Chotie Darling

In the Field - Friday 17th December 1943

Letter written on Friday 17th December 1943

In the field

Friday

Chotie Darling,

                                    I got back from leave last night to find I was on a long scheme at 5 o’clock this morning.  I’m endeavoring to write this during a lull in the battle (?).

I’m very much afraid that I won’t be able to send you anything in time for Xmas.

I’ve just met Chunky (we’re both on the same side!) and he doesn’t get back until Xmas Eve.  I’ve no idea how long we’ll last but don’t suppose we’ll get back much before then. 

Went up to Purley on leave and stayed with Gramp for a couple of days.  Everyone’s got brand new babies – awful!  I’m beginning to think I’ll have one soon…

My God, it's COLD!  My fingers are just about freezing not to mention my poor bottom. 

I’ll try to write you again in the next few days.  Let me know if Eric’s home, won’t you?

                                                All my love, precious

                                                            Dicker

P.S.  Did you get 7 days or 14?

*In December 1943 61^st Division (reinforced, for the exercise by the 31^st Tank Brigade) played the defending force in Exercise Vulcan; a four-day training exercise aimed at improving the attacking process of the 43^rd Wessex Infantry Division (Dick’s former Recce unit).

© Chotie Darling

Eric Postles remembers December 1943 with 61^st Recce:

“We had a 3 day exercise with 59 Division just before Christmas that was notable for incessant rain.  Once I had a 48 hour pass to Ashford staying in the Salvation Army hostel.  Lympne Castle was cold and we slept on the floor which was not a very good way of spending Christmas day.”   (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

 

 

19th December 1943 - evacuation of Tyneham Valley in Purbeck to extend Lulworth’s tank gunnery range in practice for Operation Overlord.  The beautiful Dorset village is still occupied by the army.

20^th December 1943 – Allied air attacks begin on the V1 flying bomb ramps in France – the V1 was not used against Britain until June 1944.

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. 

Chocolate Biscuits - Sunday 28th November

2/Lt R K Williams

‘B’ Sqdn. 61^st Recce Regt

Recce Corps, Home Forces

 

Sunday 28^th

Chotie Darling,

                                                I’m now back again and settled down after the scheme, which lasted for its original duration much to everyone’s disgust.

            On the whole I had quite a happy time, as I either stayed at, or passed through, several old haunts well known to the family in the old Morris Cowley* days, and coupled with the opportunity so often missed of worming my way into a vast number of period farmhouses and the like.

            The weather was excellent, cold but dry and as we stayed in one little village for three days without doing anything of military importance, we managed to get sufficiently well organised to hold ABCA** periods and run a football tournament.  I evaded these two popular pastimes however, and mooched about a local farm until the daughter of the house asked me in for coffee and CHOCOLATE Biscuits!  Her undoubted charms left me cold, but I took a lively interest in the biscuits.  Lovely old house, with a massive oak beam over the fireplace marked 1600.

    The major*** came back yesterday.  He appeared quite a good type – reads Balzac, so I’m well in.

    Nothing much happens here.  I’ve just finished a 48 hr spell of Duty Officer, rather a cushy appointment.

    I get another 24 hr next Wednesday so I may go up to ……….. (word inked out).  There’s nothing to do here, or locally, but the snag is the fare.  It will be the second day I’ve had off in three weeks, which isn’t so good, to my way of thinking.

    Many thanks for your letter, Darling, most welcome at the conclusion of an exercise.  Glad to hear you’ve got, or rather you’re getting, a rise****.  I bet you’re getting more than me after all.  After I’ve paid income tax, messing***** etc, I get the equivalent of Lance Corporal’s pay….

            Must close here for dinner.

                                    All my love precious

                                                                    Dicker.                     

*presumably the family car from his childhood at Orpington in Kent.

**Army Bureau of Current Affairs – an organisation set up to educate and raise morale among British servicemen in World War 2 (see Wikipedia).

***possibly the Regimental second-in-command, who was a Major, or maybe the Major commanding ‘B’ Squadron. (See Reconnaissance Organisation December 1943 and Reconnaissance.)  Dick was one of 23 to 30 subalterns in the Regiment – commissioned officers below the rank of captain, generally comprising first and second (junior) lieutenants. Dick, as a newly commissioned officer, was a second lieutenant.

****due to her new qualification as Operator Fire Control?

*****Commissioned Officers were required to eat in the Officers’ Mess and pay a subscription fee for supplies and upkeep. They would also be expected to wear formal attire for evenings in the mess.

© Chotie Darling

 

 

2^nd December 1943 – A German Air raid on the Adriatic port of Bari, near the southernmost tip of Italy, hits a US ship secretly carrying mustard gas. Many civilians are poisoned by the gas and over a thousand Allied servicemen perished.  Fires from oil pipleines and ammunition explosions put the port out of action until February.  The Allies try to keep the ship’s cargo secret, since it might provoke the use of chemical weapons in the war. The incident was only fully exposed in 1967.

The Allied 5^th Army in Italy again attacks at Monte Camino and manages to take the peaks of La Difensa and Camino.  After heavy fighting the Germans pull back from the Bernhardt line to the Gustav line and Monte Cassino, protecting the main route to Rome.  On the Adriatic side of Italy the the Canadian 1^st Division lead the Allied 8^th Army across the River Moro and towards Ortona, suffering terrible losses from the German defenses.

In Britain a shortage of coalminers leads to the Ministry of Labour and National Service, led by Ernest Bevin, taking one in 10 conscripts to work in the mines. The ‘Bevin Boys’ service to the war effort was not fully recognised until1995.

 

4^th December 1943 – Leipzig, a city in eastern Germany, is bombed by the RAF causing an intense firestorm.  More than 1,800 people are killed.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

At the second Cairo conference Churchill and Roosevelt discuss Turkey’s neutrality with President İnönü.  However, Turkey did not join the war, on the side of the Allies, until February 1945. Exhausted after the conference Churchill collapsed from pneumonia on a visit to Eisenhower in Tunis and came close to death.

 

On 8th December 1943 Tommy Flower’s ‘Colossus’, the world’s first programmable electronic computer, was unveiled at the General Post Office Engineering Department (later BT) at Dollis Hill.  It was installed at Bletchley Park codebreaking centre in January 1944 and provided unprecedented detail on German defences, crucial for the planning of the D Day landings.

 

Dicks's Registration and Discharge Card on 9th December 1943

 

 

Copy of Record -  Registration and Discharge Card

 

0.Registration Number                                     S/O Strength on Transfer

  26282522.                                               a7B Jou-1. Part.1. dated 3.4.43         

1.Surname        WILLIAMS           3. Army Number             5   731   671

2. Christian Names    Richard Kelner          

 100 (Sandhurst) OCTU RAC. 903   

4. Regiment or Corps          DORSET R.136

                                     PRE.OCTU.9005.

5. Nature of Engagement      TA(W)

6. Date of Joining (Army Class) or Date of Enlistment (Others)    21-6-40

7. Date of Birth            28-7-21

8.Nationality or Dual Nationality              E

9.Religion                      CE.

10.Industry Group        O                    

11.Occupational Classification  900 

12.Cause of becoming Non-effective    Discharged under para. 390 (xbii) K.R. 1940 having been Appointed to a commission.                                                12.(a)Date    30/10/43                                                    

13.Single or Married                 S                                              

14.Home Town and County (U.K.) or  Country (abroad)

Weymouth, Dorset   

Orpington. Kent.   

19.Location        H                                  X Date Rejoined from Reserve

Wt. 10832/164            2,000,000  5/41          M.&H., LTD.             T.51_229         43Regt A.F.  8.  102

 

A.Rank                  Pre  B.Service Trade     (M) 2.9.42  Trade tested 2 9/40.qual  Div Mach GpD ClII                             Physical Training Inst. Spec Qual (SG2        Div. Mech. GpD. Cl.II C. Medical Category           A1

                

Part II Order        133/42        124/42

 

Part II Order	Postings	Offr’s Inits
79/12/42	Posted 1st Air Landing Coy. (Recce Corps) 21.4.42	WR
52/42  1st.A.L 43 Recce 78/42	Posted to 43rd Recce Regt Wef. 13.7.42.
43rd Recce 38/43	Home Details 13 2/43
43rd Recce 47/43	P.att. No 1 Pre-OCTU. RAC wef.
	4.3.42. Authority:- WOhr. 43/Trng/3250
	(AGIE) df-23.10.42 & WOUM BM ZP/9304/
41/43	AGIE df-23.2.43 Posted 162 OCTU. 15/5/43

Entry Date  0 OCT 1941   

29 APR 1942

Dates on which Amendment Slips were sent to Central Card Index

             4/K 267 84)                   K96200  10)  (12) N.12691

             22/5/43                        30.8.43. 11)     9.Dec.43

                       

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.)

The Security Angel - Thursday 11th November 1943

PS       Sorry its pencil but I left my only good pen at home.

2/Lt Williams RK

61^st Recce Regt

Recce Corps

Home Forces

Thursday

Chotie Darling,

                                    Well I’ve arrived here and am just beginning to settle down, though rushed off my feet at the moment.  I hope you also arrived back safely and without incurring 7 days CB*.

            Things are, as far as I can see, pretty cushy at the moment owing to the fact that most Senior officers are away, on courses, etc.

            Did you leave your groundsheet at Pagham?  We looked everywhere but couldn’t find it.  Let me know if you did and I’ll write them to send it on to you.

            Weather couldn’t be better here – plenty of sun and wind.

            I’m umpiring a stunt for three days soon on a motorcycle which should prove interesting, if the weather holds.  It’s a lot easier than being involved in the wretched thing yourself.

            ‘Fraid this letter’s rather sketchy but the security angel cuts out everything worth writing – almost….

            I didn’t thank you Chotie for a very happy leave – I hate to think of what it would have been like just by myself.  Brinner, unfortunately couldn’t get his leave with me.  He goes home next weekend I believe so he’ll see Diller anyhow.

            Must close here as I’m a bit pushed.

                                                            All my love Chotie

                                                                Dicker

*CB – Military abbreviation for ‘confined to barracks’ also known as ‘jankers’ (slang). It involved being put on a charge and subjected to a variety of punishments for a minor disciplinary offence.

© Chotie Darling

 

Dick had joined the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment

as a 2nd Lieutenant in ‘B’ Squadron.

In 1943 61^st Division in Kent had been relegated to coast guarding duties for the Home Forces* and he was stationed at Lympne Castle, near Folkestone.  The 13^th century castle is set high on a hill overlooking the Romney Marshes. 

East of Lympne lay ‘Hellfire Corner’ – the area around Dover in reach of the German cross-channel guns from Calais and Boulogne, which had been firing on the port since August 1940.

 

17th November 1943 – Oswald Mosley, founder of the far right British Union of Fascists, is released from prison on health grounds to considerable protest.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

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.)

Mucking about now - Saturday 23rd October

As before

Saturday

Chotie Darling,

                                    Many thanks for letter.  I didn’t get it until yesterday as we were out on exercise for a week.

            Firstly, as regards leave I definitely get it on the 30^th inst. Though I don’t know, as yet, for how long.  It’s almost sure to be 9 days but you know the army.

            I’ve received my final reports and have only a week of mucking about now.   I’ve also got my clothing coupons…I bet that made you wince!.  Thousands of ‘em. 

            Anyhow let me know whether you can manage anything as regards leave won’t you?  Brinner may be home on the 5^th before he goes to OCTU but nothing definite as yet.

            Had glorious time on exercise in the Cotswolds.  Went to Cheltenham and Gloucester, etc.

            Can’t write anymore now as dinner’s up

                                                                                                Love

                                                                                                            Dicker

P.T.O.

Do your damdest to get leave, Chotie.   

© Chotie Darling

 

24^th October 1943 – The Soviet Army takes Melitopol, near the Sea of Azov in the Ukraine, breaking the Wotan line (part of the Germans’ hastily constructed defensive position from Smolensk along the Dnepr River to the Black Sea).  By 1^st December the entire line had been broken and the German 17^th Army were isolated on the Crimean Peninsula. Only the German’s Panther line in the north between Lake Peipus (now between Estonia and Russia) and the Baltic Sea along the Narva River remained intact.

Chotie in Yorkshire - Saturday 9th October 1943

 Same Address

Saturday

Chotie,

                        Many thanks for letter – expect by now you’re in Yorks* enjoying yourself as usual …  I’m sending this to your original address and hope it will be forwarded.  Never having been (or ever wanted to go) to Yorkshire I can’t offer any comment but it will make a change at any rate.

            Glad to hear your cold is better – you’d better get those woollies on.

            Aren’t you getting highbrow?  Chopin and Greig!  Unhappily I don’t get any time to hear these delightful people – or even read about them, & I presume even less time after I’m commissioned.  For Chopin you couldn’t do better than Leff Pouishnoff – who plays “Frick’s” stuff better than he ever played it himself and considerably better than Soloman or Cortot**!

            Talking about weddings I have to attend one on Nov 1^st at Pagham.  It's Tony Smith’s of Church Farm which I expect you remember well.  I’ve managed to avoid all previous weddings like the plague but this one’s definitely got me.  We pass out on the same day – he’s a cadet here.  Any suggestion for a wedding present?  Awful isn’t it.  And poor pal entangled …Ces pauvres jeunes gens***….

            Last I heard of Diller she was going on a wireless course to the Isle of Man!  and six months at that.  Also thinks she’ll lose her leave but welcomes any change.

            Mary I believe is applying for transfer to Bournemouth.  Incidentally I get my leave on the 30^th inst, but have this wedding to go to on the 1^st Nov.  Can you manage anything?  Let me know won’t you?

            Must close here for lunch – will write again on the weekend,

                                                                                                                        love

                                                                                                                        Dicker

 

*Chotie seems to be in Yorkshire now (she was staying in Whitby), perhaps on training.  There was a Ack-Ack gun site at Whitby on Saltwick Bay - the ATS had to climb the famous 199 steps in full battledress to get to the East Cliff from their lodgings in town. (From Jane Ritchie and Elizabeth Trattles stories in 'Girls in Khaki' by Barbara Green, The History Press 2012 and Joyce Stott's account on the People's War website).  Nan, Chotie's best friend in the ATS, came from Yorkshire so it's also possible she was on holiday with her. (See also Chotie goes to Bristol.)

Nan from Yorkshire

**See previous letter for Leff Pouishnoff. Solomon Cutner was a British pianist known professionally as ‘Solomon’. Alfred Cortot was a Franco-Swiss pianist renowned for his interpretations of Chopin and Schumann. Cortot supported the German occupation in France.

***French for “These poor young people”.

 © Chotie Darling

 

10^th October 1943 – Franco, the Spanish dictator orders the Blue Division to return home. These were some 18,000 Spanish volunteers fighting with Germany against communism on the eastern front. Most returned but about 3,000 stayed to fight with Germany as the Blue Legion.  (From WW2-net Timelines and Wikipedia.) 

 

 

The Devil's punchbowl - Tuesday 14th? September 1943

Same address….

Tuesday

My Darling,

                        Many thanks for letter just received – and for programme enclosed.  I had hoped I could have written to you during the week but have been on schemes almost continually.

                        It’s now about seven in the evening and I’m all packed for another three day show after dinner.  We’re going down as far as Hindhead which is wonderful country, and luckily I’m driving all the time.  The road runs south from Aldershot, over the Hog’s Back and down to the ‘Devil’s punchbowl’, a famous venue for motorists pre-war and one of Surrey’s best known beauty spots.  We’re going right through the night and are all swearing on fine weather.

                        Mother enclosed a letter from Brinner in her last.  He’s now a Cadet at Wrotham which is only a few miles from Sevenoaks, Eric’s place.  (Incidentally, I’ve never heard from him despite you’re saying he’d written.  Also, no cracks about my repaying – if I had a letter from him I’d reply straight away, but I definitely wrote last …) 

            I managed to see Diller last week-end – she went back on Sunday. I gather she likes the life but would prefer to be in anything but the Pay Corps.

            I don’t get any leave for another three weeks, I’m afraid and then only a weekend.

            Theoretically I should pass out in six weeks’ time – but things are going very badly as regards Recce Corps.  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.  The only consolation I’ve got is that I should go to Wrotham, for some weeks anyhow.

            Hope you enjoyed the concert under Sargent**, whom I think is still the best conductor in the country.  ‘Fraid I never get a chance to see anything these days.

            As you remark, the news is good, but as usual is inclined to be taken far too optimistically.  We still have the hardest fighting to do.

            Must close here for dinner, as I’ve got to get my carrier started which takes me anything up to an hour….

                        Here’s to the Devil and his punchbowl.

                                                                        love & kisses

                                                                                    Dicker

*Hindhead Common and the Devil’s Punch Bowl are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty protected by the National Trust.

** Malcolm Sargeant, famous English conductor.

© Chotie Darling

 

15th September 1943 – Australian and US troops capture the Japanese base of Lae, on the east coast of New Guinea, north of Port Moresby.

16^th September 1943 – the Danish resistance underground, Dansk Frihedsrådet, sets up the Freedom Council as a shadow administration.

 

18th September 1943 - German forces from Salerno withdraw towards the line of the River Volturno, north of Naples.  American forces at Salerno had suffered 3,500 casualties and the British (on the exposed left flank) 5,500.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

20 September 1943 - the ‘Jewish Affairs Commission’, headed by Dieter Wisliceny, arrives in Athens. In Thessaloniki the Commission had been responsible for the deportation of over 46,000 Jews, mainly to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Athenian Jews, previously under Italian Occupation, were now threatened with a similar fate. However, two thirds escaped - many with the help of Archbishop Damaskeno and other Christians who hid them and produced false baptism certificates. Even the Chief of Police in Athens, Angelos Evert, issued Jews with false ID to protect them.

60 to 70,000 Greek Jews perished in the Holocaust – more than 80% of the Jewish Greek population. (See United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.)

 

22nd September 1943 – six British midget submarines succeed in attacking the Tirpitz (see also St Nazaire and Brighton) in a Norwegian fiord, putting the battleship out of action until March 1944. 

 22nd September 1943 – Soviet forces begin to cross the heavily defended Dnepr river in central Ukraine, suffering heavy losses but ultimately succeeding in advancing their front line.

 

On 23rd September Mussolini proclaims his return to power with the re-establishment of a fascist government, the Repubblica Sociale Italiana in northern Italy. All Italians carrying arms in German occupied areas face the death penalty.

 

24th September 1943 – 5,000 Italian soldiers of the Aqui Division are massacred on the Greek Ionian island of Cephalonia when they eventually surrender to the Germans.  In all, more than 10,000 Italian soldiers who chose to resist the Germans died in Greece.

 

25^th September 1943 – the British 8^th Army and the US 5^th Army join up a front line across Italy.

25th September 1943 – the Soviets re-take Smolensk, 200 miles west of Moscow in Russia. 

 

27th September 1943 – in a popular uprising the people of Naples successfully drive the Germans out of the city before the Allied liberation on 1^st October. (From Chronology of World War II.)

Sea Lane, Pagham - Sunday 5th September 1943

Postcard written on Sunday 5th September

W/242328

Pte Chalkley BE

OFC ATS

462 Hy (M) AA RA

Portishead*, Nr Bristol, Glos.

 

Chotie Darling,

            Sorry this will be a little tardy for your Birthday, but anyhow, all the best.  Am now at home and go back tomorrow (Monday). Will write you when I get back.                                             

                                                Love Dicker

* The postcard is addressed to Portishead, near Avonmouth on the coast east of Bristol (and close to Easton-in-Gordano) so Chotie’s unit appears to have moved again.

© Chotie Darling

 

6^th September 1943 – Winston Churchill gave a speech, now famous for the quote “the empires of the future are the empires of the mind”, at Harvard University in America. 

 

8th September 1943 - Italy’s unconditional surrender to the Allies is announced. German reserves are rushed into Italy as the Italian Navy sails to surrender at the Maltese port of Valetta. En route the Luftwaffe sinks the battleship Roma using one of the new radio-controlled Fritz X guided bombs.  All Italian forces within German controlled areas are disarmed without opposition and made prisoners of war. By September 10^th the Germans have occupied Rome – the King and Marshal Badoglio just manage to escape.

On 8^th September moves began to arrange the deportation of Danish Jews. However, the Jews were warned and the Danish authorities undertook a mass operation to move the Jews into hiding or temporary sanctuaries before the order was implemented on 28^th September. (See United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.)

 

9^th September 1943 – Operation Avalanche begins wit h the main Allied invasion force landing at Salerno to the south of Naples, on the Tyrrhenian (western) Italian coast.  Lt.General Mark Clark commanded this US Fifth Army (Patton was withheld from combat duties have slapped a soldier suffering from combat fatigue in Sicily), including the US VI Corps and British X Corps. They were surprised by the strong German defensive presence already there – the German 10^th Army had moved rapidly to secure the hills surrounding the bay in preparation for the Allies now trapped on the beachhead.

 Operation Slapstick also commenced on 9th September with British forces (including Dick’s former unit, now 1st Airlanding Reconnaissance Squadron) landing on the ‘heel’ of Italy to take Taranto.  On 11^th September the British 1^st Airborne Division took the ports of Bari and Brindisi.

9^th September 1943 – in Corsica the resistance rises up against occupation and from 14th September were joined by Free French forces landing on the island at Ajaccio. They harassed and disrupted the German evacuation through Corsica to the Italian mainland from Sardinia (heavily defended when the Germans were duped by Operation Mincemeat) and from 21^st September were joined by Italian forces, formerly in occupation. Liberated on 4^th October 1943, Corsica provided a critical Allied base for Mediterranean operations.

12^th September 1943 – Mussolini is rescued from Gran Sasso in the Abruzzi Mountains of central Italy in an audacious German raid led by Otto Skorzeny.  Taken to Germany he signs an agreement with Hitler annexing the German-speaking areas of northern Italy to Greater Germany. On 23rd September he proclaims his return to power with the re-establishment of a fascist government in northern Italy. All Italians carrying arms in German occupied areas face the death penalty. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister, Vladimir Dekanozov, arrived in Stockholm on 12th September 1943 . Although German foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop interprets this as a sign that the Russians may be open to discussing peace with Germany, Hitler refuses to send a German envoy to Sweden.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

13^th September - at Salerno the Germans launched a counter-offensive that almost defeated the Allies’ beachhead but withdrew on 18^th/19^th September after the arrival of the British warships HMS Warspite and Valiant and the US 82^nd Airborne.  Montgomery’s 8^th Army forces from Operation Baytown in the south were also rapidly approaching.  However, on 16^th September - the largest mutiny in British military history took place at Salerno when 191 men refused to follow orders. 

13^th September 1943 – Churchill’s ill-fated attempt to take the Aegean islands began with a landing of the Special Boat Service on Rhodes. However, the Germans arrested all Italian troops on the island before they could consider joining the British. Kos, Samos and Leros were briefly occupied by the British but Kos and Leros were lost in battle in October and the Germans held all the Dodacanese islands by 18^th November. (See The Aegean Campaign.)

 From 13^th to 18^th September 1943 61^st Recce and the rest of the 61^st Infantry Division were involved in Exercise Link with the 1^st Polish Armoured Division and HQ 2 Canadian Corps.  This was a full scale exercise including live firing by the Royal Artillery to test out liaison as well as battle performance. (From ‘No Holding Back’ by Brian A. Reid, Stackpole Books 2009.)

 

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.

 

 

Wireless Schemes - c.Saturday 21st August 1943

5731671 OTC Williams RK

77 Tp HAC Sqdn

100 (Sandhurst) OCTU

RHC    RMC       

Camberley, Surrey

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                                    I’m very sorry I haven’t been able to write before but have only just got back from a wireless scheme and am also squadron Leader into the bargain.

            You always seem to be on the move*, which is a good thing as you see a little more of the country than I did for the first year or so.

            Just had a letter from Brinner – passed his WOSB easily – the same one that I went on at Betchworth Surrey.  He’ll probably go the (sic) Wrotham pre-OCTU, where Johnny went.

            I get a long(?) week-end in a fortnight’s time which is when Diller gets her leave so I may manage to see her then.

            Had a good time on the scheme although we worked until eleven every night.  Our particular group consisted of four cadets, 2 cars and 2 ATS.  They were very good, doing nearly all the cooking and egg-scrounging from the farms.  We slept in the hay-loft of a barn and they slept in the farmhouse itself.  Quite fun.

            We do nothing but wireless schemes all the next fortnight which are pretty cushy physically but pretty bloody mentally.

            I’m trying to write this on my knee – murder, isn’t it?

            I can still see my old tree from our new room.  It’s just beginning to turn brown… As one of our Canucks** said “I guess that means the fall”…

            Haven’t read anything for ages – or seen a flick for that matter.  ‘Spect you still manage to find time for a little quiet reading.  Wish I could.

            No news of any kind – nothing seems to happen these days, except in Berlin.

            Will close here as there’s simply nothing to write about.

                                                            All my love, precious

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*Chotie’s unit moved to Portishead, on the coast west of Bristol, in late August/early September. 

**Canuck – slang for Canadian.

© Chotie Darling

 

23^rd August 1943 – the Soviet Red Army recaptures Kharkov in the western Ukraine, after a fierce German defence.

23rd August 1943 – heaviest raid on Berlin to date with 717 RAF bombers to test the defences around Berlin.  The city was covered in a blanket of smoke from the fires and thousands were killed. Further bombing was carried out on 31st August (600 bombers) although the main ‘Battle of Berlin’ bombing campaign did not follow until November 1943.

 

25th August 1943 – Germans first use the HenschelHs293, radar-controlled and rocket propelled glider bombs, in the Bay of Biscay.

 

28th August 1943 – King Boris III of Bulgaria dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances having angered Hitler by his refusal to deport the 50,000 Bulgarian Jews Bulgarian Jews (although Jews were deported from Bulgarian-occupied territories in Macedonia, Thrace and Serbia) and to declare war on the Soviet Union.

28^th August 1943 – the Danish government resigns, having refused Germany’s demands to impose the death penalty on saboteurs.  Martial law is imposed and Denmark becomes de facto ruled by Germany.  The Danes succeeded in scuttling most of the large ships in their Navy before they fell into German hands.

Quelques fleurs! - Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th August 1943

Same Address! (almost)

77 Tp HAC* Squadron

100 OCTU RHC

RMC Camberley

Surrey

Chotie Darling,

                                    Sorry I just haven’t been able to write before but just tumbled into bed at night without having had a moment to spare.

            I must begin by thanking you very much, Darling, for a very happy week-end.  It was a pity it wasn’t longer – but we must always hope for better things rather than dwell on the imperfections of the moment.

            However, enough of this twaddle.

            (Just having an argument with Chunky about Elizabeth** as a girl’s name.  He says it’s his favourite name.  Actually I believe it is.)

            I’m now on wireless which is just about killing me…I’m getting fed up with this place – especially after seeing you.  It’s all so useless.

            I’m beginning to feel that I’ll be damn glad when this show’s over.  How about you?  Then maybe we can get down to things as they should be got down to.

            I’ve still forgot to post that letter home.  You’re as bad as I am….

            I seem to be writing to no purpose tonight.  Think I’d better leave this until tomorrow and see if I’m feeling in a better frame of mind then.

 

Thursday Eve

            Received your letter this afternoon.  Many thanks, Darling.  Glad to hear you had a safe, if premature, arrival.

            Moved again today to another part of the building and am now in HAC Squadron as you will see from address overleaf.

            Am now working literally all day as I have morse to do which has to be done in spare time (?).  Have to do 12 words per minute to pass out which takes at least an hour a day for me to achieve - if ever.

            Am still with Brian and Chunky and things are on a sane basis once again.

            I’ve had my week-end cancelled – the whole troop have in fact – which has annoyed me intensely.  Good thing it wasn’t last week.

            Haven’t heard from Brinner – ‘spose he’s on Selection Board or somewhere.

            Must close here, Darling as I have tons of work to do.

                                                Bye,bye,precious

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Dicker

 

PS Can’t see you for at least 12 months – cos I’ve shaved my tache off!!

 

*HAC stood for ‘Honourable Artillery Company’, one of the oldest military organisations in the world, having been established by charter under Henry VIII in 1537.  In World War the HAC Infantry Battalion became the Officer Cadet Training Unit for the Reconnaissance Corps at Sandhurst.

**A Chalkley family name (her mother’s name, Chotie’s middle name, my middle name, etc.). If Chotie and Dick had a daughter they were going to call her Elizabeth.

 © Chotie Darling

 

On 12th August 1943 Dick changed to HAC Squadron

OCTU RHC RMC.

He was still in 77 Troop.

 

12^th August 1943 – heavy RAF attack on Milan. (From WW2-net Timelines.) 

 

15th August 1943 – heavy German bombing raid on Portsmouth where Dick had been stationed from June to September 1941

 

 

17th August 1943 – Patton and his US 7^th Army enter Messina on the north-east tip of Sicily, the critical port for access to Italy.  The island was now in Allied hands.

 17^th August 1943 –Beginning of the Quebec Conference headed by Roosevelt, Churchill and Canada’s Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Agreement is reached that the Allies will invade Europe on a second front through France (Operation Overlord) and that a South-East Asia Command (SEAC) will be established with Lord Louis Mountbatten (Head of Britain's Combined Operations - including Dick’s Airborne unit ) as Supreme Allied Commander.  Major General ‘Vinegar Joe’ Stilwell , the American Army Commander in China and Burma, would be one of his deputies.

17^th August 1943 – in the Schweinfurt-Regensburg daylight mission the US Air Force attacks Luftwaffe production factories deep inside Germany, suffering heavy losses.  The targets were beyond the range of fighter escorts so the Americans had to rely on their heavily fortified ‘Flying Fortress’ bombers.

On 17^th and 18^th August 1943 in Operation Hydra over 1,000 RAF night bombers attack Peenemunde on the Baltic Coast, where the V-2 rocket (the world’s first long range ballistic missile) was in development. V-2 production was subsequently moved to the underground Mittelwerk factory near Nordhausen in central Germany, which used forced labour from Mittelbau-Dora (part of Buchenwald concentration camp). The Luftwaffe Chief of Staff, Hans Jeschonnek, commited suicide on 18^th August, having mistakenly ordered gun defences to fire on German planes when the use of 'window' by RAF Mosquito bombers effectively feinted an attack on Berlin. Hitler had also blamed him for the destruction of Hamburg in July

 18^th August 1943 – advancing Soviet forces north of Kursk liberate Briansk, south-west of Moscow.

19^th August 1943 – in the secret Quebec Agreement Britain, the United States and Canada agree to share atomic energy research, which, in 1945, led to the production of the atomic bomb.

 

Together in Parkstone

Top: Beryl and Jack Chalkley, Margaret Lewis (Chotie's brother and sisters)

Middle: Beryl, Chotie's father, Margaret and ? with cats and dog at the Hollies

Bottom: Chotie's father, ?, ?, Chotie and Dick with Jack in foreground in 1943.

 

 

Dick and Chotie met up for the first time since December

on 7^th to 9^th August 1943

at Chotie’s home, the Hollies in Parkstone, Poole.

Left: Margaret Lewis and dog, at the Hollies in Parkstone in 1943

Right: Mr William Chalkley and Mrs Elizabeth Chalkley, Chotie's parents

 

11th August 1943 – the Germans organise an effective retreat from Sicily across the Messina Straits, eventually evacuating 110,000 troops. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012

Swimming - 31st July 1943

By the end of July 1943 Chotie’s Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft unit

had moved back to the Bristol area, this time to the north of the city

-      her address was

W/242328 Pte Chalkley

O’s FC ATS ‘B’ Tp

462 Hy (M) RA AA

Cribbs Causeway

Nr Henbury

Bristol.

 

 

 Letter written on Saturday 31st July 1943:

Same Address

Saturday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                Sorry, this will have to be in pencil but Chunky has pinched our only table and chair and is very inauspiciously writing to his wife.

                                    Received your two letters, for which many thanks.  I was surprised to see you are once again in the Bristol area.  If you remember, Eric was convalescent at Westbury for some months.  At any rate you’re a little nearer home, which I suppose is something, if not very much.

            As regards next week-end I’m afraid I won’t be able to get down before Saturday Evening, as our leave doesn’t start until the afternoon, and it’s a fair journey.

            I shall have to leave again on Monday afternoon as we change squadrons on that day and I’ll have about six months accumulation of kit to move to the New Buildings, which are some half mile or so.

            Been swimming all the afternoon at the ‘Blue Pool’, the nearest baths (apart from the college baths) and am now beginning to get brown.  I’m already pretty browned off as they’re chucking out Recce cadets right and left as the corps is already too full.  The trouble is that in most cases they’re not even giving infantry commissions!  So I’ll probably be RtU’d* in the near future.

            These things run in cycles – one minute they’re clamouring for officers and the next they’re full up.

            Read Linklater’s short stories entitled “God likes them plain”, which are very good.  Haven’t had time to read anything else.  Heard from Diller (still browned off) but haven’t heard from Brinner, needless to say.

            Swam in an inter-squadron competition and managed to win my event the net result being we won the whole show easily.  Rather funny really, and that’s the first swimming event I’ve been in.  On the 28^th** too!  Hell of a fluke – the other 3 were U.S.***

            I’ll close here Darling, as I’ve exhausted my mediocre letter-writing talents.

                                                                        All my love, Darling

                                                                        (until Saturday)

                                                                                    Dicker

 

*RTU – Returned to Unit

**Dick’s 22^nd birthday on 28^th July.

***Slang for useless?

© Chotie Darling

 

Dick's future comrades in 61st Reconnaissance Regiment were still in the Chilterns:

“Every Saturday morning we had a 10 mile run/march/route march after which we could go out.  I sometimes went down to London, Tring or Berkhamsted to see a film.  We did troop exercises on the Common and Ashridge Golf Course.”  (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

This photo of B Squadron's Assault Troop, including Anthony Rampling, was taken in August 1943 (Tony is third from the left at the back):

 Eric Brewer joined the Assault Troop soon after this photo was taken and continued to fight in the Assault Troop until December 1944.

 

1^st August 1943 – Japan proclaims an independent State of Burma, led by Ba Maw. He declares war on Britain and United States while Aung San, head of the Burma Defence Army, begins negotiations with the communist and socialist parties. By November 1943 Aung San is making plans with the British to turn his forces against the Japanese occupants. (From Chronology of World War II and Wikipedia.)

1st August 1943 - American bombers attack the Ploesti oilfields of Romania from North Africa in Operation Tidal Wave but suffer devastating losses.  The Germans had broken their codes and were ready for them. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

2^nd August 1943 – more than 300 prisoners escape from the Treblinka extermination camp in Poland  in a break out organised by the Jewish inmates - although two thirds were eventually captured and killed.  The bodies of the thousands who had been gassed or shot at Treblinka were being exhumed from the mass graves and burnt, removing the evidence of genocide.  Deportation of Jews from the ghettos to Treblinka had ceased in May 1943 and the camp was to be dismantled.  All the remaining prisoners in the camp were killed. (From United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and WW2-net Timelines.)

2^nd August 1943 – a Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Islands rams a US Torpedo boat, which catches fire.  The commander, J F Kennedy dives in to rescues his crew from the burning oil.  Abandoning ship after 12 hours clinging to the upturned hull he helps them reach the isolated Plum Pudding Island and then Olasana Island, which has coconuts but no water. On 8^th August they were found and rescued with the assistance of local islanders who were coast watchers and a message written on coconut shell. JFK kept the shell on his desk in the Oval Office when he became President of the Unites States.

 

3^rd August 1943 – the Russians launch Operation Rumyantsev, a vast offensive south of Kursk taking Belgorad on 5^th August.  North of Kursk Soviet forces reclaim Orel, following the German retreat.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

5^th August 1943 – US troops at last take the airfield of Munda on New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands, from the Japanese.

6^th August 1943 – American destroyers in the Solomon Islands sink 3 Japanese destroyers carrying 900 troops in a night-time ambush.

6^th August 1943 – German troops pour into Italy as Italian and German government leaders meet near Venice. 

Guido Benetti - Tuesday 20th July 1943

Dick at Pagham?

 

Same Address

Tuesday 20^th July

My Darling Chotie,

                                                I’ve got the afternoon off so here goes.

            Had quite a pleasant leave though very quiet.

            Went over to see Guido at Brighton on Wednesday last, on spec. as he wasn’t expecting me.  He’s got a lovely flat on the front at Hove, beautifully furnished – the dining room in old English oak, nearly black*, and the drawing room in Japanese stuff, similar to Dr Barker’s place at Parkstone.  He’s got about a thousand records of opera of all types.  We played one after the other for about seven hours altogether.

            His niece was there – about seventeen – wearing mauve and old lace, and looking for all the world like Lucrezia Borgia**.  She’s at an art school in Brighton – does dress-designing or something.  She’s been staying with Eva Turner** for the past year and now lives with Guido.

            Had lunch and tea with them and some pukka Italian Vermouth which I hadn’t seen for years.

            I had intended staying the night in Brighton but thought that anything after Guido’s place would savour too much of the anti-climax so caught the next train home.

            Brinner turned up without notice on Saturday afternoon, and stayed for 36 hrs.  He’s at present waiting for OCTU Board.

            Had a letter from Diller with yours.  Fed up as usual as I expect you’ve heard from Mary****.  She’s trying to get a transfer somewhere else I believe.  What a hope!

            Had a swim in the Lagoon***** on Saturday.  Not too bad at all – quite warm.

            How do you like the old homestead!  Sort of Georgian-Renaissance – pseudo-Greek style!  I bought half a doz. photos of the place but unhappily had to get them “artistically – hand-coloured”!

            How’s life in Devon?  Hope the weather improves – it’s hell in the west otherwise.

            When are you coming further East?  I’m on long weekend Friday Eve to Monday night on the weekend of the 7^th August.  If you can manage anything, I could get to Poole OK.

            Let me know, any how,

                        All my love,

                                    Dicker

 

*oak wood goes dark brown and then black with age.

**an infamous beauty (described as having heavy blonde hair which fell past her knees, a beautiful complexion, hazel eyes which changed colour, a full, high bosom, and a natural grace which made her appear to "walk on air"). Her father, Rodrigo, became Pope Alexander VI in 1492 and the notorious family were suspected of many crimes including simony, incest and murder.

***Eva Turner was a famous English soprano of the inter-war years.

****Chotie’s best friend Mary Dakin was also a close friend of Diller, Dick’s sister.

*****Pagham lagoon.

See letters of 3rd September and 25th February for Guido Benetti.

© Chotie Darling

 

22nd July 1942 – the US 7th Army takes Palermo, capital of Sicily while British forces are ‘bogged down’ around Mount Etna.

 

24th July 1943 – the RAF bomb Hamburg in Operation Gomorrah, the beginning of the Battle of Hamburg. More than 700 planes are deployed and this is the first use of the “window” tactic developed following the Bruneval Raid (releasing strips of metal foil to confuse the German radar), reducing Allied plane losses that night to 12.  Raids continued for a week and by 3rd August the intense heavy bombing, and the firestorm of 27^th July (when the heat from the fires generated its own wind, blasting flames through the city), had killed 40-50,000 people.

24th July 1943 – a US air crew crash lands in neutral Sweden and is granted refuge. This precedent is extended to nearly 1,000 Allied air crew during the rest of the war. (From WW2-net Timelines.) 

25th July 1943 – Following a vote by the Italian Fascist Grand Council for the King of Italy, Vittorio Emmanuele III, to take over command of all Italian forces from Mussolini, ‘Il Duce’ is arrested and the fascist regime in Italy ended. Marshal Badoglio is appointed head of Italy.  Although Badoglio promised that the Italians would continue the war German troops seize the Brenner Pass and key installations in northern Italy as a precaution.

 

Eric Postles of 61st Recce remembers July 1943:

“On 28^th July, Harry Parr, who was in 59 Division Recce regiment, was killed on an exercise in Kent when his heavy armoured car turned over and he was crushed by the gun.  I was given leave to attend his funeral in Burscough and a number of members of 59 Recce also attended.  It was one of the biggest attended funerals that I have ever been to – very sad.”   (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

 

29^th July 1943 – in Britain Bevin announces that women up to age 50 must register at the Labour Exchange for war work. In 1943 almost 90% of single women and 80% of married women were employed in essential work for the war effort but were paid significantly less than men. (From BBC Women at War and Wikipedia.)

Moonlight - Monday 28th? and Tuesday 29th? June

Address as before

Monday

Darling Chotie,

                                                I’m now sitting by my window attired in only a greatcoat writing this by the moonlight, as I’ve had another insomnia attack.

            Many thanks for your letter which I got this morning.  Always cheers me up to hear from you Chotie Dear.  (At present I’m thinking things quite alien to the nature of a future Officer (perhaps!) and Gentleman).  Must be the moon or sumpin’.

            Arrived back from Battle Camp in Snowdonia on Saturday and spent remainder of weekend in bed recuperating!  Did I need some kip!  Santa Maria – I could have slept for a fortnight…

            Apart from one day – which was really wonderful – it rained incessantly the whole time we were there, including the attack on Snowdon’s lofty peak – during the ascent of which you nearly lost your future husband - …  The trouble was I got lost of course and ended up in the helluva mist about to crawl over a 1000ft precipice. Tork about larf …

            (Please excuse paper – must get that in somewhere).

            Get my leave in three weeks’ time – chance of changing it – nil…

            (Chunky’s just asked me “Am I nuts?”  He’s in a sort of stupor which lasts from when he goes to bed ‘til about 10 am the following morning!)

            How’s life with the ATS?  Diller gets posted somewhere soon I suppose.  She’ll probably make Brighton.  She always liked jam on it…

            Read ‘The postman always rings twice’* (James Cain) and a couple of Naomi Jacobs’ amongst other things.  Don’t get much time these days.

            Won 30-/- on way to Wales at pontoon and lost it coming back.  Spent very little there happily.

            Came third in OCTU Sports mile.  Time of 4m 58s.  Not too bad for an old man.

            (The moon is shining through the old oak tree outside our window – looks lovely…  ‘Spect Montgomery or Alexander thought the same thirty years back!).

            My man woke me on Sunday morn. at 10 with steaming hot coffee….what an Army.  After the Dorsets! 

    How’s Eric and Eve – still in their Eden I suppose.  (That’s pretty horrible…) 

    This greatcoat doesn’t provide an awful lot of warmth over my nakedness.  Wish you were here instead of Chunky.  Bet you could find ways and means to warm me up… (Don’t tell me…).

            Spent an hour in the library with the Britannica this evening.  Very enlightening.  They’ve got everything ‘cept Vogue and Harper’s … even got some works on sailing!  No kid…

            Better leave this now as I’m getting a bit chilly and there’s no Chotie….

 

It’s now Tuesday afternoon which is virtually free so I’ll go on again here.

            I’ve been down to the pool for a swim which was excellent as it’s a lovely afternoon.  Unhappily we have to work again this evening which is rather a blow.  On top of this I’m on fire piquet this evening at 10 o’clock which rather ruins any effort to read or write.  Do you remember this time three long years ago?  Seems ages since I joined this man’s army – much too long in fact.**  Hope you never have to do three years …. Darling, I’d even marry you to spare you that….

            Most of us swim in a state of nudity here much to the delight(?) of the Sandhurst ATS.

            I’ll send this wretched epistle to your home address as I suppose you’ll be on leave by now.  Have a good time, Darling, but don’t stay in bed after noon, will you?

            Can’t think of any more to scrawl so will close here,

                                                                        lots of love Precious

                                                                                                Dicker

P.S.  Best wishes to Rosemary.***

P2S. Go easy on Security, Darling.  ‘Bty’ movement, etc. x

 

*’The postman always rings twice’ was James M.Cain’s first novel, published in 1934.  A violent and sensual crime story it was banned in Canada and Boston but inspired a number of films.

Naomi Jacobs was a romantic novelist very popular at the time.  She was a suffragette and her books tackle a number of progressive issues.

**Dick joined up in June 1940 - see Joining Up. 

***Rosemary was Chotie’s cousin who appeared to be staying with her family in Parkstone. 

© Chotie Darling

 

29^th June 1943 – the RAF bombing of Cologne leaves 4,377 dead.

30^th June 1943 – General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, launches Operation Cartwheel against Rabaul, Japan’s major forward base in the South Pacific. Instead of capturing Rabaul (on the north tip of New Britain, an island in New Guinea’s Bismarck Archipelago) the combined American, Australian and New Zealand forces established a ring of airfields and naval bases around it, initially landing on New Guinea near Lae and the two islands of Kiriwina and Woodlark.  Cut off from supplies and under continual air attack Rabaul is useless by the end of the year. 

On the same day 10,000 US troops were landed on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, north-west of Guadalcanal. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

July 1943 – meat rationing in Britain was extended to include sausages.

2nd July 1943 – on New Georgia, an island in the centre of the Solomon Islands, fierce fighting begins in the Battle of Munda as the Americans attempt to take the Japanese base and airfield for Operation Cartwheel.

3^rd July 1943 – the RAF carry out another heavy night raid on Cologne killing hundreds of civilians. The June/July bombings of Cologne killed 4,337 people and destroyed much of the ancient city including the famous cathedral. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 
5^th July 1943 – the Germans launch Operation Citadel, a major offensive on a 200 mile front in a pincer movement around the Russian city of Kursk, south of Moscow.  It was an obvious move since the Russian front line now bulged out around the city.  The Soviets secretly prepared a strong defence so the attackers were heavily outnumbered - the Russians assembled nearly 2 million men and the Germans 780,000.   After major losses on both sides (one of the largest tank battles in history was fought at Prokhorovka, south of Kursk) the Russian counter-offensive brought a decisive Soviet victory by the end of July. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

9^th July 1943 – Operation Husky commences with the deployment of airborne troops landing in Sicily as the Allies begin fighting on a surprise second front in Europe.  By nightfall on 10th July 2,600 Allied ships had landed 80,000 men - Montgomery's British 8th Army on the SE corner of the island and Patton's US 7th Army on the south coast near Gela.   Dick’s unit of one year earlier, 1st Airlanding Brigade, were to play a critical role in the assault, spearheading the British forces.  However, strong winds blew many of the aircraft off course and of the 1,730 men who set out, 326 were drowned and total losses in taking Syracuse were 605 - a third of the whole brigade.  They also suffered from the terrible incidents of 'friendly fire' associated with the invasion.  50^th Division, who Dick was to fight with in NW Europe, successfully landed on the South East coast of Italy with the British 8^th Army.  Invasion of the island continued with landings and advances by British, US and Canadian troops.   The British took the town of Syracuse on 12th July and the next day British paratroopers and the Durham Light Infantry secured the critical Primasole Bridge, south of Catania.

 

16^th July 1943 – Roosevelt and Churchill issue a statement calling for Italian surrender and the overthrow of Mussolini.

19th July 1943 – Hitler summons Mussolini to a conference on 19^th July to stiffen his resolve in resisting the Allies but news that the US Airforce had bombed Rome arrives during the meeting.  Hitler begins preparations for the German forces to invade Italy.

Brian and Chunky - Tuesday 1st? June

 

5731671 Officer Cadet Williams RK

77 Troop ‘B’ Sqdn

100 (Sandhurst) Octu RAC

R.M.C. Camberley

Surrey

Tuesday

Thanks very much for your letter and photo*.  It’s quite good don’t you think?  I’ve got a God awful photo of my troop taken the first day we had here.  (Actually I haven’t yet got one – it’s on the way).  We had one taken at Blackdown and that was so horrible that everyone refused to buy one.  I paid for mine and am still hoping to get my money back…. 

            I’ll send you one of the Sandhurst ones when they arrive.

            I’m writing this during a Gas lecture under pretence of writing notes so I have to keep stopping and pretending to look interested.  I don’t think I’m kidding this bloke, though.

            Well, how do you like Plymouth**?  You appear to have struck it lucky in getting such frequent changes of location.  I always seemed to stick for months in really horrible places.  Brinner had ten mths at Basingstoke and I can’t think of much worse than that.  Mind you move Eastwards next time.  Somewhere about Lilliput*** would be rather handy or even Chi or somewhere like that.

            (It’s a murderous job trying to write on one knee watching the lecturer with one eye and trying to appear reasonably attentive.)

            I get quite a nice time here on Sundays as all O/D’s**** draw cycles to go to church in Camberley.  Needless to say no one goes to church.  For my part, I repair to a certain YOCH I wot of and there drink gallons of tea (no sugar ….), smoke a pipe or two, and read ‘Country Life’ ‘Tatler’ and ‘Field’ until about noon when I lazily mount the crate and trundle back to my present abode at approx... 2mph.  However, we make up for it during the week, especially in PT which consists of pretty bloody runs of about 3-4 miles over obstacle courses in battle order.  Quite fun when you get used to it.  I shall have to use pencil from here as I’ve run out of ink.

            Life here, however, is quite pleasant on the whole though I hope to get transferred to an Infantry OCTU before I finish here.  Recce’s all right but I prefer the old infantry.

            Diller as you know I expect went to Leicester for initial training.  I bet it’s shaking her.  I went to Leicester once from Branksome***** if you remember but wasn’t impressed.  Good huntin’ country.

            Read Rose Macaulay’s ‘And no man’s wit’, also Noel Langley’s 'There’s a porpoise close behind us’ (re-read).

            Plenty of swimming here, nearly every day in fact – I’ve got quite brown (-ed off…)

            I’m supposed to be going home this wk-end for a few hrs.  Only wish I could get to Plymouth but it’s really too much.  I could have made Bristol I think.  However you may move this way soon. 

            I was slung on a charge last week!  Late on parade – but spun the Sqdn Cmdr a yarn and got admonishment – cushy.  I’ll never make it again though, at any rate not with the same bloke – a Grenadier Gds major.  All the officers here are either Grenadier Irish or Welsh Gds.  No Scots or Coldstreams. 

            It’s now Tuesday evening and as I have a few minutes before dinner I’ll round this letter off.  We're on parade again at 9 o’clock for a night march….

            It’s been alternate sun and rain here all today, which is a good thing, for this place gets pretty dusty, also the rain helps to fill the swimming-pool.

            The library here contains the Encyclopedia Britannica and Oxford so I’m quite happy to spend a few weeks there every now and then.

            Our troop officer goes by the name of Brixey – Battle-mad Brixey – who’s really very decent and very cushy.  The Guards Officers here nearly all wear long puttees, the old style, that is with service dress slacks.  Very comic appearance until you get used to it.

            I’m afraid this letter’s rambling on in my usual inimitable style (?) ….

            (I’ve put your photo on my chest, furniture not anatomical – looks very good).

            I’m very lucky in having Brian & Chunky as room-mates as we never seem to fight although we argue incessantly of course.  Chunky being a Londoner hates the country period houses, beer, smoking, in fact all the luxuries of life.  Brian being Irish and a pianist in the bargain is often moody and sometimes says hardly a word all day.  He’s over six feet, about fourteen stone and will make a brilliant soldier.  Plans to stay in the army after this show.

            Chunky’s married but being ultra-modern has no children.  Brian says he’s going to get married on his next leave.  I believe I told you he was a ham before joining-up, and was a Captain in the IRA for two years.  Nice people…..

            Warrant Officers here call us Sir and we call them Sir so everyone’s happy.  Occasionally the Sqdn Cmdr or someone dines with the troop which means about an hour and a half in the mess making conversation over really horrible coffee.  Happily I smoke and get rid of the coffee to Brian who eats like a horse.

            Well, Darling I’ll close here as I’ll have to post this before Dinner and the stunt tonight.

            Hope to see you soon, Chotie Darling

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Dicker

PS. Sorry half is in pencil but no-one has any ink at the moment I want it.

 

*See group photo of ATS from Bristol .

**This letter was addressed to:

 W/242328

Pte Chalkley B.E.

ATS OFC ‘B’ Tp,

462 Hy (M) AA Bty RA

c/o GPO.

Millbrook

NR Plymouth

          so Chotie’s unit must have moved to the Plymouth area. Millbrook is actually in Cornwall, on the western side of the Tamar estuary but defences here would have guarded the entrance to the Plymouth docks. Unfortunately there is no date visible on the envelope for this letter so the date is only guessed at in the context of the other letters. If I am right about 1^st June the move seems remarkably prescient since on 14th June Plymouth citizens had  ‘one of their liveliest half-hour’s’ of the war in a heavy raid, which dropped between 70 and 80 high explosive bombs of between 250 and 1,000 kg.  (From Plymouth Data. See also the National Archives.)

According to Phyllis M Rowe and Ivan Rabey on June 14^th “Hundreds of incendiary bombs fell on Saltash” (just north of Millbrook).  “Torpoint suffered the effects of a blast from a direct hit on the Devonport Dockyard and phosphorous bombs fell on Mount Edgcumbe Park” (located on Rame Head near Millbrook).

(From “When Bombs Fell” "When Bombs Fell" contributed by Cornwall Action Community Service on the BBC People’s War website.

'WW2 People's War’ is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.)

***a little village by the Harbour in Poole.

****Officers of the Day or Officer Developers?

*****Dick was stationed in Branksome from September 1941.  See To Branksome.

 © Chotie Darling

 

3^rd June 1943 – de Gaulle establishes the Comité Français de Libération National as a ‘government in waiting’ (for the liberation of France).

4^th June 1943 – death of General Sikorski, head of the Polish government in exile and several other Polish leaders in a plane crash after take-off from Gibraltar.  Sabotage has been suspected and there are various conspiracy theories. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

10^th June 1943 – the Pointblank Directive sets out a co-ordinated approach to Allied bombing in Europe with the Americans flying precision bombing missions by day and the RAF undertaking saturation bombing by night, mainly against German cities. (From Chronology of World War II and WW2-net Timelines.)

At last the Admiralty replace Naval Cipher 3 , which had been decrypted by the Germans in March 1942. Although the Germans were able to read 80% of the messages in Naval Cipher 3 only 10% were decrypted in time to take action.  Still this had had a devastating effect on Atlantic shipping.

Officers and Gentlemen - letter posted Saturday 22nd May 1943

ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE

CAMBERLEY, SURREY

 

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

“The eighteenth and nineteenth century British army was never that concerned about training its officers believing that character was the important thing and that the officer being a gentleman already knew how to use weapons and ride a horse. What was important was character.

During World War II the UK was faced with the major problem of having to train many thousands of lower middle class and working class, young men as officers. These young men had the military skills, they were veterans of campaigns in the desert and the jungle. They knew about war but they weren’t gentlemen as defined by the existing Army hierarchy.

The British Army developed a course based to a large part on the competencies related to being a gentleman. They realised of course that attitude and character are almost impossible to assess in terms of competencies so they had to identify the competencies that a gentleman would require and that could be assessed within a Competency Based Training Assessment (CBTA) model.

The competencies identified involved such things as accent, the way one walks, what one reads, and most important, how one eats.”  (From the blog LowCloudCover.)

 

23^rd May 1942 - Beales, the Department store where Chotie worked through 1942, is bombed and burnt out in Bournemouth's worst bombing raid.

24th May 1943 – German ‘U’ boats are withdrawn from the North Atlantic effectively ending the battle of the Atlantic with an Allied victory. The campaign had come close to starving Britain into submission. Now America could build up forces in Britain ready for the invasion of Europe.

 

27^th May 1943 – The first meeting of the Conseil de la Résistance, led by Jean Moulin (de Gaulle’s appointed head of the French Resistance) succeeds in linking up the networks in northern France.

 

29^th May 1943 – in the Aleutian Islands, part of the Alaska territory between the North Pacific and the Bering Sea, the occupation of Attu Island by the Japanese ends with a banzai charge (a form of honourable suicide), killing over 2,300 Japanese with only 28 taken prisoner.  taken prisoner.  The Japanese withdrew from Kiska on 28^th July 1943 but this was only discovered on 15^th August when a large Allied invasion force landed on the island.  (From Chronology of World War II and Wikipedia.)   

29^th May 1943 – major RAF bombing raid on Wuppertal in Germany’s industrial Ruhr area creates a firestorm for the first time causing mass destruction and killing 3,400 people.

30th May 1943 – General de Gaulle lands in Algiers and is welcomed by Giraud, the French Vichy leader and now the Commander-in-Chief of French forces in North Africa.  Suspicions remained between the former Vichy Army (the ‘moustachis’) of 230,000 troops and the 15,000 Free French (or ‘hadjis’) of the French Armée Afrique. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012) 

1^st June 1943 – the British Actor Leslie Howard is killed when his plane is shot down returning from Portugal.  The Luftwaffe may have been targeting the actor for his work supporting the Allies in Spain and Portugal or thought that Churchill on the plane. (P.S. Name-dropping! My father, Commander Victor Stephens, was also scheduled to fly with Howard but he had been drinking too heavily with him the night before, having just joined the Admiralty, and missed the plane. He was left with Leslie Howard’s tie as a sad memento. Dad made no mention of Howard's death or being in Portugal in his diaries but he presumably knew Howard through Laurence Olivier, whose wife Vivien Leigh was Howard's co-star in 'Gone with the Wind'.  In the Fleet Air-Arm Dad was stationed with Olivier and his friend Ralph Richardson, who he later shared a flat with in London.) 

Naked - Sunday 18th April 1943

Same address 

Sunday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                Many thanks for your letter received a couple of days ago.

            Glad to hear you’re stationed in a fairly decent area* at least better than this horrible place – nothing but military for miles, and you know what they can do when they feel like it.

            I’ve had to spend this weekend here again owing to Church Parade (UB**) and as there’s no travel next week (Easter) I’ll not be able to get home for some time.  I’ve so much work to do, I couldn’t really have spared the time anyhow.  I’ve been writing up notes for hours and hours this week-end – having had no time to get a beer even.  Horrible….

            Sorry to have missed your relatives in such a sorry way, but I see you didn’t lose anything.  Trust you….where your tummy’s concerned anyhow.

            I haven’t read anything or seen any flicks for weeks – my pipe’s my only solace in these hard times.

            I’ve been thinking of going to see the family at Purley – I shall probably go when I’m at Sandhurst.  The happy advantage is that it doesn’t take long to get there and what’s more important, doesn’t cost much.

            I didn’t tell you that I shaved my tache*** off, did I?  It’s been growing again for the last fortnight or so.  This means that I couldn’t see you in my present naked state, anyhow.  Only hope it grows before our next encounter.  I don’t know how it happened
– I just sort of dashed it off.  Shook me, pretty badly.  However I rallied and started again.  It’s coming along very nicely, thank you.

            The blokes here have started tumbling in the barrack room on a couple of mattresses – helluva racket.  Needless to say, I started it.  Initially, I had control over it but now it’s run amok and no-one can do anything about it.  ‘Chunky’ 5ft2 ex chef of the ‘Trocadero’, is pretty good.  ‘Enoch’ is U.S.****

            Well, Darling, I must close here.

                        Hope to see you soon.

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Dicker

PS  Have you heard from Eve lately?  I’d like to know how that rat’s getting on ….

 

*“Our camp at Pill was close to Avonmouth, nearer the sea” (from ‘Chotie’s Story’.) Chotie, brought up not far from the beautiful beaches and Harbour in Poole, hated being away from the sea.

ATS paddling - one of Chotie's photos (1943 or later?)

**UB – utter bore?

***moustache

****U.S. – British slang for useless.

© Chotie Darling 

 

18^th April 1943 – having intercepted Japanese secret communication codes, US fighter planes successfully shoot down the plane carrying Admiral Yamamoto, Commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet.  (From Chronology of World War II.)

Allied fighter planes from North Africa shoot down 74 Luftwaffe planes in what became known among US troops as the “Palm Sunday turkey shoot”.

 

19^th April 1943 – Waffen SS German troops attempt to storm the Warsaw Ghetto. Jewish inhabitants of the ghetto, with some support from Polish resistance groups, fought against transportation by the Nazis to Treblinka extermination camp. They had been told they were to be resettled in the east and thought they might go to forced labour camps but by 1943 news of the death camps had leaked out. Almost 300,000 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto had already been murdered at Treblinka in 1942.  The defenders were initially successful but despite bitter resistance were defeated by 16th May - the SS set fire to the buildings and flooded the sewers where they were hiding. By June the Ghetto had been destroyed and most of the c.70,000 Ghetto residents were killed there or at Treblinka. 

19th April 1943 - Montgomery’s 8th Army attacks the Axis defences near Enfidaville, south of Tunis but suffers heavy losses.  Operation Vulcan with the Allies First Army followed on 22nd April and was able to slowly advance west of Tunis and Bizerte.

Getting fat - Sunday 28th March 1943

Chotie at home on leave in her ATS uniform

Home address

 Sunday

 Chotie Darling,

            Received your card & letter yesterday.  Regret to say I couldn’t make Parkstone for a 24 hr, as I can’t get a pass that far.

            I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do about this leave as I’m working up ‘til seven or eight every night, and even if you could get up to Woking, I wouldn’t be able to see you.

            Hope you have a lazy time on your leave – try not to exert yourself too much ….  At least there’s no reveille – but no cups of tea in bed!

            I’ve managed to get home for a few hours so took this opportunity of writing a few lines.  As you’ve probably heard Diller is home for a week – prior to enlistment I suppose.

            When I get to Sandhurst I get 48 every month so will be able to travel far enough to see you, always presuming you get posted to the South somewhere.  Try to.

            I’ve passed out the first three weeks – ie the hard graft, and get it much cushier for the next six – nearly all theory.  I shall probably get fat or something – then you won’t love me any more….

                                    Must close here Darling

                                                    All my love

                                                                Dicker

© Chotie Darling

 

By the spring of 1943 the Soviet Army had air superiority over the Luftwaffe for the first time (due to the toll on German planes in the Mediterranean and fighting Allied bombers in Germany).  The Axis powers had 2,700, 000 men fighting on the eastern front while the Red Army more than doubled this with many more tanks, vehicles and armaments. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

1^st April 1943 – President Roosevelt freezes wages, salaries and prices to stem inflation in the US where meat, fats, canned goods and cheese are now rationed.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

Rather indelicate tales - Sunday 14th March 1943

5731671 P/CDT Williams RK

30.0 Tp ‘A’ Sqdn.

No1. Pre-OCTU R.A.C.

Alma Barracks, Blackdown, Hants

 

Sunday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            As Sunday has again occurred I find I have a few minutes, to write to you.

            It seems ages since I heard from you – but I expect you’re in the same position as I am – one of a temporary scarcity of spare time.

            I’ve managed to settle down here, as much as is possible anyhow, but find myself pretty rushed off my feet and expect to be the same for the rest of my stay here.

            The compensations, such as they are, consist of such luxuries as hot water, showers, marvellous food, and plenty of clothing exchanges.

            There’s a whole harem of ATS here – they do all the admin. Duties, office work, driving, etc.  They never seem to do any parades, apart from one Church Parade per month.  Pretty cushy.

            (I must make an apology here for using this paper, but I’m fed up with using poky little writing-pads.)

            I rather fancy that this letter will read like a young novel. However, I resume.

            The instructors here are all Guards N.C.Os.  Coldstream, Grens*, Irish, Welsh
etc and aren’t too bad on the whole. We get a helluva lot of square-bashing, much too much for me, anyhow, as I reckon I’ve had enough after nearly three years in this racket.

            I expect you’re getting interested in the leave problem – and what a problem!  I only wish I could get mine, but I’m afraid I’ve missed it and certainly won’t get any until after this nine weeks.

            The real job starts at Sandhurst, but there you get a batman and are allowed a collar and tie(!) even though still a cadet – but that’s a long time yet.

            I can get week-end passes from here – provided I’m not on duty, but it’s a lousy journey and the fare would be well over a quid.  On top of this there’s the fact that you need every available moment to blanco** and keep your notes up to date.  What a tale of woe! – anyway that’s about enough of my troubles.

            I suppose you’re quite the old soldier by now.  You won’t, however, be able to give me any old buck as I know the ropes.

            You should get a better time when you get on a site somewhere – the initial training is always the stiffest, and the most boring.

            Needless to say, I don’t get any time to read here, and I gather it’s the same with you.

            Happily, I’m with quite a bright crowd – an actor (ham), medical student, couple of school-marms, buyer from Lewis’ Leicester, art student and several other buckshees.

            I met LISBY here; do you know him?  Rather fat, blond, used to work at Bank in Broadstone and ARP at Municipal Buildings.  Went to Poole Grammar.  He’s a pre cadet for the Tank Corps. (I seem to be rambling on, all to no purpose).

            Heard Ruth Naylor*** (waltz-song from Bohème) on Naafi Radio this morning.  Pretty wonderful.

            I miss my friend Alex**** from the 43^rd.  Like Eric we had much in common, particularly opera.  I promised to write, but then no one ever does.

            The ham here knows lots of people we knew on the London stage, and every night-club in Mayfair.  He knows enough about such people as Daphne du Maurier, Michael Redgrave, Noel Coward, etc to blackmail them a hundred times*****. Comes out with some rather indelicate tales after lights-out.  (I’m thinking about taking this letter up with a publisher).

            Had letters from home yesterday – no news.  Brinner’s on a course somewhere.  Diller is still expecting to do something.  Expecting is as far as it will get.

            How’s everyone at Parkstone?  Give them all my best wishes when you write
won’t you?

            Well, Darling, I must close here as its nearly lights-out and they’re pretty mustard on that sort of thing.

            Hope I can see you before very long.  I can’t tell you how much I miss you, Chotie, that would be quite impossible, but I do think about you and love you very, very, much.

            Perhaps, this wretched show will end sooner than either of us imagine and we can be together again.  I’m much more interested in that than any b----- commission.

                                                God bless you, Chotie

                                                            always yours

                                                                        Dicker

*Grenadier Guards

**Blanco was a cleaning compound used on the cotton of army uniforms.

***Ruth Naylor was an Australian soprano, famous for her appearance in Puccini’s opera La Bohème.

****Alex Johnston

****Practising male homosexuality was illegal in Britain at this time. Daphne du Maurier’s bisexuality has not been confirmed. She was Dick’s favourite writer and married to his former Commanding Officer in the Air Landing, Frederick ‘Boy’ Browning.

© Chotie Darling 

 

16th March 1943 – the largest convoy battle of the war begins in the Atlantic when three wolfpacks of 38 submarines attack a convoy of c.100 Allied merchant ships (Convoys HX229 and SC122).  22 merchant ships and one U-boat were sunk.  More than 300 seamen lost their lives.

19^th March 1943 – Montgomery's British 8^th Army attacks the Mareth line, held by German and Italian defenders in southern Tunisia, winning the battle by 26^th March.  The initial attack by the 50th Northumbrian Division (later to be attached to 61st Recce) was a disaster but by 26th March the Germans were forced to withdraw.

 

22nd March 1943 – the newly built gas chamber IV is opened at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland, followed by the opening of a gas chamber in Auschwitz II-Birkenau on 31st March and gas chamber V on the 4th April. Approximately one million people were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp - mainly Jews (approximately 90%) but also more than 70,000 Poles and about 20,000 Gypsies. (See Auschwitz-Birkenau and WW2-net Timelines.)

The Free French air fighter squadron, later known as the Normandie-Nieman group, go into action on the Eastern front in support of the Red Army.

 

24th March 1943 – the Chindits are ordered to return to India having lost about one third of the original force in Burma. (See Operation Longcloth.)

Alex Johnston - Tuesday 16th February 1943

5731671 Tpr Williams R

Mortar Tp HQ Sqn

43^rd Recce Regt

Home Forces

 

Tuesday 16^th

My Darling,

                        Many thanks for letter received this afternoon.  I haven’t been able to write you owing to pressure of work of late.  However here goes.

            I’m in a canteen at the moment which boasts a piano (NAAFI style), and am now hoping to get my friend† to murder the ‘Warsaw’.  He’s very nervous & won’t play if there’re too many people about – hallmark of a great artist….

            Sorry to hear you’ve been so busy lately, but the first 3 months are always the worst.  After nearly three years I do practically nothing.

            Had four letters today – Bryn, Diller, Mother & yours.

            Bryn had ‘marvelous time’ on leave, ending up by meeting a woman in London.  Apparently he met her in Bridport. Name of Pamela Gluning – redhead. Diller gave me all the ‘dope’ – Bryn never even mentioned her.  I’ve told him he’d better come clean.

            Went for a walk on Sunday afternoon by myself (my mate was on 48) and had tea at country pub.  Quite a change.

            Haven’t been to flicks for simply ages – lost all interest.  Seems little chance of getting any leave, but still soldier on.

            Bryn bought a couple of discs when on leave – the ‘Warsaw’ and Gigli’s* ‘La donna è mobile’ (Rigoletto)** so will probably wear these out when I get home.

            Found time to read Eleanor Peters’ ‘Tare Harvest’***, little else.

            Diller will have to leave bank shortly, as Quayle goes.  She’s been offered a chance abroad with V.A.D.****  Doesn’t  think she’ll take it.  She’ll end up in munitions if she’s not careful.  Probably do her good anyhow.

            Weather’s lovely here.  How’s it with you?

            Should like to see N Wales, but don’t like the people, I’m afraid.  Biased again….

            What’s the crowd like you’re with?  Hope they’re better than my lot.  If ever there was a dull mob it’s the Recce.

            I’ll close here, Darling and write again shortly

                                                                        toutà toi Chérie*****

                                                                                        Dicker

* Famous Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli

** ‘The Woman is Fickle’ - a song from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto.

***A novel about an English family farming in the Chilean Andes.

****Voluntary Aid Detachment – unpaid nursing assistants on the front line.  Diller was presumably affected by the new call up for women (see 13th January 1943).

***** “tout à toi Chérie” – French for “All yours darling”.

 © Chotie Darling

† Trooper DONALD ALEXANDER JOHNSTON

10600882

Who died age 21 on 24 June 1944 at sea when MV Derrycunihy hit a mine

Son of John and Amelia Johnston;

husband of Betty Johnston, of Sholing, Southampton.

BAYEUX MEMORIAL Panel 6.

MV Derrycunihy was a cargo ship transporting HQ, A and C squadrons of the 43^rd Recce to Sword Beach to fight in Normandy. On 24^th June 1944 she was sunk by an acoustic mine. 214 men lost their lives and 150 were injured.

(From the 43rd (2/5th Bn. Gloucestershire Regt.) Regt Reconnaissance Corps Roll of Honour courtesy of Recce Mitch and 43rd Recce on WW2TALK.)

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

 

16th February 1943 – the Service du Travail Obligatoire forces all French men born between 1920 and 1922 to labour in Germany.  Thousands escape to join resistance forces in the mountains and forests of France or the Free French in Africa.

 

43^rd Recce re-commenced Troop & Squadron Training on Wednesday 17^th February continuing to the 19^th. On Saturday 20^th there was Maintenance, the Commanding Officer’s Vehicle Inspection and the Final of the Inter-Troop Soccer Competition and on Sunday a Regimental Convoy Harbour Exercise. Troop & Squadron Training, again, every day from Monday 22^nd February.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.) 

 

18^th February 1943 – Joseph Goebbels, Gauleiter (Nazi leader) for Berlin and Hitler’s Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, calls the German people to ‘Total War – Short War’ at a rapturous rally in the city.

21^st February 1943 – the 25^th Anniversary of the creation of the Soviet Red Army is celebrated in all Allied countries. (From WW2-net Timelines)

In Operation Cleanslate on 21^st February US forces occupy the Russell Islands in the central Solomon Islands. The Solomon’s archipelago is now controlled by the Allies.

Safely in Salop - Sunday 7th February 1943

5731671 Tpr Williams R

Mortar Tp HQ Sqn 43^rd Recce Regt

Home Forces

 

Sunday

My Darling,

                        Finding myself on a 24 hr guard I thought I’d drop you a line or two.

            Have just received your letter for which many thanks. Glad to hear you’ve been successful in getting your course and have arrived safely in Salop, which is a change after all.

            From choice I’d move every month if it were practical, but as you know I have got into the unenviable habit of staying several months in one place. However, here’s to a change of surroundings.

Don’t forget to let me know about your new camp especially as regards your CSM!  Maybe he prefers blondes….

            I’m utilising nearly all my spare time (?) in going to Evening Classes – generally four or five nights per week.  I’ve got to the stage of not knowing which class I’m in until I get there….Quite exciting.  I told you I got a French text-book with your Token, didn’t I? I usually put in an hour or so at dinner-time etc, also in bed at night. If ever you want to learn anything, do it in bed just before you go to sleep.  The subconscious is more in evidence then and consequently things make a deeper impression.  Am I boring you again?  Hope not.

            At this Tech. Institute they hold a recital of discs every Thursday. Last week I heard Joan Cross, Gigli, Solomon and Kentner.  Marvelous programme.

            I’m still trying the old ‘Warsaw’ at every opportunity. I can now play (?) the first six bars….You should hear this friend of mine play it. Just like Kentner himself.

            If you get your leave in approx. nine or ten weeks we should be able to manage something.  I should get mine the 23^rd inst.  At least I hope to. It’s not going to be much fun I’m afraid. I’ll send you some shekels though, so you can have a beer on me. 

            The main thing with your show is where you’ll go when you finish this course, as you’ll probably stay there some time.

            This is the main guard I’m on and there’s bags of spit and polish.  It took me 24 hrs to get ready for it.  Heluva waste of time altogether.  However these people must be humoured, I suppose.

            Brinner’s still on leave (until Tuesday 9^th) and still hasn’t got his transfer.  I may try to claim him here.

            Well, my Darling I must close here to go on Stag (guard).

                                    God bless you, Chotie.

                                                            Take care

                                                            Dicker

* Joan Cross was an English soprano, Beniamino Gigli an Italian tenor singer and Louis Kentner, the Hungarian pianist who played The Warsaw piano concerto (written by British composer Richard Addinsell) for the film ‘Dangerous Moonlight’.

© Chotie Darling

The envelope for this letter was has tape is on the left side saying:

OPENED BY EXAMINER

9358

P.C.90

 

 

43^rd Recce commenced Troop and Squadron Training on Monday 8^th February and this continued until the 12^th when there was also an All Ranks Dance.  On Saturday 13^th  February the Commanding Officer carried out a Regimental Kit Check and an ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadron exercise was held from 13^th to 16^th February with ‘A’ Squadron trying a new organization of carriers and Assault Troops. On the 16^th there was also Section training.(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

8^th February 1942 - British Special Forces in Burma, known as the Chindits and led by Brigadier Orde Wingate, commence their first penetration behind Japanese lines (Operation Longcloth), advancing from Imphal.

10th February 1943 – the remainder of ‘Sparrow Force’, Australian commandos fighting a guerrilla war against the Japanese on Portuguese Timor, are forced to evacuate the island.

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.)

Post-War Reconstruction Committee - Saturday 30th January 1943

5731671 Tpr Williams R

Mortar Troop

HQ Sqn 43^rd Recce

Recce Corps

Home Forces

 

Saturday

My Darling Chotie,

 

                                    Received your letter when on a scheme which brightened me up considerably. Had a pretty wicked time – really cold at night and raining all the first 48 hrs. However, am now back and getting something to eat once again. I’m addressing this missive to your Army address, as I don’t know when you’ll be home.

            I had a wire from Brinner saying he was on embarkation leave and asking whether I could get a compassionate leave. If you remember, however, I tried this dodge once before, but on compassionate leave they check-up now so have written back to find out whether its genuine.  If it is, I’ll try to get a 48 hr compassionate early next week.

            There’s nothing much to write about.  Life’s rather dull here, always nothing doing. Hope you’re a bit better off at Northants.  I go to Evening Classes two of three nights a week to relieve the monotony. Take French and German and am also a member of a Post-War Reconstruction Committee! Quite entertaining. Unhappily I missed it tonight as the whole billet had to lay out kits again owing to a bad show this morning.

            The boys chip me about your efforts saying you’ll probably contribute more to the War Effort on a Gunsite than I ever will…. Still, I bear up, in the true du Rose fashion (incidentally I haven’t heard from that Rat yet).

            When will you get your first leave (7 days) If you let me know I may be able to hold mine on for a few weeks. I can’t guarantee anything but will do my best. Don’t forget.

            I don’t relish leave without seeing you. We could probably spend half at Poole and half at home.

            Saw a good show at the Hippodrome. Did I mention it in my last? Believe I did.

            Sample of jokes there:-

                                    Two old women in a pub.

            “Are you going to have another one?”

            “No Dear – it’s just the way I’ve got this coat done up”….

            Pretty horrible.

            I’d better close here owing to lack of material.

            Still love you Darling, - hope to see you soon

                                                                love & kisses

                                                                             Dicker

                                                                                                xxxxxx

 © Chotie Darling

This letter was addressed to:

                                242328

Private Chalkley B.E.

No 3Coy* Hut E1

No1 A.T.S. TC

Talavera Camp

Northampton

*Company

 NB. THIS LETTER WAS FIRST POSTED ON 23rd JANUARY BUT MOVED TO CORRECT DATE

 

43^rd Recce had Church Parade on Sunday 31^st January. On 1^st February there was a cross country run and Section Training continued from the 1^st to the 7^th.

 

31st January 1943 – surrender of the Germans at Stalingrad, Russia with the capture of Generalfeldmarschell Paulus and Generalleutnant Arthur Schmidt, who was by then in charge. 

Bomber command makes first operational use of H2S radar, the first airborne ground scanning radar system. (From WW2-net.)

 

Chotie managed to have 48 hours leave at home after her three weeks of Basic Training.

ATS recruits were only allowed 48 hours leave in their first three months.

 

2^nd February 1943 – The remnants of the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad surrender.  One of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare it had started on 23rd August 1942 and claimed nearly 2 million casualties.  The Red Army took about 90,000 prisoners at Stalingrad.  Nearly half had died by the spring from wounds or starvation and only 5,000 of the Germans taken prisoner survived to return to Germany after the war; the last arriving in 1955.  The defeat was covered up in Germany but soon leaked out delivering a bitter blow to morale. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012 )

A far cry from Dorset - Monday 11th January

5731671 Tpr Williams, R.K

Mortar Tp  HQ Sqdn 43^rd Recce regt.

Recce Corps  Home Forces

Monday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            So you’re in the Army at last…._ and from your letter things don’t appear to be too bad.

            I should imagine by now you know all about innoculation….Just ignore it. Personally we always welcome it as it means 48 hrs in kip – that is TAB* of course, not ATT etc.

            Northampton seems rather a far cry from Dorset, but you may be posted farther South of course.  It’ll be the helluva way to go just for 48 hrs though.

            You say the clobber seems stiff – and soft cloth at that….

            I’ve just done an amazing thing – for me, or rather two amazing things – won two cross-countries inside a week!  Shock nearly killed me.  Had a forced route march today over ploughed fields.  Half the troop fell out.  I made it all right, but it left me with a swine of a headache.  All those who fell out go on a charge automatically. 

            Expect you’re bored stiff reading all this tosh!  Specially if the innoc. got
you down.  We are always urged to get about and forget it, but I just give in and relax in bed.

            It’ll be a change to write to you at another address….

            Ramble, ramble….

            Pretty chilly here, expect it’s the same with you.  We pinch about ½ ton of coal a week from various sources.

            Haven’t heard from Brinner for ages – and Eric needless to say has always failed to write.  Brinner’s still somewhere in Essex I suppose.

            Did you hear about Monica’s effort?  Baby daughter – 9lb 4oz something.  Helluva weight.  Mother did tell me her name.  I’ve forgotten I’m afraid.

            Re. Xmas present.  Is there anything you want?  Or would you rather I send you the shekels?  Don’t be afraid to let me know will you in your next epistle.

            Met an Eire padre last night.  Ex boxer from Dublin Varsity.  Found quite a lot in common.  Opera, Georgian Houses etc.  Quite a lively argument about the Church.  Had to admit we both had our own points….

            Don’t forget to give me a lucid description of the Sarn’t-Major.  Yes Ma-am….

            Must close here, Darling.

            Hope I get the address right.

                                                                        All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

P.S.  Don’t let ‘em get you down….

* Typhoid inoculation

 © Chotie Darling

 

Section Training continued for 43^rd Recce from 11^th to 15^th January 1943. On Saturday 16^th  there was Vehicle Maintenance and Recreational training and on 17^th Church Parade.  43^rd Recce officers provided umpires for Exercise “Hammer 1” from 17^th to 19^th January. (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

11^th January 1943 – Chotie again visited the dentist at Northampton.

Copy of Record

Dental Treatment Card – 13/1/43         Northampton

 

 

On 11^th January 1943 Chotie filled out a qualification form and was tested and interviewed on the 12^th January:

 

Sheet 10A. (A.T.S.) - record copy in poor condition so written out in full.

QUALIFICATION FORM

1. Training Centre  1                   2.Company  3            3.Date of intake  8^th Jan 1943

4. Surname (in block letters)  CHALKLEY                   Army No  242328

5. Christian names  BARBARA CHALKLEY        6. Home County  DORSET

7. Date of birth  6^th Sept 1923           8. Height  5’2¼             9. Spectacles  NO

10. Married or single  NO                       11. Ages of children (if any)        -

12. Schools (name and Place)  Courthill School, Parkstone

13. Age on leaving full time school  15yrs              14. Standard or class  7^th  (Elem.)

15. School Certificate, Higher leaving Certificate or Matriculation, Subjects;

16. Further training since school:

a) Evening classes (give place, subjects, No. of sessions in each)

Poole Technical College. Maths, Literature, Art. (*Thrice weekly. 1 session – 6mths.)

b) Full-time courses (give place, subjects, length of course, and certificate, diploma or degree obtained)

17. Your main job in civil life?  Display Artist (Backgrounds, decorating etc.)

How long did you work at it?  3 yrs

What exactly did you do?           Window Dressing

Name of employer,and nature of business   Plummers Roddis Ltd. Drapers

Average wages  £2 weekly

Other kinds of work you have tried

YOUR JOBS                    PERIOD             FIRM                             AVERAGE WAGE

Display Work                 1yr                    Beales & Co                    27/6

(Trainee for 2 months. 6mts store, drapery etc.)

18. What work have you done outside your home since marriage (if married)?

19. If you have held a driving licence state for how long you have had it  -  and it you still have it  -

20. Underline any of the following of which you have special knowledge or experience:

Typing                                       Cooking                         Car repairs

Languages                                 Catering                         Electrical Repairs

Residence abroad                       Handicrafts                     Photography

Nursing, First-aid                       Use of Sewing Machine     Morse little

Household Management                                                    Use of Telephone

(Embroidery, sewing, Makes own clothes & underwear. Guides. Morse not good.)

21. Experience of organising, instructing, or taking charge of others:

a) in your work

b) in your leisure (e.g. as Guide Lieutenant, secretary of society)

c) at school (e.g. as captain or prefect)   Prefect

22. State your chief spare time interests   Reading, Music, Dressmaking.

23.  A.T.S. Employment:

Your first preference     Ack-Ack. – ‘spotting’

Your second preference     Orderly – Equipment

Are you willing to be considered for operational work? (Ack-Ack)   Yes

Date     11-Jan-43                    Signature        B.E.Chalkley

*(Comments in brackets and italics were added subsequently by assessor)

SUMMARY SHEET

1. TEST RESULTS

Name    CHALKLEY          B.E.                                                      No.  W/242328

(To be filled in by Clerk or N.C.O.)

 

S.G.	Re-test	S.P.Test* 2	S.P.Test 3	S.P.Test 4	S.P.Test 5		AA-A	AA-B	AA-C	AA-D
49/1		26/2	34/3   mins	21/2	64/2	36/3   plus	√	-	√	√

 

ED	Spotter	VAT		Track Tracer
R+	6	10.10.10		E./T. 0   98

            Very steady

 

Educational Standard	Medical Category	Height	Glasses Worn
5.	AWI Visual Sh. R.    L. 6/6   6/6	5’2¼	No

 

 

2. INTERVIEW RECORD.

(To be filled in by Clerk or N.C.O.)

Main Occupation             Window Dresser

E.R.                  1                      2                      3

L                      1                      2                      3 

A                     1                      2 minus             3 

M                     1                      2 minus             3

S                     1                      2                       3

 

3. GENERAL REMARKS

        These should relate to the Auxiliary’s experience and/or qualifications in civil life, her own views about her employment in the A.T.S., and a note of any special qualifications to be noted for immediate or future use in the service.

            Very keen to be on a gun site. Test standards good.  Would like stores as second choice. Although SP 23 one grade below standard recommend in view of other test scores.

 

4. RECOMMENDATIONS

First      AA        Suggest as        D          AD 

Second  Storewoman

S.Q.(i)

S.Q.(ii)

            Selection Officer’s Signature        Joan M Taylor Sub.

 

Potential N.C.O.              Yes

Potential Officer

 

Date     12.1.43             Commandant’s Signature                        Pamela M. Fritton

                                                                                                St.Cmdr.

 

*SP Test = Selection of Personnel Test

 

On 12th January 1943

Chotie’s enrolment in the

Auxiliary Territorial Service was approved.

 

Chotie's enrolment form approval - see Chotie enrols in the ATS for the first part of this form.

 

Basic Training was an initiation into army life with an emphasis on drill, polishing, pressing, inspections, health and hygiene - nit inspections and treatment of the new recruits were de rigeur - as well as pregnancy and VD (venereal disease) tests and vaccinations.  There was a lot of marching in new, heavy lace-up shoes and PT training in the gym.  Army regulations had to be learned and the girls had to become accustomed to army life, living in freezing Nissen huts ‘heated’ by a central stove with one bucket of coal per day and queuing for meals at the cookhouse with your ‘irons’ – personal issues of cutlery.  They slept on ATS 'biscuits' - three separate squares of straw mattress that you had to try to keep together and under you during the night.

During training there were assessments to assign girls to the many different branches of the service – the ATS covered everything from the Army Postal and Courier Service and the Royal School of Signals to the Ordnance Corps (checking and packing ammunition or managing supplies), driving or motorbiking and cooking as well as the famous Ack-Ack girls who worked alongside the gunners on the anti-aircraft sites.

(From ‘Girls in Khaki – a history of the ATS in the Second World War’ by Barbara Green, published by the History Press 2012)

 

For first-hand accounts of life in the A.T.S. Training Camp in Northampton see the People's War on the BBC website, an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC.

Gladys Shaw became Company Quartermaster at Talavera Camp and gives a vivid account of conditons at the camp for new recruits in “The ATS in wartime Northampton”.  Doreen Myall, W/242400, also had to report for duty at the camp in January 1943:

“We were met at Northampton by army lorries, which took us to the centre. I do not remember too much of Northampton. It was a very cold January that year with snow on the ground for most of my three weeks training. I had chilblains on my feet and trying to break in new army shoes was very painful as there were parades, PE and marching every day. My first breakfast was kippers, not quite what I was used to at home but when you are hungry you eat. I did go into Northampton once to look around and marched one Sunday to Church Parade but cannot remember the name of the large Church we were in. Training was mainly learning the dos and don’ts and regulations of army life and being assessed as to where I would be posted.”  (From “My Time in the  ATS”contributed to 'WW2 People's War’ by David West.)

Hilda Pooler  was sent to Nothampton for ATS Basic Training in April 1943: 

“Reported to Talavera Camp, Northampton. Hundreds of girls and I only knew one, and she was sent in a different direction. What had I done!  Talavera was a huge place and we stayed together like a flock of sheep. However, lots to do, piles of things to collect, getting tucks put into the uniform (I was small, so lots of tucks). The greatcoat buried me and was so heavy. We were told to work hard polishing our cap badge. I sat all one evening rubbing away, only to be reprimanded next morning for a non-shiny badge!”

“When we were eventually passed as ATS girls (uniforms fitting – knew our left foot from the right – remembered to always carry your knife, fork and spoon and mug – and pack all kit into a quite small kitbag) - we were off.”

 

The basic training routine was the same for all recruits at training camps across the country.

Doffy Brewer had arrived at Talavera Camp in September 1941 and wrote of the Basic Training then:

'If you survive it nothing in the way of discomfort, humiliation, culture-shock or fatigue that life can bring afterwards can be as bad.’ 

(From 'Millions like us: Women's Lives in the Second World War' by Virginia Nicholson, published by Penguin in 2012.)

 

 

 

12^th January 1943 – the Red Army launch Operation Spark at Leningrad (St Petersburg) to break the German encirclement south of Lake Ladoga.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

13^th January 1943 – the call-up for single girls in Britain is lowered to 19 (Chotie’s age). (From WW2-net Timelines.)

14^th January 1943 – US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill meet with the Allied joint staff under General Eisenhower at the Casablanca summit Conference. The British persuade the Americans to pursue the war in North Africa (which was going badly in Tunisia) and then launch Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.  They also agree the ‘Combined Bomber Offensive’ with the US Eighth Air Force, which bombed by day, focusing on the destruction of the Luftwaffe and aircraft factories, while the British continued bombing cities by night.  On 24^th January they demand unconditional surrender from Germany and Italy. (See On War chronology.)

15th January 1943 – the French Communist party reacts against the support for former French Vichy leaders in North Africa by announcing in London that it will ally its resistance with de Gaulle and the Free French.

16th January 1943 – Iraq enters the war against Germany, Italy and Japan. (From WW2-net Timelines.) 

17th January 1943 – in an attempt to keep China in the war Britain and the United States give up their right to settlements claimed unfairly after the Opium Wars and Boxer Rebellion. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

18^th January 1943 – the Russians break through the German encirclement of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) opening up a corridor to bring relief to the city. However, the siege was not finally lifted until 27^th January 1944 – 900 days after it began in September 1941.

The first armed clash in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising succeeds in temporarily suspending deportations, although most of the Jews who fought against the round-up were killed.  By the end of 1942 only 70,000 of the Polish Jews who had been forced into the Warsaw Ghetto remained – more than 3,000 had been deported to the extermination and hard labour camps.

"Just relax Lulubell" - Sunday 3rd January 1943

Address as usual

Sunday Eve

My Darling

                        Having been on the range all day – and a Sunday at that – I thought I’d better write you to revive my flagging spirits.

            Well, I expect you’re getting just a bit worked up by now – just relax Lulubell…Things won’t be that bad – I hope. Is it the 7^th or 8^th you go?  When mother wrote she said the 8^th.

            I lent my pen to a colleague last night and the clumsy idiot promptly sat on it.  Some mothers have awkward children. Consequently I have to write this with my reserve.

            Hope you’ve got over Xmas by now.  It took me some little time.   

            Have just read a very good book – have meant to read it for some time now, and fate delivered the thing to me when I most needed something to read.  It’s called “The Bridge of San Luis Rey*” by an American Thornton River Wilder.  It’s really rather brilliant.  Published by Penguin.  Have had very little to read lately, having read everything in the Unit Library.

            Saw another Strip Tease last night – some woman called Arimand Banu who does her act with a 12ft python!  Pretty horrible.  Went with a bloke from this Squadron – comes from Soton – and plays the old “Warsaw”** like nobody’s business.  When I asked him his opinion of it he replied in one word – TINSEL!  Very sound bloke.

            I won a five bob bet on the Bizerte – Tunis Show*** which I placed some two months ago – which cheered me up a little – not so much for the cash as for sheer vanity…

            Well, Darling I must wish you all the best of luck on your entry into the Forces. I don’t intend to give you a sermon – I’ll spare you that – but be very careful won’t you?  I know we’re not even engaged but you’re very very dear to me Chotie and I couldn’t bear thinking of anything happening to you.

                        Must close here as I owe letters to Brinner, Diller and Home.

                                                            God bless you Darling

                                                                        Dicker

* A Pulitzer Prize winning novel set in Peru.

** The Warsaw piano concerto written by British composer Richard Addinsell for the film ‘Dangerous Moonlight’.

** refers to recent events in the North Africa campaigns Battle for Tunisia. Tunis and Bizerte are important deepwater ports. 

 © Chotie Darling

 

43^rd Recce had Section Training every day from 4^th to 9^th January 1943. On the 4^th there was also a Regimental Cross Country run (see Dick’s next letter).  The Divisional Commander visited the training on Tuesday 5^th January and from 7^th to 9^th January the Recce participated in the 43^rd Division Exercise “Wyvern II”.  On the 10^th January there was a Regimental Loading Exercise.

 

5th January 1943 - the Japanese begin planned withdrawal from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The successful evacuation had been completed by 9^th February when the US Commander declared the island secure for the Allies and the campaign over. (From WW2-net Timelines and Chronology of World War II.)

A rather quiet Christmas - 27th December 1942

As usual 

Sunday

My Darling,

                                                Many, many thanks for the parcel received yesterday, - and for such a happy choice of present.  I don’t suppose I’ll have a chance of getting the Token exchanged until my leave, as I so rarely see a shop open – but it’s certainly something to look forward to.

            I wish I could have got you something but it’s pretty hopeless in this place I’m afraid – but I think it would probably be wiser to wait until you get in the ATS when you may find something more practical at any rate.

            Don’t forget to let me know if you see anything for Margaret and Ted. Once again it’s hopeless here.  Even if this place had been a metropolis I’m afraid I could have achieved little as we had no time off for shopping etc -  as I rarely get out ‘till seven or so everything’s shut anyway.

            ‘Spect you’re getting excited over your imminent entry into the Armed Forces of the Realm, though you seem to have overcome the medical with ease.  Hope it wasn’t too exacting for you.

            Well, Chotie, I seem to have had a rather quiet Xmas.  We (the unit) entertained about fifty Aussies & Canadians over the holidays.  Quite good fun.  I’ve had little beer – apart from eight pints with Xmas dinner.

            Told you I saw ‘Eagle Squadron’* I suppose.  Wasn’t it LUVLY!!  I nearly cried.

(I’m in a canteen eating Spam at the moment).  More parenthesis…Having just
failed to finish Picture P.** crossword.  You’ll probably find Spam all over the envelope.

            Have just finished Deeping’s ‘Kitty’*** – quite good.  That’s the 30^th of his I’ve read. Recommend it. 

            Well, Darling must close here.  ‘Fraid I missed you rather a lot over Xmas.  Maybe it will be over next Xmas. Maybe…  All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

PS  Had a Xmas card from Eric & Eve!!!!  Put me off my beer…

 

*Pilots from the Royal Australian Air Force and members of the Canadian Reconnaissance regiment.

**a film about American pilots who volunteered for the RAF before Pearl Harbour.

***Picture Post – a popular photojournalist magazine.

**** a novel by Warwick Deeping

 

 © Chotie Darling

 

28^th December 1942 – sterilization 'experiments' begin at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps in Nazi occupied Poland. (From WW2-net Timelines and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.)

 

Section Training continued for 43^rd Recce and on 28^th December there was a Regimental Cross-Country run.  Training on the 29^th featured driving instruction. (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

31^st December 1942 - Battle of the Barents Sea. The British Navy successfully intercepts German warships attempting to destroy a large supply convoy, JW-51B, to Russia.  However, German U-boats now had 'milch cow' submarines enabling them to refuel and re-arm at sea and could penetrate as far as the Indian Ocean.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

During 1942 Allied merchant shipping lost 1,323 ships, equalling 7,047,744 gross tons (almost three times the losses of 1941) to U-boats world-wide. 87 U-boats were sunk in 1942 (only 35 in 1941). (From WW2-net Timelines and History Learning Site.)

 

War in Dorset excerpts will not be continued on this blog since Chotie was no longer resident in the county from January 1943, having joined the ATS (see recent post Chotie enrolls in the ATS )

 

On 1^st January 1943 Dick filled out the form for recommendation as a
candidate for the Officer Cadet Training Unit

 

Copy of Record:

RECOMMENDATION FORM FOR CANDIDATES FOR OFFICER CADET TRAINING UNITS

PART 1.  (To be completed by the Candidate.)

1. Surname     WILLIAMS                     
2. Army Number          5731671
3. Christian Names       RICHARD KELNER
4. Rank           Trooper
5. Date of Promotion    -
6. Unit             43^rd Reconnaissance Regt. Recce. Corps
7. Date of joining present unit   10-7-42
8. Date of enlistment    21-6-40
9. Date of birth*          28-7-21
10. Place of birth*          Orpington, Kent
11. Civil Identity No.
12. Religion       Congregational
13. Nationality at birth    British
14. Name and nationality at birth of father           Dudley Kelner Beresford Williams                        British
15.  Name and nationality at birth of mother                      Alice Maude Shrubsall                            British
16. Married or single      Single
17. Nationality at birth of wife     -
18. Number of childres               -
19. Next of kin and Permanent Address of next of kin       Father  “St Margarets” Sea Lane Pagham  Sussex
20. School or other Educational Establishment (with dates)           

Sidcup County School 1931-35

Simon Langton School 1936-38

21. Educational certificates (with dates)   Matriculation (Lond.) 1938

22. Languages (state if written or spoken)     French written and spoken Small knowledge of German and Spanish

23. Civil occupation    None

24. Name of last employer          -

25. Arm or Corps in which a Commission is desired.  Three choices to be given in order of priority, one to be non-technical.

(i)           Recce Corps

(ii)          R.A.S.C.

(iii)         Dorset Regt.

26. Technical qualifications, if any, for each of above choices:-

(i)           Driver Mechanic Group D Class II

(ii)          “                 “           “           “

(iii)         –

27. Have you ever been convicted by the Civil Power or by Court Martial?†   No

If so, state date and circumstances    -

28. Have you previously been admitted to the R.M.A., R.M.C. or to an Officer Cadet Training Unit? No

If so give particulars

                   -

29. Have you at any time held a commission in any branch of H.M. Forces? 
If so, give full particulars No

30.  General remarks      -

I certify that to the best of my knowledge the above particulars are correct and complete.

Signature    RKWilliams

Date           1-1-‘43 

*This must be supported by a birth certificate.

†Commanding Officers will use their discretion in deciding whether a man who appears otherwise suitable should be rejected on account of conviction by the Civil Power or by a Court Martial.  For example, no serious notice need be taken of conviction on account of youthful indiscretions or minor motoring offences, but where the cause of conviction indicates a lack of the high moral qualities which are required of an officer, consideration must be given as to whether the facts disclosed point to the total unsuitability of the candidate for commissioned rank.  Due regard must however be paid to the fact that bravery and distinguished service in the field may be an overriding consideration in spite of past records.

 

On 1^st January 1943 43^rd Recce had a half day. The next day the Commanding Officer inspected vehicle maintenance. On Sunday 3^rd there was Church Parade.

 

2^nd January 1943 – Australian and US troops finally win victory in Papua New Guinea taking the Buna bridgehead.  With this, and the battles of Guadalcanal and Midway, the Allies could now believe the Japanese were not invincible. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Which Christmas? - Tuesday 22nd December

PPS.  Good book “Tambour Terrace” Eleanor Dunbar Hall

As before

Tuesday

My Darling,

                                    Sorry I haven’t been able to reply to your last before now, but I’ve been away on a scheme for the last few days.  This culminated in a route march which finished me off – I was wearing new boots, so today finds me on the sick list.  There’s a run on this afternoon and being excused running for five days I’m able to write to my Chotie.

                    Thanks for the letter and cake.  You must thank Margaret for me – when next you see her. 

                    I had a letter or rather a note from our mutual friend Lightfoot*, last week.  Apparently he’s in Colchester (Essex).

            Brinner has also moved to Essex – rather in the wilds, I gather.  I’ve despatched a letter to Diller – shake her I expect – as I’m not sending any cards.

            Let me know as soon as you see anything in the cheese-dish line – I hardly remember what they look like. 

            Hope your medical** went off all right.  Let me have the dope as soon as possible. Also the Dance.

            Went to a whist drive last week.  No luck of course.  I should have been well in, but went down 12-1 which finished everything.  Really stupid girl for a partner…Ginger.

                        Look like the Fighting French in our berets.  Remember that photo you had of cadets?

                        No news of course.  Devilish dull here – though we don’t get much time anyhow.

                        (With Doug’s letter came a Pkstone Cong***. Magazine.  Know who sent it?  Sure I don’t)

                        Roll on Christmas … (Incidentally which Christmas is the war going to end by now?)

                        Must close here.

                                        All my love Darling

                                                                        Dicker

PS.  Will send you something if I should ever see anything.

*Doug Lightfoot

**On 17^th December 1942 Chotie was enrolled into the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) at Southampton.

*** Parkstone Congregational Church (now Parkstone United Reformed Church), opposite Chotie’s home on the corner of Chapel Road and Commercial Road, Parkstone, Poole Dorset. Chotie met Dick at the church Youth Club when she was fourteen.  Her family left the house in the 1960s and it was knocked down and replaced with a tyre shop.

© Chotie Darling

 

On 24^th December the Canadian Reconnaissance regiment also arrived as guests of 43^rd Recce over Christmas, leaving on the 27^th. On Christmas Day there was an Officers v. Sergeants Soccer Match. (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

24th December 1942 - Darlan, now the French leader in North Africa, is assassinated by the French monarchist Fernand Bonnier. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

Eric Postles was still training with 61^st Recce in Northern Ireland:

 "At Christmas the troop paid into a kitty and we had a meal at Black’s Café in Portrush.”   (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

Berets - Sunday 13th December 1942

Same Address 

Sunday

My Darling,

                                    Just a few brief lines to let you know that I arrived back safely, though somewhat late.  I managed to miss all connections and didn’t get to bed before one o'clock the forthcoming morning.  I hope you also arrived home safely – though in better time than I did.

            Well, my Dear, how went the nuptials*?  Don’t forget to tell me all about it in your next letter. I trust everything went off all right, and the happy pair duly spliced.

            Great excitement this morning, as we were issued with berets – similar to Canadian Officer balmorals – light khaki.  Really rather good.  The boys took it calmly, though as one wag said bitterly – “all we want now is a skirt…” 

            I’ve been lumberjackin’ all the morning – just to loosen up after my leave.  I certainly needed to.

            I went down to the ‘Hippodrome’ last night, & also the local.  Not very thrilling after being with you for a week.  Got fed up and went to bed before nine.

            No news, so will close here.

            All my love, Darling and thanks for a very happy leave.

                                                                        Dicker

                                                                        xxxx

 

*Chotie’s elder sister Margaret married Ted Lewis on 12^th December 1942.

 
Ted and Margaret Lewis, married on Saturday 12th December at Parkstone Congregational Church, Poole, Dorset.

Chotie was bridesmaid.

Family wedding group outside Chotie's home, the Hollies.  Chotie is next to her sister Margaret, the bride.  Her mother is on the left end of the photo and her father next to her.

 © Chotie Darling

 

 

43^rd Recce took part in another 43^rd Division Skeleton Exercise on 14^th December in Canterbury/Dover and there was a Regimental Skeleton Exercise on the 16^th.  Pilots from the Royal Australian Air Force arrived as guests of the Regiment on 20^th December – see Dick’s letter of 27th. Section Training started on 21^st December and continued on most days for the rest of the month. The “HQ” Squadron Company Route March of 21^st December is mentioned in Dick’s next letter.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

16^th December 1942 – Himmler orders that all gypsies (Roma) are to be sent to concentration camps. The Nazi genocide of the Roma claimed 220,000 to 500,000 lives (possibly more than a million).

Operation Little Saturn, the second Soviet offensive, begins at Stalingrad attacking the weakly held Italian front.  Although the elite Alpini troops stood firm it put an end to the hope of Operation Winter Storm to rescue Germany's Sixth Army, now 'kettled' at Stalingrad. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012) 

 

17^th December 1942 – Britain and the USA vow to avenge Nazi war crimes against the Jewish people.  By the end of 1942 word had leaked out to the Allied Command of German atrocities and close to four million Jews had been killed in the extermination camps.

Rough-hew them how we will - Tuesday 17th November 1942

Address as usual

Tuesday

My Darling,

                                    Once again I find I’m able to reply to yours just received instanta, but I’d better not make a habit of it ...

                  Well, my Dear, you seem to have some news this time – whether good, bad or indifferent I leave you to judge, though from your letters I see a sort of aloof indifference.  As my literary hero said “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends – rough hew them how we will.”*

            I was pleased to see that you’re sticking out for a specialised job – for which I think you are very wise.  The main criticism offered against this procedure is that you tend to get into a rut; but a comfortable rut is preferable to wandering de place en place as most of us appear to do.

            I was, needless to say, even more pleased to hear that you will not be going before Xmas.  By all laws and statutes I should get my leave a fortnight today, ie the 2^nd of December – but you know what leave can be, or you soon will...

            En passant, I think you are in error as regards the leave; most blokes find that the feminine services are able to get leave when their ‘soldier hero’ gets his.  Naturally this is not always the case but I think you’ll find that in general practice it can be wangled.

            Sorry to hear that Diller’s given me the bird.  Maybe I’ll write her one of these fine days.  You might tell her that I’m giving the matter considerable thought.

            Well, there’s no news from this end.  I managed to get Saturday and Sunday – quite a change, and saw “The Saint’s Vacation” and, at last – “Reap the Wild Wind”.  Neither was particularly outstanding.  Always grumble, don’t I?

            Well, I suppose I must close here, not having anything else to hold your attention.

                                    Hope to see you soon, Darling

                                                all my love

                                                        Dicker

*Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ – Act 5, Scene 2.

**a film based on one of the Simon Templar a.k.a. “The Saint” novels by Leslie Charteris. The film was reset in the Second World War with Nazis as the villains.

***a swashbuckling adventure film set in the 1840s along the Florida coast.

© Chotie Darling

17^th November 2012 – first clashes between US and German forces, in the Western Desert. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

19th November 1942 – launch of Operation Uranus, the Russian offensive to encircle and destroy Axis forces (German, Romanian, Hungarian and Italian) at Stalingrad. The encirclement of almost 300,000 men was completed on 22^nd November. (See 23rd August 1942 and WW2-net Timelines.)

Operation Freshman, a British commando assault on the heavy water plant at Telemark in Norway (potentially critical for the Germans to develop an atomic bomb), ends in disaster.  The captured commandos are executed under Hitler’s ‘Commando Order’.

20th November 1942 – the advance of the Allies’ 8th Army reaches Benghazi in Libya, an essential supply port for the campaign. (From WW2-net Timelines.

 

22^nd November 1942 – Eisenhower accepts French Admiral Darlan (Head of the Vichy French Armed Forces) as Head of the French Administration in North Africa in return for co-operation with the Allies despite opposition from General de Gaulle, leader of the Free French in Britain, and the French Resistance. Darlan was assassinated on 24^th December 1942. He was replaced as leader of French Africa by General Giraud on 27th December. (From WW2 People’s War, WW2 History of US Army in the Med and Darlan.)

23rd November 1942 - the US Eighth Air Force attacks U-boat pens at St Nazaire but their daylight 'precision bombing' tactics are failing with fewer than 3% of bombs falling within a thousand feet of the target.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

The Recce Corps Commander Lieutenant-General Stopford inspected 43^rd Recce’s  ‘Carrier Drill’ and Battle Drill’ on Monday 23^rd November and the next day 43^rd Recce demonstrated shooting from A.R.C.s on Deal Vehicle Range for a visit from the Commander in Chief of Home Forces, General Sir Bernard Paget. (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

24th November 1942 - Hitler orders the forces at Stalingrad, some 290,000 men, to hold out there and not attempt retreat through the Soviet encirclement.  A new Army Group Don is formed to breakthrough and relieve the Sixth Army.

 

25th November 1942 – Soviet forces begin Operation Mars, an attack on the central front near Rhez.  Unknown to them it was a diversionary offensive to facilitate Operation Uranus  and the Germans had deliberately been given information on the advance – more than 70,000 Red Army soldiers were killed in a month of fighting.

Left wing Greek resistance forces (EDES – the Greek National Republican League and the communist EAM-ELAS), supported by British SOE (the Special Operations Executive) succeed in blowing-up the Gorgopotamos Bridge in central Greece.  This cut the railway line to northern Greece for four months, one of the most successful sabotage missions of the war.  

(From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012

Missing Someone - Thursday 6th November 1942

The War in Dorset - November 1942

A flight from RAF Hurn on 3^rd November took General Dwight D. Eisenhower and top-ranking American officers to Gibraltar for the commencement of Operation Torch. The pilot was Major Paul Tibbets, who later flew the plane (Enola Gay) that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.  RAF Hurn (now Bournemouth Airport) was a main base for the movement of troops to the Western Desert via Gibraltar for the Allied Landings of Operation Torch.

On 25^th November a Lancaster bomber crashed at Sturminster Newton, North Dorse, killing the crew of seven.

North Poole suffered incessant machine gun noise in November 1942 while the munitions factory at Creekmoor tested its guns.

(From Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg,  Dorset Publishing Company 2004)

 

On 1^st November 43^rd Recce commenced a period of intense individual training scheduled to continue until 15^th December.  Officers were set examinations every Wednesday. During the month the regiment received armoured cars and 6pr Anti-Tank Guns.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

5^th November 1942

Thursday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                                                Many thanks for letter.  I expect you’ve given me up by now, for not having written before, but as usual I didn’t receive your letter until I got back from another scheme.

            I was very sorry to hear about Reinelt, as I’d always looked on him as being my oldest friend in Poole – for our friendship seemed to prosper despite various differences of opinion in diverse subjects.  I need scarce say that had it not been for him I should never have met you.  As you say, we can only hope that he is safe – somewhere.

            Eric (White), I know, will be shaken by the loss of Boody – a rather remarkable fellow. He was hit by Bill’s death, so this comes as a double loss.  I can’t say I really knew either.  I’m afraid we will all miss someone before this wretched show is over.  War has always been an ugly business, with none of the glamour it is customary to connect with it.

            However, it is of no avail to become morbid.

            The weather here has been really wretched – nothing but rain, and if I don’t get pneumonia it won’t be for want of trying.

            I met that subaltern again last week who introduced me to ‘Lolita’ a strip-tease artist who was appearing at the ‘Hip’* last week.  We had supper at the Café Royal which has left me broke all the week.  She was French, and not Spanish, as billed.

            Have you heard anymore re joining the colours?  I expect to hear any minute that you’re in the Wrens or ATS or something.  Nous allons voi**, we shall see, as the French have it.

            I’ve just had a letter from home – also one from Brinner – he’ll strain himself soon if he’s not careful.

            I’ve seen quite a few well-known personages lately – tell you about them when I get on leave.

                        Must close now

                                             All my love Precious

                                                                        Dicker

P.S.     Excuse pencil – run out of ink.

 

*The Hippodrome theatre, Dover – bombed in September 1944

** French – “We shall see”.

© Chotie Darling

 

5th November 1942 – Madagascar, which threatened Allied convoy routes off south-east Africa, is captured from Vichy France by British marines (who’d landed in May) and handed to General de Gaulle for the Free French to govern. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

8th November 1942 - Operation Torch begins with the landing of Eisenhower’s Allied troops in Morocco and Algeria.  A Western Task Force led by Major General George S. Patton met Vichy French resistance at Casablanca.  Two other task forces landed at Oran and Algiers, the latter including 56^th Recce ‘Chavasse’s Light Horse’ – the first Recce Regiment to see action in a true reconnaissance role. They were also responsible for the survival of No 6 Commando (the SSRF) in February 1943.  46^th, 1^st, 4^th and 44^th Recce also saw action in the Western Desert.

(From WW2-net Timelines and ‘The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II’ by Richard Doherty, Osprey Publishing 2007.)

 

 

9^th November – as the Vichy French fight US troops at Oran in Algeria and in Morocco, Eisenhower’s deputy, General Mark Clarke tries to negotiate a ceasefire with Admiral Darlan and General Giraud in Algiers.  German troops begin landing in Vichy French Tunisia and by 25th November had deployed 25,000 men.

Hitler establishes Erik Scavenius as Prime Minister of Denmark following King Christian X’s refusal of anti-Jewish legislation in Denmark.

(From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

10^th November – British recapture Sidi Barrani in Egypt.

 

Churchill’s speech at the Mansion House in London celebrated the “glorious and decisive victory” at El Alamein:

“Now this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning.”

(From The Churchill Society.)

Reconnaissance Badge - Thursday 29th October 1942

Address as before

Thursday

My Darling Chotie,

                                        Many thanks for letter received yesterday.  I'm just about kicking myself at the moment, having done a very stupid thing last night. 

                I wrote you a letter before going to the library and put it in one of the books I was taking back - and left it in there!  The point is that I didn't realise it until the library had shut, and the wretched place doesn't open again till tomorrow night (it's open every other day), so I can't get it till then. 

                However, thinking as much of my Chotie as I do, I have started another at the earliest. 

                I had a letter and a very welcome half-sovereign from Brinner telling me of your meeting - of which I was very pleased to hear - and also of course, telling me he was on leave.  We seem to strike it very unlucky as regards getting our leave together.  It would be much more fun for him if he could get his leave with us - it must be pretty dull for him by himself.

                 As usual there’s no news worth mentioning.  Anything which may have been of interest I have to leave out.  It's rather a blow to the indifferent letter-writer like myself.  However as always I’m making the best of a bad job (?).

                If ever you get in touch with that Rat du Rose, shake him up, will you?  He hasn't yet raised the requisite energy to write me - and after the effort I made on his behalf!  The whole affair sickens me.

                We have had nothing but rain, rain, rain for days on end. The only thing that has kept me among the living is the glorious sunset which has become a nightly feature.  Really lovely.

                Have read little lately owing to the Army's demands on my spare time.  Just Stephen McKenna’s “While of Sound Mind” and Osbert Sitwell's first prose work "Triple Fugue".  The former I can recommend, but the latter I found only good in parts, I recommend it for those parts.  (It consists of four or five short (?) stories. 

                Saw the ‘Ghost of Frankenstein*' last week.  Rather poor I thought.  Hope to see 'Reap the Wild Winds' tonight, which I just missed while on the course.  May also see 'The Young Mr Pitt’, if I get the time.  ‘Song of the Islands' is on next week I believe.  The boys will be queuing up to see Grable** in a grass-skirt... 

                Well, I must close here, Darling and see if I can get the 2.30 post.

                                                            all my love, precious

                                                                                    Dicker

PS. Je t’adore encore au tout mon Coeur

PPS. Badge*** enclosed (keep it clean!)

*'Ghost of Frankenstein', 'Reap the Wild Winds', 'The Young Mr Pitt’ and ‘Song of the Islands' were all films on circulation in 1942.

**Betty Grable, the star of “Song of the Islands” (a musical set in a Pacific island paradise), was an American actress and musical star said to have the most beautiful legs in Hollywood.

***The Reconnaissance Corps badge featured an upwards-pointing spear flanked by two lightning bolts.

© Chotie Darling

 

31st October 1942 – the brave seizure of an Enigma machine and keys from a sinking German submarine in the Eastern Mediterranean enables code-breakers at Bletchley Park to decipher the German Naval code ‘Shark M4’ by mid-December. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

2nd November 1942 – the Allies’ break-out at El Alamein in Operation Supercharge. Forces attacking in Operation Supercharge included the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division, who Dick was to fight with in NW Europe.

 

4^th November 1942 – German Army forced to retreat at El Alamein. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

The Winter Routine - Friday 2nd October 1942

On 4^th October 1942 Operation Basalt, a commando raid by the Small Scale Raiding Force on Sark in the Channel Islands captured One German soldier. Unfortunately others were killed with their hands tied – a breach of wartime convention that led to Hitler’s ‘Commando order’ for the killing of all Allied commandos taken prisoner. (See Combined Operations WW2 website.) 

HMS Turtle was established in Hamworthy on 7^th October 1942 as a naval shore base (now A Royal Marine base).

Churchill’s speech in Edinburgh on 12^th October 1942 ‘Keep right on to the end of the road’ made direct reference to the exploits of the commandos:

“The British Commando raids at different points along the enormous coast, although so far only the forerunner of what is to come, inspire the author of so many crimes and miseries with a lively anxiety.  There comes out of the sea from time to time a hand of steel which plucks the German sentries from their posts with growing efficiency.”

(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.)

 

In October 1942 43^rdReconnaissance Regiment were still in Dover. Visitors included Lieutenant Colonels Luce - Adviser to the Recce Corps, Pavey – Officer in Charge of Reconnaissance Corps Records and Whitbread - Officer in Charge of the R.T.C. (Regimental Training Corps?).

The major training during the month consisted of firing.  All available personnel received musketry training in the Rifle and Bren Gun and a modified range course was set up.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

As previous,

Friday 2^nd

My Darling Chotie,

                                                     Many thanks for very instructive
letter received today.  Glad to hear news of Eric – he appears to have struck it lucky – I said appears; though I expect he has something to moan about, as usual.  I definitely will write him when I get time.  I never seem to have a moment to spare these days.

            From after the 5^th inst. however, we should start the Winter Routine which means no work before breakfast and none after tea. There is also a later réveillé, which is a relief after the old 6am stunt.

            Well, Darling, I hope you are very fit and enjoying the glory of autumn (or Gluric as old McLuckie used to say). Though it’s hardly autumn yet – not here at any rate.

            I’ve just been talking to the padre – rather shocked him I think.  (I’m writing this in the Quiet Room which is also used by the Padre as a library. Some library…)

            I haven’t been out since last week-end, so I’ve nothing to write about.

            I wrote to Diller* last night, though not in time to reach her for her birthday (the 1^st) as I’d been out on a scheme.  She’ll soon be an Old Maid at this rate…23 I believe. However, who am I to criticize?  

            Weather’s been lovely today – plenty of sun and wind, and the old brown leaves tumbling down…

            Wish I was still in civvies.  Still, as you so aptly observe in your letter, it will soon be over.  About five years I reckon…You’ll be an old maid then! 

            I’ve just managed to get an ounce of baccy, first for several days, which cheered me up not a little. 

            Glad to hear Margaret*’s now sailing before the wind again.  Give her my best wishes, won’t you.  And all the family of course.

            I haven’t heard anything of Brinner*** lately, but no news is good news as the old saw has it.  I suppose he’ll be on leave soon, though it can’t be much fun for him, by himself, especially if there’s still no radio.

            Well, Lulu, I must close here for want of material.

            Be good, and look after yourself, won’t you. You’re very, very precious to me, you know.

                                                All my love,

                                                            Chotie Darling

                                                                                    Dicker

                                                                                    Xxxxxx

*Dick’s sister

**Chotie's second eldest sister - she had three sisters and one brother.

***Dick’s brother

 © Chotie Darling

 

On 5^th and 6^th October 1942 Humber Motors’ representatives visited 43^rd Recce and lectures were given to all Driver Mechanics (this would have included Dick) and Drivers I.C. Lieutenant Colonel Merriman also gave a lecture on ‘The Use of Anti-Tank and Anti-Personnel Mines by enemy ground defences’ on 6^th October.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

 

6^th October 1942 – Roosevelt announces establishment of a United Nations commission to investigate war crimes.

 

Although German attacks on Stalingrad were renewed in October the Soviet front reported on the 8th that ‘the defeatist mood is almost eliminated' - a total of 3,000 Soviet soldiers were executed for cowardice and desertion during the Battle for Stalingrad.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

11th October 1942 – The Battle of Cape Esperance continues the war in the Solomon Islands between supply ships for Guadalcanal.  The Japanese suffered heavy losses but succeeded in bombing the airfield, destroying half the US planes on the Island. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Our "Engagement" - Tuesday 8th September 1942

5731671 Tpr Williams R

A/TK Troop, HQ Squadron

43rd Recce Regt, Recce Corps, Armed Forces

Tuesday

My Darling Chotie,

                                        I'm in a lecture at the moment, so I'm writing this in my notebook under pretext of taking some notes…  I got your letter this morning - for which many thanks.   Hope you can read this scrawl but I never could write on my knee.  Glad to hear you celebrated your birthday in style - wish I could have been with you.

(The bloke here is a yawning on about internal combustion engines - very dull after six weeks of it.)

            By the way - in your last letter but one, you told me about your ‘change of employment ', but it was, if you remember, in the form of a postscript, which I missed of course, at the first reading.  When reading it again at a later date (a very sound habit of mine), I came across it, and needless to say, would have congratulated you in my last epistle. Anyhow - nice work.

            (I very much doubt whether you can make head or tail of this scrawl.  I've got a job to understand it myself - but persevere, Darling.)  I have to keep answering questions all the time to this wretched man - a Sergeant from the Ordnance Corps.  Up to now, I've managed to keep just one jump ahead of him.  He's not really very bright - typical of the R.A.O.C.*, but writing a letter as well has its snags.

            I've been enquiring about my leave, and may get it on the 16th i.e. next Wednesday (a week today), but it seems rather doubtful.  What can you manage if I do?  I'm afraid I can't say definitely, because the Squadron Office don't know themselves.

            I've been put on fire guard for a week (!) which means I work evenings as well.  I haven't been out since I've been here.  Not that there's anything of interest.  I went out on an exercise yesterday morning, and passed through some marvellous villages, would have delighted Frances B. Young**.  

            Glad to hear you met Jones.  Where is he stationed these days, or didn't he tell you?  Did I tell you that Brinner was on a course in North Devon?   

            Are the old Dorsets*** still with you?  It would mean that they've been there a year now.

            I've got a cross country to run this evening after tea, a Devil, isn't it, seeing that I haven't done PT of any sort for seven or eight weeks.

            My two Scotch friends have gone on leave to bra’ wee Ayr, and left me disconsolate, although they are both in ‘A’ Squadron, and I don't see much of them. 
(The lecture has at last ended, 1½ hrs, so I'll finish this tonight - maybe...)

            Well, Lulu, after the lecture I heard I'd been transferred from the Anti Tank Troop to the Mortar Troop****, and having seen the Troop Commander about my leave, feel more confident about the 16th - but remember it’s still not definite. 

            This mortar job appears cushy - driving - but not quite so cushy in action.

             Well, Darling, I must close here with all my love,

                                            always yours, Precious

                                                                    your loving

                                                                                    Dicker

 P.S.  I mentioned our “engagement” to the old folks at home in my last letter.  I haven't yet had a reply ... keep your chin up, Lulubelle..

 

*Royal Army Ordnance Corps – responsible for supplying weapons, ammunition and equipment to the Army.

**A Frances B. Young wrote a biography of Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke (an Elizabethan writer) but the origins of this reference are obscure.

***Dick’s original regiment (see Chotie Darling Part 1 ‘The Blue Cockade’) last heard of at Branksome in Poole.

****A Reconnaissance Regiment consisted of one HQ Squadron and three Reconnaissance Squadrons. Mortar Troop was one of the four Troops in HQ Squadron (with Signals, Armoured Tank and Admin) and used 6 x 3” mortars. Mortars are portable. Fixed to the ground they are used to fire small bombs in a slow high arc into the enemy at close range.

 © Chotie Darling

On 8^th and 10^th September 43^rd Recce were engaged in the 129 and 130 Infantry Brigade Exercise ‘Break In’ and on 15^th and 17^th in the Brigade Exercise ‘Break Out’.  Unarmed combat cadres for N.C.O.s were held from 14^th to 18^th September and on 14^th September Field officers attended a lecture on “Recent Operations in the Middle East”. The Commanding Officer attended an address by the new South East Army Commanders on 22^nd September. 43^rd Recce participated in a display for the visit of the Army Commander to the Field Firing range at Sandwich on 23^rd September.  A Regimental Exercise on 25^th and 26^th September “proved very valuable training in operating the regiment as a whole”. The exercise involved river crossings and cooking on vehicles with 4 man pack rations.

(From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

French Canadians and French Films - Sunday 30th August 1942

5731671 Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex

 

Sunday Morn.

Chotie Darling,

                                                                                                Many thanks for letter of a couple of days ago. There’s no Church Parade this morning, so I have a good chance to catch
up on my mail.

            Feeling pretty low this morning. Went out yesterday evening and met some half-dozen French-Canadians, and I’m wondering now whether it was good luck or misfortune.  They’d only been over here a few months, and spoke no English, but I managed to hold my end up for a couple of hours.  There were two barmaids there, who, knowing they couldn’t speak any English, and thinking I was also French, were saying things …those girls almost made me blush… Unfortunately, when I rolled out of the place, it was pouring with rain, and I had no alternative but to walk, as the last bus had long since gone.  It was about 3 miles, and sobered me up not a little.

            Went to the jolly old Ballet again last week – twice in fact – Allied Ballets, allied to whom I don’t know.  The Prima Ballerina, Mela Carter, was almost as good as Fonteyn, but the rest were indifferent.  Not as good as Anglo-Polish.  Saw “Le Lac des Cygnes” (Swan Lake) and “Les Sylphides” the former Tchaikovsky, the latter, Chopin.  Also saw a Tod Slaughter film – “Murder in the Red Barn” – one of the old dramatics… 

            Was going to see “Joan of Paris”* yesterday, but after one look decided against it, even after your advice on same.  I knew America would ruin Michèle in the same way it ruined Boyer and will probably ruin Babin**.  Shakespeare said, ‘a good wine needs no bush’***, but America would have us believe the contrary.  It’s not necessary to shout the qualities of an actor from the roof-tops, to impress people of his ability.  The best French films were always the most unoffensive and unsung. 

            What about this engagement, Darling?  Kindly express your sentiments
per return…  We’ll have to see what can be done (If anything, can be done).  I suppose it’s about time we did something about it, before tongues start wagging, etc. 

            I was going home this week-end, and rather wish I had now.  But I suppose I
should get my leave soon, hope so anyhow.  Well, I’d better close here, Precious.

            Don’t forget about the jolly old engagement will you.  (I haven’t said anything about it yet …)

                                                                                    Son amoureux mari****

                                                                                                Dicker

PS       Love & kisses xxxx etc

PPS     Ich liebe dich, meine geliebte*****.

 

*A 1942 film about a waitress helping RAF pilots stranded in Paris to escape. It starred the French actress Michèle Morgan.

**Charles Boyer, a famous French actor

***A 15^th century proverb quoted by Rosalind in Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ – “If it be true that ‘good wine needs no bush’, tis true that a good play needs no epilogue” (Act 5 Scene 4).  Taverns claiming to sell fine liquor bore the sign of an ivy bush above their door.

***** ‘Son amoureux mari’ (French) = 'Your loving husband’

***** ‘Ich liebe dich, meine geliebte’ (German) = ‘I love you, my sweetheart’

© Chotie Darling

30th August 1942 – Germany’s annexation of Luxembourg is resisted with a General Strike. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

31^st August 1942 - Rommel begins his final attempt to break through at El Alamein with an offensive on Alam Halfa ridge (between El Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea and the Quattara Depression to the south). However, the Germans are forced to withdraw back to their start lines. The deciphering of Germany’s secret Enigma code played a critical role in the Allies successful defence – Montgomery was now aware of Rommel’s plans through the Ultra decrypts.  (From WW2-net Timelines and ‘Phantom at War’ by Andy and Sue Parlour.)

The French Traitors - Friday 21st August 1942

19th August 1942 – the Combined Operations raid (see the Missing Winter) on Dieppe in northern France, which ended in disaster. This joint British and Canadian commando raid (originally code-named ‘Rutter’, but now known as ‘Jubilee’), , was intended to practice techniques for an eventual invasion of Northern Europe by the Allies. The coast was heavily defended by German guns and the invasion force lost the element of surprise by encountering an escorted German convoy in the Channel. After less than 6 hours the forces landed on the beaches around Dieppe were forced to withdraw. Of the 5,000 Canadians, 1,000 British, 50 American Rangers and 50 Free French taking part in ‘Operation Jubilee’ more than 1,380 were killed, 1,600 wounded and 2,340 captured. The RAF had given support but lost 107 planes to the German’s 48. One Royal Naval destroyer and 33 landing craft were sunk.

Dieppe convinced the Allied commanders that a successful cross-Channel invasion would need a massive force, which could not be assembled before 1944. The decision not to use airborne troops had also contributed to the raid’s failure. (From Combined Operations WW2 website, WW2-net Timelines  and ‘Phantom at War – the British Army’s Secret Intelligence & Communication Regiment of WW2’ by Andy & Sue Parlour, Cerberus 2003.)

  

21st August 1942 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the USA says that the perpetrators of barbarism in occupied countries ‘that the time will come when they shall have to stand in courts of law in the very countries which they are now oppressing and answer for their acts.'  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

German troops scale Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in the Caucasus, and plant the Reich's flag on the summit but the overstretched forces never reached the valuable Caucasian oilfields.

 

5731671 Tpr Williams R

Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex

 

Friday Eve.

Chotie Darling,

                                                            It’s pay-night, as you will see from above, but as it’s raining like hell I thought I’d stay in and write to my Chubby Lulubelle. Good boy, ain’t I?  Sometimes I wonder …

            Well, Precious – many thanks for your last letter and account of your adventures.  I am enclosing the polyfotos in this – have had to break them up I’m afraid, as I haven’t yet procured a large enough envelope.  I will give you the number I like best in PS., as I can’t make up my mind (?) which one I like the most, at the moment – they’re all so good.

            Hope you manage to see Michelle Morgan, she’s really very good in French films – I can’t guarantee American or English directors.  I’ve only seen her once – with Boyer, in French, with French direction of course and I was very struck then.  I believe I told you I saw Vivianne Romance, (almost as good) last week.

            Did you see the appalling list of French people who have been marked as definite traitors?  The list includes Georges Carpentier (France’s greatest boxer), Maurice Chevalier, Sacha Guitry (her greatest playwright), Corinne Luchaire (of “Prison without Bars” fame), Jean Borotra (the tennis star) and last but not least, Danielle Darrieux who needs no introduction.  Horrible isn’t it?

            Sorry you had a row with Horlock – but then you must remember that there are people without souls – who appreciate nothing, and the road of a martyr is by necessity an exacting one.  Persevere Darling … 

            However, I was glad to hear of your “Braemar”** show.  Looking forward to
seeing it soon.  I’ve been around quite a bit since last writing – making the most of it while it lasts.

            Have seen a couple of old flicks – “Suspicion” Cary Grant and Fontaine, and “Here comes Mr Jordan” – Montgomery and Claude Rains.  Not too
bad.  Also saw a play “Bedtime Story” with Mary Maguire – quite good.

            Had a letter from home – Mother says the Odeon at Bognor had a bomb, plumb centre – killed a dozen or so.  Luckily she did the shopping in the morning and the bomb was about 3 in the afternoon.  She’s been asked up to Herne Bay for a wedding – Rita’s (family friend) but sees no chance of going.

            Have you heard of Eric since your last letter?  Maybe he’s moved – but then
I suppose he’d have phoned or something. I really will write him some day, but I’m thinking of his heart when he gets the letter. 

            What did you think of the last raid***?  I saw most of the action in the Channel and was also machine-gunned in the streets – though still alive and kicking.

            Have you thought of a name for my new pipe yet?  He’s getting nicely burnt in, and has acquired a more mature appearance.

            I bought a copy of Darwin’s ‘The Descent of Man’ and have been up to my neck in it for some days.  I always do crosswords in the bus, on my way to “work”.  Quite suburban in fact – though I miss the Homburg and umbrella …

            Well, Darling, I must close here as its getting too dark to write,

                                                                        All my love, you Precious thing,

                                                                                     your adoring Dicker

PS. NUMERUS XXIV

that’s look you (No 24)

* Georges Carpentier - French boxer who was world light-heavyweight champion and a European champion at four weight classes.

Maurice Chevalier - French musical-comedy star

Corinne Luchaire – French film actress and daughter of Jean Luchaire a journalist and politician who supported the Vichy Regime.

Jean Borotra – French champion tennis player in the 20s and 30s.

Danielle Darrieux - French actress and singer, one of France's great movie stars.

** Braemar – a village in Aberdeenshire?

***possibly a reference to action following the Dieppe Raid, which had set sail from ports between Southampton and Newhaven (near Brighton)?

© Chotie Darling

 

 

22^nd August 1942 – Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy.

 

23^rd August 1942 – the Battle of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) begins in Russia. One of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare it continued until 2^nd February 1943, claiming nearly 2 million casualties and ending in defeat for the Axis Army.  On 25th August a state of siege was declared in the heavily bombed city. (From WW2-net Timelines and ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012.)

 

25^th August 1942 – beginning of the Battle of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. This Japanese attack was defeated by largely Australian forces by 7^th September 1942 – the Allies first decisive victory over the Japanese. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

28^th August 1942 – a massive RAF raid on Nuremberg kills 4,000 civilains.  Unlike the Americans the RAF flew at night and Air Chief Marshall 'Bomber Harris' defined their success by the number of urban acres reduced to rubble. (From WW2-net Timelines and ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012.)

28^th August and 9^th September – the Japanese fire bomb the Oregon forests, USA. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

Music, ballet and bathing in Brighton - Tuesday 11th August 1942

Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex

 

Tuesday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            Many thanks for letter, with all the news.  I’m trying to write this sitting on the prom (it’s dinner-time), which isn’t the easiest of  jobs. There’s a high wind and marvelous sunshine, ideal sailing weather.

            I managed to get home for Saturday afternoon and Sunday last.  I had a day pass for Sunday but decided to hop-it on Saturday.  Everything appears to be all right in that quarter, though Michael’s a wee bit slimmer.

            I would have had a swim in the Lagoon had I a costume.  There were quite a few swimmin’ there, and I rather wished I could have managed it, but I’ve been in the baths here at dinner time so I’m not entirely ‘swimless’.

            My arm appears to be all right now, though it was pretty bad for over a week.  The trouble is that I’ve had nearly a score of letters to write during the past week.

            I went to the Anglo-polish Ballet twice during their stay here.  Quite good
on the whole.  There is also another company here who style themselves ‘the New Russian Ballet Company’, so I may pop along to see them tonight.  Eileen Joyce* is playing with the Bournemouth Philharmonic (Wessex) here on Sunday, so I won’t miss her!  Though like Brinner I missed Moseivitch** by inches.

            Hope everyone at home is up to scratch, I’m very fit myself (for a change) and enjoying every minute of this course.  I don’t suppose I’ll go back to Dover as I believe they’ve moved. 

            I must close here Darling, to get back on time.

                                                             All my love, Precious

                                                                                    Dicker

P.S.  I should get nine days*** in about five weeks time.  Perhaps a month ---

*Eileen Joyce was a glamorous Australian pianist.

**Benno Moisevitch, a Ukrainian-born pianist, gave hundreds of recitals for servicemen and charities during the war.

***nine days leave

 © Chotie Darling

 

12th August 1942 – Churchill arrived in Moscow for talks with Stalin. They eventually agreed there would be no ‘second front’ across the Channel during 1942, despite Stalin’s urgent demands to deflect German attention from Russia.  (From WW2-net Timelines and  ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012.)

 

13^th August 1942 - Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery, the ‘Spartan’ General, took command of the Eighth Army fighting in the desert to defend Cairo and the Suez Canal from the advance of German forces under Rommel.  (See WW2-net Timelines and Wilfred Jarvis Institute for Montgomery's famous 'atmosphere' speech.)

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.

The Divisional Commander - Monday 6th July

The War in Dorset - July 1942

On 2^nd July air attacks on coastal defences in West Dorset damaged buildings and electricity supplies.

In Lyme Bay on 9^thJuly German E-boats (called Schnellboots for their speed) attacked Allied Coast Convoy WP183 sinking a tanker, four freighters and an armed escort trawler.

An air attack on Swanage on 13^th July caused injuries and damage to buildings.

From 19^th to 22^nd July German mines were being laid in the Channel off the Dorset coast. The people of Poole adopted a minesweeper on 29^th July, which became HMS Poole. At the time 35 vessels were being financed by warsavings from Dorset.

During July, a VIP air hanger, with specially built blast walls, was constructed at RAF Hurn to house Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s personal plane and other special aircraft.

(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004)

 

July 1942 - 1^stAir Landing Squadron were based at Carter Barracks on the Bulford ranges of Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

From 1st to 3rd July 1942 two 1^st Air Landing Squadron Troops took part in Brigade Exercise, one Troop operating on each side.  They were led by Captains G.L.Falkim and G.C. Roberts, Lieutenants D.M. Freegard and L.A.W. Hayes and 2^nd Lieutenant A.J. Waterman.  The exercises lasted 3 days and on 4^th July 1^st Air Landing Squadron had a Free Day.

On Sunday 5^th July 35 officers and men took part in a Glider Flying day. 3 sorties were made from Netheravon Aerodrome with flights of one hour each and the men practiced deplaning drill on landing.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

1^st July 1942 – As Rommel advances into Egypt British officials in Cairo begin burning official documents (so many that the day was nicknamed ‘Ash Wednesday’) and desertions rose rapidly in the British Army of the Nile. However, Rommel’s attacks on the British positions at El Alemein were unsuccessful; the line held and Rommel was put on the defensive.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

4^th July 1942 – Sevastopol, a strategically important port on the Black Sea and capital of the Crimea, is captured by the Germans after a siege of 250 days.

German aircraft and U-boats attack PQ-17, the largest supply convoy Britain until then to be sent to the Soviet Union.  24 out of the 33 vessels were sunk in the Barents Sea east of Svalbard – one of the greatest Naval disasters of the war.

The German authorities begin systematically gassing Jews at Auschwitz near Krakow in southern Poland.

 

 

1st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps, Home Forces 

Monday Eve.

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                        Thanks for letter received a few days ago.  I'm now back from this scheme, and would have written before but have only just come off a 24 hr guard.

            Just as luck would have it, the Divisional Commander* decided to pay us a call this morning so of course the Guard had to turn out for inspection.  Rumour has it that
he was once married to Daphne du M**, but I'm sure I don't know for certain. He’s a Major-General and by repute the best dressed man in the Army.

            I understand from Home that the Bryn is now a Lance–Jack - which makes him my senior, curse him!  He hasn't yet been home on leave - so it's probably all for the best that we took ours when we did.

            I met a very decent chap here - Philip by name, who is the image of Richard Dix.  He happens to be rather well-read so we have much in common... (Conceit of the man!).  He was a Glider Pilot but was thrown out in company with some fifty others and posted here.  Quite a good crowd but very R.A.F.ish.  You know - such nice little boys. 

            I went down as far as the Town where Strongs brew their xxxx*** and went all over the forest on the scheme.  We slept out in the open each night – 3hrs a night.  Pretty rough but quite good fun on the whole. 

            I've just had a letter from Mother - who appears to be much better now, after having had rather a bad time of it. Dad also wrote a few days ago - a sure sign that Mother was not up to par.  (That pun, wasn't intended, Darling!).

            I'm afraid there's no chance of my seeing you Precious, as we're working seven days a week.  If I do ever get a Sunday off though I'll come straight down. 

            I've done a bit more flying - but I'll tell you about it when next we meet.

            Well, Darling, there's nothing new, only that I love you Chotie, Darling and miss you more than ever.  All we seem to be able to look forward to is the time when we’ll never have to worry about the scourge of separation, - or having to be over careful about things...

            Goodnight my Darling,

                                                                        All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

PS       I wish you could see the sun set over the Plain*** tonight.  Turner would have revelled in it.

PPS. Brinner's had a letter from Pete! He's in Leicester.

 

* Frederick Browning, Commander of the 1^st Airborne Division consisting of the 1^st Airlanding Brigade and the British 1^st Parachute Brigade and from July 1942, the 2^nd Parachute Brigade (which brought it up to strength as a division).  He later became Deputy Commander of the 1^st Allied Airborne Division and was knighted in 1946.  He had married the novelist Daphne du Maurier - the author of Dick’s favourite novel 'Rebecca'- in 1932.

** Romsey – so presumably the New Forest in Hampshire.

*** Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

 

 © Chotie Darling

 

On the 6th July 1942 a party from 1^st Air Landing Squadron were fined and then grounded – they appear to have received a visit from Major-General Browning, the Commander of 1^st Airborne (see above).

From 7^th to 15th July 1942 the Squadron held Unit Cadres* – N.C.O., Fieldcraft, Weapon training and M/C (motorcycle) riding - with demonstrations by Paratroops & Air Landing Troops to High Officers and members of the Ministry of Production on 9^th and 10th July. 

*Cadre = A nucleus of trained personnel selected to train others or develop and build an organisation around which a larger organisation can be built and trained eg a cadre of corporals who train recruits. 

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

10^th July 1942 – Rommel’s Afrika Corps again attack the El Alamein line but an Australian Division breaks through the Italian formation and captures Rommel’s signals intelligence unit.  Without this and deciphered messages from the American military attaché in Cairo (the Germans had cracked his code in December 1941 but Bonner Fellers returned to the US in July) Rommel could only guess Allied intentions.  Conversely the British were now aware of Rommel’s plans through Ultra, their Enigma decrypts of German messages.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

 

Dick met up with Chotie,

returning late on the night of Saturday 11^th July.

 

Dick’s service record shows he was posted

to the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment on 11^th July 1942

(see "Transfers" - letter of 26th June 1942)

Copy of Record:

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

11.7.42      Posted to 43^rd Recce Regt.   Army Rank Trooper  Place Field

 

Dick left first Air Landing on 11^th July

with “about half the old squadron”.

 

On 17^th July the 1^st Airborne Division was brought up to full divisional strength with the formation of the 2^nd Parachute brigade. Browning was determined that the Airborne would not be sacrificed in "penny packets" and had urged the formation of a third brigade (see Just Ordinary Men ).

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.

 

Transfers - Friday 26th June 1942

1^st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps, Home Forces 

Friday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                                    Many thanks for your letter, received a couple of days ago.  I was pleased to read about your meeting Norman - quite the little man now, isn't he? You didn't say what he is doing here, ie. is he on leave, stationed in England or what?  Don't forget to let me know.  After all - I should like to see him again.  Is he very “different”?  It's hard to think of Norman as a hardened boozer - but believe me, Honey, the Services will drive you to “anythink” - in next to no time.

            Well, so much for Norman. For my part at the moment, - I'm on the sick list - sore throat.  I've had it ever since I came back from leave, and it's got worse every day. 
I've now got to the stage when I have to gargle three times per diem*!  However I hope to get rid of it in a few days.

    It's my day off tomorrow, but being sick, of course, I can't get a pass - although of course it won't have been any use to me, as you would have been working Sat morning.  I understand that in future there will be no more of these day passes - though I don't yet know what the new system will be.

    There are transfers right and left at the moment, so I may get mine soon**, which will be a relief to mother, I'm thinking.

    Have you thought of a name for our horseshoe yet?  I'm relying on you, Darling.. Think hard, LuluBelle ...

    I suppose Brinner's home now.  I haven't heard from home since I got back, so I hope everything’s all right.

    I went out last night to the first time in days and saw a very good show at the Garrison Theatre.  I never go out here, as there is nothing to go out for, and it's quite a long way to the theatre.

                                    Well, Darling, I must close here, as there's little news.

     Please write soon, Precious - your letters mean a hell of a lot out here in the wilds.

                         Bye, bye, Darling - and remember I love you very, very much.

                                                        God bless you, Chotie,

                                                                                    Dicker

*per day.

**According to family memories Dick was transferred out of the Airborne because they found ‘sugar in his blood’ but he wasn’t diabetic.  Although temporary hyperglycemia is often benign and asymptomatic the Airborne medical was very rigorous and any possible problems to the eyesight (damage to the retina is one of the possible symptoms) meant you were out.

© Chotie Darling

 

27th June 1942 – 1^st Air Landing Squadron saw the film ‘Next of Kin’ (a WW2 propaganda film used to promote the government message that “Careless talk costs lives”). (From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

27^th June 1942 – PQ-17, an Allied convoy of 40 ships, set sail from Iceland to supply Russia. By 15^th July it had lost 24 ships and a cargo including 210 aircraft, 430 tanks and 3,350 lorries in attacks by the Luftwaffe and U-boats. The Germans lost only 5 planes and no U-boats in the attacks.  (From WW2-net Timelines )

28th June 1942 – in the opening moves of Operation Blau, Germany’s offensive towards Stalingrad, Voronezh (500 km south of Moscow) is attacked but successfully and ferociously defended by the Soviets.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

 

Pagham - Thursday 11th June 1942

 “St Margarets”

Lea Lane, Pagham, Sussex

Thursday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            Received your letter this morning, and also your telegram of course, which was already here by the time I arrived.

                I'm just penning these few words, to let you know that I'll meet you on Chichester Station on Saturday.  The train should get in somewhere about 7.30 I suppose.  Remember, Chichester - not Bognor.

                                         Bye, bye ‘till Saturday Darling –

                                                                                    love

                                                                                                Dicker

 © Chotie Darling

Chotie and Dick met up at Pagham.

Chotie, Dilys (Dick's sister) and Pa Williams

Brin and Pa Williams

 
Pa Williams, Dilys (Dick's sister) and Chotie

“…and when they moved to Pagham, Sussex, to a pretty chalet-like house, I went to stay with them.

            That house was full of singing and music – so happy. We walked round a lagoon , ending up with a beer in a Selsey pub. I did so like his family. There was no
serious religion, which I was subject to at home. Dicker did not have much time for the church, saying “Why do Bishops live in Palaces?”

 From ‘Chotie’s Story’.

© Chotie Darling

 

While Dick was on leave 1^st Air Landing Squadron were training on the Vickers MMG (Medium Machine Gun) Range on Saturday 13th June 1942 and on beach bomb Ranges for field firing on 14^th June.

They were  moved by rail to Kimmeridge Bay* (Dorset) for field firing training on 15^th June.  On 18th June the squadron marched 25 miles from Kimmeridge Bay Firing Range back towards Bulford. Unit transport picked them up for the last 20 miles on 19^th June.

20^th & 21st June 1942 – 1^st Air Landing Squadron were Tiger Moth flying at Shrewton in Wiltshire.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

* Kimmeridge is on the south coast of the Isle of Purbeck, ironically close to Chotie’s home town of Poole and near where she was (briefly) stationed in the Land Army at Church Knowle in October 1942. The lovely bay became England’s first voluntary marine nature reserve, managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and in later life was one of Chotie’s favourite places to visit.

 

14^th June 1942 – German saboteurs landed on Long Island near Jacksonwille in Florida, USA. They were quickly picked up and executed after trial.

 

19th June 1942 – Churchill and Roosevelt met to plan Allied offensives against the Germans for the rest of 1942.  They agree that American troops will join their Allies to invade French (West) Africa in Operation Gymnast (which became Operation Torch).

 

21st June 1942 – Rommel’s Afrika Corps capture the key port of Tobruk in Libya after a 4 day assault following the Battle of the Gazala line.  (The Australians had defended Tobruk under siege for more than 7 months in 1941). Rommel found more than 4,000 tons of oil had not been destroyed in Tobruk – vital supplies for his planned advance into Egypt.  Churchill, who had ordered that Tobtuk was to be held at all coasts was dismayed and wrote “Defeat is one thing, disgrace is another”.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

20^th & 21st June 1942 – Dick appears to have been granted his 1^st Long Service and Good Conduct (L.S. & G.C. badge - one chevron on lower arm) retrospectively. It was due on 21^st June 1942 and although this date appears on the record of his Service and Casualty Form it follows records from September 1942.

Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

21.6.42  Granted 1^st L.S. & G.C Badge  Army Rank Trooper  Place Home Forces

 

The King and Queen - Saturday 23rd May 1942

21^st May 1942 – The Airborne Division was visited by their Majesties the King and Queen at Bulford (Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire) followed by demonstrations by various units of the Division.  1^st Air Landing Squadron was inspected and the Commanding Officer presented to the King. 

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

22^nd May 1942 – Mexico declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan.

 

5731671 Tpr Williams R

1^st Air Landing Sqdn

 Recce Corps

HOME FORCES

My Darling Chotie,

            Hope you will excuse my writing in pencil but expect you are used to it by now...

            Many thanks for letter - as welcome as ever.

            Glad to see you managed to get a swim in - which is more than I've been able to - not that I've got the inclination - seem to have lost all interest in that direction, which is probably a good thing as I always tended to overdo it.  I rather think Brinner has also lost interest.  If ever I get out of this show alive I'm all for a life of ease – swimming’s far too strenuous.

            So Margaret has made it up with Ted to quote your own words.  Well, well...On ne sait jamais*..

            Had quite a thrill on Thursday - when we were inspected by the King & Queen and a score of Generals.  It was a demonstration of Paratroops & Gliders etc.

            I hope Johnny knows what he's letting himself in for.  At any rate he'll find out sooner or later.

            Did you hear the “Barber**” this afternoon (Saturday)?  Unfortunately I was working and missed it.  I cursed my ill-luck bitterly.

            Flying all the morning - cold & cloudy.

            Lucky Diller - wish I was going down, or rather we were.

            Books: “Portrait of a Village” Francis Brett Young**, “Blood & Sand” Ibanez - though rather dull gives quite a true appreciation of the life of a Torero.

            Brinner may have moved by now - probably has.  Near Winchester I believe - couldn't be worse than Oakmere Farm - I was horror struck when I saw it last Saturday. 

            Raining hard at the moment - very miserable - the weather I mean - I'm reasonably cheerful.

            Well, Precious no news as per usual. 

            Incidentally will you get in touch with Eric and get him to send me a GROUNDSHEET. MOST IMPORTANT!!! I'm about to be charged 18/- for one! Will you send it, Darling?  (please...) - and I'll give you a big kiss...(Hope that will do the trick). 

                        Well, bye, bye for now, Darling.

                                                            All yours,

                                                                        Dicker

PS.      I now drive a 15 cwt truck. It was called ‘ Evelyn’ but is now ‘Chotie’ - I painted it in Gothic’s.

                                                                xxxxxxx

                                                                        all for you!

                                                                                    Darling.

                                                                                                Xxxxx

 

*French for “You never can tell”.

**Presumably the ‘Barber of Seville’, an Italian comic opera by Rossini.

***A mystery story set in the Black Mountains of Wales.

****A famous tale about bullfighting in Spain.

Ted Lewis

© Chotie Darling

 

23^rd May 1942 – the British Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces orders an end to ‘blood-lust inculcation’ in battle training.

( From WW2-net Timelines. )

 

26^th May 1942 – Britain and Russia sign a treaty in London pledging to fight Germany until final victory. They also agreed a 20-year alliance. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

The Battle for the Gazala Line in Libya begins with an offensive by the German Afrika Corps towards Tobruk and the line held by the Allies’ Eighth Army while Rommel’s main forces outflanked the line from the south, attacking the forces now cut off at Bir Hakeim where the 1^st Free French Brigade stood firm.   On 31^st May in the ‘Battle of the Cauldron’ the British 150^th Brigade was eventually destroyed.  50^th Recce Regiment, which was also attached to the 50^th Division, was annihilated in the Battles of the Gazala line (leading to Dick’s 61^st Recce taking its place in 1944). It was an Axis victory ending with the withdrawal of the Allies towards Egypt on 14^th June and the fall of Tobruk on 21^st June. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

50 Recce was all but destroyed during the action and its place as the ‘eyes’ of the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division was later taken by 61^st Recce – Dick’s Regiment in North-West Europe. (From ‘The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II’ by Richard Doherty, Osprey Publishing 2007)

27^th May 1942 – 152 Berlin students were shot for displaying anti-Nazi posters.(From WW2-net Timelines.)  

On the same day Reinhard Heydrich, the German SS (Shutzstaffel – Nazi paramilitary and police) General and major architect of the Jewish Holocaust was shot in Prague by two Czech volunteers trained by the British Special Operations Executive. He died of his wounds on 4^th June. Lidice, a Czech village of 2,000 people, was raised to the ground by the Germans in reprisal. All the men over 16 were shot and the women and children sent to concentration camps. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

28^th May 1942 – beginning of Operation ‘Blau’, the German summer offensive in Russia.  Defeat of the Soviets at Kharkov. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

29^th May 1942 – 1^st Air Landing Squadron move from Shaw House, Newbury to take up quarters at Bulford on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

I have not been able to identify the soldiers on this photo but they appear to be wearing the 1st Airborne Division's Pegasus badge. If you can help please comment. They were Dick's photos.

 

30th and 31st May 1942 - the Allies’ first 1,000 bomber raid attacked Cologne in Germany, killing 486 civilians and destroying 600 acres of the city.

31^st May 1942 – a Japanese midget submarine entered Sydney Harbour in Australia. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

Eric Postles was now with the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment in Northern Ireland, in 10 Troop 'B Squadron' – he would fight alongside Dick in B Squadron from June 1944 to February 1945.

“After training was completed I was sent on a 6 week course at the Divisional Driver Mechanics School at Cookstown (in the centre of Northern Ireland) where I learnt to mend and maintain vehicles.  On return I joined 10 Troop B Squadron Carriers and Armoured Cars and remained with the troop until the regiment disbanded.  I got an extra 9d a day for passing the course.  Further training included a live firing assault course with Bren guns firing above you as you went along and over obstacles and wire.  The Recreation truck went into Armagh (near the southern border of the Province) at weekends where you could get sweets off ration in the shops.  Fred Neale, one of my pals, was with me in 10 Troop and another pal Jack Reed was in 13 Assault Troop.  Before D-day some of the older soldiers (including Fred) were posted out of the regiment and he went to The Ranges at Warcop…….”

(Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

YMCA - Sunday 17th May 1942

YMCA

WITH HIS MAJESTY’S FORCES

 PLEASE ADDRESS YOUR REPLY TO

 

No. 5731671     Rank Tpr         Name Williams R

Address 1st Air Landing Squadron

            Recce Corps HOME FORCES       Date 17 – 5 - 42

 

My Darling Chotie,

                                        Many thanks for letter - glad to see you're still alive and kicking.

            I went over to Basingstoke yesterday to see Brinner - which took him rather by surprise in the midst of the delicate operation known as shaving. He's very fit and will be moving by the end of next week - he thinks.

            There's no further news from this end.  We're in the midst of specialised training which is pretty stiff and takes most of our spare time as well.

           There's a lot of sport here - I play hockey most of the time!  (Don't tell Diller for heaven's sake..)

           I'm on the MT* again - for the time being anyhow - and drive a 15 cwt** truck.  Not too bad as I manage to get out most of the time and see quite a bit of the local country.  Unfortunately when you're on the MT, you have to do your ordinary training as well! - which is rather a blow.

            I've heard from home that they have settled down once again, which is quite a relief.  Brinner says it's not too bad, but the country is flat and very uninteresting***.  Chichester however is quite near and that is a beautiful town if ever there was one.

            In any case, we shall see for ourselves, soon, I hope. 

            Well, Darling, as I said before, there's no news - is there ever? - and I must conclude here to get back to billets in time.

                                                            Bye, bye my Darling

                                                                        all my love

                                                                                    Dicker

 

P.S.     Please give my best wishes to all and sundry, won't you?

PPS     Still love you, Precious...

                                                xxxx

                                                            xx       

 

*MT = Motorised Transport 

**cwt = hundredweight - 112 pounds in the British Imperial System (or 50.8 kg.)

***Dick's family had moved from Poole to Pagham in East Sussex.

© Chotie Darling

 

20^th May 1942 – British forces retreating from Burma reach the Indian frontier.(See WW2-net Timelines)

Malta receives re-inforcements (spitfires were brought in by the US Navy ship Wasp), deterring  Germany’s planned airborne invasion. 

Poor Margaret - Monday 11th May 1942

5731671 Tpr etc

1st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps

HOME FORCES

 

Monday Evening

My Darling Chotie,

                                             Many thanks for letter received this morning - took away that Monday Morning Feeling like fun. 

            Glad to hear you've had a letter from Eric, and to read same.  Pay no attention to his latest affair - he gets like that periodically.  He'll soon get over it - mark my words.

            Poor Margaret*!  She does seem to strike it unlucky, doesn't she?  I expect you're getting worried - but have no fears, Darling, I won't run away.

            Pleased to see you've really got going with the old First Aid - may be very useful someday.  Cheerful ain't I? - but remember what I said about Eric.

            Brinner came over to see me on Saturday - and we swapped yarns as of yore.  Unhappily, he had to go back before the pubs opened and consequently we parted rather thirstily.  All the same it made quite a break.

            I haven't heard from home since the move, so I'm expecting a welcome letter from that quarter.

            Incidentally, don't worry about my aerial activities - it's really quite safe.

            I'm afraid I don't write very long letters, Darling, firstly I have very little time of my own, and secondly there is so very little to write about anyhow.  I can't give any details of this place, or of our training, which leaves precious little to write home about.

            But, remember I still love you and always will, Precious.

                                                                                    All my love, Chotie,

                                                                                                Dicker

 P.S. Give my kindest regards to all your family and console Margaret for me.

 

*Chotie’s elder sister. (See Tom's Death - August 1940 )

© Chotie Darling

 

12^th May 1942 –six officers and six O.R.s (Ordinary Ranks) of 1^stAir Landing Squadron went gliding.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

12th May 1942 – the second Battle of Kharkov (south of Moscow, in the Ukraine) begins with an offensive by Soviet forces but ends on 28th May with victory for the Germans with over 200,000 Russian soldiers captured, wounded or killed. Nikita Khrushchev was one of the Soviet commanders and his hatred of Stalin is said to date from the dictators  refusal to allow their forces to withdraw.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

13^th May 1942 – Operation Rutter (the original codename for the Allies' disastrous raid on Dieppe), which took place in August 1942, is approved. It was led by Combined Operations. (From WW2-net Timelines)

From the Air - Wednesday 6th May

On Saturday 2^nd May 1942 1^st Air Landing Squadron was training on the Bulford Ranges, Salisbury Plain and on Sunday Dick had his first flight. The squadron diary records ‘Night flying’.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew and ‘Chotie Darling’)

 

3rd May 1942 – the Japanese land on Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.

 

5th May 1942 – the Japanese advance into China along the Burma Road.

The British attack French Vichy Madagascar (the battle continued until November 1942).

(From WW2-net Timelines)

6^th May 1942 – The last of the Allied forces on the Philippines (13,000 troops on the Island of Corregidor) surrender to the Japanese. 

 

Wednesday 6^th May 1942 – the Commanding Officer and four officers of 1^st Air Landing Squadron flew in gliders with 80 O.R.s (Ordinary Ranks) taking particular note of any air sickness.

On the same day Browning met Churchill and requested 96 aircraft to get 1^st Airborne Division battle ready. The RAF agreed to supply 83 Whitleys and 10 Halifax bombers to tow the larger Hamilcar gliders.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew and Wikipedia)

 

5731671 Tpr Williams RK

1st Air Landing Sqdn

Recce Corps

HOME FORCES.

My Darling Chotie,

                                             Many thanks for letter received to-day (Wednesday).  Your letters always seemed to cheer me up just at the right moment.  I also had a letter from home, so I'm feeling particularly cheerful.

Well, I made my first flight here, on Sunday last in a glider - and go up again tomorrow.

Flying in my humble opinion is much overrated and can't be compared to Sailing. I said my humble opinion... However, I must admit it does make a break in the ordinary routine, but I should not like to be up every day.  The country-side looks marvelous from the air, except where it's spoiled by Army Camps and tracks of vehicles, etc.  Altogether not too bad on the whole.

        I'm glad to hear you've started a little First-Aid.  Should you meet Eric* on this subject, just ignore him, - he knows nothing about it, and may tend to have a harmful influence on your work.  Unfortunately, First Aid Classes always seemed to pay particular attention to fingers, arms etc, and leave the rest of the anatomy - where you are usually seem to get hit - to the care of Mother Nature...However, we mustn't grumble.

Glad to hear you still love me, Darling - keeps my head above the water.

Fancy old Monica** pulling a fast one like that - and after she swore blind I'd be the only father of a child by herself.  Ingratitude ...

        I have to get up at 5 am to-morrow for this flying, curse it, so must close here.

                                                 All my love, Precious

                                                                                                Your adoring

                                                                                                            Dicker

*Eric was a close friend mentioned in Chapters 1 and 2

**Monica, Dick’s former girlfriend, apparently now 'with child’.

© Chotie Darling

 

7^th and 8^th May 1942 – Battle of the Coral Sea (lying between the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and NE Australia) between the Allies and Japan. This was the largest naval battle ever fought off Australia’s shores and the first naval battle fought by aircraft carriers. America lost the carrier Lexington and the Yorktown was also hit; the Japanese carrier Shohu was sunk and the Shokahu disabled.  The Japanese withdrew without landing as planned at Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea).  American Naval codebreakers had deciphered a Japanese signal revealing the destination, enabling their taskforce to intercept the invasion.

8th May 1942 – the German Army began its offensive on the Eastern Crimea; Soviet forces experienced terrible losses. On 10^th May Churchill warned that Britain would use poison gas on Germany if the Germans did so in the Soviet Union. (From WW2-net Timelines)

 

10th May 1942 – opening of the German death camp, Maly Trostenets, near Minsk. Thousands of Jews lost their lives there.

Home Forces - Friday 1st? May 1942

The War in Dorset - May 1942

On 14^th May 1942 a landslip at Cairn’s Folly near Charmouth destroyed the radio station on the clifftop. Two German ‘T’ boats were sunk off the Dorset coast by Royal Navy motor torpedo boats on 19^th May and on 23^rd May the German flying ace Hauptmann Langur was killed when he crashed into a Shaftesbury hillside in low cloud.  The RAF plane attacking him was able to operate through the cloud using the ‘Starlight’ radar system from Sopley near Christchurch.  

24^th/25^th May – following a Pathfinder bombing, which unfortunately killed several people and damaged houses in the Hamworthy area, a bomb fell on the Brownsea decoy site setting off prepared cordite flashes.  The Special Fires (code name ‘Star Fish’ - pyrotechnics simulating bursting bombs and burning buildings) were started on the island attracting a 75 minute bombardment from 60 enemy aircraft that would have done terrible damage in Poole, where Chotie lived.  Out of 166 tons of bombs used that night, all but 9 tons fell harmlessly on the decoy.  Even so 140 people had to be accommodated in the Sandacres Hotel, Sandbanks that night and one bomb hit a military target – the Poole Home Guard company HQ in Lindsay Road, where one Guardsman was killed.  (See also December 1942 - the war in Dorset.)

At the end of May 1942 the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Worth Matravers, near Swanage in Dorset, moved inland to Malvern in Worcestershire.  The success of the Bruneval Raid had alerted them to the dangers of a coastal raid on their vital and very secret research.

(From ‘The Book of Poole Harbour’ edited by Bernard Dyer and Timothy Darvill and published by The Dovecote press Ltd 2010, ‘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.)

 

 

In May 1942 Lt-General “Boy” Browning, the Commander of 1^st Airborne Division, devised an inspirational emblem to represent the airborne forces and introduced the famous ‘red’ beret, which is still used to this day. The badge of the winged horse Pegasus and his rider Bellerophon was taken from Greek myth and designed by Major Edward Seago. It became the divisional shoulder flash of the airborne forces.  (See The Pegasus Journal )

1^stAir Landing Squadron Officers listed for May 1942:

Major C.J.H. Gough;

Captains: G.C. Roberts, J.P. Royle, C.W. Suter;

Lieutenants: D.Allsop (captain of Freddie Gough’s 1^stAirborne Reconnaissance Squadron at Arnhem, awarded the Dutch Bronze Lion), D.M.Freegard (mentioned in despatches
as a Major in 1945), T.J. Firbank, M.W.Grubb, J.A.Hay and G.L.Millar

2^ndLieutenants:  R.J.Clark, Kindersley, H. Poole and A.J. Waterman.

(See Joining Browning's Boys )

For most of May 1942 1^stAir Landing Squadron was still based at Shaw House, near Newbury.

1^st May 1942 – City of Bath placed out of bounds for 1^st Air Landing Squadron except for duty on special leave. (Why? Was this because of the Baedeker Raids?)

(From The Pegasus Archive, Just Ordinary Men, Operation Market Garden and the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

Trooper Williams RR

1^st Air Landing Sqdn.

Reconnaissance Corps

HOME FORCES

N.B. New Address

                        NOTHING ELSE!

Friday

Dearest, Darling Chotie,

                                                     Many thanks for letter received yesterday.  It would appear that it took ages to get here - but the new address, Home Forces, is apparently much quicker.  However it did arrive, which is the main thing.

I must begin this letter as usual by an apology for this paper - after all, there's a war on, somewhere, so convention must go by the board.

I hope you're quite well Precious and looking after yourself as you mean a helluva lot to me (slush...!) - but seriously, Darling, takes great care, and dodge the bombs, if any.

I've been to Bulford* all day, firing Anti-Tank Rifles, and managed to get quite brown as there was plenty of wind and sun.  The weather here is excellent, and I eat like a horse (or two).

Incidentally, I'm at the place I expected to go to - the one we found on the map, but I'm not of course allowed to write it down in letters - hence the address - Home Forces.  I had a letter from home a couple of days ago - things there, being a little brighter than usual.  Diller however can give you more dope on this question then I can.  It's quite all  right for you to tell Diller where I am, so don't be frightened on that score.

I met quite a decent bloke here, who's very much like Douglas (Enid's?).  He's a throw out from a Military Academy and joined the 70th Hants** (Brinner's crowd) and transferred here the same time as I did.

I'm afraid there's no news - I am up to my eyes in work and get very little time to call my own.  Hope everyone at home is up to par, and hope you will give them all my fondest regards, etc.

This is a glorious county - reveling in old houses particularly Georgian and Elizabethan.  I saw plenty of such desirable abodes today as I did nearly a hundred miles in the truck.

Well, I must close here as I'm on night operations in about half an hour and have to get my kit ready.

                                                            All my love, Darling

                                                                        Dicker xxx

P.S.
Home Address

                        “BROOMLEIGH”

                                    PAGHAM BEACH

                                                BOGNOR

                                                            SUSSEX.***

PPS     Look after yourself!!!

 

*Bulford ranges on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

** The 70th Battalion (the 70th was usually the “Young Soldiers” battalion) of the Hampshire Regiment was formed in Southampton in September 1940, but soon moved to Basingstoke. It was disbanded in July 1943. It appears that Dick’s younger brother, Brian or Brinner, had now joined up.

***Dicker’s family had now moved to Pagham in Sussex. Dick’s next of kin (father) is listed as Capt. Dudley Kelner Beresford Williams of St Margarets, Sea Lane, Pagham, Sussex but the family first moved to ‘Broomleigh’.

© Chotie Darling

Shaw House, Newbury - c. Wednesday 22nd April 1942

Pte 5731671 Williams RK

1st Air Landing Coy

Recce Corps

C/o A.P.O. NOTTINGHAM.

My Darling,

            Arrived here safe and sound on Monday Evening.

            This is one hell of a crowd. Discipline isn't in it. They're trying to break the Guards peace time standard and believe me they're doing it.  Everything has to be blancoed* up to scratch nearly every day. I shall get little or no time off.

            The only good thing about it is the leave.  Apparently they get Seven Days every nine weeks or so - which is amazing for the Army.

            I start on a course on Monday next - it's just like being a rookie all over again.

            The Company here is billeted in a marvelous old house – Elizabethan* - with hundreds of rooms, banqueting halls etc.

            Incidentally you must write to the address as shown, and not the one you already know - for security reasons. You might advise Diller or Mother if you write, as I've had to give them the Nottingham address of course.

            For Pete's sake, how long's the war going to last?  I only hope your mother's right, when she says it will be over this year.

            I'm afraid I can't say anything of local interest, etc as these letters are sometimes censored for security reasons.

            I miss you already, Darling - how am I going to feel in a month’s time?

            I'm afraid I must close here as I have a hell of a lot to do.  Please write
soon my Darling as I feel b----- lonely.

                                                                        all my love Precious,

                                                                                    your adoring

                                                                                                Dicker

*Blanco was a cleaning compound used on the cotton of army uniforms. ‘Bull, Blanco and Brasso’ meant getting uniforms immaculate.

** Shaw House, Newbury, Berkshire - the base for 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron mentioned in their wartime diary in the National Archives, Kew. This grade 1 listed Elizabethan Building is now owned by West Berkshire Council and open to the public.

 © Chotie Darling

 

23^rd April 1942 - In a secret session of the House of Commons, Churchill delivered a speech declaring that the liberation of Europe was 'the main war plan' of Britain and the USA. (From WW2-net Timelines. )

 

Friday 24^th April 1942 - 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron changes its designation to 1^st Air Landing Squadron, Recce Corps. On 27^th April its address was changed to 'Home Forces’. The Squadron used the mortar range at Chobham (Surrey?) on Tuesday 28^th and were training with night flying gliders on the 29^th.

(From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)

 

24th April 1942 - The Luftwaffe raids Exeter in the first of Hitler's raids on historical cities in retaliation for the bombing of Lübeck at the end of March. These became known as the 'Baedeker' raids after the famous guidebook series.

The Allies second raid was made against Rostock in Germany and on 25th April the Luftwaffe attacked Bath. The 'Baedeker' raids continued with the bombing of York and Norwich in late April and of Canterbury in May and June, after the Allies’ bombing of Cologne.

 

28th April 1942 – the Nazi Reichstag, Germany’s ‘puppet government’ declares Hitler ‘Supreme Judge of the German People’ and above the reach of the law. This turns out to be its last meeting. (From WW2-net Timelines.)