May 1941 - cheese rationing began in Britain. The Earl of Shaftesbury and Viscount Cranborne were both in the Dorset courts this month, charged with buying black-market butter.
An observation minefield, controlled from Brownsea Island, was laid near the entrance of Poole Harbour to defend it from German E boats.
1st May 1941 –Donald Coleman Bailey tested his prefabricated steel bridge across the River Stour at Christchurch. Bailey was later knighted for his design of the indispensable ‘Bailey Bridge’ and eventually retired to Southbourne, Bournemouth.
4th May 1941 – a German Junkers aircraft crashed on Winfrith Heath, the decoy ‘airfield’ (rigged with flares and moving lights) for Warmwell aerodrome in Dorset.
(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 and ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980.)
Dick had seven days leave from 4th to 11th May 1941
Top photo: Dick and Chotie at 'Fairhaven', Orchard Avenue Parkstone, Poole
Above: Dick, Chotie and Brin, Dick's younger brother.
6th May 1941 – Axis aircraft begin to land in northern Iraq.
8th May 1941 – HMS Bulldog and HMS Aubretia captured a German U-boat with intact secret code books and equipment enabling a breakthrough in deciphering the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park. Picking up coded German radio messages became particularly important for revealing German war plans.
9th May 1941– six people killed when a bomb hit their family home in Weymouth, Dorset.
10th May 1941– attack on Christchurch aerodrome.
(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).
10th May 1941 – last raid of the Blitz in London.
12th May 1941– sinking of the Maia in Poole Harbour. This famous flying-boat had completed the first British commercial flight across the Atlantic with it’s passenger flying boat the Mercury, before the war. The attacking Heinkel bomber was brought down by fire from ships in the harbour and anti-aircraft guns. Railway line north of Bournemouth and Christchurch aerodrome were also attacked in the early hours.
(Extracts from ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).
CHURCH ARMY CENTRES FOR H.M. FORCES
From Southampton
Date 13/May/41
Supplied gratis to Men of H.M. Forces for personal correspondence only.
My Darling Chotie,
I'm writing as we promised on Tuesday Evening. I hope you got back all right - it was far too late for little girls to be travelling alone, but I won't argue about that, at any rate not until I see you again.
I went sick this morning and have got off all duties so far and hope to for the next few days. I'm also getting treatment twice a day, which can't be grumbled at. There is, however, no hope of sick leave.
I'm in the Hut on the Common* at the moment trying to drown my sorrows in tea (without sugar...) I've also just had a supper so I'm not feeling too bad on the whole. I slept all day in the Corporals’ Room, and hope to do the same tomorrow. They're very good at this place (Church Army) - the old boy has just come round with free fags - two for every one in the place.
There doesn't seem anything for me to write. I haven't yet got over the shock of having to come back again. It nearly kills you after seven days of freedom - but as usual I expect to get over it OK.
Well, Sweetheart, I'm afraid there's no news of any sort to tell you. Hope your mangy sniffles are all better.
Bye, bye Darling
Your loving
Dicker
* presumably Southampton Common
© Chotie Darling
14th May 1941 – the RAF attacked Syria, which was pro-Axis and governed by the Vichy French.
14th May 1941– bombing of Swanage, Dorset, including Wesley Cottage where John Wesley stayed on a preaching trip. (From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).
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