (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

By October 1943 the threat of German invasion was low.  The Allies were advancing on east and west fronts.

After the loss of Kursk and Kharkov in July and August Hitler had at last authorised a retreat to the River Dnepr in central Ukraine, defending a line from Smolensk to Kiev and the Black Sea.  Smolensk had been taken by the Soviet Army at the end of September and on 24^th October they broke through the southern end of the line near the Sea of Azov, threatening to isolate the German Army left on the Crimean Peninsula. 

Pressed by the Allies, Franco ordered the Spanish volunteers of the Blue Division, fighting with Germany on the eastern front, to return to Spain.

Meanwhile the Allied forces in Italy broke through the German’s Volturno line of defence at Termoli at the beginning of the month and by the end of October had also broken the Barbara line to the north.  However, these had only been holding positions while the German’s built major defences along their so called ‘Winter line’ across the mountains protecting the route to Rome and to the Adriatic coast at Ortona.

Badoglio’s Italian government declared war on Germany on 13^th October.  Three days later the Nazis began to round up the Jews in Rome – 1,800 were sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and murdered.  Jews had generally been safe in Italy or the Italian-occupied territory until the September Armistice and Italian people under German occupation continued to protect many.  However, almost 10,000 of the 46,000 Italian Jews had been deported by the end of the war.

On 1^st October Germany had also begun to deport Jews from Denmark but thanks to the Danish people and a German diplomat, Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, most were already safe in Sweden – 500 Danish Jews were deported during the Holocaust and 120 of these were killed. 

At a conference of high ranking Reich officials on 6^th October Heinrich Himmler spoke frankly for the first the time of the Nazis aspiration for the ‘Final Solution’,  for the Jewish people to ‘disappear from the earth’ and admitted women and children were being killed as well as the men.  Four days later there was an uprising at Sobibor death camp in eastern Poland - of the 300 prisoners who escaped only 47 survived.  250,000 Jews are believed to have been killed at Sobibor from 1942 to 43.

Another barbarous act of the war was coming to its culmination on the other side of the world – on 17^th October the Bangkok (Thailand) to Rangoon (Burma) railway was completed, built by Asian forced labour and Allied Prisoners of War.  The cruelty of the Japanese and Korean overseers was so horrific that more than 70,000 of the enslaved workers died during the construction.

The United Nations War Crimes Commission, which was to prosecute many of the perpetrators of these atrocities, was established on 20^th October 1943.

Britain continued with the night bombing of German cities – Munich on 2^nd October and Kassel on 22^nd, where more than 10,000 people died in the explosions and fires.  Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris’s determination to destroy German cities was seen by many in Britain as just revenge for the Blitz although others have viewed it as a potential war crime. Harris seemed to believe he could bring the war to an end with bombing, avoiding the need for an Allied invasion of France.  Aerial bombardment by Axis or Allied powers, was never prosecuted as a war crime, apparently because it lay outside the scope of international conventions.

75 years ago - Italy and Pagham

Letter written on Wednesday 1^st and Thursday 2^nd September 1943

Same address

Wednesday (nearly Thursday)

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            It’s a long time since I’ve written to you at this time of night, but I find myself with two others operating a wireless for three days and nights and this being the first I thought it would give me a golden opportunity to send you a young novel – so here goes.

            The remainder of the troop are out on a three days exercise and we are maintaining contact with them the whole time.  The system, as it stands sounds quite fun but unfortunately we are not allowed to sleep as those on the exercise aren’t able to.

            This little discrepancy is, however, compensated by the fact that I get a weekend on Saturday, so things aren’t really too bad.  Diller will be home I believe so she’ll have a glorious chance to moan to her hearts content, an opportunity I know she won’t be slow to seize.

Came back from 48hr scheme yesterday, just about all in.  This wireless* is murder, it’s not only the mental tiredness you get, but also chronic headaches owing to the headphones which have to be worn continually.  I’ll spend the week-end in bed – lonely and cold ….

            We’ve managed to scrounge some cocoa and milk, also a shave, so we have hopes of something hot soon.

            Weather here is typical autumn – lots of mist and rain and last night a beautiful sunset, one of the best I’ve ever seen.  The trees – hundreds of them here are just beginning to turn – though it’s early yet.  It will be lovely by the time I leave – always presuming I don’t leave prematurely …

            We have a pretty sound wireless officer, one of the pleasant slavedriver type who works all hours from morn ’til night and expects the whole troop to do the same…Luckily he likes his pint and consequently we always find ourselves some hundred yards from the Duke of Wellington for lunch and he always stands the troop a pint apiece.  God knows how much it must cost him.

            I was talking to the publican who says that the present Duke (who lives in the neighbouring estate – Stratfield Saye) is quite a pleasant bloke – Captain in the Commandos in Sicily and always goes to the pub when on leave to play darts with the farmers.  Apparently he’s about 30**.

            Did I tell you that Dad went up to Purley*** to see all the relations?  It’s the first time he’s seen his father for about five years!  Awful isn’t it?  Apparently things have changed quite a bit.  Gramp now looks his years – he’s about 78, which he never has done before and has slowed up considerably.  Cyril (Dad’s brother) took him on a trip which included all the most dubious of London’s night clubs.

            They all expect me to go up (after Brian going, of course) but I still prefer to go home, or if possible come down to see you.  (I still owe you about a dozen spankings…****)

            However, he did see them, they were all very pleased, and that’s that – for another five years anyhow.

            Incidentally is there anything I can get you for your Birthday? I haven’t had a chance to get out for ages, and you can’t do anything on schemes.  Let me know – and if there’s no chance of my getting it, I’ll send you some shekels*****.

            The ATS are a better crowd than I thought, despite their being mostly Generals’ daughters.  The one I had (not literally….) yesterday did all the cooking for us – and did it very well – probably because they were scared of letting us do it, as they have to eat it as well.  I managed to get her a room in a farmhouse and she managed to get me half-a-dozen eggs so we had quite a happy time.  She comes from Kent of course – Pett’s Wood – about a mile from Orpington†.  We had several common friends.  I should say friends in common – there’s a subtle difference….

            I still haven’t had an FFI†† – you really must organise another meeting…See what you can do.  I always get atrociously rude this time of night – at the moment I’m thinking awful things.  I couldn’t even tell you… 

            That’s enough of this – I’d better do some wireless for an hour or two.

            Well, I’ve done some morse – over an hour in fact and have just been relieved.  Still feel the same.  Good thing I’m not in the Bristol area.

            Read Deeping’s ‘Two Black Sheep’ on the scheme and also “Fanny by Gaslight” again (Michael Sadleir) which I’ve always thought an awful lot of.  It’s the finest picture of Victorian England of the last ten years and heaven knows there have been enough books on that subject!  I’m sure Fanny would get the same hold on you as she has on me.

            Won ten bob on a little side bet last night.  Bill said it was Tchaikovsky’s ‘Casse Noisette’ and I said it was ‘Eugen Onegin’ and Eugen Onegin it was†††.  Just as easy as that.  Wish money was always so procurable as that 10 bob.

It’s now nearly 2 oclock and we’ve got the water on the boil for some luscious cocoa!  Jeez! 

My two colleagues have just started to take an interest in things – now that there’s a chance of a hot drink!  One is that madman I told you about from Corfe Castle – incidentally his name’s Peter Collins (happy memories?) who still intends to live on Round Island after the war††††.  A genuine hermit’s life with just his wife.  Notice I say just!  This is where I should say “what more could a man want”… (after his pipe of course…Never mind Darling – you come second …)

            The other one’s an Oxford law student, pretty nearly broke.  Tennis champ of north of England.  Quite a good type.

            I’ve just had my COCOA(!) and, it’s good.  I’ve got a lovely warm feeling in my tummy which I definitely didn’t have before.

            Well, Chotie Darling I must close here as I have to go on the set again.  I’ll let you know how things went on the weekend and enumerate some of Diller’s moans.

                                    All my love, precious.

                                                Always thinking of you.

                                                                        Dicker

P.S.  You should read Napoleon’s letters to Marie Louise and Josephine.  They’re good….

*Wireless – “not enough emphasis can be put on the importance of communication in battle situations”…Wireless operators needed high quality training “to pick up weak signals against a background of atmospherics and interference” known as ‘slush’. (From ‘Phantom at War’ by Andy & Sue Parlour, Cerberus 2003)

**The Duke of Wellington’s estate at Stratfield Saye near Basingstoke in Hampshire . The 6^th Duke of Wellington, Captain of No 2 Commando, was killed in action at Salerno on 16^th September 1943 (from Commando Veterans website).

***Purley, near Croydon, South London.

****Possibly referring to Chotie’s involvement with her officer at the Bristol camp earlier that year??

*****slang for cash. Chotie’s 20^th birthday was on 6^th September 1943.

†Dick was born in Orpington in Kent and spent his childhood there.

††the 'Free from Inspection' inspection for venereal disease (presumably being used by Dick as a euphemism here)

†††Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ and not his opera ‘Eugene Onegin’.

††††an island in Poole Harbour.

Peter Collins was the name of one of Chotie’s early admirers:

“Peter Collins, the boss’s son, home from Blundell’s, a posh school in Devon, also took a fancy to me and given the chance, we would canoodle in the store room.  His mother was very kind to me and I was invited to stay at their lovely house in Talbot Woods for a weekend.  Peter had won a scholarship to Blundell’s for his brilliant piano playing and taught me about classical music - a love that has stayed with me all my life.” (From ‘Chotie’s Story’. See also F.W.Collins)

 © Chotie Darling

 

Dick went home to Pagham, Sussex over the weekend of 4th and 5th September and sent Chotie a postcard of Sea Lane, Pagham for her 20^th birthday on the 6^th September. 

His next letter of Tuesday 14th September had news of his brother Brin, now an Officer Pre-Cadet at Wrotham near Sevenoaks, and Dilys, his sister, home from the Pay Corps.  Dick was still worried he wouldn’t get an officer posting to the Recce

“They’re over staffed as it is, which has the annoying habit of making them very difficult to please.  They cheerfully accept about five in every fifty and the unhappy remainder have to go all through an Infantry OCTU, which takes nearly another five months.”  He agreed with Chotie that the news was good (see below) but wrote “We still have the hardest fighting to do”.

Chotie went home on leave again in September to Parkstone, Poole and met up with her best friend Mary Dakin.  Her unit moved from Portishead back to Markham Camp, Easton-in-Gordano, sometime in the month and she had two trips to the dentist in September.

Dick was still on “schemes” – training exercises, which went on for a number of days outdoors but had found time to read, see some films and listen to classical music on the radio (mentioned in his letter to Chotie of 28th September).

His future unit, the 61^st Recce, were involved in a full scale battle ‘scheme’ with Canadian and Polish troops - Exercise Link.

 

On 3rd September the Italian government signed a secret armistice deal with the Allies.  The same day British and Canadian troops of Montgomery’s 8th Army crossed the Messina Straits unopposed, to land in Calabria on the Italian mainland.  This and subsequent amphibious landings by the 1^st British Airborne Division at Taranto and Brindisi, on the south-east ‘heel’ of Italy, were intended to divert the Germans from the main Allied invasion south of Naples but did not succeed. 

The armistice was announced on 8^th September as the Italian Fleet sailed to surrender to the allies in the port of Valetta, Malta.  Italian forces in German-occupied territory became prisoners-of-war and German troops rushed south to take up defensive positions against the Italian invasion.  When the US Fifth Army including the British X Corps arrived at Salerno the Germans were already in place to meet them.  Casualties were terrible as the Allies attempted to break out of the beach-head.

By the 10^th of September the Germans occupied Rome and two days later they rescued Mussolini from his prison in the central Abruzzi Mountains.  At Salerno the Germans launched a counter-offensive on 13^th September, which nearly defeated the Allies but a few days later, with the 8^th Army approaching from the south, the German army began to withdraw to defensive positions north of Naples.

On 23^rd September Mussolini proclaimed the re-establishment of a fascist government in Northern Italy and Hitler now ordered the execution of all Italians carrying arms in Axis-occupied territory.  10,000 were massacred in Greece for resistance (5,000 on the island of Cephalonia on 24^th September).

The Allies' forces from the east and west coast joined up to form a front-line across the country on 25^th September and began to head north.  (This was an arduous campaign against Italy’s geography – a central ridge of high mountains with wide rivers flowing to east and west, providing natural lines of defence – as well as the Germans.)  On 27^th September the people of Naples rose up and drove the remaining Germans out of their city ahead of the Allies' advance.  Marshal Badoglio signed the official armistice with General Eisenhower on 29^th September at Valetta, Malta.

Free French commandos had landed on Italian occupied Corsica on 14^th September to aid resistance fighters in harrying the Germans withdrawing from Sardinia (they'd been duped into arming for an Allied Invasion by Operation Mincemeat) via the formerly French island.  By 21st October the Italian forces were assisting the French.

On 18^th September the British began an attempt to liberate the Greek Aegean islands with a landing on Rhodes but the Italian troops they were looking to for support had already been arrested.

Jews in Athens and Denmark were now facing the threat of deportation as their countries came under German control.  In Denmark, Danish authorities arranged a secret operation to move Jewish citizens into hiding for a safe escape to Sweden while in Athens two-thirds of the Jews escaped with help from the Greek Orthodox church and even the Athenian Chief of Police. The Danish resistance established a shadow administration, ‘the Freedom Council’, on 16^th September.

While Sweden remained neutral, Norway had been occupied by Germany since June 1940 and Hitler’s massive battleship, the Tirpitz, was anchored at Kåfjord on the far north coast.  On 22^nd September a British attack using midget submarines caused enough damage to put her out of action for 6 months.

In eastern Europe the German front-line was now held at the Dnepr river, across central Ukraine, but on 22^nd September Soviet troops began to cross despite suffering heavy losses.  The Allies were now poised to squeeze Hitler’s Europe between eastern and western fronts.

75 years ago - Sandhurst at last

In May 1943, at the Trident Conference in America, Churchill and Roosevelt agreed the invasion of Italy after Sicily and set a date of 1^st May 1944 for the cross-channel invasion of North-West Europe – ‘D’ day.  Operation Mincemeat appeared to have convinced Hitler that the Allies would first invade Greece and Sardinia, even after the Royal Navy began a heavy bombardment of Pantelleria, the island between Tunisia and Sicily

The Allies had now triumphed in North Africa, taking the critical ports of Tunis and Bizerte on 7^th May.  On 13^th May the remaining Axis forces in North Africa, nearly quarter of a million men, surrendered.

Although Eisenhower had appointed the former Vichy general Giraud as Commander-in-Chief of French forces in North Africa, General de Gaulle arrived in Algiers at the end of the month in a political move to take control of l’Armée Afrique, which far outnumbered his Free French forces.  Jean Moulin, de Gaulle’s appointed leader of the French resistance, had succeeded in uniting the networks of northern France into the Conseil National de la Résistance.

On 15^th May Stalin announced the dissolution of the Comintern, the Communist international organisation working for world revolution.  Britain’s SOE (Special Operations Executive) began giving support to Marshal Tito’s communist partisans, who had wrested large areas of Yugoslavia from Axis control.

In the Atlantic the cracking of the German Navy’s enigma code and new more aggressive tactics were at last ending the devastation of British and American shipping. Admiral Dönitz lost 33 U-boats in May 1943 and withdrew his wolf-packs from the northern Atlantic.  In the northern Pacific the Americans took back Attu Island, US territory in the Aleutians, from the Japanese. 

The disastrous first British Arakan campaign in Burma ended with no gains and 5,000 casualties since September 1942.  However, Britain’s warfare technology was making important steps towards victory.  The flight of a Junkers 88 fighter from Denmark by Danish defectors brought the Telecommunications Research Establishment a German radar set that contributed to the development of ‘Window’ radar interference.  On 16^th May, in the famous Dambusters raid, bouncing bombs were successfully used to breach the Möhne and Eder, killing 1,300 in the flooded Ruhr valley and disrupting industrial production.  On 29^th May RAF bombers created a devastating  ‘firestorm’ for the first time at Wuppertal in the Ruhr – the explosive fire killed more than 3,000 people.

 

While Chotie adjusted to life among the guns near Bristol Dick was sweating over Pre-OCTU theory work “writing up notes for hours and hours” at Aldershot – “horrible place – nothing but military for miles.”  He had made two friends - ‘Chunky’, the ex-chef at the Trocadero and Brian ‘Enoch’, the actor.  By 28th April he was doing ‘Gunnery’, “which is pretty cushy” and looking forward to Sandhurst. 

At the beginning of May he ‘passed out’ of Blackdown Camp pre-OCTU and 7 days leave at his parents’ home in Pagham, where he was telegrammed Chotie to join him.  She didn’t (perhaps distracted by her new officer?).  On 17^th May there was a large bombing raid on Cardiff, the Welsh capital on the other side of the Severn to Chotie’s station.  Since the German bombers often flew up the Severn to reach their targets Chotie’s anti-aircraft battery may well have been involved in the action.

On 23^rd May Chotie’s former place of employment, the Beales Department store in Bournemouth, was destroyed by a bomb.  Through 1942 Chotie was a trainee window-dresser and, like many of the staff, a night-time firewatcher for the building.

Dick only sent one letter to Chotie that month.  It was written on paper from the Royal Military College, Camberley, Surrey - on15^th May he had joined the 162^nd OCTU of the Honourable Artillery Company, Sandhurst – and posted on Saturday 22nd May:

My Darling Chotie,

                                                It seems ages since I heard from you and as I expect it’s the same with you – here goes.

            As you will see from above I’m now at Sandhurst, which is quite a place.

            I’ve been so busy the last few days, what with passing out (in more ways than one) at Blackdown and getting settled here, I haven’t had a moment to myself.

            I was very disappointed with your inability to make Pagham, but realise what the hell of a journey Bristol is.  But why didn’t you send a wire or something?  Then I could have come down.  Brinner and Diller were home as you probably know.  We could have got really stewed – actually we did, but that’s another story.  However, we must try again soon.  I shall be able to get a week-end here and there, though I expect to be up to my eyes in work.  I’ve been very lucky here in getting a room with Chunky* and Brian (my mates …. ) and an excellent servant who knows all the tricks of the trade – and then some.

            (Don’t smile at this paper.  It’s all they’ve got here, and needless to say they robbed me …  Never again).  I had a letter from Eric last week!  No kidding.  He “didn’t want our correspondence to collapse” or some rot or other.  The rat.  Doesn’t appear over happy, but then he never does.

            Is Rosemary** still with you?  Lucky Rosemary….  However, all good things come to an end – we’ll be kicked out of this Army before long – I hope.

            I haven’t seen a flick for nearly a month, which cuts out that topic of conversation.

            We’re allowed to wear civvies in the evenings here, also dine in them, but as I’m couponless it doesn’t really interest me.

            So much for Sandhurst.  I expect you know all about Bristol by now - all the pubs anyhow.

            Diller and I found quite a good one in Chichester.  It’s so old it doesn’t have a licence.  It’s got some ancient charter from James I or some other bloke which dates back before shame even.

            You’re lucky in having some relatives in the neighbourhood – I’ve never been near anyone.

            Nothing new at home.  Mother’s been offered Gentians (that little Tea Rooms by the Kings Beach) for £100 and is toying with the idea.  Mike*** presents the only snag.  I’m all for it as we would be able to get buckshee teas on leave.  She always has these vague obsessions as well you know.  She also wants to make out a thousand in our names (Diller, Bryn & myself) to avoid death duties should she be killed by a stray bomb….  Crazy’s right.

            It must be over five months since I saw you last.  Have you changed at all Darling?  Don’t tell me you’re any slimmer ‘cos I’d never believe anything but my own eyes.  I’ve had so many 771’s in the last few days I reckon it would be easier to turn nudist and have done with it.  The old British public would raise horrified eyebrows, though you, I should imagine would remain entirely unruffled.  (We’ve got a wonderful old oak outside our window.  I have to keep stopping to gaze in rapt appreciation …. Must be the artist in me crying out like a voice in the wilderness against some aesthetic repression ….)

            Brinner bought another Gigli**** when he was home.  I won’t comment on it, as he and Solomon are the only two men in this poor world I would never attempt to criticize. 

            Have you read ‘Clochemerle’***** yet?  Don’t ask for it in a bookshop as they would only give you a pretty old fashioned look anyway.

            I spent a day up in town on my way back to Blackdown.  Piccadilly was, as usual, full of the usual who keep stopping you which is all very embarrassing, especially for an innocent little boy like myself, in London Town to see the bright lights.  I told one of them that she should be paying me, if only she knew me, which annoyed her not a little.  I didn’t tell her I existed for Chotie alone.

            Well Darling I must close here.  Hope to see you soon.  I’ll advise you when I can get a weekend.

                        All my love, Precious

                                                Dicker

5731671 Officer Cadet Williams R.K.

77 Tp. ‘B’ Sqdn., 100 (Sandhurst) O.C.T.U. R.A.C.

Royal Military College, Camberley, Surrey.

 

*see letter of 18th April 1943.

**Rosemary was Chotie’s young cousin I think

***Mike was the family dog

*** Beniamino Gigli was an Italian tenor singer and Solomon was possibly the pianist Solomon Cutner. See letter of 7th February.

****see letter of 11th April.

 © Chotie Darling

Dick’s officer training would have included learning from his ‘servant’ how an officer should speak, walk and eat.  Before WW2 the British Army had recruited only ‘gentlemen’ as officers based on character, use of weapons and ability to ride a horse; and , of course, class.  Now they were also recruiting officers from the ranks they were still concerned that they should have the ‘competencies’ of gentlemen.

75 years ago - Leave at Pagham

At the beginning of June 1942 the German Army advanced on the Crimean Peninsula (in the north of the Black Sea) and battled fiercely to take the well defended port of Sebastapol.  In the Atlantic the Allies were haemorrhaging ships and supplies at the mercy of the U-boat wolf-packs.  British code breakers at Bletchley Park were struggling to decipher the Enigma upgrade, which they called “Shark” and the Germans had cracked the Admiralty code (Naval Cipher 3).  In contrast US code breakers deciphered signals from the Japanese Navy to reveal a huge task force had set sail to attack the Pacific US base on the Midway Islands.  By 7^th June the US Navy had won a decisive victory, critical to the war in the Pacific.

In Africa the Germans were again on the attack.  On 21^st June Rommel’s troops captured the critical Libyan port of Tobruk (which had been gallantly defended by Australian troops under siege for most of the previous year).  The Allies retreated as Axis forces swept into Egypt taking thousands of prisoners at Mersa Matruh.  Churchill, in America for talks with Roosevelt, was devastated by the fall of Tobruk.  However, he obtained an agreement that US troops would be involved in an invasion of French North Africa (Morocco and Algiers) called Operation Gymnast (and later Operation Torch).

 

In Dorset, where Chotie lived (and was again working at Beales department store in Bournemouth) bombing attacks continue.  This time the Royal Navy's explosives factory near Poole was saved by decoys on the heathland at Arne on the night of 3^rd/4^th June, although Poole was hit by a number of incendiaries causing serious fires.  Mr Whittaker, a volunteer firefighter (and the future father-in-law of Chotie’s bother Jack), recalled throwing a number of smaller devices off Poole Quay into the water.  There were other lucky escapes – most of the RAF petrol supplies for Dorset and Hampshire were held in the Hamworthy RAF depot and although they were blown open, the vast million gallon slick didn’t catch fire.  A large bomb hit the Sona, a Naval headquarters ship moored at Poole Quay but didn’t explode until after adjacent buildings were evacuated.  On 6^th June it was Bournemouth’s turn to receive the attentions of the Luftwaffe – almost 500 properties were damaged in an attack on the railway line.

Dorset, with its central Channel position and proximity to Cherbourg, continued playing a critical role in Britain’s war effort, despite the loss of Telecommunications Research Establishment.  RAF Hurn (now Bournemouth Airport) was used as a base to fly SOE (Special Operations executive – spies!) to France, as well as supplies for the French Resistance, while a small aerodrome established north of Sherborne was to become the Fleet Air Arm station at Yeovilton (RN Fleet Air Arm Museum website).

 

In the British Reconnaissance Corps nomenclature changed on 6^th June adopting the cavalry terms of troops, troopers, squadrons and regiments (the army’s reconnaissance role had traditionally been discharged by the light cavalry).  Already in 61^st Recce (the unit Dick fought with for most of the Western Europe campaign), Eric Postles was training in Northern Ireland for the rest of 1942.

 

Dick, still training with the 1^st Air Landing Squadron, was based at Bulford on Salisbury Plain.  He was granted 10 days leave from 10^th June and went home to his family at  Pagham, Sussex.  Ironically, 1^st Air Landing went to train on the Dorset Coast at Kimmeridge while he was away.  Back in Wiltshire Dick was sick with bronchitis.  By now he must also have been diagnosed with temporary hyperglycaemia (“sugar in the blood”) and was awaiting transfer from the Airborne. Although he was not diabetic the risk of possible problems meant he was one of the many weeded out at this early stage of training (otherwise he could have been involved in the brave fiasco of the bridge at Arnhem , which gave eternal fame to the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron.  He wrote again to Chotie on 28^th and 29^th June:

Letter written Sunday 28^th and Monday 29^th June 1942

1^st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps, Home Forces 

Sunday

My Darling,

                                                                        Thanks for letter with all the news.

             I've started writing this letter without much hope of finishing it this evening. 
However, the fact that I've started it is certainly a move in the right direction.  It is such a devil of a job to find anything to write about in this God-forsaken dump.

            I went out this evening but came back after half an hour or so - there being nothing whatsoever to do.  The Garrison Theatre, although a very good show only has the one programme for the week, and once you've seen it, it's no use going again the same week.  There's a play on next week, - “While Parents Sleep”, which I've seen, - but I shall go again, as of course it will be a different cast, etc.

            I've been sick for the last week with a sore throat which developed into bronchitis or so the M.O. said.  Personally I didn't agree, but also didn't argue as it gave me a cushy time for a few brief days - no P.T. etc, of course.

            I managed to go into the nearest town (?)* on my day off, yesterday.  It boasts some very excellent pubs – the “George” Hotel and the “Bell” being very
famous in Georgian days.  The beer however tasted very flat - perhaps because you were not there with me.  I had no one to talk to about Herne Bay and the various professions which help to make the social system what it is.  Just imagine what you'll have to put up with when we are married... but perhaps you'll see H.B. for yourself and perhaps I'll have a profession...

            I haven't yet heard from home and am getting a little worried on that score.  I hope Mother’s all right - but maybe I'll get a letter tomorrow.  There seem to be so many worries that separation brings so cruelly in its wake.

            Does this letter seem very morbid, Darling?  I don't want you to think that
I'm too browned-off**.  After 2 years in this Army I think I can stand anything. 

             I'm going on a three days scheme on Wednesday, so I won't be able to write of course - so don't be over anxious if you don't get a letter for some days.

            It's nearly lights out, Chotie Darling so I'll say Goodnight my Precious, and write some more tomorrow.

            Well, Lulu, it's now Monday Lunch-time so I'm writing a bit more. 

            It's terrifically hot today - and we have to wear respirators on Monday morning. Was I exhausted!  I'm now trying to get an hour's relaxation before going on Parade this afternoon.

            I may go to the Old Garrison to-night and see this wretched play - that's if I can get out in time. That's one of the troubles here; even if there was anything to go out for, we rarely get out before Seven pm or so - which is rather late.

             Well, Darling, by the time you get this letter, I’ll be on this stunt so I hope to write again next Saturday or perhaps Sunday - and I'll say bye, bye for the present, and remember, Darling, I still love you, very very much.

                                                All my love, Chotie Darling

                                                                                 Dicker

*Amesbury

**Dick must have been disappointed to be transferred out of Air Landing after only a couple of months.  (After training in Tunisia from April 1943 1^st Air Landing Squadron went on to be involved in the invasion of Italy near Bari in September and Operation Market Garden in September 1944, when the elite 1st Airborne were sent in to defend "a bridge too far" at Arnhem with disastrous results.  (Dick was among the ground forces racing towards Arnhem.)

© Chotie Darling

75 years ago - the Quartermaster

The worst bombing in Poole was on 27^th March 1941 when two bombs blew up the stores and canteen at Branksome Gas Works.  34 were killed and another 23 injured.  A few days earlier a bomb hitting the railway embankment blew out all the windows on the Poole 'Glamour Puffer' transporting women working in the Royal Navy Cordite factory at Holton Heath.  Poole had a special role to play in combined operations – in April the secret Small Scale Raiding Force, a forerunner of the Royal Marine Commandos, began life with a HQ set up in the Antelope, Poole. 

Fighting continued in the skies above Dorset with further attacks on the Spitfire fighters at Warmwell who intercepted bombers heading for the northern cities.  Southampton, where Dick was stationed, was also receiving considerable attention from the Luftwaffe. On 21^st March he wrote of his frustration at all the hours spent in shelters as the bombs rained down every night. Returning from home on 23^rd March he got lost at the docks. After three days instructing on the rifle range he was complaining of losing his student skills and on 31st March of his ghastly THB inoculation, which put him under the weather for a week or so.  He was cheered by the chance of a commission, although it meant delaying his seven days leave, but was unsuccessful because his time in PT meant he didn’t have enough military knowledge.  On 24^th April we find him unhappily covering the Quartermaster’s duties for a week:

Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th April 1941

IMMEDIATE

Southampton

Thursday.

24 APRIL 1941

Darling Tootsie,

                                                                                    Well, Sweetheart to get it over quickly, I can't get my seven days this week at any rate.  Lieutenant Thomas, the Company Commander, came to me this morning and casually said, “Oh, Corporal Williams, do you think you could take over the Quartermaster’s job for a week?  I literally shuddered (!), and said “not b----y likely!” but unfortunately he wouldn't take no for an answer, and consequently here I am for 9 days altogether.

            I've been at it all day and have just finished.  It's now after eleven!  What a game!  As far as I can see I shall be at it every night like this.  The C.Q.M.S.* never finished before eight or nine, and I know nothing about the job.  However, it may be the chance of a lifetime.  We shall see.

            I seem to be getting all the rotten luck lately - but if you still love me a little I don't give a damn. That's all I care about anyway.  I can't write any more darling as I'm nearly asleep.

            Bye bye, Darling

                                                                        Don't lose hope,

                                                                                    Your loving

                                                                                                Dicker

                                                                                                XXX

                                                                                                XXX

PS Thanks for letter received this morning.

 

“D” COMPANY

No....................

25 APR 1941

70^th BN. THE DORSET

 

                            RKWilliams   Capt.    Commanding D Coy

                             70^th Bn. The Dorsetshire Regt. 

 

 

                   URGENT!

Southampton

          CONFIDENTIAL!                                                         

Friday

25 APR 1941

My Darling,

                                                                        I wasn't able to post your letter yesterday, so I'm writing a few more wads whilst I've got a chance.

            I've just seen some good news in Battalion Part II Orders.  I've been selected to attend the 4th Division Intelligence Course at HQ 4^th Div. wherever that may be.  There are two of us going – 2^nd Lieutenant Wallers (that hot bloke who we saw going into the flicks at Soton).

            It's a marvellous chance.  It's only a week's course, but should be very good.  It's on the 18th of May, and lasts until the 24th.  The only thing is, I don't know where it is. However, I shall be able to get my Seven Days before going.

                        Well Darling once again bye bye for the moment.

                                        Lots of love

 

                                                    Dicker

 

* C.Q.M.S – Company Quartermaster Sergeant, the non commissioned officer in charge of supplies for a company. (Hence the stamps on the letter….)

© Chotie Darling

 

75 years ago - Choosing Friends

At the beginning of October Dick had his 7 days leave at home in Parkstone (Poole, Dorset) and met up with Chotie.  On the 3^rd October he’d been appointed a Full Corporal and he was already angling for a commission.

Parkstone was seeing plenty of action - enemy planes would have been frequent by day and by night, heading inland over the Dorset coast or occasionally bombing Dorset ports and towns. The Battle of Britain was also frequently fought in Dorset skies and many German and British planes crashed into Dorset’s land and sea in autumn 1940. (See David R. Privett’s account of a wartime childhood in Poole on the BBC People's War website .)

 

Back in Bemerton Dick was still with his Dorset friends, Eric Kessler and Pete (despite rumours of a move to Basingstoke and even joining up with the Hampshire Regiment!) but since they were privates and Dick was an NCO (non-commissioned officer) this friendship was not encouraged:

 

Tuesday 22nd October 1940

Bemerton

Tuesday evening

My Darling Cho,

                                                            Thanks for the letter which I got this morning.

            Well Darling to get down to business, I find that with reasonable luck I’ll be able to get home on Sunday.  The point is Honey, that if I can get a pass all day in Salisbury I may just as well come home, and it will save you a look of trouble & expense.  Also I don’t like the idea of your travelling back all that way in the dark.

            There is some truth in what Mummy warns you about, even if you don’t believe it… Mind you, I’m not saying you can’ take care of yourself, but after all you’re only a lickle baby although you’re the most adorable chubby baby that ever lived.  I tremble to think what could happen to you, Sweetheart, and I hate taking those kind of risks.

            I was doing Battalion Orderly Sergeant all day last Sunday which is some job, & I don’t mean maybe.  It means being on all day from réveillé until about 11pm, with one worry after another – but for all that, it’s good experience.

            Incidentally, I was choked off the other day, pretty severely.  I bet you wouldn’t guess what for? (No, Precious, it wasn’t women!)  It was for associating with private soldiers vis. Eric & Pete.  I’m no longer able to go out with them, and should I meet them in the N.A.A.F.I. or anywhere, they have to address me as Corporal and not the now familiar ‘Dicker’. What a life!

            The latest news as regards moving is back to Dinton which suits me admirably – that is, it’s b…..y awful but much preferable to Basingstoke.

            We had a dance here last Monday.  I’d had nine pints at the Conservative Club before I got there, so had a pretty good time on the whole.  The women were a little better than usual but have no fears, Darling, as there isn’t a woman living who could take me away from you, (and that includes Bergman*…)

            Well, Chubby, I must close now, loving you more than ever.

                                     Je suis à toi pour la Vie,**

                                                                Your adoring,

                                                                                Dicker

P.S. I terrible sorry about you’re cold. It’s just like me to forget all about it until the end.  I hope you’ll forgive me Darling and get better soon.

            all yours

                    Dicker

                    xxxxxxxxxxx

                    xxxxxxxxxxx

                    xxxxxxxxxx

                    xxxxxxxxxx

                    All for you! (when I come home)

 

* Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish film star.

** “I am yours for life.”

© Chotie Darling, 2010

Heading for 'The Bluebell'

Letter from Chotie written Monday 26th March 1945

W/242328  Pte. Williams B.E.

‘B’ Troop. O.F.C. A.T.S.,

462 Hy. (M). A.A. Bty. R.A.,

Fort Godwin,

c/o  G.P.O. Easington,

Nr. Hull, Yorks.

 

26th March 45.

My darling Dicker,

                                                For one evening, at last, I am not on duty, so have been writing letters. 

What do you think? – today I received a letter from Brinner.  Amazing isn’t it?  He says he will write as often as possible too.  Seems to be fairing pretty well as regards food.  Trust Brinner.  It’s marvellous that you are so near to each other.  I hope you manage to meet.

            I can imagine, darling, that you have been pretty busy of late - the news is still good.

           

Today, we had another present, darling, from Marion, the person I stopped with when I went to Glasgow for the weekend.  She sent us a Scotch £1 – wasn’t it kind of her?  I am enclosing her letter for you to read.

           

Yesterday afternoon we had a film on in the Naafi.  Rosalind Russell in ‘The Beautiful Cheat’.  I had seen it before but it was awfully good.

            I am in the Y.M.C.A.*  writing this – it’s quite a good canteen on site.  Had some Horlicks tonight – to make me a bonny, baby.  As if I need it.

           

Just think, darling, tomorrow we have been married 3 weeks.  Must hie myself to the Naafi if possible.  If Nan is ‘off duty’ I will haul her down to The Bluebell**.

            Not really very much to tell you, dearest.  I spend quite a lot of my time just dreaming of things to come.  Have built us a home and furnished it (all in my imagination) most marvellously.  I think I had better see what I can do with a Missen, probably have to.

            Take care, you are very, very precious to me darling.

                                    All my love,

                                                            Cho

 

*Young Men’s Christian Association

**The café at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre at Spurn Point http://www.ywt.org.uk/reserves/spurn-nature-reserve  is still called The Bluebell.

 © Chotie Darling

 

 

By 27^th March the bridgehead across the Rhine was 35 miles wide and 20 miles deep.

 

WAR DIARY of 52^nd (Lowland) Recce Regt RAC March 1945

– Lt Col J.B.A. Hankey OBE

Date 27^th        Place WOOD 069332:                                                            Weather – Fine

Strength - 905 men, 188 tanks/armoured cars/guns

‘No change.  ‘A’ Squadron revert to Regimental Command having been providing Beach Control parties for No:3 Commando Brigade at the WESEL crossing.  Other Driver/Operators from Regiment were doing similar work.'

No troops detached.

(From the War Diary of the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

Returning to Hull

On the night of 17^th/18^th March 1945 the city of Hull was under attack for the first time since 1943. A lone Heinkel dropped fragmentation grenades (with inbuilt fuses, detonating on impact with the ground) and opened up with machine guns killing 13 people and injuring 22. (See BBC News for 17th March .)  

Chotie, however, was still in Parkstone….

Letter written Sunday18^th March 1945

Sunday March 18^th 45

My darling husband,

                                                This is going to be short, because I feel pretty ‘B…..’ as I am going back to camp tomorrow.  Have to start at 8 o’clock in the morning – unearthly hour.

         

While cleaning out, this last week I found this tie, which I have enclosed.  Is it light enough?  If it is not wearable send it back and I will dye it or something.

           

Don, Ted’s brother, has been down and we went to Church* this morning. Everyone was congratulating him thinking he was my husband.  Poor Don.

            Margaret, Beryl & Don & I went down to 'The Sloop' last evening.  Poor Marg had to have shandy because of feeding Roger.  None of the ‘old crowd’ were there, except the ‘man from Kent.’

            Don & I sneaked down after Church, this morning, for a quick one.

           

We have had another present, darling.  Three pre-war tea-cloths (what you wipe up with) from Mrs Johnson.  Jolly useful.

            I phoned up Ethel & Cyril, my cousins, today.  They wished us all the best and are going to dish out something when we get our home – when?  They both wished you all the luck in what you are doing out there.

           

I must finish now, my dearest and get on with my packing.

            Will write when I reach camp.

            Take care, darling – God bless,

            All my love & kisses,

                        Chotie.

XX

 

*Parkstone Congregational Church opposite the Hollies in Commercial Road – now Parkstone United Reformed Church.  Dick and Chotie met at the Congregational Church Youth Club. The Hollies, including the dairy, was knocked down in the 1960s and replaced with a tyre shop.

 

 

Enclosed with this letter was a small notice from a newspaper:

A ‘Special Licence’ enabled couples to get married without waiting the usual three week period for ‘calling the banns’ – giving notice of the proposed marriage for three successive Sundays in church.

Chotie and Dick had evidently decided to get married while he was on leave and could not have done so in the time without special licence.

 © Chotie Darling

 

 

WAR DIARY of 52^nd (Lowland) Recce Regt RAC March 1945

– Lt Col J.B.A. Hankey OBE

Date 18^th Place MENZELEN:            2 casualties                          Weather – Fine

Strength - 905 men, 188 tanks/armoured cars/guns             

‘Regiment less ‘A’ Sqaudron ordered to do Traffic Control for Operation PLUNDER. Two casualties in ‘C’ Squadron from shelling.’

‘A’ Squadrons detached.

(From the War Diary of the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

52^nd Recce Roll of Honour includes the following who died on 18^th March 1945:

Trooper Jack Weston (age 22) of ‘C’ Squadron

who is laid to rest in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, south-west of Kleve in Germany.         

(From  ‘The Fighting Fifty-Second Recce’ by Carl Shilleto, Eskdale Publishing 2001.  See photo.)

We will remember them.

A.W.L. in Parkstone

Letter written Tuesday 13^th March 1945 and embossed ‘THE HOLLIES, COMMERCIAL ROAD, PARKSTONE.’

13^th March 45

My darling husband,

                                                I have been hanging on before writing you in case I heard from my unit - but I haven’t so really I am A.W.L.*  What an awful wife you have?

           

Received a letter from your mother yesterday with £1 enclosed from Hilda**.  Apparently her husband decided that £2 was not enough for us – don’t forget to thank them, darling.  I am enclosing with this  a letter and cheque from Rita, some more to add to our little store.  Would you endorse it?

            I have managed to get you some stuff to take, darling, so tonight I will pack it all up & send it.  Hope you get it alright.

           

Yesterday afternoon, Mary  & I were doing some shopping in Poole and who should we bump into but SAS & Johnny Jones.  They had just crawled out of 'the Antelope', pretty well gone, and were going to the flicks to sleep it off.

            Johnny’s moustache just covered his face – awful.  SOS looked pretty smashed up, poor chap, but quite cheery.  They thought our marriage was a terrific cause for celebration.

            Right now, Mary & I are supposed to be in 'the Sloop' – boozing with them.  But really they are shocking types and Mary can’t stick Johnny Jones – never could.  We are dreading that they might barge in here or something.  God only knows what Mum would say.

            Anyway, they both heartily wished us every happiness.

           

Daddy took Beryl****, Mary & I to the Palace Court, last night.  We saw Terence de Marney*** in “The Crime of Margaret Foley” – Quite thrilling, & very well acted.

INK SMUDGE

(The dog has been walking over this.)

           

Have just washed my hair, so Mary & I are sitting in the garden – it’s quite warm and sunny.

            Mummy is shouting about dinner being ready, so I must close.

                                    All my love, darling,

                                                            Chotie xx

 

*Absent Without Leave.

** This letter came from Aunt Hilda of ‘Cairo Cottage’ 14 Broad Oak End, Bramfield Road, Hertford.

***The British actor, theatre director and writer – he was the author, as well as the star, of ‘The Crime of Margaret Foley’.

****Chotie's younger sister

 

© Chotie Darling

Married

Richard Kelner Williams, a bachelor of 23 years,

marries Barbara Elizabeth Chalkley, a spinster of 21 years,

in Chichester Register Office on 6^th March 1945.

Richard (‘Dicker’) is resident at ‘St Margarets’, 9 Sea Lane, Pagham, near Bognor Regis and his occupation is Lieutenant Reconnaissance Corps (previously Public School Student).  His father is Dudley Kelner Beresford Williams, a retired Master Mechanical Engineer.

Barbara (‘Chotie’) is resident at “The Hollies”, Commercial Road, Parkstone and her occupation is W/242328 Private A.T.S. (previously Drapery Store Window Dresser).  Her father is William James Chalkley, the Managing Director of a Dairy Firm (Creekmoor Dairies).

The marriage is witnessed by Elizabeth Chalkley (Chotie’s mother), Alice Maude Williams (Dick’s mother), J. Dilys Williams (Dick’s sister) and B.H. Hall (Betty Hall, Chotie’s eldest sister).

 

Dick’s 1945 diary for March:

6^th Tues –  Married at Chichester.  Left for Spreadeagle* Midhurst.

*The Spread Eagle is a lovely historical hotel in Midhurst, West Sussex where Dick and Chotie spent the one night of their honeymoon.

 

Telegrams were received saying:

 “Wishing you both all the luck in the world and every happiness” from Margaret, Ted and baby Roger in Parkstone (Chotie’s other elder sister and her family),

“Congratulations all best wishes” from Jack in Parkstone (Chotie’s brother),

“Congratulations and best wishes” from Mary in Poole (Chotie’s best friend at home) and Ethel & Cyril from Christchurch, Pat & Douglas from Parkstone

 “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes love Nan” (Chotie’s best friend in the ATS) from Hull,

“Congratulations and very best wishes” from Nellie and Alice in Parkstone (sisters of Chotie’s father)

“Best wishes for the future” from Mr & Mrs Johnson, Margaret and Leslie in Parkstone

 “Congratulations best wishes for the future” from Mr & Mrs Gladdis of Wimborne (the parents of Margaret’s fiancée Tom LINK who was killed early in the war)

“Congratulations and all good wishes” from Auntie Mary & Robert of South London

“Just heard great news heartiest congratulations” from Cyril & Dora,

“Best wishes for complete happiness” from Fred, Hilda, Audrey and Alison of Hertford,

 “All the best for future happiness” from Dutton and Gillespie of Pagham

“Congratulations best of luck” from Joan and Tony of Pagham

“Congratulations and good wishes for future happiness from all at Cheltenham”.

Letters of congratulations were sent by Aunt Hilda (of ‘Cairo Cottage’ 14 Broad Oak End, Bramfield Road, Hertford) and ‘Rita’ and a card from Donald and Mary Hoare (of 15, Grasmere Road, Purley, Surrey). 

 

On 8^th March another telegram was sent from Parkstone:

“Good Luck and God Bless You love Mum Dad and all”.

Going for a Walk - Monday 20th or Tuesday 21st November 1944

61^st 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 21^st 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)

‘This latest Airborne effort’ - Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th September 1944

On 18^th September XXX Corps continued their advance, liberating Eindhoven, then linking up with the US 101^st Airborne Division and starting work on a Bailey Bridge* over the Son.  They were now 18 hours behind schedule.  (See Market Garden 1944-2014.)

82^nd Airborne had secured all its bridges except the Nijmegen road bridge where the Germans held firm.

Although more British airborne troops landed the Germans held their drop zone on Ginkel Heath (north-west of Arnhem), by the end of the afternoon so they could not be re-supplied.  Those airborne troops already landed were engaged in fierce fighting and gradually being surrounded.  Colonel Frost’s isolated troops on Arnhem bridge successfully stopped German vehicles from crossing.

*the British portable, pre-fabricated truss bridge invented during WW2 and developed in Christchurch, Dorset.

 

61^st Recce’s ‘A’ Squadron were involved in finding routes from Valkenswaard for the tanks and Roy Howard mentions that it was the Household Cavalry that first met up with 101^st Airborne Division at Woensel, between Eindhoven and Son. (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 

 

Letter written on Monday 18^th and Tuesday 19^th September 1944

 61^st Recce Regt RAC

BLA

Monday Sept 18^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for your letter received a couple of days ago.  There’s nothing much of any real interest to tell you – no current news, anyhow.

            We’ve been much luckier of late in getting into some towns instead of the old perpetual fields and orchards.  Have spent several days recently in or near a small town (Wimborne* size) and been able to get a harbour and several other necessities.

            There are plenty of pubs here, and although they are still called cafés, they correspond much more to our conception of a pub.  They also have the excellent idea of having the barbers inside the pub itself so that you can have a pint or two whilst waiting your turn.  Altogether a very happy solution to this queueing problem.

            A lot of my troop have bought scent and powder with enticing Paris labels – but personally I’ve avoided buying any as I don’t trust them.  One of my blokes bought three bottles which cost him 1000 f (£5) which is obviously Black Market stuff.  Maybe I’m sceptical – as usual.

            I’ve been trying to read my Mozart, which is pretty heavy going, being in French.  It’s an excellent book, however, so I’m persevering.  I also have a copy of ‘Gentlemen prefer Blondes**’ in French, which is quite amusing but less instructive.

            Have met a lot of Ted’s crowd*** but haven’t yet contacted him.

            Brinner is still at Base as far as I know – he’ll probably still be there when we get the final ‘cease firing’. 

             I imagine Johnny Jones is with this latest Airborne effort.  Did you hear anything of him when you were on leave?  I haven’t heard a thing.

            We now manage to get a better variety of food, than hitherto – eggs & tomatoes**** (hundreds of them) instead of the endless run of sausage-meat.  We also get a few mushrooms from time to time.  Must close here to do some work.

                                    All my love

                                                Darling

                                                            Dicker

Will write some more tonight.

 

Well, Darling, I couldn’t finish this letter last night because we moved during the evening.

I’ve found out where Brinner is but as he’s some 60 miles from me at the moment there seems no chance of contacting him. 

I’m afraid I can’t write any more as I have a full day ahead fitting new wireless sets to my cars.

                All my love Precious

                                                Dicker.

 

*a small town in Dorset.

**the American novel by Anita Loos published in 1925.

***the Guards Armoured Division.

****Uncle Ted told me he once had to hide out in a tomato field behind enemy lines and just lived on tomatoes for a couple of days - he couldn't bear to eat them after that (Chotie’s Daughter).

© Chotie Darling

Big Battles to Come - Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th August 1944

28^th August 1944 – the ports of Toulon and Marseilles in the south of France are liberated by French forces who take more than 50,000 German prisoners after heavy fighting.  US 3^rd Army enters Épernay, the capital of champagne country, east of Paris and south of Reims.

 

On 28^th August Eric Brewer recorded that they “Moved to near Seine* getting ready for a push toward the Belgium border.  Think we shall move tomorrow.  Went down village along the Seine.  Got asked into a house by a man and his wife; had champagne cognac, and also a few eggs from her.  She told us to come and see her again - hope to go tomorrow.  Came across big German military barracks”.

*Regimental HQ was based at Bonnières-sur-Seine, a small industrial town upstream from Vernon, before 61st Recce crossed the river (Regimental HQ location list on re-union dinner menu 1946).  

The next day he: "Went to see the people near the Seine again; we had some champagne. They have a business in Paris. Told us to come and spend our leave there if we get any; also we could spend a holiday there after the war.  She gave me her address and wanted us to stay the night but could not as we are moving tonight across the Seine."

In his letter home on 28th August Eric wrote: "Today I have been in a French woman’s house and she woke her husband up to come and have something to drink with us.  We had a couple of nips of Cognac and a glass of cider, also she gave us an egg each and a souvenir which I am sending on.  The pattern is supposed to be the Eiffel Tower.  She was a very nice woman to speak to: she even wanted us to stay to dinner but we had to refuse as the French people don’t even get enough for themselves let alone anyone else.  She did not like the idea until we told her the reason, then she tried to tell us that she ha sufficient for all of us, but anyway we left and she asked us to return and see her which we hope to do tomorrow."  Writing again two days later he continued:  "The other day I went and saw that lady who gave me the souvenir.  She told me that her business was in Paris - they were in the clothes trade - and she told me we could come and see her whenever we want to.  As she could speak English we had a good talk with her.  Before we left her house she gave us a few eggs and while there we had two bottles of champagne between four of us.  We have been invited to come and stay for a while whenever we have the time off; she said that if it was not while the war was on she would like to see us after." (Extracts from Eric Brewer’s diary and letters included by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)

 

 

61^st Recce RAC,  BLA

Monday Aug. 28^th

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for your letter dated the 23^rd which I’ve just this moment received. 

            Glad to hear you’re home at last if only for six days, and the prospect of a month’s course is quite a pleasant one to look forward to.  Don’t do anything too strenuous will you?  The first course I had was a P.T one and they gave me a bending all right….

            I’ll send this to your home address and they can forward it as soon as they hear from you in Scotland.

            I imagine it’s pretty crowded at Parkstone at the moment now that the coastal ban has been lifted – mother says it’s pretty bad in Bognor.

            Sorry to hear about the pubs* – especially the Sloop.  It’s Dad’s pet grouse, of course, at present, though you’d better be in training for Scotland.

            Very sorry to hear about Adrian – I didn’t realise he was over here.

            I may have a chance to contact Ted in the next few weeks though it’s very difficult.  I spent over two hours trying to find Brinner today but without success.  Apparently he’s still at Base, Somewhere.  At any rate it’s safer there.

            I’ve had a fairly quiet time lately but can’t guarantee it will last.

            I’ve been in many villages first hand and have had a great welcome from the people.  We’re lucky this way of course – it’s one of the few compensations of being in front all the time.

            I’m very fit and still very happy here – I suppose the ability to chat with the people wherever you go helps a lot.

            I wish I could see you again, Darling, but I’d sooner get this business over, than go on leave and have to come back again.

            I think we’ve got the worst of it over but I can’t pretend there aren’t big battles to come.  We’ve beaten a complete army now, but we’ve had precious little time to rest on our laurels.  They still have armies left, but I think we can beat them also.

            I’ve just heard the good news of a day’s rest tomorrow so I’ll write some more then.

            Goodnight, my Darling.

 

Well, Precious, Tuesday has arrived after a wretched night.  I’ve never experienced such a storm as we had last night – simply torrents of rain with added accompaniment of thunder and lightning.  I got soaked through and haven’t yet dried out.

            It’s rather a pity as we’re in very fine country, as I heard it aptly expressed – country that was never meant to hear more than the song of the birds or the pop of a Champagne cork….

            Aren’t the radio programmes wretched?  We have a radio on all day (in harbour) and the stuff they pound out is chronic.  I get heartily sick of the whole thing.

            I’m writing this in a barn full of new-mown hay, very pleasant indeed.  The rain outside is pretty steady and doesn’t look like stopping today at any rate.

            I don’t suppose I can write another letter to reach you before the 6^th, so here’s wishing you all the very best for your 21^st.  As soon as you can give me the address of an account you can use I send on a cheque – ‘fraid it’s all I can do out here.

            Must close here but will try to write you again tomorrow

                                   All my love, Darling

                                                Dicker

           

P.T.O

P.S.  Found the enclosed mags. in Villers Bocage some long time ago.  The magazines were quite indifferent so I just cut out the best.  The rest of the stuff were third-rate patterns.  I thought the kiddies stuff the best.  Am I giving you ideas?                     

                                  R.

*Not sure what was happening to the pubs around this time but alcohol was at it’s scarcest in Christmas 1994/45 on the home front (see Christmas under Fire).

This letter was forwarded to:

W/242328, Pte Chalkley B.E.

Primary Course, No 2 T.J. Wing

New Battle Abbey, Dalkeith, Mid Lothian, Scotland.

 © Chotie Darling

Chotie attended a P.T. course at Newbattle Abbey from 30^th August 1944.

 

 

29^th August 1944 – Slovak resistance forces began an armed insurrection against the collaborationist government.  Initially successful the German counter-offensive in late September and October eliminated the rebel gains and perpetrated many atrocities.

 

Romantic Meeting

On Friday 19^th May Dick and Chotie met again.

Chotie was A.W.O.L.* for the first time. 

They stayed for one night in the Haunch of Venison**, Salisbury, Wiltshire. They would not meet again until 1945.

“Come D day, the invasion to France was about to take place.  He phoned me to break Camp and meet him in Salisbury.  We stayed in an inn – separate rooms but he wanted us to be together before he went to France.  It was very romantic, our young hearts breaking.” From ‘Chotie’s Story’ (unpublished autobiography).

*Absent without Leave

**Curiously the ‘Horsebox’ bar of the Haunch of Venison was reputedly used by Churchill and Eisenhower when they were planning D Day.

The Haunch town - Monday 15th May 1944

61^st Recce Regt RAC

APO

England

 

Monday 15^th May

Chotie Darling,

                                    Just a few lines to tee up the leave question.  I can get next Friday off from 2 o’clock in the afternoon until the same time Saturday afternoon ie. 24 hrs.  If this is any good to you will you write back at your earliest?  I imagine we could fix up somewhere to stay in the Haunch town*.  If something unexpected should turn up and cancel my pass I’ll write you at the earliest possible time.

            I’m just about up to my eyes in it at the moment, working from ‘first light’ until it’s dark – and writing this by candlelight in my tent.

            No news to tell you of course.  I was going to send you a copy of “San Luis Rey”, but I’ll keep it now and bring it along on Friday.

            Haven’t heard from Brinner yet – though it’s almost certain he’s at a depot somewhere.

            Must close here as I’m falling asleep.

                                                                                    All my love

                                                                                                            Dicker

PS Write instanta!

 

*Salisbury (The Haunch of Venison) 

© Chotie Darling

Catching fish - Tuesday 9th or Wednesday 10th May 1944

61^st Recce Regt RAC

APO

England

Wednesday 9^th (sic) May

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for your letter, which I didn’t receive until yesterday as the mail is pretty slow getting here.  It did get here however, and that’s the main thing.

            The Adjutant kindly condescended to give me the afternoon and evening off on Sunday last so I rushed out of camp helter-skelter and promptly hitch-hiked home.  It was a lovely day – very cold in the morning but coming out beautifully sunny later in the day.  On the whole I was very lucky and managed to make it in a few hours.  They were very surprised to see me, likewise Michael, who, naughty dog, had eaten a rabbit and a starling that morning!  I regret to say I slept most of the time there.

            How nice for Eric & Eve to have a baby son!  I feel almost envious – almost …. I must write him now, and tell him I think he’s awfully clever.

            As regards leave.  We all hope to get a day pass sometime during the next week, so just as soon as I know definitely when it will be, I’ll send a wire and just see if we can manage to meet at the ‘Haunch’* station.

            I’d forgotten all about ‘Love went a–Riding’** though I remember it well eno’ now.  I know I enjoyed it for its disparity from the common run of novels.

            Hope you came out of your inspection all right.  Sounded awful.

            I’ve managed to get rid of this Squadron Leader racket which I’ve had now for some ten days or so.

            Once again I find myself duty officer, which accounts for this letter, having been rushing about madly all day for the C.O.***  He’s quite cheerful tonight as he caught a fish in the local river, having been vainly trying for the past three weeks.  He bore it proudly into the mess at dinner as much as to say to all and sundry: “Look what a clever C.O. you’ve got!”  That stroke of luck should save us all from his usual bleak look for the next 48 hours.

            You seem to be doing nothing but dance these days.  What a life!  Hope you’re being a good little girl.

            Glad to hear you got the cheque OK, but you don’t mention your ability to cash it.  Is it all right?  Barclay’s are the best people.

            Must close here, Darling, to turn out the b_____ guard.

                                                            Love & kisses, precious

                                                                                    Dicker 

 

*The Haunch of Venison in Salisbury.  Co-incidentally the small bar there is said to have been used by Churchill and Eisenhower during the planning of the D-Day landings.

**A novel by Richard S. Blaker (the title is from a poem by Mary E. Coleridge).

***Lt-Col Sir William Mount Bart, TD (the former Prime Minister's maternal grandfather).  The local river was probably the Test, an important salmon river.

© Chotie Darling

 

11^th May 1944 – the Allies again attack the Gustav line in Italy in an attempt to capture Monte Cassino.  Finally, on 18^th May, after ferocious fighting, the Germans retreat from the stronghold and a troop of Polish cavalry erect the Polish flag on the summit. The Battle of Monte Cassino had lasted for four months and left 74,000 casualties. (See Monte Cassino Society.)

Chinese Nationalist forces cross the Salween River into Burma but are badly compromised by Japanese decoding of their communications.

 

12th May 1944 – the US Army Air Force begins attacking German synthetic oil plants (petrol, oil and lubricants produced from coal by IG Farben IG Farben) successfully halving oil production by the end of June 1944 (from ‘Overlord’ by Max Hastings, Macmillan 2016 edition).

 

13th May – the Japanese U-gō campaign front retreats from Kohima in India.

Chotie's 'little circle' - Saturday 6th May 1944

Sorry no ink!

61^st Recce Regt RAC

APO

England

Dearest Chotie,

                                                Well I’m Orderly* Officer again, Darling so here goes.

            Received your letter this morning – and very welcome it was.  Seems ages since I’d heard from you.

            Was glad to hear you’d managed to get home – if only for a short while, and that your little circle are OK.  I bet you’re excited about your sister Margaret** – ‘fraid I haven’t any reciprocating news re Diller, and as far as I know Brinner isn’t likely to do anything in this particular line.  Though you never know with Brinner.  You’ll notice I’m keeping quiet about myself….

            There’s simply no news from this end at all.  The chances of getting a pass all very thin – too thin to entertain – at present anyhow.

            At the moment I’m engaged in the worst part of this Orderly Officer racket – viz. sitting in the Orderly Room (Tent) all the evening and sleeping there at night – during which time I have to pay the Guard a visit – usually at about three in the morning.  A particularly thankless job.

            I’ve been reading ‘The Bridge of San Luis Rey’ for the umpteenth time.  If you haven’t read it yet, I’ll send it on in my next.

            It’s been very hot here lately though we’ve had a few showers today which have freshened things all round.  I managed to take a party to the local baths (indoor) yesterday and had quite a good swim myself.

            I’ve got a little pub teed up here.  It’s about three to four miles away cross-country – there’s no other way of getting to it, and I try to get out there whenever I get time off.  It’s a very pleasant evening walk and the quality justifies the effort.  I’m still running the Squadron though I’ve got a grip on things now and manage to de-centralise most of the work in true Army fashion.

            There seems no chance of your leave starting again?  I haven’t heard a thing.  I’ve no desire to see ours start again as it only means postponing the attainment of our ultimate goal.

            I hope you’re still being a good girl, Darling.  I’m being very good myself as there exists no opportunity of being anything else….

            I think I’d better go to bed now, Darling as I have to be up with the proverbial lark. 

                                Wish you were here with me ….

                                                    Goodnight Chotie Dear

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*Orderly as a military term means a soldier assigned to attend and perform various tasks for a superior officer.

**Chotie’s elder sister Margaret was expecting her first child.

 © Chotie Darling

  Chotie's 'little circle':

 

 

That night Eric Brewer went absent without leave from midnight to 7.00am.  His service record shows he was caught out and fined three days’ pay, possibly by Dick (RW).

(Eric Brewer's Service Record, copyright of Derek Brewer and family)

 

7^th May 1944 – US Air Force launches a 1,500 bomber raid against Berlin. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

On 8^th May Eisenhower made the decision that D Day would be on 5^th June 1944.  The original target date in May had been shifted because of the need to provide sufficient landing craft.

9^th May 1944 –With the surrender of the remaining 25,000 German and Rumanian troops the Russians capture the Crimean city of Sevastopol, a major port on the Black Sea. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Caruso and Countryside - Monday 1st May 1944

On 1^st May 1994 Dick became a full Lieutenant

(see Recce Mitch’s post in WW2 Talk)

 

61^st Recce Regt RAC

APO England

Monday 1^st May

Chotie Darling,

                                    Caught once again for Duty Officer I find the usual consolation in having time and opportunity in writing you.

            I was very sorry I couldn’t make last weekend, but I’m afraid it was just impossible as I was out the whole time.

            I’m still doing Squadron Leader* and finding it a little cushier having got the hang of things now.

            Managed to get out a few nights ago with a friend - a recently joined officer who used to be in the M of I** and has all the scandals re Brendan Bracken and Churchill*** at his finger tips, as it were.  He’s an MA, amongst other things,  with a very keen appreciation of beauty in its many forms, and we spent a very pleasant evening walking cross-country to find an unspoiled pub some four or five miles away.  The countryside has never looked better, I’m sure, the meadows full of rabbits (lots of baby ones) and the woods full of pheasant.

            Heard Caruso’s recording of 'Celeste Äida'**** half an hour ago so I’m on top of the world.  (Also heard the second act of Äida a few nights ago – Eva Turner gave a particularly brilliant performance.  I think she’s still improving.  I heard her ‘Turandot’ when I was in Scotland which is her best, plus  I ‘m now beginning to think she ranks after Cancellia & Ponselle.)

          Came across Bruce Segler’s name in a copy of ‘Frabreo’ the Jewish Club’s Magazine of which the Adjutant has a copy, so I suppose he’s still alive and kicking.  That man had quite a good sense of form apart from a Tchaikovsky mania.  He practically refused to acknowledge the existence of Mozart.

            I’m enclosing a cheque with this letter, which I trust you’ll have no trouble in cashing, and a few coupons.  I would have sent cash, but I just can’t get any here myself.

            Hope to hear from you soon.

                                    All my love, Chotie

                                                                       Dicker

RKWilliams

 

*Senior officers involved in the D Day Assault were taking part in Exercise Thunderclap – Montgomery’s preparation sessions using a huge relief model of the battlefield to work through potential issues and outcomes. (From ‘Overlord’ by Max Hastings, Macmillan 2016 edition)

**Ministry of Information - the central government department responsible for publicity and propaganda during WW2.

** Brendan Bracken was a close friend and supporter of Churchill. From July 1941 to May 1945 he was Minister of Information.

****Enrico Caruso, the famous Italian tenor who died in 1921. (Listen to Caruso’s recording of 'Celeste Äida' from Giuseppe Verdi’s Egyptian opera.)  Eva Turner was an English soprano most famous for her title role in Turandot, Giacomo Puccini’s opera set in Asia. (Listen to Eva Turner’s recording of ‘In Questa Reggia’ from Turandot.)  Rosa Ponselle was an American operatic soprano.

© Chotie Darling

 

1^st May 1944 – Commonwealth Prime Ministers meet in London at the ‘Imperial Conference’. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

Ghost Stories - Friday 21st April 1944

61^st Recce Regt RAC

APO.

England.

Friday 21^st April

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for a very welcome letter, and programmes enclosed.

            I’ve already broken the sad news about that wretched photograph*, and I’m enclosing it with this if only to get rid of it.

            You seem to be seeing quite a number of concerts – just one of those things which completely pass me by here.  Glad to see it was the old L.P.O.** who gave them.  They’re exceptionally good and very courageous as they’ve been fighting financial troubles ever since I’ve first heard of them.  There’s a very interesting book been written of their story – I believe by one of the ‘cellists, though the author and title eludes me for the moment. 

            I expect Benno*** was in good form – he’s playing better than ever these days.  I personally would place him among the first five pianists in the world, today.  He plays Rachmaninoff to perfection – certainly better than Sergei**** himself.  The last time I heard any of the Leonard overtures was in Folkestone some four or five months ago – in fact apart from leaves, I’ve heard very little music at all since.

            As regards leave, I expect I could get next Sunday (30^th?) off, when I could perhaps meet you in the neighbourhood of the ‘Haunch of Venison’*****.

            Isn’t there any chance of your getting your full leave?  That of course would be the ideal thing as I could meet you practically every evening.  We must try next weekend however, if nothing better offers.

            Having quite a peaceful time here, though I’m working pretty long hours.  The main advantage nowadays is that it’s not so cold when you get up in the morning. 

            Haven’t read much lately – only James’ ‘Ghost Stories of an Antiquary’† which I’ve read in bed in the middle of a wood – quite the right atmosphere.  Also Graham Greene’s ‘Brighton Rock’ and ‘Ministry of Fear’.  I think the opening chapters of his ‘England made me’ are some of the best stuff I’ve read in years.  I think in fact the only thing to beat them, is Gabriel Chevalier’s ‘Clochermerle’.  But as usual, I digress.

            They’ve got some beer in the bar now (mess) so life is all rosy once again.

            Have you heard from Eve yet?  Let me know all news of the dear little thing, won’t you?

            There was a film show in camp last night – Jane Eyre††, but as I wasn’t in the mood (I should say the Brontë  mood).  I went for a long walk among the hills and found some pukka Queen Anne Cottages, which more than made up for it.

                                                All my love Chotie

                                                                                    Dicker

RKWilliams

 

*see photograph on banner above. 

**The London Philharmonic Orchestra gave concerts all over the country during World War 2, depleted by the call-up and using instruments donated by the public following the destruction of its base (the Queen’s Hall) during the London Blitz in 1941.

***Benjamin Britten?? – the composer, conductor and pianist had returned to Britain as a conscientious objector in 1943.

****Sergei Rachmaninoff – Russian composer, pianist and conductor who lived in the US and Europe from 1918.

*****The Haunch of Venison at 1 Minster Street, Salisbury is an ancient inn dating from the 14^th Century.

†M.R.James’ first collection of ghost stories.

††The 1943 film of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece, ‘Jane Eyre’, starred Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine.

© Chotie Darling

 

22^nd April 1944 – the Allies’ Western New Guinea campaign begins with amphibious landings on the northern coast of Japanese held New Guinea.  Although these were successful, fighting continued in Western New Guinea until the end of the war in the Pacific.

 

23^rd April 1944 – the harbour installations at Bristol (where Chotie was stationed) were again  targeted by the Luftwaffe as part of Operation Steinbock.  117 planes were sent but they missed their target - no bombs fell on the city, instead being scattered over Wessex; presumably with the Düppel anti-radar foil used to confuse the Allied radar defences.  (See The Baby Blitz, Bombing in the Bristol Area and Last venture over Bristol.)

 

25^th April 1944 – Luftwaffe commences a series of night attacks on Allied shipping concentrated at Portsmouth and Plymouth. (From Chronology of World War II.)

 

27^th April 1944 – Exercise Tiger, a rehearsal for the D Day landings using the west coast of Devon near Slapton Ley, resulted in tragedy when German E-boats attacked.  The operation was also marred by casualties from ‘friendly fire’. In all 946 were killed - mainly American Army troops preparing for the Normandy landings on Utah beach. (See Exercise Tiger.)

Mixed Batteries - Saturday 1st April 1944

2/Lt Williams RK

61^st Recce Regt

RAC

Home Forces

 

Saturday 1^st April

Chotie Darling,

                                    Just received your letters and enclosed, for which very many thanks, Darling.

            Arrived back safely from Scotland on Wednesday last and have been up to my eyes in work ever since.  Things are pretty hectic at the moment.

            You’re quite right about the sopranos – I’m quite enamoured with several – Maria Cancellia, Rosa Poncelle* etc, though unfortunately they’re still in Italy I believe.

            I shall be able to see you on your leave – at least I hope so.  Prepare for an FFI – you naughty girl.

            I had to go to Leicester yesterday to take some vehicles there and managed to see Diller for some few minutes.  Unhappily it took me nearly an hour to find her, and I was pretty pushed for time.  However, I chased around on a motor bike and eventually found her.  Brinner spent last weekend there on a 48 from OCTU and had quite a good time I believe.

            I’ve just had a break for lunch.  I had a pretty cushy time in Scotland.  There was a singular lack of any show of organisation with the result that they didn’t really know we were there for three days or so.  I had one day in Glasgow on the weekend.  No much of a town – yet the Scots refer to it as the ‘Second City of the Empire’.

            There was every amenity to be found locally – skating, swimming, golf etc, so I didn’t need to travel abroad.  The only snag with the whole place was that all the pubs shut at 8.30 in the evening and very few opened at all on Sundays.  We could drink in the mess until 11.30 though, so things were not too bad.

            (I’m just going to fight for the coffee – Got it…)

            The Lieutenant I went to Glasgow with was once in a mixed AA Battery** – gave me all the dope.  He said he had to chuck it as every time he choked off*** some poor girl she burst into tears, which used to shake him.  He was a bit crazy anyhow.

            Geoff Winzer’s sorting out kit and holding a young auction sale this afternoon so I’m going round to buy it all up (perhaps..)

            You evaded my reference to baritones – I think you’ve got a couple teed up somewhere in Bath.

            Incidentally Eric and I always used to drink at the ‘Christopher’ which is just opposite the Abbey.  It used to be quite a place.  That was where, on one memorable occassion I called for two pints and we found we had only got sevenpence between us.  Happy days ….

            And please, Chotie, no more presents.  You really can’t do it.

                                                All my love, Darling

                                                            Dicker

 

*Probably Rosa Ponselle, an American soprano

**The mixed (male and female) anti-aircraft batteries had a quite scandalous reputation in some quarters. The women serving alongside men had much more freedom to socialise with the opposite sex than other military units for women.  (See also The History of the ATS.)

***’choke off’ - bring the relationship to an end

 

****The Christopher's Inn is now a backpackers’ hostel.

 

 © Chotie Darling

Were these the women who defended Bristol?

 

 

1^st April 1944 – Salween offensive by China attacking the Japanese army in Yunnan Province which lies on the NE border of Burma (Myanmar).  They eventually reached Burma on 22^nd January 1945. (From World War II database.) 

The US Air Force accidentally bomb Schaffhausen in northernmost Switzerland and offer $1million in reparations. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

3rd April 1944 – Germany’s huge battleship, the Tirpitz, is attacked and damaged in Operation Tungsten, a bombing raid by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm in Alten Fjord in Norway. (From Chronology of World War II http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/apr44/f03apr44.htm.)

With Hungary now occupied by the German army the US Army Air Force and the RAF bomb the capital Budapest.

 

4th April 1944 – De Gaulle becomes head of the Free French forces in place of Giraud (from Chronology of World War II). 

The US Army Air Force bombs Bucharest, the capital of Romania (from WW2-net Timelines).

 

5^th April 1944 – Siegfried Lederer, a Jewish inmate of the concentration camp and killing centre at Auschwitz-Birkenau escapes to Czechoslovakia.  Two days later Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzel also escape successfully.  They write a report, providing some of the first reliable eyewitness accounts of the camp, which is published worldwide from Switzerland in June 1944. (See United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.)

Britain closes the telephone service to Ireland (a neutral country in World War 2) and stops newspaper distribution to there and Gibraltar.  (From Chronology of World War II.)

 

6^th April 1944 – the Japanese lay siege to Kohima, about 60 miles north of Imphal, a supply depot at the summit of a pass offering the Japanese their best route from Burma into India. The hill-station was bravely defended by a small force of Indian and British troops.  Although the siege was relieved by 15^th April, fierce fighting at Kohima continued until the end of May when the starving Japanese withdrew. The 2^nd Division Memorial at Kohima bears the famous epitaph

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, 
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today".

 

Ayr - Friday 24th March 1944

Ayrshire

Scotland

Friday

Chotie Darling,

                                    Have just received your letter of the 19^th inst. which has been forwarded up from the unit.

            I was very pleased to see that Eric had replied to your letter and that I now have Eric’s address once again.  No excuse now, eh?

            Having a very pleasant time here doing absolutely nothing, as there seems no organisation of any sort here, and nobody worries about you.

            I’m in a very cushy mess of practically every Regiment in the Army, though I’ve only met one bloke I knew before.

            I took the afternoon off and walked to Irvine* some three miles along golden sands** in glorious sunshine.  (I omitted to say that I had some three hours sleep in the afternoon on the beach.)  I then had a beer or two in Irvine and bussed back.

            Went skating on Tuesday and a dance in Ayr last night so I thought I’d have things a little quieter this evening, as I spent this morning up to my neck in the sea.***

            I’ll enclose some coupons in this letter.  If I remember that is.  What are they worth to you?

            All the pubs up here close at 8.30 pm except one in Ayr.  Unfortunately the barmaid there became much too friendly for my liking so I stay clear now.  She was a very charming little thing but obviously didn’t know her own mind.  So now I have to drink in the mess – very unsatisfactory. 

            How are you behaving these days?  Being a good girl I hope.  Write and tell me all about him won’t you?  If he’s under forty I’ll be jealous, and if he’s over forty I’ll spank you.

            Must close here, Baby

                                                            All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*Irvine is a town in North Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland. A couple of Combined Operations WW2 camps were situated to the south of Irvine – HMS Dundonald trained all three services in signalling procedures to and from landing craft and the use of navigational aids to assist small landing craft find their way to designated landing places on hostile beaches.  HMS Dinosaur focused on tank landing craft training. (From Combined Operations WW2 website .)

**Barassie beach

© Copyright Ian Mockford.

*** “For the landings to be successful and for breakout from the bridgehead on the French coast to be achieved the men of all three services not only had to be equipped they also had to be trained.  It was to be training like no other, rigorous, realistic and relentless and much of it took place in Scotland.”  (From The Scots at War Trust.) 

© Chotie Darling

 

26th March 1944 – 10,000 German troops and French militia attack the 465 Maquisards gathered on the Plateau des Glières  in Haute Savoie. The Maquis retreat and disperse although one third, unable to escape, are killed.

 

The 'Baby Blitz' on Bristol.

On the night of 27^th March 1944 139 Luftwaffe planes flew to attack the harbour installations and fighter airfields at Bristol with high explosive bombs and phosphorous oil incendiaries. Chotie’s heavy artillery anti-aircraft battery was part of the port’s ground defences. 

This was the first bombing raid on the city since 1942 and the Luftwaffe had not been able to carry out daytime photographic reconnaissance over the city since then. Poor target marking by the Germans as well as the defences of Bristol (fighter aircraft, ground defences and the successful deployment of decoy areas) contributed to the failure of the raid, despite the dropping of Düppel anti-radar foil to confuse the ATS radar operators. (This 'chaff' of small strips of aluminium foil was similar to the 'Window' technique developed by the Telecommunications Radar Establishment in Dorset.  Both techniques were not used for about a year after their invention because they would be too easy for the enemy to copy.)  

No bombs fell on Bristol and 13 German planes were lost – the Luftwaffe only had 287 bombers available for operations over Britain at the time.  The attack was part of Operation Steinbock, bombing English cities in retaliation for the increasing number of Allied raids on German towns.  (From Bristol during World War 2 and Bombing in the Bristol Area. See also Freedom from Attack.)

 

28^th March 1944 – Russian troops advancing in the Ukraine enter Romanian territory near Nikolayev (Russian) / Mykolayiv (Ukrainian) on the Black Sea.

 

29^th March 1944 – the advancing Japanese in India cut the Imphal-Kohima supply road and lay siege to Imphal, the state capital of Manipur, near the centre of India’s border with Burma.  The siege continues until 22^nd June - the Japanese withdrew from India in early July 1944.  The Battles of Imphal and Kohima were the turning points of the Burma Campaign.

 

30th March 1944 – a RAF raid on Nuremberg with 795 bombers loses 96 aircraft, the highest loss in one night throughout the war.

Brandon Park - Sunday 30th January 1944

61^ST RECONNAISSANCE REGIMENT

Brandon

Suffolk

Sunday

Chotie Darling,

                                    Have just read orders and find that the security ban as regards this address has now been lifted, so I can now tell you where I am and what the place is like.

            We’re in a Nissen hut camp built on an estate, around a vast Georgian House, formerly the property of Dorothy Paget*, the racehorse owner.

            The officers are billeted in the house which is very comfortable.  We use the large square library as an ante-room.  The only snag is that the mess is on the Regimental level which means that the Colonel*, etc are all here.  Not so good.

            Brandon is quite a picturesque little place, standing on the Little Ouse, but hopelessly dead as regards entertainment of any sort.  There’s only one reasonable pub.

            I went into Ely yesterday afternoon, and went over the Cathedral.  This was quite interesting but the town itself is very drab – almost as dirty as Dover or Poole.  The nearest towns of any size are Cambridge and Norwich both of which are some considerable distance from here.  I get a day off on Wednesday however, so I may manage to get there then.  I should find plenty to interest me as I’ve haven’t yet been to either.                      

            I see now that my leave falls due on March 1st so if you could get a couple of days at home, I could come down to Parkstone.  Let me know, won’t you.

            I believe Brinner is on leave at the moment, though I’m not sure. 

I don’t know whether you’re still at home or not so I’ll send this to your army address.  Must close here for lunch.  Don’t forget the leave question.

                                    All my love, Darling

                                                                        Dicker

P.S.  I regret to say that I won’t be able to visit Eric now but could meet him in Town, sometime.

           

*Dorothy Paget was a famous and eccentric racehorse owner, daughter of the 1^st Baron Queenborough who lived at Brandon Park. The house is now a care home, surrounded by a country park.

**Colonel Sir William Mount, David Cameron’s grandfather.

© Chotie Darling

 

31st January 1944 – Haute Savoie in the French Alps is placed under siege as Maquisards of the French resistance gather on the Plateau des Glières to collect supplies parachuted in by the Allies. Anyone carrying arms or assisting the Maquis can be summarily executed.

 

Eric Postles writes under February 1944:

“The regiment left 61 Division to become the Recce Regiment for 50^th Northumbrian Division which had returned from action in Africa and Sicily to take part in the invasion of Europe.  The divisional sign was 2 red Ts on a black background.  We joined them at Brandon on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.  We were inspected along with 151 The Durham Light Infantry Brigade by the Divisional Commander General Graham and by General Montgomery.  We were also inspected by King George VI, and then by General Eisenhower wearing an immaculate midnight blue uniform.”  (Extract from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

 

3^rd February 1944 – America completes invasion of the Marshall Islands.  This group of atolls in the North Pacific Ocean, between New Guinea and Hawaii, had been held by Japan since the end of WW1 when it was ceded by Germany. In the Battle of Kwajalein Atoll the US Navy, learning from the carnage in the Gilbert Islands, destroyed Japanese aircraft and airstrips before landing the invasive force in heavily armoured Amtracs on 31st January. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

4th February 1944 – German forces advance on the british sector of the Anzio beach-head, driving a huge flock of sheep in front of them through the minefields.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

5^th February 1944 – Operation Ha-Go, a Japanese counter-attack on the Allies advancing in the Arakan in Burma (Myanmar) results in the 'Battle of the Admin Box'.  Casualties were heavy but the Allies eventually held their position and the Japanese had to withdraw.

Lt. Col. Sir William Mount. (Bart) T.D. - Thursday 20th January 1944

Address as before

 Thursday

 Chotie Darling,

                                    Just a few more lines about nothing at all.

                                    They have a film show here every week – an army unit brings round the projector, etc and the show is held in a hall in the Castle.  I managed to sit through the first hour or so but couldn’t stick it any longer than that.  So accordingly I repaired to the pub and had the place to myself entirely, luckily.

            The place is usually cram full with RAF personnel and a contingent from the local Waaffery.  They’re an awful crowd.  Drunk most of the time and very childish.

            Can’t remember the film – I only saw about half of it.

            Just finished Graham Greene’s ‘England made me’ – very good.  Had a long letter from Monica this morning – full of woe as usual, complaining bitterly that I never answer her letters or something like that.  I only wrote a month ago – at Xmas.  In any case I gather that her husband’s the most jealous brute who resents her receiving any letters.  He’s the sort who write every day – poor fellow.

            I still haven’t had any pay but have borrowed 20 quid from the Squadron Leader to pay clothing and mess bills, etc.  He’s an extraordinary sort of man – a young Captain*, Oxford and peacetime Sandhurst – very clever.  An Historian, I believe.  The only one with any real aesthetic appreciation among the whole bunch.

            I never seem to get to bed these days – it’s past midnight now.  That’s the advantage of a small mess – you can monopolise the radio and fire after about eleven or so.  I usually stay down ‘till the early hours as I don’t get up until nearly eight in the morning, and I’m better off with less sleep, these days at any rate.

            More Beethoven – unusual at this time of night – or morning.  From Calais 2 which is very powerful here.

            I’ve had a REME** Lieutenant sleeping with me – (not literally) for the past few days.  He left this morning.  Only spoke about three words to me the whole time.  A Scotsman.  Now I have my room to myself again which means I spread my kit over the whole place.  Awful shambles.  I must need a wife, I’m thinking.

            Well, Darling I must get off to bed.  It’s 1-30 and the fire’s nearly out and the Beethoven’s finished.

            There’s going to be a terrific party on Sunday.  The Colonel’s inviting all the officers in the Regt.  I’m told that when Lt. Col. Sir William Mount. (Bart) T.D.*** throws a party – it’s some party.

            Must close here, Darling,

                                    all my love

                                                Dicker

 

*Captain Frank Harding of ‘B’ Squadron?  He published “War Echoes over Thirty Years” in 1970 including a number of poems about 61^st Recce.  (See ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Ron Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

**REME = Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

*** Territorial Decoration – for long service in the Territorial Army.

© Chotie Darling

 

21^st January 1944 – resumption of German air raids on London in the ‘Little Blitz’. Operation Steinbock, launched in retaliation for the Allied raids on German cities and for propaganda purposes targeted South-East England, particularly London as well as ports including Bristol (where Chotie was stationed), Cardiff and Hull.  The ‘Little Blitz’ continued until May and killed over 1,500 people.

22nd January 1944 – the Allies’ US Fifth Army land 36,000 men on the Tyrrhenian coast between Rome and Monte Cassino in Operation Shingle.  Initially successful, Anzio became one of the bloodiest WW2 battles in Western Europe.  The Germans counter-attacked and the Allies were then pinned down on the beachhead, under fire from German artillery, until the Gustav line was broken in May.  By then almost 10,000 men, Germans and Allies, had been killed.   (See Anzio landings.)

 

Preparing for the Worst - 18th January 1944

2/Lieut RKWilliams

61^st Recce Regt

Royal Armd. Corps*

Home Forces

PS  New form of address

Tuesday Eve.

Chotie Darling,

                                    I just had to write you this evening – if only to preserve my sanity.

            Spent the whole evening at the local with Jeff and two of his WAAFS, though I’ve only succeeded in getting morbid – not even slightly happy.  On the surface both of them appear quite normal, even respectable – at least so I had previously thought, but tonight settled things for them most definitely.  Talk about a couple of bitches.  Both appear to sleep with anyone on sight provided they get a free evening.  Even I was pretty disgusted, so I came back to write you and hear a little Beethoven.

            Well, I still haven’t had any pay.  At the moment there’s a chaotic service between the Orderly Room and the Regiment Paymaster.  Having filled in a fresh Joining Certificate I found out yesterday that although the Orderly Room sent it off by express post the Regiment Paymaster hasn’t had it.

            A certain Colonel phoned yesterday long distance and wanted to know what had happened to it.  One of these fine days they’ll sort things out.  Mother sent me a cheque a few days ago, and once more I’m bust.

            How are things with you?  Haven’t heard from you for ages.  Expect this will cross with one from you.  Write and tell me how things are going on. 

            And don’t forget Eric’s address! Or even Eve’s… I think it’s 3, St John’s Hill, but I don’t really remember.  I’d like nothing better than the four of us to get together in some pub, preferably Queen Anne, just to annoy Eric…

            Well, I hope you’re being a good girl….or at least as good as you usually are.  You’ll get merry Hell from me if you aren’t….looking back into the murky past we are pretty bad aren’t we?  Or don’t you think so?

            Everyone here’s got a terrific shake on owing to an impending inspection by the Colonel*.  People having children all round.  Not literally…  All except yours truly, who doesn’t give a damn one way or another.

            Well, Darling, this is a pretty meagre letter.  I’ll try to do better in a couple of days’ time.

            It’s absolute hell doing the same old routine grind and never seeing you.  Let’s hope we can meet again soon – then prepare for the worst**.

                                                Goodnight, Chotie

                                                                        Darling

                                                                                                Dicker

 

*See Royal Armoured Corps 1^st January 1944 on Chotie Darling website.

**Colonel Sir William Mount

***presumably a reference to the imminent Allied invasion of Western Europe - perhaps Dick already knew his regiment would see action?

© Chotie Darling

 

20^th January 1944 – 729 RAF aircraft again target Berlin on 20th, continuing the intensive Battle of Berlin Air Campaign.  On 27^th January 530 aircraft were deployed, on 28^th 677 aircraft and on the 30^th 534 aircraft (from Wikipedia).

The Russians re-capture the ancient city of Novgorod between Moscow and Leningrad (St Petersburg). Novgorod is now a World Heritage Site despite extensive damage during the war.

 

 

The Castle - Monday 10th January 1944

 2/Lt Williams RK

61^st Recce Regt

Home Forces

 

Monday Eve

Chotie Darling,

                                    Have a few hours to myself , so here goes.

                                    After my having been commissioned for some nine weeks, the adjutant has suddenly discovered that the Joining Certificate (which is the authority for issue of pay) was never sent off by the Orderly Room!  However, I have duly completed another which has now been sent off, and I can optimistically hope to see some solid cash within the next week or so.  I am now obliged to remain in the mess where I can get my beer on tick, but have to smoke cigarettes as they don’t stock tobacco.

            I don’t believe I’ve told you about the billets (?) we live in here.  All other ranks live in a castle, which overlooks some 20-30 miles of low-lying country*.  The Officers mess is a country house some 600 yds from the castle.  It’s quite large – some 6 or 7 bedrooms, and reasonably comfortable.  At the moment I have a room to myself owing to the temporary absence of my artist companion on a course.

            I came across a Chianti bottle on a scheme and this now takes pride of place on my table.  It’s green glass and holds a horse-chestnut twig which I trust will flower (?) in the spring.

            Have you found time to read that Claude Houghton yet?  Let me know what you think of it – if you think it’s lousy, say so…

            My drinking companion is on leave at the moment.  His name is Winzer and is known affectionately (?) as the ‘Duke’ by his troop.  His WAAF** (from the local waffery) consequently becomes ‘The Duchess’, or sometimes Mrs Simpson***, when the wags are feeling a little bitter.

            He’s quite a sound bloke on the whole but tends to drink himself to death – his gin bill over the Xmas week amounting to £15.  At least he’s not so completely dead as the remainder here.  They all try to give the impression that they’re God Almighty as regards music and the arts.  However, when ‘Junior’ (the artist) and I turned up we managed to shake them considerably.  They appear to be jumped-up bank clerks, etc. just spreading their wings a little.

            (I have to pause here for a wretched mess meeting – the mess is bankrupt at the moment.)

            Well we soon wound up the mess meeting.  The net result was that messing has been increased by 6d per member and a monthly mess subscription of one day’s pay has to be paid.  This will involve an extra 25 shillings per month as far as I’m concerned.

            I had a stroke of luck an hour or so ago.  Going through some old papers I came across a Post Office book with a quid balance so I repaired to the pub immediately after dinner, for a beer or four.

            Met the Duchess there, with a couple of Dutch Officers who it appears are both Barons.  Trust her to get a grip as soon as Jeff’s away.

            Don’t forget to give me all the dope on Eric’s present position, will you?  If I can get his next leave taped, I’ll make the effort to go up and see him - & Eve…When’s the baby expected, or has it come already?

            As for leave, as far as I’m concerned, I can’t get away for another eight weeks at least.  Perhaps only seven – though I could get a 48 any time now.  The only snag with this is that it’s such a devil of a way to travel.  However, we might well manage something in the next month or so – I could certainly do with a little relaxation – if you know what I mean.

            There’s going to be a colossal inspection by the Colonel on January 22^nd and everyone’s getting keyed up with plenty of gimping and you know what.

            I’m out patrolling at 3 o’clock tomorrow morning for a couple of hours.  Luckily there’s a full moon which makes things very much easier.  It’s a pity you’re not here – I could take you round….

            Well, Darling there doesn’t appear to be any news to tell you.  I had a ten-page epistle from Chunky but haven’t found time to reply yet.  Here’s hoping.  I should like to spend a day with him in town, but you never seem to get round to these things.

            I have to sleep in the castle tonight in an oak-beamed room with stone floor & walls.  Very romantic but bloody cold.  Why aren’t you here?  I reckon we could keep warm, at least….

            Must close here ‘Chotie’ to get some sleep in before this wretched patrol.

                                    All my love, Darling

                                                            be Good….

                                                                        Dicker

 

*Lympne Castle, overlooking Romney Marsh in SE Kent.

**WAAF = Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

***King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry Mrs Simpson, a divorcee.  They became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

© Chotie Darling 

The troops in the Castle were living a rather different life. 

Anthony Rampling remembers being served burnt rice pudding:

‘Everybody got up leaving leaving their rice pudding…the duty Officer caught me leaving mine and put me on a charge - a 252.   Later I was marched into the Officer in Command room (Major Johnson) – halt, salute.  “Why didn’t you eat your rice pudding?” “It was burnt Sir, everybody left it.” “Case dismissed.” Like a scene from Dads’ Army.’

 

10th January 1944 - Fascist Ministers responsible for Mussolini’s downfall are sentenced to death by firing squad by the Axis powers in northern Italy.  They include Mussolini’s son-in-law, the diarist Count Ciano.(See WW2-net Timelines.) 

Russia proposes moving the Polish border west to the 'Curzon line' proposed after World War 1. The Allies eventually agreed to this at the Yalta conference. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

14^th January 1944 – Soviet ‘Shock Troops’, secretly brought in to the Soviet bridgehead at Leningrad, attack the German encirclement to break the city’s siege. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

15^th January 1944 – the Australian Army takes Sio on the north coast of New Guinea’s Huon Peninsula, marking the culmination of the Huon Peninsula campaign. Since the landings at Lae in September 1943 the Allies had advanced north fighting the Japanese for possession of the coast guarding the straits that connect the Bismarck and Solomon Seas, between New Guinea and New Britain.

16th January 1944 – Dwight D Eisenhower of the US, having led Operation Torch and the Allied invasion of Italy, becomes Commander–in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Britain in preparation for Operation Overlord.

17^th January 1944 – Beginning of the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the most important battles of World War 2 and probably the largest land battle in Europe. The mountains of Monte Cassino defended the Allies only remaining route to Rome and were a linchpin in the German’s Winter Line.  The Allies took four months and four major assaults to capture the high ground of Monte Cassino and a quarter of a million soldiers were left dead or wounded.  Initial failed attempts to cross the Garilgliano and Rapido rivers on 19^th January resulted in 2,000 casualties but succeeded in diverting German attention from the Anzio landings.

 

 

The Legend of the Devil's Dyke

Postcard – The Legend of the DEVIL’S DYKE* written Thursday 6^th January 1944

 W/252328

Pte Chalkley BE

‘b’ Troop ATS OFC

462 Hy (M) Bty AA RA

Markham Camp

Easton-in-Gordano

Bristol

GLOS.

 

PS. Address from memory!

 

Chotie,

Spending four days here on exercise – weather fine and some glorious views despite the wintry sun.  Am writing this in a pub of all places…  Still waiting to get some pay, wh         ll send you some shekels.  Go on a three days French course tomorrow (Friday) in an hotel we stayed at in peace time.  Will write you in next few days

                                                                                                        love

                                                                                                        Dicker

*The Devil's Dyke is a beauty spot in the South Downs, near Brighton, now owned by the National Trust.

 

6th January 1944 – the Russian Army advances into Poland, crossing the border west of Kiev.  In Ukraine two German Corps still held the line of the Dnepr to the south and German and Romanian troops held the Crimea. Germany held all of the Baltic Coast to besieged Leningrad and much of Belorussia (although communist partisans were active behind the German lines).

 

9^th January 1944 – Allied troops in the Arakan capture the port of Maungdaw on the west coast of Burma (Myanmar). (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

In Front of the Fire - Friday 10th December 1943

“St Margarets”

Pagham

Friday

Chotie Darling,

                                                I’m sitting in front of the fire at home, writing this on nine days leave!  I’d just come back from a five days exercise, when I was told I’d been given a new troop (I only had the previous troop as a temporary measure) and that they were all going on leave the following morning so I’d better go with them.

            I spent the first day in London and I’m going up again for a few days tomorrow – so that I can get this business of ‘seeing the relatives’ over for once and all.

            Had quite a good time on the exercise, as I was not actively engaged – only umpiring, and on a motor bike,which gave me plenty of scope in getting about.  Had half an hour or so in Herne bay and saw Monica and baby.  She’s been under the doctor for treatment of some sort as she’s getting so fat.  The baby looks all right to me, but then I’m no judge of that sort of thing.  Her elder brother has just got married in Scotland so the whole family’s married now.  Didn’t see anyone else I knew as I had so little time there, though most of them are away anyhow.

            Spent one evening in Canterbury and had a little crawl by myself visiting the ‘Falstaff’, ‘Fleur-de-lis’ ‘Country’, ‘Shakespeare’ and ‘Three Carpenters’ , the five best known there.

            Spent one night on a AA Site and slept on a sofa in the Recreation Hut.  I don’t know whether it was mixed or not – if it was I was taking the helluva chance….these A/A women**….

            Hope to see a couple of lunch-time concerts at the National Gallery – only missed one this week by a few minutes.  Have heard a couple of Beethoven Symphonies this week which isn’t too bad.

            It must seem ages since I wrote you last.  Unfortunately I went on exercise with only about an hour’s notice which wasn’t even time to get a motorcycle or riding kit.  I borrowed breeches for this show and wore them the whole five days.  Either they were cut for a very thin bloke or they’d shrunk or something but they cut my legs to ribbons. Murder!

            How are you these days? – cold I expect…If it were not for the fact that I’m sitting in front of a fire I should probably have written half a page – or less.

            (Interlude for hot chocolate and cake….)

 

                ↑                     

            Space to denote passage of time.

Do you remember the Green Child’s  head on the mantelpiece – the one Diller got in Belgium?  Dad’s latest trick is to put a cigarette in its mouth.  Looks horrible!

            Incidentally I’ll send you some shekels for Xmas – it’s no use me trying to get anything – so that you can do some shopping or a show or something in Bristol.  I’ve had to give up coupons for the other ranks’ kit I’ve kept – 18 for 2 pairs of boots! etc so at the moment I don’t know how much I’m worth.  I will send some eventually. 

            I’m enclosing a book which I’ve been trying to get for the past year or more.  Tell me what you think of it.

                                    I’d better close here.

                                                All my love, Darling

                                                                        Dicker

 

* 'The Falstaff' and 'The Shakespeare' are still open, ‘the Country’ was probably 'The County Hotel' and is now the Abode Hotel , the ‘Three Carpenters was probably the 'Three Compasses' and is now the the Lady Luck and and the 'Fleur de Lis' is closed.

** Chotie was an AA (Anti-Aircraft) woman in the ATS - they were also known as Ack-Ack Girls.) The situation of the Ack-Ack Girls, often posted alongside men in mixed batteries, and some initial disciplinary issues, led to a loose reputation that may have been ill-founded (although some male officers might have taken advantage of their command).  American troops stationed in the UK referred to them as Co-ed Gun Girls.

© Chotie Darling

 

15th December 1943 – the first war crimes trial against Nazi defendants took place in Kharkov (Kharkiv) in the Ukraine. 15,000 bodies had been found in the nearby ravine of Drobytsky Yar following a massacre of Kharkov’s Jewish population two years earlier. The Soviet military tribunal found the three Germans and one Soviet collaborator guilty and they were quickly executed.

The Allies finally recognise Tito’s Communist Popular Liberation Committee, which had led resistance to the Nazis in Yugoslavia since 1942, as the future Yugoslavian government.  

The Battle of Arewe begins the Allies Campaign on New Britain, an island to the north-east of New Guinea.  This diverted Japanese troops from a major Allied landing on the SW tip of the island on 26^th December.  Rabaul, at the eastern tip of the New Britain, was Japan’s main military and naval base in the South Pacific and MacArthur’s campaign aimed to surround and disable the Japanese forces there. 

The Lost Wallet - Thursday 18th November 1943

2/Lt Williams RK

‘B’ Squadron 61^st Recce Regt

Recce Corps

Home Forces

 

Thursday

Chotie Darling

                                    Many thanks for letter.  I would have replied before this, but managed to get a 24 hour from midday yesterday to noon today.  Both Diller and Brinner were home so we had quite a reunion at the ‘Beach’.

            Unhappily going back I had the most horrible experience – the worst experience that any man can have.  I lost my wallet!

            Not only did it have £6 in it but also my ticket.  I was stranded on Brighton Station with some 5 shillings in all!  There was no Railway  Transport Officer there so I went in desperation to the YMCA* where the manageress lent me a quid.  Awfully good of her, as I had no security to offer her.  However, I managed to get back OK, if late.

            I’ve just written to Bognor & Brighton Stations but don’t expect to hear anything.  Don’t say anything about it or mother will go frantic.

            On top of this I’m going on a scheme for a week and am afraid I won’t get a chance to write you.

            I’m well settled down now and am quite enjoying myself, though I shall be glad when I get this next week over.

            How are things with you?  Glad to hear you arrived back without trouble, and hope you got the groundsheet O.K.

            Met that old friend of mine from the 43^rd, Don Johnston** (the one who would repeatedly play the ‘Warsaw’).  Hadn’t seen him for ages.

            Have you heard of Eric lately?  You might ask Eve to prod him a little about writing me.  That is if you still correspond.

            There’s a Lieutenant here, a burly West Country farmer, who buys anything on sight.  Last week he bought a grand piano and a herd of Friesian cows!  Quite a lad.

            I’ve bought a new hat, though I didn’t pay much for it!  Twenty shillings is about my mark….

            No real news to tell you.  Things here are very cushy until a scheme comes along – then everyone starts flapping.

            I’m thinking about starting to buy some period furniture as you’ll never get any after this show.  Period stuff is still reasonable, anyhow.

            Must close here – write you next week.                                         

                                                All my love, Darling

                                                                                Dicker

P.S.  Don’t bother to write for the next few days as I won’t get it for a week.

 

*Young Men’s Christian Association

**See Chapter 7 43rd Reconnaissance - the beginning of the end.

 

© Chotie Darling

 

18th November 1943 - beginning of the RAF’s bombing campaign 'the Battle of Berlin' (not to be confused with the Soviet battle of Berlin in April and May 1945). In 16 raids thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless. By the last raid, at the end of March 1944, more than 500 RAF planes had been lost. (From WW2-net Timelines and Wikipedia.)

 

20th November 1943 – beginning of Operation Galvanic, the US bid to capture the Gilbert and Marshall Islands from the Japanese. These strategically important islands lie to the west of central Pacific, between Hawaii and the Solomon Islands.  The successful but brutal 3 day Battle of Tarawa Atoll reulted in nearly 5,000 Japanese and Korean dead and more than 1,000 Americans, with 3,000 US casualties.  Tarawa land area is approximately 12 square miles.

 

22^nd November 1943 – opening of the Cairo summit between Roosevelt, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek of the republic of China to plan for post-war Asia.  The Soviet Union was not at war with Japan and did not attend.  Roosevelt took an anti-Imperialist stance and agreed with Chiang Kai-Shek that Indochina would not be returned to France.

 

25th November 1943 – US air forces based in China bomb the Japanese island of Formosa, now known as Taiwan. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

26th November 1943 – sinking of HMT (His Majesty’s Troop Ship) Rohna, off the Algerian coast, by a radio-controlled glide bomb from a German Heinkel plane. The Rohna was carrying more than 2,000 troops, mainly American. 1,138 men were lost – the largest loss of US troops at sea in a single incident and kept secret until 1967. (See Rohna Memories.)

Band and Banners - Tuesday 26th October 1943

 

Tuesday

Chotie Darling,

                                                Just received your letter and am replying instanta.  Very pleased to hear you can manage some leave, if only three days.

            I suggest you come down to Pagham – I’ll pay your fare, and we can renew our former brief acquaintenship (sic) with the ‘Lamb', ‘Bear’* & ‘Beach’.

            Things are so quiet for Mother & Dad that I think I should stay home as I don’t know how long my leave will be.  The point is that I may be posted and recalled from leave after a week or so at home.

            If I can float a loan from someone I’ll enclose some shekels in this letter.

            Glad to hear you had a happy time in Whitby**, you certainly get about a bit.  My only travel consists of going out on schemes etc, when you’re usually wet, cold and generally miserable and certainly not in the mood to appreciate the beauty of the west country.

            However, I have seen enough to convince me that the people who say ‘See England first’ do know what they’re talking about.

            Can you let me know probable time of arrival at Pagham? – and I’ll get the band and banners out.

            Will close here, Darling for dinner – it’s a Band night.

                                                                        All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

*Pubs in Pagham.

** See Chotie in Yorkshire.

© Chotie Darling

 

30th October 1943 – the United States 5th Army breaks through the Barbara line, Germany’s defensive position across Italy, at Mondragone on the Tyrrhenian Coast. The British 8^th Army attacked across the Trignov River near the Adriatic Coast on 2^nd November 1943.  (From Chronology of World War II and WW2-net Timelines.)

The Gentle Sex - Tuesday 28th September

 

Same Address

Tuesday 

My Darling,

                        Many thanks for your letter.  Was very glad to hear that you enjoyed your leave and were lucky enough to get the same time as Mary*. 

            Still, I expect you’re glad to be back …..I was home myself this weekend but felt so wretchedly ill, I did not really enjoy it.  I started on a pint at the Beach on Saturday and hadn’t the heart to finish it.

            Been very busy lately on schemes and will be on them nearly all the next month.  They’re not too bad in the summer but it’s getting just a wee bit nippy these days.  On top of this I’m Troop Sgt. for the week which all means added work.

            Found time to read D.L.Murray’s ‘Tale of Three Cities’ which I’ve always meant to read, and enjoyed immensely.  Have read virtually nothing else.  Saw ‘Gentle Sex’ and Col. Blimp** during past few weeks – I believe I told you.  Enjoyed Blimp but found Howard’s influence on ‘Gentle Sex’ just a little too much.  He always was hammy.

            Sorry to hear about your indisposition – hope it’s better by now.

            Everyone seems to be having a competition as to who can produce the most offspring.  News from HB < Herne Bay***.  Gives lurid details of further progress in this direction.  There are times when I think the world’s gone mad.  They’re no sooner married than the poor girl’s tied down for life, and in most cases before she’s even started to live!  I hope there’s enough money in circulation after this war to feed them all.

            Had a letter from Brinner with yours.  Full of his customary appalling language.  He’s met a soprano of ‘Tosca’**** fame.  It won’t last long.  Apparently the Austrian refugee affaire has closed down for good this time.

            I’d send you some denarii if I had any – but at the moment I’m bankrupt.

            Did you hear the Beethoven on Sunday pm?  Pouishnoff*****.

            I must close here for dinner – not that I shall eat any, but I have to attend anyhow.

                                                            love & kisses

                                                                                    Dicker

 

This letter was addressed to:

 W/242328 Pte Chalkley BE.

 ‘B’ Tp. ATS OF.C. 462 Hy (M) AA Bty RA

Markham, Easton in Gordano

Bristol

 

Maybe Chotie was back at Markham Camp when Dick sent her the postcard addressed to Portishead on 7^th September, or maybe she’d moved the short distance to Easton-in-Gordano since then.

 

*Chotie’s best friend Mary Dakin, who later married Geoffrey Thomas, gentleman.

**’Gentle Sex’ - a romantic comedy film about the ATS, directed and narrated by Leslie Howard, who had been killed in June 1943 and narrated by Leslie Howard. ’The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’ - a comedy film derived from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip.

***Monica, Dick’s ex-girlfriend and Diller’s best friend, lived at Herne Bay.

****Giacomo Puccini’s opera ‘Tosca’ - the lead soprano has the eponymous title role, so Brinner’s new girl was presumably quite a singer.

*****Leff Pouishnoff, a Ukrainian pianist and composer.

© Chotie Darling

 

 

28^th September 1943 – Chotie visited the dentist at Bristol.

 Copy of Record

Dental Treatment Card – 28/9/43         Bristol

 

28^th September 1943 – two years after the shooting of nearly 34,000 Jews at the Babi Yar ravine near Kiev a number of the concentration camp prisoners now tasked with covering up evidence of the massacres there manage to escape.  By the autumn of 1943 at least 100,000 Jews, Roma and Communists had been murdered by the Nazis at Babi Yar.

 

29^th September 1943 – Marshal Badoglio, the new Italian leader meets General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allies Expeditionary Force to sign the armistice agreement aboard HMS Nelson in Valetta Harbour, Malta. (From Chronology of World War II.)

 

After Exercise Link in mid-September 1943 61st Division, including 61^st Recce, was relegated to a static role in home defence (Lower Establishment status – Higher Establishment Divisions were intended for employment overseas and combat.)  The Division was also a training formation and was intended to find suitable replacements for fighting formations:  “when the 61^st Division was relegated to Home Forces…we had to draft many of our best men away”. (Lt-Colonel P.H.A. Brownrigg’s account of ’A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ in ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’  by Ron Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

By October the 61^st Division had been assigned to anti-invasion duties in Kent.

Eric Postles writes:

“The regiment was responsible for patrolling the coast from New Romney to Battle.  Our squadron was stationed in Lympne Castle next to an RAF airfield.  We did day and night mobile patrols into Folkestone and Romney.  On a clear day you could see France from the castle tower and at night flashes from the German guns shelling the Dover area.  One night we watched as a night fighter shot down a German bomber in flames.  Our fighter planes took off and returned from France very low over the castle often returning damaged and sometimes with their rockets hanging down from the wings.  On our patrols we reported to the coastguards and coastal gun sites.  We often got a welcome cup of tea.”  (Extract from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

 

 

1^st October 1943 – the Allies enter Naples. Much of the city had been wrecked by the Germans, including its historic aqueducts, in revenge for the Neapolitan resistance begun on 27^th September.

Britain’s 8^th Army on the Adriatic coast of Italy seizes the Foggia plain with its airfields vital for bombing southern Germany, Austria and the Ploesti oilfields.

1st October 1943 – the Germans begin to round up Jews in Denmark. However, their plans have been revealed in advance by a German naval attaché, Ferdinand Duckwitz, and most of the 7,500 Danish Jews were helped into hiding and then ferried to safety in Sweden by Danish citizens and the Resistance. 470 Danish Jews were deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto in Czechoslovakia but relatively few Danish Jews (120) died during the Holocaust for a German occupied country. (From United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.)

 

2^nd October 1943 – heavy RAF raid on Munich, deep inside Germany. Germany’s third largest city was an important industrial centre and suffered 71 bombing attacks during the war. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

3^rd October 1943 – the Battle of Termoli commences the Allies’ attack on the Volturno line. This was a German defensive position stretching across Italy from Termoli on the Adriatic coast to the mouth of the Volturno River, north of Naples, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The line was breached by the British 8^th Army at Termoli on 6^th October and the US 5^th Army crossing the Volturno a week later. The Germans retreated back to the Barbara line. Both lines had been established to delay the Allied advance to the main German defensive position (known as ‘the Winter line’) protecting the access route to Rome at Cassino.

4th October 1943 – Corsica is liberated when the last of the Germans are evacuated from Bastia.

 

6th October 1943 – at a conference with high ranking Reich officials at Posen in Poland, Heinrich Himmler is frank about the Jewish ‘Final Solution’ for the first time, admitting that women and children as well as men were being killed so that “this people disappear from this earth”.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Related articles

 

A Young Novel - 1st and 2nd September 1943

 

Same address

Wednesday (nearly Thursday)

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            It’s a long time since I’ve written to you at this time of night, but I find myself with two others operating a wireless for three days and nights and this being the first I thought it would give me a golden opportunity to send you a young novel – so here goes.

            The remainder of the troop are out on a three days exercise and we are maintaining contact with them the whole time.  The system, as it stands sounds quite fun but unfortunately we are not allowed to sleep as those on the exercise aren’t able to.

            This little discrepancy is, however, compensated by the fact that I get a weekend on Saturday, so things aren’t really too bad.  Diller will be home I believe so she’ll have a glorious chance to moan to her hearts content, an opportunity I know she won’t be slow to seize.

Came back from 48hr scheme yesterday, just about all in.  This wireless* is murder, it’s not only the mental tiredness you get, but also chronic headaches owing to the headphones which have to be worn continually.  I’ll spend the week-end in bed – lonely and cold ….

            We’ve managed to scrounge some cocoa and milk, also a shave, so we have hopes of something hot soon.

            Weather here is typical autumn – lots of mist and rain and last night a beautiful sunset, one of the best I’ve ever seen.  The trees – hundreds of them here are just beginning to turn – though it’s early yet.  It will be lovely by the time I leave – always presuming I don’t leave prematurely …

            We have a pretty sound wireless officer, one of the pleasant slavedriver type who works all hours from morn ’til night and expects the whole troop to do the same…Luckily he likes his pint and consequently we always find ourselves some hundred yards from the Duke of Wellington for lunch and he always stands the troop a pint apiece.  God knows how much it must cost him.

            I was talking to the publican who says that the present Duke (who lives in the neighbouring estate – Stratfield Saye) is quite a pleasant bloke – Captain in the Commandos in Sicily and always goes to the pub when on leave to play darts with the farmers.  Apparently he’s about 30**.

            Did I tell you that Dad went up to Purley*** to see all the relations?  It’s the first time he’s seen his father for about five years!  Awful isn’t it?  Apparently things have changed quite a bit.  Gramp now looks his years – he’s about 78, which he never has done before and has slowed up considerably.  Cyril (Dad’s brother) took him on a trip which included all the most dubious of London’s night clubs.

            They all expect me to go up (after Brian going, of course) but I still prefer to go home, or if possible come down to see you.  (I still owe you about a dozen spankings…****)

            However, he did see them, they were all very pleased, and that’s that – for another five years anyhow.

            Incidentally is there anything I can get you for your Birthday? I haven’t had a chance to get out for ages, and you can’t do anything on schemes.  Let me know – and if there’s no chance of my getting it, I’ll send you some shekels*****.

            The ATS are a better crowd than I thought, despite their being mostly Generals’ daughters.  The one I had (not literally….) yesterday did all the cooking for us – and did it very well – probably because they were scared of letting us do it, as they have to eat it as well.  I managed to get her a room in a farmhouse and she managed to get me half-a-dozen eggs so we had quite a happy time.  She comes from Kent of course – Pett’s Wood – about a mile from Orpington†.  We had several common friends.  I should say friends in common – there’s a subtle difference….

            I still haven’t had an FFI†† – you really must organise another meeting…See what you can do.  I always get atrociously rude this time of night – at the moment I’m thinking awful things.  I couldn’t even tell you… 

            That’s enough of this – I’d better do some wireless for an hour or two.

 

            Well, I’ve done some morse – over an hour in fact and have just been relieved.  Still feel the same.  Good thing I’m not in the Bristol area.

            Read Deeping’s ‘Two Black Sheep’ on the scheme and also “Fanny by Gaslight” again (Michael Sadleir) which I’ve always thought an awful lot of.  It’s the finest picture of Victorian England of the last ten years and heaven knows there have been enough books on that subject!  I’m sure Fanny would get the same hold on you as she has on me.

            Won ten bob on a little side bet last night.  Bill said it was Tchaikovsky’s ‘Casse Noisette’††† and I said it was ‘Eugen Onegin’ and Eugen Onegin it was.  Just as easy as that.  Wish money was always so procurable as that 10 bob.

            It’s now nearly 2 oclock and we’ve got the water on the boil for some luscious cocoa!  Jeez!  

            My two colleagues have just started to take an interest in things – now that there’s a chance of a hot drink!  One is that madman I told you about from Corfe Castle – incidentally his name’s Peter Collins (happy memories?) who still intends to live on Round Island after the war††††.  A genuine hermit’s life with just his wife.  Notice I say just!  This is where I should say “what more could a man want”… (after his pipe of course…Never mind Darling – you come second …)

            The other one’s an Oxford law student, pretty nearly broke.  Tennis champ of north of England.  Quite a good type.

            I’ve just had my COCOA(!) and, it’s good.  I’ve got a lovely warm feeling in my tummy which I definitely didn’t have before.

            Well, Chotie Darling I must close here as I have to go on the set again.  I’ll let you know how things went on the weekend and enumerate some of Diller’s moans.

                                    All my love, precious.

                                                Always thinking of you.

                                                                        Dicker

 

P.S.  You should read Napolean’s letters to Marie Louise and Josephine.  They’re good….

 

*Wireless – “not enough emphasis can be put on the importance of communication in battle situations”…Wireless operators needed high quality training “to pick up weak signals against a background of atmospherics and interference” known as ‘slush’. (From ‘Phantom at War’ by Andy & Sue Parlour, Cerberus 2003)

**The Duke of Wellington’s estate at Stratfield Saye near Basingstoke in Hampshire.   The 6th Duke of Wellington, Captain of No 2 Commando, was killed in action at Salerno on 16^th September 1943.  

***Purley, near Croydon, South London.

****Possibly referring to Chotie’s involvement with her officer at the Bristol camp earlier that year??

*****slang for cash. Chotie’s 20^th birthday was on 6^th September 1943.

†Dick was born in Orpington in Kent and spent his childhood there.

††the 'Free from Infection' inspection for venereal disease (presumably being used by Dick as a euphemism here).

†††Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ and not his opera ‘Eugene Onegin’.

††††an island in Poole Harbour.

Peter Collins was the name of one of Chotie’s early admirers:

“Peter Collins, the boss’s son, home from Blundell’s, a posh school in Devon, also took a fancy to me and given the chance, we would canoodle in the store room.  His mother was very kind to me and I was invited to stay at their lovely house in Talbot Woods for a weekend.  Peter had won a scholarship to Blundell’s for his brilliant piano playing and taught me about classical music - a love that has stayed with me all my life.” (From ‘Chotie’s Story’. See also F.W.Collins.)

© Chotie Darling

 

3^rd September 1943 – the Italian government, under Marshal Badoglio, signs a secret armistice with the Allies at Cassibile in Sicily.  In Operation Baytown, British and Canadian forces crossed the Messina Straits unopposed, landing at Reggio de Calabrio (the tip of Italy’s toe) in an unsuccessful attempt to draw German forces away from the main landing areas further north.

 

 

The Warsaw - Thursday 4th February 1943

As Usual 

Thursday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                Many thanks for your letter of a couple of days ago. I sent one letter which you probably got Monday or Tuesday.

            Glad to hear you’ve had such a time on your 48 hr. Only wish I could have been at the old ‘Sloop’* as well. George and Bert seem to wangle it all right.

            Brinner, as I suspected is home on nine days privilege leave**, not embarkation as he would have me believe.

            I’m up to my eyes in work at the moment as I go to Evening Classes nearly every night I have free. The trouble with that Game is you never know when you’re going to be on guard, etc which makes a definite programme rather difficult to pursue.  However, one must necessarily be a martyr to achieve the fruits of education.

            Hope you manage to get to N. Wales.  Should be really lovely in the spring.  Not as good as the autumn of course….

            The old man hates the people there, of course but then he’s prejudiced.  Mother had a lovely time there in the last show.  Do you know where you’re actually going?  There’s plenty of castles there, I believe.

            I was supposed to be reading a paper on education tomorrow night at the Technical Institute but find I’m on Guard.  We do have fun, don’t we?

            I’m supposed to be playing Rugger this afternoon but decided I’d write to you instead. Rather nice of me, eh?

            Johnston (that’s this friend of mine) knocked hell out of a canteen piano last night.  Played the professional copy of the 'Warsaw’***, and rather shook everyone.  I can manage the first half dozen bars! I calculate it would take about fifteen years to get it pat…. Nil desperandum.

                        Must close here for tea

                                                All my love

                                                            Precious

                                                            Dicker

*The Sloop was a Poole pub in Lower Parkstone, very near to where Chotie lived.  It was demolished in January 2022.

** See letter of 30th January 1943

*** Ack-Ack girls learned to work with the guns at Artillery Practice Ranges such as Llandudno near the Great Orme headland on the North Wales Coast.  At Ty Croes on Anglesey, in the far north-west of Wales there was a practice firing camp where the girls directed gun fire at textile ‘sleeves’ billowing out behind planes. (From ‘Girls in Khaki – a history of the ATS in the Second World War’ by Barbara Green, published by the History Press 2012).  “We went on to a firing camp at Ty Croes, Anglesey, where they had the guns. When the first gun went off I nearly died because of the shock of the flash and the bang. We had no ear muffs and from that day onwards I had tinnitus.”  (Ruth Hamilton, nee Minshull, on the BBC People’s War website.)

Dick’s family was originally from Wales but his father had fallen out with them.

****The Warsaw Piano Concerto

 © Chotie Darling

 

This letter was re-addressed to:

Private Chalkley B.E.

    236 A.A. (ATS O.F.C.)

Trng Regt,

                Wingate Bks

                    Oswestry

having originally been sent to Talavera Camp at Northampton.

 

Section Training for 43^rd Recce on 6^th February 1943 focused on ‘Battle Procedure – Withdrawal’.(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

21 years old - Thursday 30th July 1942

Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex

 

Thursday

My Own Darling Chotie

                                                                                    Just a few lines, Precious, to thank you, and all your family for a lovely and very welcome present*.   Thank you, Darling, very, very much.

            I would have written before, but I’ve been laid up for some little time with the wretched vaccination.  However, I know you will understand.

            I had a very quiet time on the 28^th.  I thought rather than spend it in the company of strangers, I should prefer to be by myself, so I betook myself to the theatre and saw Jean Forbes-Robertson in the Soviet play “Distant Point” with the London cast, which was really rather good. I managed to sink a couple of pints every interval, so that by the time it finished I was beginning to feel that life was worthwhile again.

            I then hied myself to “the Old Ship”** and finished off the job.  The boys put me to bed when I got in …

            Further to my last letter – I do very well here now, as we are working on theory at a civvy garage every day in Hove, and have our meals in a British Restaurant***. And believe me that’s a cut above the Army.  I’ll send you one or two photographs of the old place. 

                    Well, Darling, I can’t write any more as my arm is giving me hell. 

            Please thank all your family very much.  I now have one exquisite smoke every night before going to bed.  Any tobacco will do in the daytime but I can appreciate a little ‘Sobranie’**** in the ‘cool of the evening’.

            I’ll write again as soon as my arm gets better – in a couple of days I expect.

                                                                                    all my love, Darling

                                                                                                            Dicker

                                                                                                            xxxx

                                                                                                            B.O.L.T.O.P.****(?)

                                                                      That shook you! Rather puerile don’t you think? 

 

* Dick’s 21st birthday was on Tuesday 28^th July 1942.

** an historic hotel on the seafront in Brighton

*** British Restaurants were set up by Local Authorities with loans from the Wartime Meals Division. They were open to all, but mainly served office and industrial workers. A three course meal cost only 9d.

**** an expensive cigarette

***** “Better on Lips than on Paper”

 © Chotie Darling

 

31^st July 1942 – heavy raid by 630 RAF bombers on Düsseldorf, a city in Germany’s Lower Rhineland.

Flat Beer - Sunday 28th and Monday 29th June 1942

1^st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps, Home Forces 

Sunday

My Darling,

                                                                        Thanks for letter with all the news.

             I've started writing this letter without much hope of finishing it this evening. 
However, the fact that I've started it is certainly a move in the right direction.  It is such a devil of a job to find anything to write about in this God-forsaken dump.

            I went out this evening but came back after half an hour or so - there being nothing whatsoever to do.  The Garrison Theatre, although a very good show only has the one programme for the week, and once you've seen it, it's no use going again the same week.  There's a play on next week, - “While Parents Sleep”, which I've seen, - but I shall go again, as of course it will be a different cast, etc.

            I've been sick for the last week with a sore throat which developed into bronchitis or so the M.O. said.  Personally I didn't agree, but also didn't argue as it gave me a cushy time for a few brief days - no P.T. etc, of course.

            I managed to go into the nearest town (?)* on my day off, yesterday.  It boasts some very excellent pubs – the “George” Hotel and the “Bell” being very
famous in Georgian days.  The beer however tasted very flat - perhaps because you were not there with me.

            I had no one to talk to about Herne Bay and the various professions which help to make the social system what it is.  Just imagine what you'll have to put up with when we are married... but perhaps you'll see H.B. for yourself and perhaps I'll have a profession...

            I haven't yet heard from home and am getting a little worried on that score. 
I hope Mother’s all right - but maybe I'll get a letter tomorrow.  There seem to be so many worries that separation brings so cruelly in its wake.

            Does this letter seem very morbid, Darling?  I don't want you to think that
I'm too browned-off**.  After 2 years in this Army I think I can stand anything. 

             I'm going on a three days scheme on Wednesday, so I won't be able to write of course - so don't be over anxious if you don't get a letter for some days.

            It's nearly lights out, Chotie Darling so I'll say Goodnight my Precious, and write some more tomorrow.
 

            Well, Lulu, it's now Monday Lunch-time so I'm writing a bit more. 

            It's terrifically hot today - and we have to wear respirators on Monday morning. 
Was I exhausted!  I'm now trying to get an hour's relaxation before going on Parade this afternoon.

            I may go to the Old Garrison to-night and see this wretched play - that's if I can get out in time. That's one of the troubles here; even if there was anything to go out for, we rarely get out before Seven pm or so - which is rather late.

             Well, Darling, by the time you get this letter, I’ll be on this stunt so I hope to write again next Saturday or perhaps Sunday - and I'll say bye, bye for the present, and remember, Darling, I still love you, very very much.

                                                All my love, Chotie Darling

                                                                                 Dicker

*Amesbury

**Dick must have been disappointed to be transferred out of Air Landing after only a couple of months.  After training in Tunisia from April 1943 1^st Air Landing Squadron went on to be involved in the invasion of Italy near Bari in September and Operation Market Garden in September 1944, when the elite 1st Airborne were sent in to defend "a bridge too far" at Arnhem with disastrous results.  (Dick was to be among the ground forces racing towards Arnhem.)

© Chotie Darling

 

29th June 1942 – 1^st Air Landing Squadron training on Streatley Mortar Range, Berkshire. (From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

30^th June 1942 – as the Germans advance into Egypt the Allies’ Mediterranean Fleet evacuates Alexandria and prepares to demolish the port. The Allied Eighth Army hold the line at EL Alamein, 150 miles west of Cairo. There is fierce fighting along the El Alamein front throughout July. (From WW2-net Timelines)

 

End of June 1942 – Battle of the Atlantic. In the first six months of 1942 the Allies had lost 989 ships, a total tonnage of 3,950,000 tons.  173 ships were sunk in June alone.  The British code breakers at Bletchley Park were still struggling to decipher the Enigma upgrade introduced in February, which they called “Shark” and in March 1942 the Germans had cracked the British Admiralty code Naval Cipher 3,which was not changed until 10^th June 1943.

 

Blitz in Southampton - Monday January 1941

20^th January 1941 – compulsory fire watching duty introduced in Great Britain. All shops and office buildings had at all times to be attended and, at night or in any ‘red alert’ there had to be a ‘Roof Warden’ on duty.

As an employee of Beales, in Bournemouth, Chotie had to take her turn at night-time fire watching on the roof. Beales was later destroyed by bombing on 23rd May 1943, in the worst attack on Bournemouth during the war.

 

Rye Cottage, Marine Parade West

Lee-on-Solent, Hants. 

My Darling,

                                                                                    I'm writing as I promised as soon as possible to let you know that I arrived safely - but only just.  I got to Southampton at 8 o'clock and then the trouble started.  I didn't get back to camp until 3 o'clock this morning.  There was a terrific Blitz on* and we had to wait on the station from 8.15 until 12.30!  However the train eventually came and we reached Fareham, at about 2.30.   Here I met with some luck as there was a naval lorry going back to the camp.  It dropped me about a hundred yards from my billet.

             I had to go on Guard at 7 o'clock this morning so I didn't get much sleep - and if anyone catches me asleep to-night I'm for a court-martial. What a life! 

             Still I mustn't grumble as my little wife is all that really matters in this heartless world.  (Another proposal!)  I must really get down to this proposal business when I get back in civvies...You're not going to get out of it as easily as you think...

             I felt terrible this morning, Darling.  It's pretty chronic when you get back from leave and haven't anyone you can call a friend in the whole company. Apart from Clive there isn't one man whom I could ever get to know or like.

 

            Well, Sweetheart, I've just had supper, (2 zeppelins in a cloud**) and feel at ease once again. 

             I hope you got back from Bmth all right - and please Darling, do look after yourself, whatever you do. You'll never know how really precious you are to me.  I just can't help thinking of you the whole time here.

             I don't think I've ever felt so terribly depressed and lonely as I did this morning.  Cho Darling, I don't know what you must be thinking about me after coming home and being so terribly cold.  I suppose it's not my fault really, but I can't adapt myself to home life in a few hours.  I worry too much I suppose.

             Whatever happens, the next time I get home we must go to the Shipwrights’ or Norfolk*** or somewhere and get completely blotto.  At any rate I'll be home earlier next time, which will mean we can at least go somewhere in the evening.

 Well, Darling I must close here as the Orderly Officer is due any moment,                             

                                                                        night, night Precious

                                                                                    All yours

                                                                                                “Dicker”

* Southampton was the one of the most heavily bombed cities (7^th) in Britain during WW2. As Britain’s number one military port and the home of Spitfire production, just across the Channel from northern France, it was an obvious target.

** Army slang for canteen sausages in mash.

*** The Shipwrights Arms was a pub on Poole Quay (demolished in 1978). Dick had taken Chotie there before the war, much to her mother’s horror.  Pubs in Poole were then almost exclusively a male preserve and Chotie’s family were teetotal – even Chotie had signed ‘the Pledge’ - "We agree to abstain from all liquors of an intoxicating quality whether ale, porter, wine or ardent spirits, except as medicene.”

 

“My mother tore off down to the Williams’ house after she found out Dicker had taken me to a pub.  I had not even been in the bar but had played skittles and drunk one grapefruit juice”.  From ‘Grandma’s Story’ written for Chotie’s grandchildren. However another version of ‘Chotie’s Story’ has Dicker “sneaking me into pubs, taboo with my family in those days”!

There was little other social life besides the pubs during the war and, with war work giving many women more independence, pubs were soon frequented by both sexes.

 *** The Norfolk is still a fine Edwardian Hotel near the centre of Bournemouth.

 © Chotie Darling

 

January 22^nd 1941 - British and Australian forces capture the port of Tobruk, Libya from Italy.

 

22nd to 25th January 1941 – German minelaying off the Dorset coast.

Last week of January 1941 – the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Worth Matravers commandeered the BBC’s pre-war television transmitter, at Alexandra Palace in London, to jam the newly refined German radio beam system for night time location of English targets.

(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).

Lonely Nights - Tuesday January 1941

Rye Cottage, Marine Parade W

Lee on Solent, Hants.

My Own Darling Chotie,

                                                            Many thanks for your letter received this morning.  I was just embarking on a 24 hrs Guard and was consequently feeling rather depressed, when along came your letter like a breath of Spring.  Darling, your letters have a wonderful effect on me.  Like morphia* they soothe my somewhat jaded nerves... - and like morphia too, they raise me from the depths of despair to heights of ecstasy.

            This is a tolerably decent Guard Room.  There's no fire as the place is electrically heated.  There's also electric light, & so for about the first time on Guard I am able to write in almost what may be termed comfort.

            In King's Regulations (the Laws which govern Army Life) it says that any man may ask for a pint of tea or cocoa (free of charge) which he has during the night if on a 24 hr guard.  By reason of this most noble law, I am now enjoying some steaming hot cocoa, which even if it doesn't taste like cocoa is at any rate hot...

            A man is also allowed a pint of beer, but needless to say this luxury comes from his own pocket!

            It's now 20.30 hrs (8.30) Tuesday evening and I am faced with the dismal prospect of staying awake all night until we dismount at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

            I've just finished a very good book.  It is called ‘Magnus Merriman’ and it's by Eric Linklater (of ‘Juan in America’ fame).  You must certainly read it if you get the chance!  I was just reminded of it because I remembered where:

 “The girls who had been sitting on the sailor's knees, and had now returned to those warm seats began to sing: -

            ‘Morning never comes too soon, I can face the afternoon, But Oh!  Those lonely nights!’ “**

             I had to admit the truth of those lines.  It deals with the life of a poet, from when he joins the army during the last war, to when he finally ends up in a marriage of convenience.  It is brilliantly written in the usual Linklater style.

            I also re-read ‘Rebecca’ (Daphne du Maurier) - in my opinion the best novel of the last five years or so.  You should see the film if you get the chance as I know you'd love it.

(Lengthy pause whilst I fill my pipe).

            Remember in ‘Impatient Virgin’ whenever Ruth (the heroine) walks out of a room she always left behind ‘the blue tobacco smoke mingled with the scent of dried roseleaves’!  Perhaps my mind’s wandering... 

            How's the Guardsmen?  You'd better go careful you know.  I may turn up and catch you in the act – and 6ft 3 or not he's going to hit the deck mighty hard.  You can take that from me.

            Good to hear you had a good time at the ‘Haven’***.  It's not a bad place is it?  The only snag is that they can always chuck you in the sea to sober you up.

            Well Sweetheart, I must close here, as the Orderly Officer is due round.

            I'm afraid it's no good me trying to tell you how much I miss you.  It's so much more than words can convey.  I still love you with all my heart Cho Dear, as I know I always will.  I think it would kill me if I ever thought you were unfaithful - but I trust you, Darling as I hope you trust me.

                                                                        Goodnight Precious

                                                                                    Your ever loving

                                                                                                Dicker

 

* morphia – another name for morphine, a powerful narcotic painkiller.

** from ‘Happy Days and Lonely Nights’, a love song by Fred Fisher and Billy Rose.

*** the Haven Hotel, Sandbanks, Poole

© Chotie Darling

 

Telegram on Saturday 18th January 1941 from Lee on Solent 

BARBARA HOME TONIGHT = RICHARD

  

18^th January 1941

Dick and Chotie’s first meeting since October 1940

 

19^th January 1941 – Allied troops advance into Eritrea. Mussolini accepts German aid in North Africa but not in Albania.

'Rebecca' in Chippenham - Sunday 1st December 1940

Chippenham, Wilts

My Darling,

                                                                        Thanks a lot for the letter. I wasn't expecting to get one so soon, so I've stuck myself in a respectable pub and started to write to my Darling little Cho-cho.

    Dearest, it seems so long since I saw you.  If all goes well I may be home next weekend.  I don't want you to back on it, Honey, as it's only a possibility.  All 48s has been cancelled as everyone here is due for seven days.  As I've had one, however, I may be able to get just one little 48.

     If only the C.O. knew how much I adore & miss you Darling, I know he'd give me 21 days, as no one has ever loved as I love you.  I never dreamed I'd miss you so much.  Perhaps I didn't love you as much when I joined up as I do now.  I feel that I don't care what promotion I get or what happens, provided I can get back to you when it's all over.  Nothing can ever, or will ever, stop me loving you.  Please, Darling, write & tell me that you really do love me, and that nothing can ever part us.

    If only this wretched war would end I could come back and try to make you happy.

     I saw ‘ Rebecca’ twice this week as I liked it so much.  You must see it, if you haven't already done so.  It was wonderful.  If only I could write like du Maurier!

 I'm in the best of health, but worry about you a lot.  You must take care of yourself all the time, as I couldn't live without you now.

                                                            Goodnight my darling,

                                                                                    Dieu vous garde,*

                                                                                                your loving

                                                                                                            Dicker

* “God save you.”

© Chotie Darling, 2010

'pretty merry' in Chippenham - 16th November 1940

 

Chippenham

Wilts.

Saturday.

My Darling,

Thanks for the letter.  The Post-Corporal whose job it is to deliver the mail said nothing to me about it, but I later discovered it tucked in the blankets in my kit.  As usual, it was just what I needed to cheer me up. 

 

Pete came back as you probably know on Friday.  McCracken and I were pretty merry when we met him in town, but what were we like when we rolled back to billets at 10-30?  Our condition was certainly nobody’s business!

 

However, I've spent the day sobering up, and am now writing this in the ‘George’, a very old pub which we frequent; when we have the price of a pint or two.

 

Well, Darling, I hope you're keeping well and looking after yourself in my absence.  You really must look after yourself and take care, as you're all I've got that matters now.

 

I don't know when I shall get another 48 hrs.  I'm pretty busy now as I’m doing duty & P.T. as well & it's pretty tiring not to mention the small amount of time I get off.

 

I can't write any more now, but will again tomorrow.  I'm afraid I've been called for Batt. Ord. Sergeant* for tonight as we had four deserters yesterday.

 

                 all my love

                         your devoted

                                             Dicker

                            S.W.A.L.K.

 

* Orderly Sergeant is the first Sergeant of a company.

 

© Chotie Darling, 2010

 

The Rising Sun, Salisbury - 21st and 22nd September 1940

Saturday 21^st and Sunday 22nd September 1940

Salisbury

Wilts

My Darling Cho,

                                    I’m endeavoring to write this in ‘The Rising Sun ' a notorious pub in Salisbury.  There's a hell of a row on here.  The place is full of Uniforms of every description, Polish etc.  I don't suppose you'll be able to read this.  This is my first evening out for over a week.

             I have however some encouraging news this time.  I saw the Major a few days ago.  He’s going to recommend me for a commission in a month’s time.  That is of course, to see the Colonel.  If I pass him, I'll be OK.  The trouble is, however, passing the Colonel.

             As you probably know, all leave has been cancelled.  I can't even get a Sunday pass.  I'll let you know however, if there is any change.

             How terrible it seems, Darling.  You're so near and yet so far.  I'm dying to see you again, if only for a few minutes.  It's just impossible to say how much I miss you, Chotie - but I think of you all the time.  I'm afraid I love you too much to express myself in words.  I hope you can understand and realise Cho. 

 And I'm not tight (yet...).  I hope to be, however, in an hour's time.  I shall be flat broke by Monday as usual -- we always are.

             I'll write some more tomorrow, which I hope will be a genuine day of rest.

 

 Sunday afternoon.

            Du Rose & myself are in the tent at the moment, it’s raining, and we have the afternoon off.  We are endeavoring to recover from last night's spree, having had a hell of a hangover this morning.  We had to go to Church Parade at 9 o'clock this morning, which was rather a blow to us as everything has to be just so.  We managed it, however, without passing out.

             As you may know, all soldiers have to be in billets or barracks by the 30th inst - which means to say we have to move by next week.  There has been a lot of talk lately of Southampton.  This would, I think, be preferable to this place, as there is a little more life and what is much more important, I should be nearer home. 

             I only hope leave will be resumed soon.  I'll be able to get my seven days then.

             I'm afraid I've nothing more of any interest darling except that I still love you all that's possible.  I hope you're being a good girl whilst I'm away.  Eric and I have sworn oaths never to look at another girl.  He has a Jean in Birmingham.

 Well bye bye for now Darling.

 God bless you and keep you safe until I can come and look after you again.

                            Your adoring

                                            Dicker

© Chotie Darling, 2010