Chotie Darling

A Commission

Copy of Record        Service & Casualty Form   

O.C.T.U., Sandhurst…..Camberley, Surrey              DISCHARGED  30.10.43

For the purpose of being appointed to a commission in accordance with King’s Regulations, 1940, paragraph 390 (xvii)

 

 

Copy of Record       “Exemplary” Military Conduct

PAGE I.                                                                                    Substitute A.F.B.268.

Army No. 5731671

Rank.  Tpr                                                                                Appointment   Cadet

Surname  WILLIAMS                                         Christian Names   Richard Kelner

Unit:-  100 (Sandhurst) R.A.C.  O.C.T.U.                           Corps:-   43/Recce Rgt.

Reservist’s Identity No.                           Date of transfer to Reserve.

Date of discharge   30.10.43

W.O.Authority for Discharge   111/GEN/4885/AG.17/B d./24.10.43.

PAGE II.

(a)     Military Conduct      Exemplary

(b)    Testimonial as recorded on p.2 of Certificate of Service (A.F. B.108.)

“Selected for training as an officer at the 100 (Sandhurst) R.A.C., O.C.T.U., and has obtained a commission on satisfactorily completing this course”.

Cause of Discharge (See Note J.)

            “For the purpose of being appointed to a commission in accordane with

            King’s Regulations 1940 para. 390 (xvii)”.

Date of discharge   30.10.43

Station              Sandhurst                                R.A.C.  O.C.T.U. SANDHURST

Date     30.10.43.

 

Copy of Record      from Statement of Service

Military History Sheet

Service at Home and Abroad

Country  HOME           Service to count as British or Indian.  BRITISH

From 21-6-40            To       30/10/43       Length of Service                       3

 

PT/II 126/43   100/OCTU       

Discharged under para.390 (xvii) K.R. 1940, having been appointed to a commission

61, RECCE REGT.    Authority WOL 112/GEN/4885 (A-G. 17. B)        D/24/10/43  

 

Army Rank Pte         30/10/43      

AW.K Row Ltn for O. 11c Infantry Records, Ashford, M2.

L.G.No 36265. 26 11/43

Total Service Engagement to 30/10/43 (date of discharge)             3 Years 132 Days

Total Service Pension to 30/10/43            3 Years 132 Days

 

On 30th October 1943

Dick received his commission and was

appointed to the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment.

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 Gentle Sex - Tuesday 28th September

 

Same Address

Tuesday 

My Darling,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                            love & kisses

                                                                                    Dicker

 

This letter was addressed to:

 W/242328 Pte Chalkley BE.

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

Markham, Easton in Gordano

Bristol

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

© Chotie Darling

 

 

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

 Copy of Record

Dental Treatment Card – 28/9/43         Bristol

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

Eric Postles writes:

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

Related articles

 

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.)

 

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

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.)

Postcard from Sandhurst

Postcard – Royal Military College and Lake, Sandhurst, Camberley

Chotie,

            Just a line to let you know I got back from leave OK and will write you tomorrow.  Had your letter today.  I get a long weekend Aug. 7^th.  How do you like my temporary ‘home’?

                                               love

                                                            Dicker

Student

25^th June 1943 Record:

Industry Group and Occupational Classification record from Sandhurst

Questionnaire under the provisions of A.C.I. 183 of 1941

1. What was your normal civilian occupation?     NONE

6. What was your home town and county? Town Orpington County Kent

No 5731671             Date 25 June ‘43

Rank  Officer-Cadet

NAME  WILLIAMS, R.K.

Unit  100 (Sandhurst) O.C.T.U. R.A.C.

Occupation     student 900

Registered Letter - Friday 11th June 1943

As before

Friday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                I’m afraid this will have to be a very short effort, as I’m Troop Leader this week and haven’t a moment of my own.

            I’ve been working up till midnight all the week and have all the worry of getting the admin. side done for the trip to Wales*.  We go at 4am Sunday!  Reveille’s at 3!

            I’m enclosing a troop photo we had taken the first day we arrived.

It’s pretty bloody.  If you can’t find me, let me know and I’ll give you the details of where I’m sitting.

            I’m also enclosing a quid which will help things along a little.  I hope ….

            I’ll try to get this letter registered tomorrow afternoon – if I get it off.

            Received your letter today.  Glad to hear you’re getting on as well as can be expected.  Must close here Darling.

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Dicker

Will write again just as soon as I can.

*Dick appears to have been at battle camp in Snowdonia for a week from Sunday 13^th to Saturday 19^th June.

 

Group photo with badges covered - possibly the Officer Cadet photo sent in this letter? Dick is third from the left in the front.

 © Chotie Darling

11^th June 1943 – bombardment of Sicily begins in preparation for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Europe from the south.  However, airfields in Greece, Sardinia and northern Italy are also targeted as part of an elaborate deception that included 'Operation Mincemeat'  (the planting of a dead body carrying ‘secret plans’ to convince the Germans that the Allies would invade through Greece and Sardinia).

11^th June 1943 – Heinrich Himmler, the Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood, orders the liquidation of all Polish ghettos by decree.  This is extended to the Soviet Union on 21^st June. (From Holocaust Research Project.)

 

17^th June 1943 – Eric Brewer, later of 61^st Recce’s B Squadron and diary recorder of their activities (see this blog and ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Ron Howard, Brewin Books 2004), was enlisted.  Extracts from his letters have also been published on this blog by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.

18^th June 1943 – ‘Radar’ (Radio Detection and Ranging) becomes the official term for ‘Radiolocation’.  (From WW2-net Timelines.) 

 

18^th June 1943 – Chotie visited the dentist at 71 MDN for the removal of a loose filling.

 See Dental Treatment Card – 18/6/43         71 MDN

 

20th June 1943 – RAF begin ‘shuttle bombing’ – planes leave England to bomb Germany then reload in North Africa to bomb Italy on return to England.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

21st June 1943 – Jean Moulin and other key members of the Conseil National de la Résistance captured at Lyons, leading to many arrests in the French underground networks.

21st June 1943 - beginning of Operation Animals, an organised campaign of sabotage in Greece to deceive the Germans that they intend to invade there.

 

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.) 

Sandhurst

On 12^th May 1943 Dick joined 100 Royal Armoured Corps OCTU

 at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst

 

Record from Service & Casualty Form 12^TH MAY 1943:

C.B.T.A.* to No 1 Pre-OCTU, R.A.C.         

W.E.F. 15^th May ’43 posting to 162^nd OCTU (HAC**) Sandhurst.

*Competency Based Training Assessment?

**Honourable Artillery Company

 The Royal Military College in Sandhurst, Surrey, is now where all officers of the British Army are trained to lead soldiers.  However, in World War 2 Sandhurst was used solely as the Royal Armoured Corps Training Unit OCTU from 1942.

 

12^th May 1943 – start Churchill and Roosevelt’s Trident Conference in Washington with the British seeking commitment to the invasion of Italy and America urging the invasion of Western Europe. D-day, the target date for the Allies cross-Channel invasion of Europe was set for 1^st May 1944 and the British agreed that 7 Divisions would be withdrawn from Italy before 1st November to support the forces landing in France.  One of these was Dick's future fighting Division, the 50th. Roosevelt agreed to the US 14^th Air Force continuing to build up air power in China to attack Japanese shipping although Stilwell, the US Commander in China and Burma, argued for more land forces to retake northern Burma.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

13^th May 1943 – the Royal Navy begin the bombardment of Pantelleria Island between Tunisia and Sicily.  This was followed by aerial bombing in early June and Allied invasion on 10^th June 1943 (Operation Corkscrew) in preparation for the invasion of Sicily.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

14th May 1943 – the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park decodes a message confirming the success of the Operation Mincemeat deception.

15th May 1943 – Stalin announces the dissolution of the Comintern, the Communist International organisation working for world revolution. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

16th May 1943 – RAF bomber squadron No 617, known as ‘the Dambusters’, successfully breaches the Möhne a  nd Eder dams with bouncing bombs, flooding the Ruhr valley and damaging the electricity supply to Germany’s industrial heartland.  Unfortunately more than a thousand of those killed in ‘Operation Chastise’ were Allied prisoners of war (mainly from the Soviet Union).

17^th May 1943 – Operation Schwartz, Germany’s 5^th offensive against Marshal Tito’s communist partisans in Yugoslavia, who had liberated large areas of Yugoslavia from Axis control. 10 days later a British liaison team parachuted in to join up with the Partisans.  The Allies had previously supported their rivals - General Mihailovic’s Royalist Chetnik forces, based in Serbia. By September 1943 Britain had established permanent formal liaison with the Partisans.   

Large German night raid against Cardiff, believed to be in retaliation for the Dambusters raid.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)  Chotie's anti-aircraft unit was probably involved as planes approached the city via the Severn Estuary.

18th May 1943 – a German ‘wolf-pack attack’ begins on the merchant Convoy SC-30 but, thanks to the Bletchley Park codebreakers, no Allied ships are lost and five U-boats are sunk.

Leave without Chotie

Telegram 5^th May 1943 

 

GO STRAIGHT TO PAGHAM = RICHARD ++

 

Dick was given 7 days leave at the end of his Pre-OCTU training.

Chotie didn’t make it down to Pagham, meet up with Dick during his leave or wire him.

 

 

7^th May 1943 – Following the success of Operation Strike British forces capture Tunis and the Americans enter Bizerte in Tunisia.  This ends the Battle of Tunisia and the Axis North Africa Campaign.  On 13^th May German and Italian Forces in Africa surrendered to the Allies who took over 230,000 prisoners of war. (See WW2-net Timelines.)

 

9^th May 1943 – defectors, who may have been British agents, flew a Junkers 88 fighter bomber from Denmark to Scotland, narrowly avoiding being shot down by spitfires before landing. The plane was of great value to British intelligence because it carried the new Liechtenstein BC radar set, contributing to the development of  new Window (see Telecommunications Research Establishment)  radar interference by T.R.E. (See Wikipedia.)

 

11^th May 1943 – the withdrawal of the British and Indian armies from Maungdaw in western Burma marks the end of the British Arakan campaign. All the ground gained since September 1942 has been lost to the Japanese with c.5,000 Allied casualties. (From Chronology of World War II .)

American forces land on the Aleutian Islands in the far northern Pacific (between Russia’s Kamchatka and the USA’s Alaska). Two US Aleutian Islands, Attu and Kiska, had been occupied by the Japanese since June 1942 - the only US soil taken by the Japanese.

Gunnery - Wednesday 28th April 1943

Wednesday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                Many thanks for letter of a few days ago. I seem to have a couple of hours buckshee so I’ve decided to reply while I have the opportunity.

            Glad to hear you’ve settled down at Bristol – I use Bristol in a rather broad sense – and finding the company of your friends congenial if not that of your male companions*.  Never mind Lulubelle – you’ve always got me to fall back on….

            I’ve managed to get this far without being retarded though I had a shaky time on wireless.  At present I’m doing gunnery which is pretty cushy – I hope.  If I get through this – and all goes well I should get leave on the 8^th May – 4 days only.  Bit naughty isn’t it?  Then its Sandhurst here I come …. (and go!)  But remember I shall have to get through gunnery….

            However that’s enough of this wishful thinking.

            I hope to get home this weekend if all goes well.  The snag here is that if you drop your rifle on parade or anything stupid like that, you lose all your weekends for a month or so.  So far I’ve managed to escape this nightmare.

            Had to give a lecture this morning – and chose ‘Factors in Post-War Economic Planning’ – sounded rather good to me. It went over very well.  Lot of rot, of course, but then you know me ….

            There were three of us here discussing letter-writing in all its aspects.  We have come to the inevitable conclusion that as an art it has definitely degenerated, in fact we have the greatest difficulty in writing anything at all.  All my notes are much behind schedule and leave a lot to be desired.

            Had rather a good tea today.  Went into the mess and had egg & chips – so we just walked out and in again at the other end and had some more egg & chips.  Pretty nippy.

                        Well, Darling I must close here owing to ink rationing,

                                                                        All my love

                                                                                    Dicker

 *Mum told me she developed quite a crush on one of her male ATS officers early in her career. Unfortunately he seemed to be ‘working his way through the ranks’.  Although initially ATS girls had gained a poor reputation for behaviour by 1942 Major Rees Williams wrote in this article on the Gunner Girls: “No mother need be afraid of entrusting her daughter to a gunner unit”.  Not strictly true of all Mixed Batteries perhaps?

I wonder if this photo is of Chotie's officer? It was among her wartime memorabilia.

He is included in this group photo ATS (taken by R.F.Wills of 40 Clarendon Road Bristol - click on the image and it will appear in a separate window) so seems to date from summer 1943. Chotie has ringed her face (end of second row from the back on the right).  The officer is in the third row back, fifth from the right.

This photo of ATS officers from the group above has had others torn out – possibly including the handsome officer above? All the photos were kept by Chotie. 

 

Chotie would also have met Lance Corporal Rosemary Stewart (see Rosemary's comment ) during her time with B troop:

“I am on the group photograph – 1^st left on the second row up. I had lost my copy of that photo so it was marvellous to see it again!

How well I remember Barbara,  – she had the most lovely smile and the most beautiful hair which she had great difficulty in keeping up above collar level as laid down in Kings Regulations!

I was a Lance Corporal in those days, and she was a member of my team. I always remember how she had a pair of eye lash curlers which she always insisted on using before going on parade! None of us aspired to such sophisticated beauty aids.

I also remember that she had a picture of her sister’s wedding on show in the barrack room. Barbara told me all about her family and her work before she joined up, and I remember how much she looked forward to the letters from Dicker.

I was with the battery in Bristol, Plymouth, Hull and a few other places before going off to OCTU.”

 © Chotie Darling  

 

30th April 1943 – a Spanish fisherman discovers a corpse in the sea near Huelva, apparently the body of a drowned English major.  This was Operation Mincemeat -a hoax carefully constructed by British Intelligence with the corpse carrying false letters that suggested the Allies planned to invade southern Europe through Greece and Sardinia but would pretend to invade via Sicily.  The Spanish passed this information to the Germans who strengthened their defences in Greece, Sardinia and Corsica, reducing them in Sicily, even just prior to the Allies’ invasion in July.

 

3^rd May 1942 - Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews, the Commander of the US Forces in Europe (he had succeeded Eisenhower when Ike was appointed Allied Commander in North Africa in February 1943) and one of the founders of the US Air Force, is killed in an air crash in Iceland. 

 

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.

Chotie goes to Bristol

On 6^th April 1943 Chotie moved to

Markham Camp, Easton-in-Gordano, Bristol.

She was now in ‘B’ troop of the 462 Heavy (M*) Anti-Aircraft Battery of the

Royal Artillery. 

 

(Chotie is wearing the ATS field cap, which could be purchased privately to wear with service dress and the white gunner's lanyard of the Royal Artillery.)

 

“After all the training I moved to Bristol, to a gun site Ack Ack to perform as a fully-fledged radar operator.  When the guns first went off I was off duty and in bed. So terrified I jumped into the next bed to hug the girl there.  She was also terrified.  I made some good friends, especially Nan from Yorkshire, she was a sweet girl.” (From ‘Chotie’s Story’.)

 

Nan from Yorkshire.

Bristol had 'Z' batteries among its anti-aircraft defences at Easton-in-Gordano.  These fired short-range rockets so it may have been the noise from these that Chotie found so disturbing.  Perhaps she need not have feared.  W.E.Clark recalls manning the guns at Portbury (next to Gordano) almost every night but although “planes going to many other places tended to follow the river” (i.e. the Severn Estuary) the city of Bristol was completely free from attack during 1943.

Gordano is mentioned as among the group of Heavy Anti-aircraft gun emplacements defending Bristol and the Severn Estuary on the citation for the protected remains of the anti-aircraft battery at Holes Mouth with the nearby Portbury Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery.  There is still an aerial view of the Bristol B1 3 Gordano-Happerton Farm battery on Google Maps.

*The M stood for 'Mixed'.  The Royal Artillery Regiments were divided into Batteries which were termed 'Mixed' when A.T.S. members were attached to them. There were two Batteries to a Regiment and they were located at bases all over the country. (See also 'Whose Finger on the Trigger'.)

 

 

7th April 1943 – the British 8^th Army (Montgomery’s battle hardened troops from Egypt) and the Allied 1^st Army of American, British and Vichy French forces from Operation Torch in West Africa meet up in Tunisia.

Hitler begins a series of pep talks – first with Mussolini, to keep Italy in the war, and then with the leaders of Vichy France, Norway, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia. (From  WW2-net Timelines.)

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.)

Best Battle Dress - Monday 8th March 1943

 

5731671 P/Cdt Williams R

30-0 Tp ‘A’ Sqdn

No1. Pre-OCTU R.A.C.

Alma Barracks, Blackdown, Hants

My Darling,

                        I have at last found a spare moment to drop you a line.  I arrived here on Thursday last and this is the first chance I’ve had of doing anything for myself.

            I’m here for a minimum of 9 weeks – probably longer before going to Sandhurst* – that is of course if I pass this.

            The old spit & polish here is murder, have to change to best B.D.* for every meal…..However, that’s enough of this.

            Have you heard of Eric & Eve yet?  I suppose they’re well & truly hitched by now….poor old Eric.

            Seems ages since I saw you, Chotie.  Don’t suppose I’ll be able to see you for some time either.  I’ll get leave after this course and another half way thro’ OCTU I hope….

            I haven’t had any pay for weeks – don’t know when I’ll get any either.  I’ve been living on capital (?) since I’ve been here.

            I’m afraid I won’t be able to write very much for the first few weeks – at least that’s what we were told by the C.O.  The general idea is to rush you off your feet for some time, until things quieten down a bit.

            At Sandhurst we get our own billets & batman.  Some life.

            Well, Darling, there’s really nothing to write about – I’d much sooner hear how you’re getting used to Army life.  I expect you’re just starting to get browned-off by now.

            I must close here as I’ve tons of work to do.  We’re on parade from 6 am to 7.30 pm. Murder.

                                                Bye bye, Chotie Darling

                                                            Always yours

                                                                        Dicker

                                                                                    xxxx

P.S. Please get address right as there’s a helluva lot of delays.

*Then the Royal Military College Sandhurst Royal Military College Sandhurst used as the Royal Armoured Corps OCTU for the latter part of WW2.

*B.D. – battle dress.

© Chotie Darling
Eve and Eric (Kessler?)'s wedding on 6th March 1943

 

9^th March 1943 – Rommel, the German Commander known as ‘the Desert Fox’, leaves Africa with jaundice and exhaustion and never returns. 

 

13^th and 14^th March 1943 – ‘liquidation’ of the the Krakow Ghetto in Poland. Polish Jews had been persecuted since Hitler’s invasion of Poland at the beginning of the war. In March 1941 all of the city’s Jews were forced to leave or crammed into the Ghetto area. From 30^th May 1942 Jews were systematically deported from the Ghetto to surrounding concentration camps. During the Krakow Ghetto massacre those able to work were deported to the Plaszow slave  labour camp; c.2,000 Jews (mainly children, the old and the ill) were shot in the streets and approximately 3,000 others were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where most were murdered in the gas chambers.  (See Krakow Timeline and History of the Krakow Ghetto.)

 13th March 1943 – an assassination attempt against Hitler led by Major-General Henning von Treskow fails when the bomb in Hitler’s plane fails to detonate.  A second attempt on 21st March also failed when Hitler left the building before the suicide bomber, Colonel Fresher von Gersdoff, could successfully detonate his explosives. Staff of Army Group Centre, on the Eastern Front, were behind both attempts.

14th March 1943 – the German Army in Russia retakes Kharkov in the Ukraine and almost surrounds the over-extended Soviet Army on that front.

 

War Office Selection Board

On 10th February 1943

Dick was attached to the No6 War Office Selection Board*

at Brockham Park, Betchworth, Surrey

 

Copy of Record from Service & Casualty Form

 

*War Office Selection Boards were established in 1942 to ensure potential officers were chosen on the basis of merit and more soldiers in the ranks would aspire to a commission. (The Guards, however, did not participate in WOSB selection.)

Boards of psychologists, psychiatrists and military experts presided over the vetting of potential officers over 3 days, bringing a scientific approach to selection. Candidates filled in detailed questionnaires on their civilian and military background, medical history and spare time activities. They took intelligence and personality tests and participated in group tests, involving discussions and outdoor exercises to assess their physical fitness and leadership ability. These included leaderless group tests to assess initiative, co-operation and social skills. A final interview with the military President of the Board was used to confirm officer quality. Assessments were usually held in large country houses. (From ‘The British Army and the People’s War’ by Jeremy A. Crang)

(I understand that the current process for officer selection is not so very different.)

 

See Dicks’ letter of 25th February 1943 and a personal account of the War Office Selection Board by Duncan Leitch Torrance in People’s War on the BBC website.  ('WW2 People's War' is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC.)

 

On 13th February 1943

Dick ceased to be attached to the War Office Selection Board

and was posted to Home Details (O.C.T.U. Candidate)

having been approved by No.6 War Office Selection Board

as a candidate suitable for training at an OCTU*.

*O.C.T.U. = Officer Cadet Training Unit

 

Copy of Record from Service & Casualty Form

43RC/34/1/43 43 Recce      

Ceased to be attached to No.6 War Office Selection Board         Redhill

Trooper         13.2.43         JGordon

 

13th February 1943 – the German Army withdraws from Kharkov in north-east Ukraine as the Soviet Army advances.

The RAF bomb Lorient and St Nazaire in their efforts to destroy U-boat bases and shipyards on the French Atlantic Coast.

 

On 14^th February 1943 Colonel A.W. Henman,

President of the No. 6 War Office Selection Board,

approved Dick as a candidate for the Officer Cadet Training Unit

- POTENTIAL OFFICER QUALITY C

(See Applying for OCTU, Recommended for OCTU and War Office Selection Board)

 

Copy of Record:

RECOMMENDATION FORM FOR CANDIDATES FOR OFFICER CADET TRAINING UNITS

 

14^th February 1943 – Rommel’s Afrika Corps advance on Allied positions in the Atlas Mountains of Tunisia culminating in the Battle of Kasserine Pass on 19^th to 25^th February (the first major clash between German and US forces of WW2). Initially routed by Rommel’s attacks the Allies eventually halted the advance and the Germans withdrew to the Mareth line.  The Americans had lost over 6,000 men.  Allied aircraft and ground forces were also lost due to confused orders and ‘friendly fire’.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

Rostov-on-Don (north-east of the Black Sea on the Sea of Azov) is recaptured by the Russians having been occupied by the German Army for seven months. 

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.

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.

Leave next Wednesday - Thursday 26th November 1942

Same Address

Thursday

My Darling,

                                    Just a few lines to let you know that my leave definitely comes off on the second inst. ie next Wednesday.  This is of course subject to cancellation for a hundred and one reasons, but if all goes well, as I expect it will, I can’t see why it should not come off.

            Will you write as soon as you can fix up anything definite – I’m supposing, as usual, that you are able to… 

            I’m very busy at the moment, or would write more.  In any case there’s no real news – nothing at all with which to pad this missive.

            I got really wet through this morning – still am in fact (it’s now dinner-time) so will have to find something to change into.

            Sorry this is so short Darling, but I thought I’d write as soon as my name appeared on detail for leave.

                                                            all my love precious,

                                                                                    Dicker

P.S.  Write as soon as possible…

 © Chotie Darling

 

27^th November 1942 – German troops occupy the French Naval base of Toulon. The Vichy Admiral de Laborde (who had refused to deliver the French Fleet into Allied hands) gave orders to scuttle the French fleet and they succeeded in destroying 77 warships, preventing them from falling into German or Italian hands. Four submarines managed to escape. (See Operation Lila.)

 

29th November 1942 – Churchill warns Italy that the bombing of Italian cities will continue until Italy abandons the war, encouraging them to revolt against Mussolini. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

By the end of November the Japanese on Papua New Guinea, without reinforcements or supplies, had given up trying to take Port Moresby and retreated to their bridgeheads at Buna and Gona where desperate fighting with Australian and American forces continued.

 

43^rd Recce’s List of Officers for 30^th November 1942 includes the following for Regimental Headquarters:

Commanding Officer – Lt.Col.A.W.E.Crawford

Second-in-Command – Major H.G.Mason*

Adjutant – Capt.J.Day

Technical Officer - Capt.G.D.A.Hunter

I.O. (presumably Intelligence Officer) – Lieut.C.E.J.Leaphard**

 

Dick’s Headquarters Squadron included the following:

Squadron Commander – Major A.O.Swayne

Second-in-Comd. – Capt.C.G.Nuttall

O.C.A.Tk.Tp (Officer in Command of the Anti-tank Troop) – Capt.F.R.Henn

O.C. Mortar Troop (Dick’s Troop) – Lieut.S.J.Moreland

Signal Officer – Lieut.W.H.Moreland

Asst. Mortar Tp.Comd – Lieut.D.E.R.Scarr***

Adm.Officer – Lieut.T.A.Parry

2 i/c A.Tk.Tp – Lieut.D.Rigby

M.T.O. – Lieut.W.R.Falconer

Quartermaster – Major B.V.J.Vigrass

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

*Major Herbert George Mason had served with the Glosters since 1927. In 1943 he was posted to the Allied Military Government in Italy and rejoined the Glosters T.A. in 1947.

**Lieut.C.E.J.Leaphard – transferred to and saw action with No 6 Commando (see Small Scale Raiding Force).

***Liet.D.E.R.Scarr – the National Army Museum hold an account of his service with the Recce from 1941-46 (inventory number 10561).

(From WW2 Unit Histories and National Army Museum.)

 

Dick was in the Mortar Troop under Lieutenants S.J.Moreland and D.E.R. Scarr with probably about 44 NCOs and other troopers.  Mortar Troop initially served a pair of 3 inch mortars, carried by 15cwt trucks but by the end of 1942 their strength was increased to six 3 inch weapons, now each transported by an adapted Universal carrier with 15cwt trucks carrying extra ammunition. (See WW2 Battalion Organisation.)

In December 1942 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment were still in Dover. Individual training took place on most days up to and including the 19^th December.  The Regiment took part in the 43^rd’s Divisional Skeleton Exercise Wyvern on 4^th, 5^th and 6^th December.

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

 

 The War in Dorset - December 1942

In December 1942 the 3^rd Special Services Brigade was formed from No 5 Commando and Royal Marines.  Billeted in Bournemouth, with an HQ at the Broughty Ferry Hotel in Boscombe, they practiced night landing exercises at Shell Bay and Brownsea Island and shooting on the Canford Heath ranges. The novelist Evelyn Waugh was then Staff Officer for Combined Operations and often monitored their exercises.

On 4^th December Barnes Neville Wallis unsuccessfully tested two spherical bombs, flown in from RAF Warmwell, on the Fleet lagoon. They failed to bounce and exploded on impact. He was again unsuccessful on 15^th December. By the seventh attempt in early January his team had achieved a skim across the water and on 24^th January the bomb bounced 13 times and jumped over a barn intended to simulate the wall of a dam. Trials in Dorset, codenamed ‘Upkeep’, continued into March and then moved to choppier waters in Kent. The bouncing bombs were used in May 1943 to destroy dams in the Ruhr area of Germany releasing industrial water supplies but drowning 1,294 people including several hundred Russian prisoners of war.

On 13^th December over 100 houses at Chiswell, Portland were flooded by a natural incursion of the sea breaching the Chesil beach.  Gas, road and rail links were put out of action.

The Armoured Fighting Vehicle School at Lulworth Camp came under air attack on 14^th December.

A single Dornier bomber dropped 5 bombs near Poole Quay on 16^th December. Two people were killed, twenty-six injured and several buildings destroyed as well as a Naval Patrol vessel.  Another bomber in Bridport killed 3 people and hit a bank leaving £1,000 in bank notes spread over the street.

On 21^st December the Free French navy gunboat Chasseur capsized and sank off Durlston Head near Swanage.

Church bells rang for Christmas for the first time since the beginning of the war, following the El Alamein celebration in November.

On 31^st December 1942 another Dornier raider attacked Poole Quay (destroying Bradford’s Store, which had just been repaired following the earlier bomb damage) but crashed into the Harbour while taking evasive action from Lewis gun fire.

(From  ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980  and Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004)

 

In December 1942 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment were still in Dover. Individual training took place on most days up to and including the 19^th December.  The Regiment took part in the 43^rd’s Divisional Skeleton Exercise Wyvern on 4^th, 5^th and 6^th December. (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)

2^nd December 1942 – the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is achieved by a team of scientists in America working under the name of “Manhattan Engineering District”. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

 

Dick was on leave from Wednesday 2^nd to c.9^th December 1942.

Chotie and Dicker were together for a week during Dicker’s leave

 

3rd December 1942 - the British First Army's advance on Tunis from Algeria is pushed back by German Panzer forces (from ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012).

4^th December 1942 – the first US Air Force raid on Naples, flying from North Africa, kills nearly one thousand people.  Naples was the most bombed Italian city of the war. 

 

7th December 1942 – ten Royal Marines set off in canoes from a submarine near the east Coast of France for Operation Frankton. Paddling 70 miles up the River Gironde they successfully laid charges to destroy enemy shipping in Bordeaux Harbour.  Two men survived, two were presumed drowned and six were captured and executed under Hitler’s Commando Order.  They became known as the ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ after their canoes codenamed cockles. (See Combined Operations WW2 website and update on Wikipedia.)

8th December 1942 – German troops occupy the Vichy French port of Bizerte in Tunisia, capturing French destroyers and submarines. (From WW2-net Timelines.) 

9th December 1942 - Australian troops take the Japanese bridgehead at Gona in Papua New Guinea.

 

11th December 1942 - Montgomery's Eighth Army attacks Rommel's forces at the Battle of El Agheila in Libya.  The German Panzerarmee Africa resume their withdrawal west towards Tunisia.

12th December 1942 – Germany counter attacks with Operation Winter Storm at Stalingrad, as their Army Group Don attempts to rescue the besieged and starving 6th Army. This had been defeated by the Soviets by 23rd December. (See The Battle for Stalingrad website.)

 

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.)

Postcard from Hastings

Postcard – The Old Town from West Hill, Hastings

(Posted from Dover on 26^th September 1942, written on Friday 25^th?)

Dear Chotie,

                               Have an hour to wait at Hastings so thought I'd send you a card.  Just going to have a cup of tea in Plummer’s.   

The sun's lovely here now but still quite chilly.  I must ‘do’ the town in an hour
so.

                                Cheerio

                                            love Richard.

PS  Hope you got back alright!

© Chotie Darling

Nine Days

Telegram – 12^th September 1942

 

LEAVE WEDNESDAY 16th LOVE = RICHARD + +

 

Dick had nine days Privilege leave from 17^th to 25^th September 1942

and met up with Chotie.

 

Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

17.9.42         Priv. Leave    17-25.9.42 (9 days) 

Army Rank Trooper              Place Home Forces

 

 

12th September 1942 - a Japanese attack on Guadalcanal,'the Battle of Bloody Ridge', is defeated costing the Japanese half their forces on the Island.

12^th/13^th September 1942 – Major March-Phillips, the founder and leader of the Small Scale Raiding Force (insert link), based in Poole, was killed in a raid (Operation Aquatint) on the Normandy coast near St Honorine des Pertes (the beach later known as Omaha from the D Day landings). (From Combined Operations WW2 website.)

13th September 1942 - a major German assault in Stalingrad pushed Soviet forces back to the banks of the River Volga but was met with fierce resistance.  In the heavily bombed city the Russians became adept at street-fighting, or 'Rattenkrieg' ('the war of rats') as the Germans called it, with crack snipers hiding among the derelict buildings.  Women played important roles in the defence of the city, as bomber pilots, firing anti-aircraft guns and as medical orderlies, retrieving the wounded under fire.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

 

18th September 1942 – British forces landed on the East Coast of Madagascar and by the 23rd occupied the capital Tananarive (now Antananarivo). The Vichy French government signed a peace treaty on 5th November 1942.

 

Return to Dover - Thursday 3rd September 1942

The War in Dorset - September 1942

The Small Scale Raiding Force was involved in raids on Les Casquets lighthouse in the Channel Islands and St. Honorine near Bayeux, Normandy.  In Operation Dryad on 2nd/3rd Septembera the successful raid on Les Casquets lighthouse destroyed the ‘U’ boat wireless transmitting station, capturing seven German soldiers, as well as vital code books and Naval information.

Tarrant Rushton airfield was constructed between Blandford and Wimborne, near Badbury Rings in Dorset. The aircraft was to field the first arrivals on French soil on D Day and 1st British Airborne set off for 'the Bridge Too Far' that was Arnhem from here.
 

Whirlwind aircraft from Warmwell in Dorset sank two armed trawlers in the Channel on 9th September.

On 11^thSeptember five people were killed by a single German bomb dropped on the Bournemouth Road in Parkstone, Poole; near where Chotie and her family lived.

A Poole flying-boat, the Clare, came down in the Channel after a fire, killing six crew and thirteen passengers on 14^th September.

(From 'Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 and ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980)

 

During September 1942 43^rdReconnaissance Regiment was still based in Dover, although that month they received orders to mobilise, complete with first line reinforcements. All reinforcements, including Dick, arrived during the month.

Inter-Squadron Exercises were held at the beginning of the month “bringing out many useful lessons in Section and Troop tactics and instituting considerable enthusiasm.”

Intensive First Aid training commenced early in the month, designed to train all ranks during the winter.

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

 

 

On 2^ndSeptember 1942 Dick passed his Trade Test as a Driver Mechanic

 

Copy of Record

TRADE TRAINING REPORT FORM

REPORT ON STUDENT          c) End of course

TRAINING ESTABLISHMENT  ADDRESS:    

THE DREADNOUGHT GARAGE AND MOTOR ENGINEERING WORKS (HOVE) LTD

STUDENT’S REGTL.  No 5731671     RANK Trooper          NAME  Williams R.K.

ORIGINAL UNIT        43^rd Recce. Regt.                COURSE (Trade)  D.M.

Duration of course    From 23^rd July 1942           To 2^nd September 1942.

SUITABILITY FOR TRADE - Very suitable                       

CONDUCT AND INTEREST - Good

PRACTICAl ABILITY -  Very Good

THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE - Good                                                                    

SUMMARY      Passed Complete Class 2 Test in Army Trade of DM*

REMARKS:

Will make an excellent D.M. Requires plenty of work.

Date   2/9/42                              S.F.Webb. Lieut O.M.E.

*DM = Driver Mechanic. Reconnaissance called for many more drivers and mechanics than standard infantry to successfully reconnoiter the battlefield. (From ‘The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II’ by Richard Doherty, Osprey Publishing 2007.)

Copy of Record:

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

Passed trade test and qualified for appointment as Drv. Mech. Tp. ‘D’ Cl.II                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3^rd September 1942 – a National Day of Prayer was held for the third Anniversary of the Declaration of War.

 

 

Letter - Thursday 3rd September 1942

5731671 Tpr Williams 

HQ Squadron, 43rd Recce Regt. Recce Corps

Home Forces 

Thursday

 

My Darlingest,

                                                                                    By the time you get this letter, I shall be back at Dover, but remember not to mention please or put anything but the address above.

            I hope this will reach you before the 6^th* – and so will wish you a very happy Birthday, and only wish I could be with you.  I have sent something – or rather it’s being sent – nothing much I’m afraid, but I wish you every happiness, with it.

            I went to the opera three times during the last week, the only nights I could get off and saw ‘Bohème’, ‘Trovatore’ &  ‘the Barber’**.  It was the Carl Rosa of course with Joan Hammond and Parry Jones.  Very good.  I met an Italian there (naturalised) and spent a very enjoyable night.

            Well, Darling, I’ll write again when I get to the other end, so all the very best, Precious

                                                                        Your loving

                                                                                    Dicker

                                                                                    Xxxx

PS. Have just started to run for the train…

 

*Chotie’s 19^th Birthday on 6^th September 1942.

**All famous Italian operas - Giacomo Puccini’s 'La Bohème’, Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Il Trovatore’ (The Troubadour) and Gioachino Rossini’s ‘Barber of Seville’. The Carl Rosa were a touring opera company.  Parry Jones was a Welsh tenor. Joan Hammond,
an Australian soprano, became internationally famous after the war.

***Benetti – mentioned again in letter sent in February 1943.

© Chotie Darling

 

On 7^th September 43^rd Recce had a demonstration of the Army Cadet sign system for all wireless operators, Dvr Ops (driver operators?) and officers.  (From the War Diary of the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment held by the Archive and Reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.)  Dick mentions being on exercise on the 7^th in his next letter.

 

 

7th September 1942 - Rommel withdraws from his attack on the El Alamein line at Alam Halfa Ridge in Egypt.

 

 

 

"Mien Kampt" - Sunday 16th August

5731671 Tpr Williams R

Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

Preston Barracks, Brighton, Sussex

 

Sunday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                        Many many thanks for polyfotos.  They’re
marvellous, Darling.  I showed them to the boys who now regard me in a different light.  I would have sent them back with this letter, but haven’t yet procured a big enough envelope, but I’ll definitely send them in my next.  And
also many thanks for a very nice letter.

            Well, Lulu belle there’s no news as usual.

            I went to the “Curzon” yesterday – saw Viviane Romance in "L’Esclave Blanche" (White Slave) a French film.  It was very good but not up to the usual high standard achieved by French Directors. She (Viviane) is very much like Danielle – also has her hair up.

            I’m looking forward to seeing Eileen Joyce tonight – never having seen her before. She’s an Australian and extraordinarily good pianist to hail from there.I saw a rather good film a few days ago –“Mien Kampt” (sic*– showing Adolf’s rise to power since his early days after thelast war and the brilliant way he went about it – the way he removed Ernst Roehm, Dollfuss, Schnussnigg** (sic) and the rest.  A lot of it was documentary, ie actual shots, especially of the jolly old Reichstag Fire Trial*** etc, and the flagwrapping parade in the Olympic Stadium****. 

            Well, Precious, I must close here as it’s now dinner time, and as I didn’t get up in time for breakfast, I’m not missing it. 

                        All my love, Chotie Darling,

                                         Hope to get leave soon

                                                                             Dicker

 

*Dick meant ‘Mein Kamf’ - German for ‘My Struggle’, the title of the film and Hitler’s autobiography.

**Ernst Röhm – head of the SA (Sturmabteilung), the Nazi brown-shirted stormtroopers. Arrested and executed in the ‘Night of the Long Knives’, 1934.

Engelbert Dollfuss - Chancellor of Austria from 1932 to 1934, who destroyed the Austrian Republic and established an authoritarian regime based on conservative Roman Catholic and Italian Fascist principles. Assassinated by the SS in July 1934.

Kurt von Schuschnigg – succeeded Dollfuss as Chancellor of Austria. Opposed the
Anschluss, (annexation of Austria by the Third Reich) and was imprisoned by the Nazis when they invaded Austria.

***The Reichstag Fire Trial in 1933 followed the part destruction by fire of the German ‘parliament’ building soon after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Marinus van der Lubbe was charged and executed for having set the fire as part of a Communist plot and the Nazis used the incident to ensure the defeat of the Communists and other leftist parties in the following elections.

**** The 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

 © Chotie Darling

 

17^thAugust 1942 – first all-American bombing raid in Europe, directed against the marshalling yards of Rouen in France. The American bombers flew by daylight attempting to ‘precision bomb’ key nodes of the enemy’s industrial fabric.  (From WW2-net Timelines.)

A good time in Brighton - postcard posted Tuesday 4th August 1942

The War in Dorset - August 1942

During August the propaganda film ‘Victory’ was shot on the Dorsetshire heaths using old First World War tanks rescued by Rudyard Kipling for the Armoured Fighting School at Bovington Camp. Many had been turned into scrap in June 1940 but some remained as stationary pillboxes and were used in the film.

Bridport was attacked by air on Sunday 2^nd August and two people were killed.

No 4 Commando trained for the raid on Dieppe with landings on the South Dorset coast from 5^th August. They successfully took a battery during the raid but had to withdraw (see the raid on Dieppe on 19^th August). Boats from Poole and Weymouth operated as support vessels for the raid.

On 14^th/15^th August the Small Scale Raiding Force (also known as No 62 Commando), based in Poole, staged a small successful raid on an anti-aircraft gun and radar station at Pointe de Saire, near Barfleur in France.

Luftwaffe bombers killed 13 people and injured 48 in attacks on Swanage on Monday 17th and Sunday 23^rd August.

On 31^st August the Royal Australian Air Force arrived at R.A.F. Hamworthy to fly anti-submarine patrols over the South Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay in Sunderland flying-boats. Initially they suffered heavy losses because the Allied Navy signal code that operated their patrols had been deciphered by German Naval Intelligence. but their success improved when a new wavelength radar was introduced, which the German Navy failed to pick up.

By the end of August 1942 the X-3 midget submarine had completed testing at Portland and later caused extensive damage to the Tirpitz, Germany’s mega-battleship, when she was moved along the Norwegian coast.

(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, 2004 and ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980.)

 

3rd August 1942 – Churchill arrives in Cairo and makes staff changes which result in General Bernard Montgomery taking command of the 8th Army.

 

The 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment was still based in Dover during August 1943, although mobilisation had been completed.

Training was resumed with Squadron Exercises involving 2-3 nights out of barracks testing ‘vehicle cooking’ as well as Section and Troop operations. Some Field Firing exercises were carried out on the range at Sandwich. On 6^th and 7^th August ‘C’ Squadron participated in ‘Black Bull’, a Brigade Exercise on the South Downs.

Major A.W.E. Crawford, now a Lieutenant-Colonel, took full command of the Regiment on 9^th August, with Major H.G. Mason as second in command. On 12^th August the senior officers were involved in “Reorganise”, a simulation or ‘cloth model’ tactical exercise without troops and the new Lieutenant-Colonel attended a General Headquarters’ Battle School Course at the School of Infantry from 13^th-20^th August. 21 officers went to Worthing on 19^th August for a demonstration of tanks working with infantry in battle drill. 

43^rd Recce Regiment lost the Inter Regimental Athletics Meeting on Saturday 22^nd August to 1/8^th Middlesex, the Division’s Machine Gun battalion. On 26^th August the Recce took part in Exercise “Beaver”, a 43^rd (Wessex) Division training exercise.

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

 

Dick, meanwhile, was training to be a Driver Mechanic

at the Dreadnought Garage and Motor Engineering Works, Hove.

 

BRIGHTON. PROMENADE GARDENS.

Chotie

      Just a few lines to let you know I’m still alive & kicking. My arm’s all right now so I’ll write again tomorrow. Having a good time here – change from Bulford! I shall probably go back to Dover when I finish this course. I had a week there before coming here.

Love Dicker

© Chotie Darling

 

6th August 1942 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces preparing to invade North Africa. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

The World Jewish Congress British section announces that one million Jews have been killed in Nazi occupied Europe. (From WW2-net Timelines.)

7^th August 1942 – 19,000 US Marines are landed on the islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the southern Solomon Islands, held by the Japanese since May.  Despite heavy losses, American and Australian ships continued to bring in troops and supplies.  Fierce fighting was focused around the Guadalcanal aerodrome begun by the Japanese but 'Henderson's Field' was held by the Allies.  The Guadalcanal Campaign was the first major offensive by Allied forces against Japan.  Land, sea and air battles continued around the islands until the Japanese finally withdrew on 7th February 1943, having reached the high-water mark of their conquests in the Pacific.  (From WW2-net Timelines and ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012 .)

8th August 1942 – Gandhi and other leaders in the Congress Party issue a call for the British to ‘Quit India’, leading to their arrest.  India finally achieved independence from the British five years later on 15^th August 1947.

9^th August 1942 – Leningrad (now, again, St. Petersburg) in northern Russia, which had now been virtually under siege since September 1941, broadcasts Shostakovich’s 7th (Leningrad) Symphony to the world on radio – a great boost to Russian morale.  On 19th August this was followed by the Sinyavino counter-offensive, which wrecked German plans to strangle Leningrad’s only supply route across Lake Ladoga.

Brighton - Wednesday 22nd July 1942

On 22nd July 1942 Dick was assigned to

No3. Technical Training Group in Brighton

 
Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

22.7.42.  Cutd(?) to No 3. Tech. Trg. Gp.  Army Rank Trooper  Place  Brighton

 

Letter written Wednesday 22nd July

Tpr Williams R

5731671 Room 28

3^rd Technical Training Group

PRESTON BARRACKS

BRIGHTON

SUSSEX

 

Wednesday

Dearest Darling Chotie,

                                                                        As you will see from above address, I’ve changed location once again, as I’m on a six-week course at Brighton.  Will you please note exact address as above and make no further reference, as to Regt etc.

            I’m afraid I’ve only been toBrighton a couple of times before, and so was able to find much to interest me.  The number of Oriental and Continental cafés and jewel shops is amazing.  The famous Aquarium is, unfortunately, occupied by the Army, but the mosque-like Pavilion is still open.

            The unit I’m now with isn’t too bad on the whole.  A very rough lot – no signs of mental vigour, as the medical journal would say – but I’m very thankful to be out of the Airborne in spite of two good friends I made there.

            I’ve had no reply to my last missive – it will probably catch me up in a few days’ time.

            I was transferred from 'A' Squadron to HQ and a couple of days later I found myself on this course.  It’s a driving course and should be quite easy. 

            I managed to get a couple of hours in Brighton this evening and was amazed to find that almost everything was still going – cinemas, theatres, etc. – although all ARP services, and ATS etc appear to be well under control. 

            I was very glad to see our old County again – the Oast houses and farmsteads looking just as peaceful as before this wretched business – I think it would take more than a war to alter them.

            I wish you could have been with me, Chotie Darling, I miss you terribly.  I only hope the day will soon come when we will be together, and when our only worry will be Junior’s first teeth, or something equally trifling.

                                    Goodnight, my Precious

                                                            Your loving,

                                                                        Dicker

P.S.     Write soon

© Chotie Darling

 

23^rd July 1942 - opening of Treblinka extermination camp in NE Poland. More than 850,000 people were murdered here, the majority Jewish.  Between July 22^nd and September 12^th 1942 approximately 265,000 Jews from the Warsaw ghetto were deported to Treblinka and c.35,000 were killed inside the ghetto. (From ‘Warsaw’, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website)

In Operation Blau, the German advance in southern Russia, they capture Rostov, a city near the mouth of the River Don on the Sea of Azov and the western gateway to critical Caucasian oilfields.  

 

26th July 1942 –As attacks and counter attacks continue on the El Alamein front the SAS (Special Air Service) destroy 37 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground including critical supply planes.  In July 1942 alone daring raids by the SAS destroyed a total of 86 German aircraft in North Africa. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Rationing of sweets and chocolate introduced in Britain.  Biscuits were also rationed from August 1942.

Kent - letter posted on Friday 17th July

Chotie Darling

Dedicated to the memory of my mother and all those who hold the forever young of war in their hearts.

Part2        Reconnaissance

 

Chapter 6            43rd Reconnaissance  – the end of the beginning

 Dick joined the 43^rd Reconnaissance Regiment on 13^th July 1942.

He was initially stationed in Dover, Kent.

On 13^th July 1942 Dick swopped his Airborne Pegasus badge for the Wyvern (a legendary golden dragon) of the 43^rd(Wessex) Division. The army of King Alfred the Great had fought under the banner of the Wyvern against the invading Danes in the 9^th century and the soldiers of the Division were predominately from the area of his ancient kingdom. The Reconnaissance regiment Dick joined was also known as the Glosters having been formed from the 5^th battalion of the old Gloucestershire regiment in 1941.

Design for 43rd Divisions Wyvern badge in the papers for 4rd Recce held by the Tank Museum, Bovington.

Reconnaissance was an elite corps of the British army, taking the place of the Light Cavalry of past eras. Each Regiment took the number of its relevant Division but from June 1942 used the cavalry names of ‘squadrons’ and ‘troops’ instead of usual infantry descriptions.

They evolved into “swift, adaptable, and superlatively mobile fighting units with fast vehicles capable of taking heavy punishment, high concentrated firing-power and a complicated but efficient wireless network designed to convey, under the most trying conditions imaginable, accurate and balanced information to the general’s battle map”.

'Their task was to solve an eternal problem of war, to discover “what is happening on
the other side of the hill” – that is, inside the enemy lines.'

Reconnaissance personnel had to be of a high standard of intelligence for both the deduction and transmission of information and, although their ultimate objective was not
fighting, they needed to be tough and speedy fighters, able to work at the front of the enemy lines and survive to tell their tale.

They had to find out - by stealth, by drawing fire or by fighting – where the enemy was concealed, to explore his strength and movement and to maintain constant touch with him, relaying accurate information back quickly and continuously.  They were specially trained to be constantly on the alert and to use initiative, cunning and any resources available.

 

Only those who came out top in the IQ test were considered for Recce. “Recce men had to be tough with cold scientific brains behind their brawn.”

 

(From “The Reconnaissance Journal”, Memorial Number, Summer 1950 – article by Arthur Bryant; Recce Regt record WO 170/433 5 at the National Archive, Kew;  “Only the Enemy in Front – The Recce Corps at War 1940-1946” by Richard Doherty 1994; “This Band of Brothers” by Jeremy Taylor 1947; and  “Record of a Reconnaissance regiment – History of the 43^rd” by  A. Scott, Cole Packer and J. Groves with Jeremy Taylor 1950  and other 43^rd Recce papers examined courtesy of the Archive & reference Library, the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset. The assistance of members of WW2 Talk Forum with my research is also much appreciated.)

However, after 3 months training, Dick was no longer in the later famous 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron,

featured in the film “A Bridge to Far” for their role in Market Garden (September 1944).

 

16th July 1942 – in Paris 9,000 police under the orders of René Bousquet, the French secretary-general of police, seized 13,000 Jews, including children and sent them to Nazi death camps in the east.  In the course of the war at least 50,000 Parisian Jews were deported and murdered.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012 and ‘Paris’, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.)

 

Letter posted Friday 17^th July 1942

Tpr 5731671 Williams R

“A” Squadron

43^rd Recce Regt, Recce Corps, Home Forces

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                                    As you will see from above address much water has flowed under the old bridge since I last saw you on Saturday.  About half the old squadron were transferred to this regiment which is in the same corps but non-airborne.

            I can’t tell you where I am – but I can tell you I’m in the county of my humble origin*.

            At present I’m feeling very groggy, having just had a couple of inoculations –which always set me back a bit.

            I managed to get back in time on Saturday last.  There was a devil of a crowd at the bus station and at least three fights with Red-caps**, but I managed to get on a bus and arrived back just before midnight.

            Well, Precious I’m afraid I can’t write any more, as I feel like Death warmed-up.

            I think the leave works out all right here, so I shall probably get my next 9 days on time.  I can’t see any chance of getting down before then.

                                                            Goodnight, my Darling

                                                                         God bless you

                                                                                    Dicker

*Dick was born in Orpington in Kent. This letter was from Dover.

** Military police

© Chotie Darling

 

On 20th July 1942 Major A.W.E. Crawford joined 43rd Reconnaissance, taking over command from Lieutenant-Colonel D.Ward on 24th July.  At the beginning of the month 43rd Recce had received orders to mobilise for service overseas, less 1st line Reinforcements, and preparation for this mobilisation (medical inspections, overhaul of documents and receipts of personnel), to be completed by 2nd August, filled much of their time. All squadrons also carried out shooting practice.

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

 

21st July 1942 - 16,000 Japanese landed at Buna on the north cost of Papua New Guinea ready to advance on Port Moresby, the capital, along the mountainous Kokoda Trail.  Courageous Australian defenders, fighting in appalling conditions, stopped them from reaching their destination and in September they withdrew.

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

 

Leave Today - 9th June 1942

The War in Dorset - June 1942

On the night of 3rd/4th June 1942 decoy fires and explosions on the Purbeck heathland (see HH1 and HH2) saved the Royal Navy cordite factory at Holton Heath, near Poole, from 112 high explosive bombs and 5,000 incendiaries.  No bombs hit the cordite factory and there were no casualties on the decoys.

Poole also suffered a heavy bombing attack on the 4th of June. Early incendiaries started fires on the heathland west of the town, diverting many of the 50 Luftwaffe bombers. However, they also caused numerous fires in the town and several buildings were hit by bombs. Dedicated effort by the fire and civil defence forces (presumably including Chotie’s father, an ARP* warden) meant that only three people were killed.

An underground petrol tank at the Hamworthy RAF depot was blown open and a huge slick of petrol covered the adjacent land and harbour.  Fortunately these highly inflammable lakes didn’t catch fire and the petrol gradually evaporated (the explosion would have destroyed all the RAF petrol supplies for Dorset and West Hampshire).

One of the 139 tons of bombs released over the town hit the Sona, a Naval Headquarters ship moored at Poole Quay. It went through the ship and lodged unexploded in the mud below until 7th June when it destroyed the Sona and several evacuated buildings on the Quay.

On 6^th June bombing aimed at the railway track in Bournemouth damaged 454 properties although only one bomb hit the track.

Whitley planes arrived at RAF Hurn (now Bournemouth airport) in June 1942 to fly Special Operations Executive agents and supplies for Resistance groups across the Channel. They also supported Airborne training on Salisbury Plain.  A satellite aerodrome for the Fleet Air Arm station at Yeovilton was established at Sigwell’s Farm, north of Sherborne.

(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.)

*ARP = Air Raid Precautions

 

 

June 1942 - 1^st Air Landing Squadron were based on the Bulford ranges of Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

1^st Air Landing Squadron Officers listed for June 1942:  Major C.J.H. Gough;

Captains: A.S.Baker, G.L. Falkim, G.C. Roberts, J.P. Royle, C.W. Suter;

Lieutenants: D.Allsop, R.W.Clough, D.M.Freegard, T.J. Firbank, M.W. Grubb, J.A.Hay, L.A.W.Hayes, F.D.E.Imes (Quartermaster), R.W.Jahren, G.L.Millar and F.D.Slater;

2^nd Lieutenants:  R.J.Clark, Kindersley, H. Poole, and A.J. Waterman

 

On Monday 1^st June the Squadron had lectures and training at Bulford and on 3^rd June they were on night operations – a compass march.

On Sunday 7th June 1942 1^st Air Landing Squadron were training on Ogbourne St George Mortar Range, Wiltshire and on 8^th June were flying in Tiger Moth (biplanes).

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

 

2nd June – The German Army 11th Army advances in the Crimea and attacks the port and fortress of Sebastapol.  The fierce battle ends with German victory on 9th July.

 

4th-7th June 1942 – the battle over Midway Atoll, the US base in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii, was won by the US Navy. This crucial battle turned the tide and the Allies took over the offensive from the Japanese in the Pacific.  Again US codebreakers had intercepted signals revealing that Japanese invasion fleets were heading for the Midway Islands , enabling timely launching of US Naval task forces from Hawaii to defend the base. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk and 250 Japanese planes destroyed with the loss of only one US aircraft carrier, the Yorktown.

 

 

Dick visited the dentist again on Friday 5th June 1942, attending Dental Centre 363.

Dental Treatment Card –  5/6/42

 

5^th June 1942 – an SS (Shutzstaffel – Nazi paramilitary and police) report states that 97,000 persons have been “processed” ie killed, in mobile gas vans. (From  WW2-net Timelines)

 

 

Telegram - 9th June 1942

CHALKLEY KNITWEAR DEPT BEALES* BOURNEMOUTH =

= = =  LEAVE TODAY 9 DAYS WIRE PAGHAM = RICHARD

++ CT9 QKP  BEALES + PAGHAM +

*By this time Chotie had transferred from Plummer’s Knitwear Department back to Beales.

 

 

 

On 10^th June 1942 Dick was granted 10 days leave.

Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

10.6.42        Granted 10 days leave       Army Rank Trooper        Place Field

 

10th June 1942 – After the gallant defence of Bir Hakeim in the Battle of the Gazala line , most of the Free French escape to the British lines.  General de Gaulle hails Bir Hakeim as the start of the resurrection of France.

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. 

Air Landing

Chotie Darling

 

Dedicated to the memory of my mother

and all those who hold the forever young of war in their hearts.

 

Part 2        Reconnaissance      

  

Chapter 5            1^st Air Landing

 

 

On 20^th April 1942 Dick was transferred to

1^st Air Landing of the Reconnaissance Corps

and posted on the 21^st April

 

Copy of Record

Statement of Service             Army No. 5731671             Richard Kelner WILLIAMS 

RECONNAISSANCE CORPS

Order 29/42  

1^st Air Landing        Transferred to Reconnaissance Corps   Army Rank Pte        20-4-42

 

Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

Posted to 1^st Air Landing Coy w.e.f. 21. 4. 42.

 

1st Air Landing Reconnaissance was part of 1st Airborne Division commanded by Frederick “Boy” Browning with Brigadier George Frederick Hopkinson (known as “Hoppy”) and Lieutenant Colonel Philip “Pip” Hicks. (See 1st Airlanding Brigade.)

Major-General Browning had a DSO (Distinguished Service Order) from his WW1 command in the Grenadier Guards. He was an impeccably dressed, hardworking, disciplinarian. Married to the famous novelist Daphne du Maurier, he went on to play a prominent and controversial role in the British command of Operation Market Garden.

Hopkinson had founded the General Headquarters Liaison Regiment (known as ‘Phantom’ – see The Missing Winter) soon after Dunkirk, leaving in late 1941 to command the glider-borne brigade of 1st Air Division, 1st Airlanding Brigade Group. The actor David Niven, an officer in Phantom, remembered ‘Hoppy’ as “a short square officer with a fertile imagination and a great gift for extracting the maximum loyalty and hard work from all ranks”. As one of the first volunteers for the fledgling airborne forces in Britain he qualified as a parachutist, injuring his back on his first jump and landing in Poole Harbour on his second, still wearing a plaster cast.

When Hopkinson became head of 1st Airborne in 1943, Hicks was promoted to Brigadier and gained his second DSO from his actions in Sicily. Major-General Hopkinson was killed in Italy in September 1943 while Brigadier Hicks survived the war, having been one of the commanders of the British Airborne Division during the Battle of Arnhem.

Officers listed for 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron in April 1942:

Major C.J.H. Gough (see 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance.)

Captains: G.L. Falkim, G.C. Roberts (later ADC to Major-General Urquhart during the Battle of Arnhem), J.P. Royle (a close friend of the actor David Niven, he became a major in the Glider Pilot Regiment commanding “Force John” in Operation Overlord. He was killed at Arnhem on 20th September 1944 – see the Pegasus Archive), C.W. Suter (like ‘Freddie’ Gough a former member of the distinctive 5th (Ski) Battalion of the Scots Guards and a Lieutenant with the London Rifle Brigade in the British Expeditionary Force of 1940); Lieutenants: T.J. Firbank (later awarded the Military Cross and becoming Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the Airborne Forces Depot after the war), M.W. Grubb (captain of ‘A’ Troop with the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron under ‘Freddie’ Gough at Arnhem) and P.C.K. Somerville.

2nd Lieutenants: R.J. Clark (represented the Reconnaissance Squadron as a captain in the ‘seaborne tail’ at Market Garden), Kindersley (possibly the Hon. Hugh Kindersley who became Brigadier commander of the 6th Air Landing Brigade and was wounded in the battle of Normandy?), H. Poole (a captain at Squadron Headquarters of the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance during Market Garden) and A.J. Waterman (later captained ‘B’ troop of the 1st Air Landing reconnaissance Squadron).

(From  The Pegasus Archive, Paradata, Just Ordinary Men, Operation Market Garden, the War Diary of 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew and ‘Phantom at War – the British Army’s Secret Intelligence & Communication Regiment of WW2' by Andy & Sue Parlour 2003)

 

All troops in the 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron were volunteers: ‘Experience from 1941 to 1945 proved that only about one man in three of all volunteers possessed the necessary physique and morale to become and remain a parachute soldier. All airborne forces, though emphatically not “suicide” troops should at all times be prepared to fight under unusual circumstances, to gain a vital objective, for the initial battle was theirs, and theirs alone. They should expect as a matter of course to be surrounded by the enemy, cut off for some time from all except supply by air and to have to defeat a more heavily-armed opponent before being relieved by ground troops. This was as much a matter of morale as skill and training – complete self-confidence in addition to physical fitness, endurance and personal initiative.’

The basic training for an Airlanding soldier enabled them to attain a high standard of fitness - the intention being that they "Would be able to march 60 miles in 72 hours and still be able to fight".

Glider troops were trained beyond the level of the standard British soldier though not to the peak and expense of paratroopers. They were less swift when deployed in an attacking role, but were entirely solid in defence. Glider battalions were approximately 50% larger than parachute battalions, comprising of 16 rifle platoons in 4 companies, as opposed to 9 enlarged platoons in 3 companies. In addition, each of their Support Companies were much larger than that of a conventional infantry battalion, containing double the amount of men and equipment in their Machine Gun, Mortar, and Anti-Tank Platoons. The need for glider-borne troops had been realised with a view to providing parachutists with both support equipment and additional infantry - the purpose of airborne troops was expanding far beyond that of infrequent commando raids.

(From ‘Airborne Forces’ by Lt-Col T.B.H. Otway, D.S.O. London: Imperial War Museum, 1990, The Pegasus Archive and Combined Operations WW2 website. )

Introducing Eric Postles

The stories of those who survived fighting with 61^st Reconnaissance have brought to life Dick’s wartime experience.

Eric Postles was born on 8^th September 1922 and lived in the village of Burscough in Lancashire.  His parents, Mr and Mrs H. Postles lived at 7 Moss Nook, Burscough bridge, Nr. Ormskirk, Lancashire. His war years began here:

 “When men and women reached 19 years of age they were conscripted and, unless you were in a reserved occupation, you were called up for the forces or munitions work etc.

 

I had a medical for the forces at Wigan and on 15^th January 1942 I, along with Harry Parr* from the village and Dennis Crumbleholme from Ormskirk, reported to the Castle at Carlisle as part of a big intake of men from north-west England for the Reconnaissance Corps, a newly formed corps to provide regiments to recce for Infantry Divisions.  I became 10602580 Trooper J.E.Postles. 

The role of the Reconnaissance Corps was to gather vital tactical information in battle.  Our badge was a spear with flashes of lightning on either side and the words reconnaissance on a scroll beneath.  The Corps lanyards were green and yellow and on top of our sleeves we wore the word 'Reconnaissance' in yellow on a green background, the divisional sign and beneath that a bar of green and yellow.

Similarly our vehicles were recognised by the number '41' on a green and yellow square and the divisional sign on the front and rear.  We wore forage caps, later changed to khaki berets and then black berets when we became part of the Royal Armoured Corps.  We also changed our steel helmets to ones similar to those worn by the airborne troops, which gave more protection. 

Our pay was 1 shilling and 9 pence a day but shortly after joining it rose to 2 shillings and 6d and 6d was paid in towards a gratuity given at demobilisation. 

After an IQ test I was allocated to 61^st Division Recce Regiment.  The Divisional sign was a blue square with inset red diamond.  Harry and Denis went to 59^th Division Recce Regiment in Ireland.

 

My regiment, also in Ireland, was moving to a new location so instead of joining them at the outset we went by train on 18^th January to No 10 I.T.C. (Kings Own Scottish Borderers) to do our basic training at Berwick-on-Tweed.  The camp was on the cliffs next to the sea.  It was bitterly cold and snowed heavily.  There was a lot of visible enemy air activity off the coast although the camp was never attacked."

(Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)

*Harry Parr joined the 59 Division Recce regiment.  In July 1943 he “was killed on an exercise in Kent when his heavy armoured car turned over and he was crushed by the gun.”

Pearl Harbour - the world at war, December 1941

The War in Dorset - December 1941

While the Telecommunications Research Establishment continued to develop their ‘Blind Navigation’ two more British planes crashed in Dorset – a Wellington bomber on 16^th December 1941 near Powerstock and a Beaufighter (the long-range heavy fighter modified from the Beaufort bomber) at Pulham on 29^th December. Both crews survived the crashes.

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

During 1941 construction began of the Starfish (from SF for Special fire) Decoy on Brownsea Island that was to play such an important role in the defences of Poole. Elstree Studios' pyrotechnics crew helped to install theatrical explosives and fires to mimic the bombing of Poole and draw the Luftwaffe's attention away from the town.  Designated as PE1, it was operated by the Royal Navy who also maintained decoys to protect the Royal Navy Cordite Factory at Holton Heath– HH1 on Arne and HH2 on Gore Heath.

 (From  ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘The Book of Poole Harbour’ edited by Bernard Dyer and Timothy Darvill and published by The Dovecote press Ltd 2010.)

 

1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron:

In December 1941 the newly formed 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron moved from their secret training location in Wales to Shaw House, an impressive Elizabethan building in Newbury, Berkshire.  There they had lectures and motor cycling, driving and weapons training.

On 26^th December their designation changed to 1^st Air Landing Company, Reconnaissance Corps.  Major C.J.H.Gough (later of Arnhem fame), known as ‘Freddie’, was their commanding officer and the squadron soon acquired the nickname of FGS or ‘Freddie Gough’s Squadron’. He was a stickler for discipline and set exacting standards in search of 'the best of the best' in selection and everyday duties. All Air Landing (gliderborne) troops were volunteers.

 (From the War Diary of 1^st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, WO166/6955 National Archives at Kew, ‘Airborne Forces’ by Lt-Col T.B.H. Otway, D.S.O. London: Imperial War Museum, 1990 and Paradata  – the living history of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.)

Dick joined 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance on 20th April 1942.

 

At the beginning of December 1941 German heavy artillery were within range of Moscow but the German commanders realised that their exhausted and frozen troops could not take Moscow this winter (frostbite casualties were now exceeding the number of wounded in battle), even as they began a final assault on the city. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012).

 

2nd December 1941 – the new National Service Bill introduces compulsory service for women.

 

 

5^th December 1941 – Soviet forces mount a surprise counter-attack to defend Moscow and the Germans advance is halted.

 

6^th December – Roosevelt approves the commencement of atomic weapons research in the USA.

 

7^th December 1941 – Admiral Yamamoto’s Japanese carrier fleet bomb the US fleet in Pearl Harbour.  The Americans, taken completely by surprise (Japan had not declared war on the US), lost the battleships Oklahoma and Arizona, two destroyers and 188 aircraft. Many other ships and planes were damaged and 2,335 servicemen were killed.  The Japanese lost only 29 aircraft. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)

Japanese forces land on Kota Bahru in the far north-east of Malaya and are able to make their first air raid on Singapore the next day.

 

8^th December 1941 – the USA and the UK declare war on Japan.

Japan attacks the US controlled Phillipines bombing the Philippine capital of Manila and American airbases. Half the US Far East Airforce are destroyed.

Japanese forces attack the British territory of Hong Kong and Japanese forces occupy Shanghai in China.

 

Mass killing began at the Chelmno extermination camp near Lodz in Poland. More than 152,000 people were murdered there during the war, mostly in the gas chambers, including Jews and Romanies from Poland, Hungarian Jews, Czechs and Soviet Prisoners of War.

 

9th December 1941 – China declares war on Germany and Italy.

Japanese troops occupy Bangkok, Thailand.

 

10th December 1941 – Allied Forces enter Tobruk in Libya. This was their first major overseas victory.

The British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser HMS Repulse, which had been sent to defend Singapore, are sunk by the Japanese.

The Japanese take Guam, an American base in the Mariana islands.

 

11^th December 1941 – Germany and Italy declare war against the USA and the USA declares war against Germany and Italy.

 

14^th December 1941 – Thailand becomes an ally of Japan.

 

15^th December 1941 – Japanese troops enter Burma.  The Battle of Burma begins with a Japanese bombing attack on the capital of Rangoon on 23^rd December.

 

16^th December 1941 – Japanese forces land in Borneo.

 

18^th December 1941 – Japanese troops land on Hong Kong Island.

The British battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and Valiant are sunk by the Italian Navy while in Alexandria harbour, Egypt.

 

19^th December 1941 – Hitler took over complete control of the German armed forces, the Wehrmacht.

 

22nd December 1941 – Roosevelt and Churchill meet at the Arcadia conference in Washington and agree to pool British and US resources and develop strategy to win the war together.

Japanese forces land near Manila in the Philippines. US and Philippine troops with the American Commander-in-Chief General Douglas Macarthur, withdraw to the Bataan peninsula.

 

23rd December 1941 – Japanese forces finally land on and occupy Wake Island an American base in the Pacific between Hawaii and the Mariana Islands (after unsuccessful attacks on 8th and 11th December

 

25th December 1941 – surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese.

 

 

26^th December 1941 – Winston Churchill addressed the US Congress with his speech “A Long and Hard War” rejoicing that “the United States, united as never before, have drawn the sword for freedom and cast away the scabbard”.

27th December 1941 - A combined services commando raid on German occupied islands off Norway results in 150 Germans killed and 16,000 tons of shipping destroyed as well as defences and infrastructure.

 

During 1941 Allied merchant shipping lost 503 ships, equalling 2,530,011 gross tons. to U-boats world-wide. Only 35 U-boats were sunk (from World War 2 Timelines).

 

Somewhere in England - Tuesday 7th October 1941

On 7^th October 1941 Dick had a medical, prior to his transfer,

which found him in A.1. condition.

Copy of Record

SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

Medical (b)         Category A1          Date          7-10-41

 

Intelligence Section, HQ Company, 70th Dorsets

Branksome, Hants. 

Tuesday

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            Just a few lines to let you know that all is well, and that I still love you, EVERYTHING.

            I'm now feeling much better and though still on the sick list, hope to be OK again in a few days time.

           I had a letter from Brinner (NO not Monica*, Darling...) who appears to be enjoying himself.

           I do little or nothing all day with Eric, which gets pretty boring after a while.  He had a parcel today and is, consequently, feeling quite cheerful, and sends his love (brotherly).

            I was medically examined this morning re transferring, and was categorised A1. - not that it makes any difference.  I'm afraid there's no news, of course, as nothing seems to happen.

             Monica, as I hear from Diller, who still corresponds, has now found her true love (etc), and may now cease to cause me sleepless nights.  It's about time she had a change of front and policy.  That's the only snag of going back to Herne Bay**.  But at any rate we hope she's married by then and in safe hands. 

            This pen’s horrible to write with.  Needless to say, it’s Eric's!  He has everything on the thin side.

            I've managed to find Cocknowle*** on a large-scale map - so I now know whereabouts it lies.

            As regards next Sunday, I'll borrow a bike from Somewhere in England and be around sometime about 3 pm to 5-30.  At any rate, I'll write again before then.         

            Well, Darling I must close here as it's time for tea, and I must rush to post this.

           I managed to get a Dorset Brooch, which will do, I hope, until I get into a Genuine Regiment when I'll send you another. 

                                                                        Bye, bye Darling

                                                                                    All my love

                                                                                                Dicker

                                                                                                Xxxxxxxx

* Dick’s former girlfriend

** Dick’s family were planning to move back to Herne Bay from Poole. They ended up at Pagham in Sussex.

*** where Chotie was living in the Land Army

 From ‘Chotie’s Story’: 

“I left Beales to become a Land Army girl, age seventeen, after a tiff at home.  A lovely farm at Church Knowle in the Purbecks.  Miss Geaves, the farm owner, let me live in her beautiful cottage under Creech, the highest point in the Purbecks.  Walking across fields in early morning, the mist fell in between the hills like small lakes, quite awesome.  Also awesome was my cycle ride from Corfe Castle station to Church Knowle, on a moonlit and part cloudy evening.  How ghostly Corfe Castle looked.

 The Land Army was not for me.  After too much rich food I suffered a bilious attack and hours of mangold pulling, milking cows and trekking across fields took its toll.  Dad took great pleasure in saying I had been invalided out of the Land Army much to my annoyance.  Beryl† joined at a later date and made quite a success of it.”

† Beryl was Mum’s younger sister, a 'success' in the Land Army

 

 

Reputedly my mother lasted three weeks in the Land Army before she was ‘invalided out’, always a source of much amusement in our family.  Dick’s posting to a location so near to her home may have had some influence on her desire to leave the rural idyll of Purbeck.

I have an annoyingly vague memory that she told me Dick went to France before ‘D’ Day and was injured and the worry of this French trip, coupled with sickness, led to her leaving the Land Army.  I wish I’d found out more but I think this was a whispered secret even then – perhaps only for dramatic effect but possibly, like the Bletchley girls, because there were things one swore never to tell.

© Chotie Darling

Not much of a birthday - posted Saturday 6th September 1941

61st Reconnaissance Regiment, who Dick was to fight with in NW Europe, were formed in September 1941 under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Mount, Bt.T.D. (the former Prime Minister David Cameron's grandfather).

1^stSeptember 1941 – Nazis decreed that Jewish people in Germany and occupied countries should wear the yellow star badges introduced in Poland in November 1939.

3^rd September 1941 – the first gassing of prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp. More than one million people were killed there during the war.

5^th September 1941 – Estonia occupied by the German army.

 

 

Intelligence Section, HQ Company, 70th Dorsets

Fort Brockhurst, Gosport, Hants.

Darling Chotie,

                Just a few lines, Precious, to wish you very many Happy Returns of your Birthday.

                I'm afraid you won't get this missive until after the sixth* as I haven't had one single moment to spare since I've been back.  Also of course it's the hell of a job to get anything posted out here in the wilds.

  

            Anyway, Darling, as you put it once before, “Here's wishing you everything you wish yourself”, which is, I think, easily the best way of expressing myself.

 

            Unfortunately I haven't yet been paid this week, as they wouldn't pay me at Brockhurst, and pay parade was over when I arrived up here.

 

            I had to do a 24 hr Guard at Brockhurst as soon as I was back but I hope to be able to get a bracelet in Gosport or Pompey*** when I can get there.  Brinner’s** still got the residue of my cash, but said he would send it on.

         Poor Chotie ... I'm afraid it won't be much of a birthday for you, but doubtless better times are coming.  Don't forget to tell me all the latest when you write, Honey.  I'm dying to know what’s happened re the Land Army, etc.

 

        If you see Brinner, tell him to let me know all his news, (also to send some cash!)

 

                            Well, Darling I must close here, as I have to see the Intelligence Officer.

                                                                                All my love Darling

                                                                                         ever yours Dicker.

 

PS.Don't worry about anything, Precious, - we'll pull through all right.

 

* Chotie’s 18^th birthday

** Dick’s younger brother Brian

 

*** A name for Portsmouth

 

© Chotie Darling

 

 

8th September – beginning of the German siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg) which was not lifted until 27th January 1944. Some 600,000 people died of starvation and disease in the city during the siege.

On 9^th September 1941 Winston Churchill addressed the House
of Commons ending his speech with the famous lines "We are still masters of our fate. We are still captain of our souls" based on the poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley. (See full speech on Churchill Society website http://www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/CptsSoul.html.)

The Paras - late June 1941

 M.T. Section, HQ Company,

Fort Brockhurst, Gosport, Hants.

My Darling Chotie,

                                    I'm writing once again, as I have a few minutes off duty.

            I am making every effort to get into the Parachutists.  Apparently, there are a few openings in that direction, at any rate for the moment.  It should be a smashing life, if I can get in. 

            We had a marvellous time on Monday at the Sports.  George and I won the Wheelbarrow Race!  We only decided to enter for the fun of it, a few hours before the start.  No one was more surprised than us!  We got a couple of bob each in the form of a voucher in the NAAFI. 

            I managed to get a second in the Quarter Mile, only just losing first place.  I also got four bob for that. 

            There's very little news. The outlying companies are on the move again.  If I get a transfer anywhere, I'll either go to Lee or Hurn*, both better than this as regards getting home.

             I can't see any chance of getting home for some little time - probably not until my Seven Days.  It's rotten luck, but there's nothing I can do about it.  Still, things may turn for the better.  One never knows.

             Isn't the war marvellous?  Fritz will be bottled up in another couple of months**.  I'll be home for Christmas, and it won't be leave!  What a time we'll have then.  All you've got to do is earn enough money to keep both of us.  How does that suit you? 

              At the moment, John is slanging me for joining the Paratroops***.  He's going red in the face, saying I want to commit suicide or some twaddle like that.  We shall see. I'll turn up like the proverbial bad penny, all right after this show.

             Well, Darling, I must write home, as I haven't written for some little time. 

                                                            Bye, Bye, Darling,

                                                            Love you more than ever,

                                                                        All yours

                                                                                    Dicker

*Lee-on-Solent or Hurn, near Bournemouth

**Presumably news of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia, had resulted in this hope.

***The Paratroops:

In the early days of the war every man who applied to undergo parachute training was a volunteer.  “The promise of a touch of glamour and higher pay that the Parachute Regiment provided, ensured that there was never a shortage of men ready to volunteer.”

There was resentment from the rest of the Army regarding those who left for the Airborne Forces - why should good units lose first-class men whom they sorely needed? Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Horrocks (later Dick’s commander in XXX Corps) lamented that it was always the natural leaders who volunteered for these “special cloak and dagger private armies ….In these special formations... each leader represented only himself as they were all of the same type; but in his regiment he was worth almost a whole section, for he was the man the others would follow." However, Brigadier Richard Gale argued that “for peculiarly hazardous operations demanding an exceptionally high physical and moral standard one must rely on the volunteer.”

© Chotie Darling

 

26th June 1941 - Hungary entered the war against Russia with the Axis powers.

 

Copy of Record    SERVICE AND CASUALTY FORM

27/6/41          Granted W.P.P.*

* Weekend Privilege Pass?           

Chotie and Dick met up in late June/early July,

possibly for the weekend of 27^th and 28^th June

and then maybe for Dick’s Seven Days leave.

However, he appears to have joined the Intelligence section

in the week commencing 7^th July 1941 or earlier.

Private Williams

Copy of Record

Statement of Service             Army No. 5731671             Richard Kelner WILLIAMS

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT

Order 113/41     70^th Y.S. Bn    Reverts at own request           Rank Pte     7-6-41

 

CERTIFICATE

CERTIFIED that I wish to revert to the rank of Private at my own

request and not in order to escape trial by Court Martial.

 

Gosport.                    RKWilliams Corporal

                              70^th (YS) Bn. The Dorset Regiment

 

                    COUNTERSIGNED

                                        MR.Steel          Lieutenant-Colonel,

Gosport          Comdg. 70^th (YS) Bn. The Dorsetshire Regiment.

 

8^th June 1941 - Allied forces invaded Syria and the Lebanon.

 

 

Letter posted Monday 9th June 1941

 

 ‘D’ Company

Fort Brockhurst, Gosport.

My Darling Chotie,

                                                                 Thanks a million for the letter.  I've only just got it as I suppose it was held up at Soton.

           Well, Honey, I've got some news this week!  I'm now a private again.

           I got so utterly fed up with this Battalion, that I sent in an application to the Old Man to revert to the ranks.  He refused, saying he considered me better as an NCO, than as a private.  He then asked me why I wished to revert, so I let him have it!

           I told him I'd sooner serve as a Mess Orderly in a fighting unit than a Sergeant-Major in this. That shook ‘ee!

            He asked me whether I'd like to go on MT*, driving, probably on a motor-bike, should there be a vacancy.  I told him I would, so may start there soon.  At any rate I'll get a transfer.

           I told the Old Man that all the NCOs did here was to wet-nurse a lot of kids who should be in the Boy Scouts.

            So here I am.  Being a Private will give me a wonderful chance to swot up, which I intend to do.  Besides, driving is more fun than fooling about in barracks, etc.  I shall probably break my neck, but that's how it goes.

            (Don't forget to address all correspondence to Private name & number)

           Will you still love me as a private, Darling?  That's all I'm worried about.

            George was going to chuck his in, but he's got some sick leave, so I don't know much about it.

            I went to the Coliseum at Portsmouth, yesterday, and saw a Strip-Tease Act.  The compere said “The more you applaud, the more she takes off.”! Did the boys give her a hand!  I went with John and Ted Rendall, - we nearly killed ourselves laughing.

 

Later   The only good thing at this place is the showers.  They're hot almost always.  I've just had one, after dinner, and do I feel ‘in the pink’!  I could kill an ox.

            Well, Darling I must close here, with all my love.  Please write and tell me you still think of me now & then.

                                                                        Bye, bye, Darling

                                                                                    Your own loving hubby,

                                                                                                Dicker.

* M.T. = Mechanical Transport

 

Dick was in the Mechanical Transport Section of HQ Company

(still in the 70^th Dorsets) for the rest of June 1941

 

14th June 1941 – America freezes the assets of German, Italy and Axis occupied countries.

18th June 1941 - Turkey signs a 10 year non-aggression pact with Germany. Free French forces occupy Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Detention guard on Southampton Common - Tuesday 27th May 1941

Southampton

Tuesday 27/May

My Darling Chotie, 

                I'm writing as promised, as soon as I'm on guard, which I missed yesterday.

           I'm now on the detention guard (the one with the barbed-wire round it on the common). There are nine prisoners at the moment, though things are not so bad as I thought they would be as I have a Lance Cpl with me, who does most of the work, leaving me most of the responsibility.  It’s not too bad on the whole.  I shall be quite all right, unless a prisoner escapes, in which case I shall be ruined. But I’ll bayonet the b-----, if I catch him!

           I’ve only just been paid!  They wouldn’t pay me on Sunday, as you know, and on Monday they hadn’t got any!  However, I’ve got it now and that’s all that matters.  The only thing is I’ve borrowed so much now that it scarcely leaves me any left!

           This is neither here nor there.  What I wanted to tell you was that you looked marvellous on Sunday, Darling, and made me love you a hundred times more than I ever thought I could love anyone.

            I miss you so terribly, Darling.  Even when I'm with the boys having a drink, or at the flicks or somewhere, I am always thinking how much better it would be if I could only change them for you.  I have a good time on the whole here with John & Co, but it could never be compared with being with you.  Just to be near you, Tootsie, really means such a lot to me, more than you'll ever know.

           Am I boring you?  I hope not.  You must think I write a lot of drivel - but nothing has ever happened to me like this before.  I'll change the subject before you start throwing things about. 

           It's a funny day to-day here at any rate.  It's real April weather, alternate sun & rain - really marvellous.  The common’ s lovely when the sun's out, as all the trees are wonderfully green.

            I took ‘Rebecca’ back yesterday evening.  The woman who runs the library is very decent and kept insisting that she didn't want any fine but my conscience paid her.  I got Steinbeck's ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.  I read it when first published but it's all I could get and it's worth reading again. 

(smudge)    Mucky puppy!

             There's a lot of rumours around about moving, which will probably be on Thursday, but is not definite.  It will probably be Gosport, which is no good to me.  I'd like to get back to Southbourne again....that seems too good to be true now.  However, we must always hope, as usual. 

            The buglers are practising somewhere outside, and they're raising Cain. They keep playing ‘Cookhouse*’.... blast them! 

            I hope you got back safely and in good time, on Sunday.  I had a lift up Hill Lane, but was soaked all the same.  It rained all yesterday which peeved me not a little as I again got soaked, being too lazy to clean my overcoat buttons...That is the penalty for sheer laziness.

            Have you seen any of the old family?  I suppose they're still alive & kicking, if somewhat feebly.  I had a letter from the mater this morning, also an enclosed from Diller, as mad as ever.

             There's no news as usual, I'm afraid, so I'll close here, and scrounge some tea if possible.

                                                            Bye, bye, Darling.

                                                                        All my love

                                                                                    Dicker 

PS.  Maintenant, Chèrie, je t’aime tout ce qui est possible, avec tout mon âme, et avec toutes mes forces**.

* Buglers memorised their calls through patterned word refrains – mealtimes were announced by the call to “Come to the Cookhouse door, boys, come to the cookhouse door”, which presumably acted on Dick’s saliva glands like Pavlov’s whistle!

** “Darling, I love you as much as possible now, with all my soul and with all my strength.”

© Chotie Darling

 

 
Top photo: Corporal Richard Williams of the Dorset Regiment on guard at home at 'Fairhaven', Orchard Avenue, Parkstone, Poole.

Above: Corporal Richard Williams with his father Dudley Williams in Home Guard uniform and his younger brother Brin, a cadet.

 

 

27th May 1941 - President Roosevelt of the United States declares an unlimited national emergency and asks all Americans to resist Hitlerism.

Germany’s new battleship, the Bismarck, was sunk in the Bay of Biscay, finished off by the torpedoes of the battle-cruiser HMS Dorsetshire.

 

27th – 31st May 1941 – evacuation of defeated Allied troops from Crete.  Poole’s flying-boats assisted with the evacuation. (Extract from ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980)

 

 

Come tomorrow

Telegram on Saturday 24th May 1941 from Southampton

 

BARBARA CHALKLEY 51 COMMERCIAL ROAD PARKSTONE = DORSET

 COME TOMORROW DICKER

Dick and Chotie met up in Southampton

on Sunday 25^th May 1941

 

25th May 1941 – Germany warns US that convoying of British war supplies would be considered an act of war.

Winchester Intelligence course - Wednesday 21st May 1941

Dick was on the 4th Division Intelligence Course

at HQ 4^th Div. in Winchester

from Sunday 18^th May to Saturday 24^th May 1941

20^th May 1942 – Germany invaded Crete.

Winchester

Wednesday Morning

Darling,

                     Sorry I haven't been able to write before. I've been on the course for 2 days now and so far haven't had a spare moment.

           I don't mind that so much, but unfortunately I won't be able to receive any mail whilst I'm here. This means I won't hear from you until Saturday night at the earliest.  Rather a blow, but these things can't be helped.

           The course is very interesting to a bloke who knows sweet ---- all about Intelligence.  I don’t suppose I’ll know much more about it when I’ve finished but still....

           Incidentally, I get back on Saturday night, which means the CSM will try to jump on me for guard on Sunday.  If, however, I can evade this, I’ll send a telegram on Saturday night to let you know whether I can get the day off.  I’ll probably have to go on Church but still, we get back about 11.30. I believe.

           I’m afraid I can’t write any more, Darling as it’s now nearly 0900 hrs.  We have to be in the Lecture Room by 0930 and it’s a fair way to walk.  (I’ve just had a marvellous breakfast!)

                                                                  Bye bye Darling,

                                                                       Your adoring

                                                                                    Dicker

 

© Chotie Darling

 

Dick had his rank as full Corporal confirmed on 21^st May 1941.

 

Copy of Record

Statement of Service                        Army No. 5731671          Richard Kelner WILLIAMS

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT

Order 100/41          70^th Y.S. Bn                 

Promoted War Substantive          Army Rank Cpl          21-5-41

 

24^th May 1941 – HMS Hood was sunk by the Bismarck with the loss of 1,416 men, out of a crew of 1,419, in the Battle of Denmark Strait. 

24^th May 1941 – Picture Post, the most popular magazine of the time, predicted that Poole (where Chotie lived) with the Isle of Wight and coast by the New Forest would be one of the four main landing areas for German invasion.

"Poole was the first landfall out of Cherbourg. It's gentle shelving beaches were ideal for invasion while, as a landing base, it had 5,000 feet of quays, wharfage facilities and equipment for handling cargoes. It also provided airfield facilities for the BOAC flying boats and had millions of gallons of petrol stored near its quays."

Hitler's plans for invasion in 1940 included the landing of the 6th Army from Cherbourg on the Dorset coast.

(From  ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980.)

In a hut on the Common, Southampton - Tuesday 13th May 1941

May 1941 - cheese rationing began in Britain. The Earl of Shaftesbury and Viscount Cranborne were both in the Dorset courts this month, charged with buying black-market butter.

An observation minefield, controlled from Brownsea Island, was laid near the entrance of Poole Harbour to defend it from German E boats. 

1^st May 1941 –Donald Coleman Bailey tested his prefabricated steel bridge across the River Stour at Christchurch.  Bailey was later knighted for his design of the indispensable ‘Bailey Bridge’ and eventually retired to Southbourne, Bournemouth.

4th May 1941 – a German Junkers aircraft crashed on Winfrith Heath, the decoy ‘airfield’ (rigged with flares and moving lights) for Warmwell aerodrome in Dorset.

(From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 and  ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980.)

 

 

Dick had seven days leave from 4^th to 11^th May 1941

 

Top photo: Dick and Chotie at 'Fairhaven', Orchard Avenue Parkstone, Poole

Above: Dick, Chotie and Brin, Dick's younger brother.

 

 

6th May 1941 – Axis aircraft begin to land in northern Iraq.

 

8th May 1941 – HMS Bulldog and HMS Aubretia captured a German U-boat with intact secret code books and equipment enabling a breakthrough in deciphering the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park. Picking up coded German radio messages became particularly important for revealing German war plans.

 

9th May 1941– six people killed when a bomb hit their family home in Weymouth, Dorset.

10th May 1941– attack on Christchurch aerodrome.

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

 

10th May 1941 – last raid of the Blitz in London.

 

12th May 1941– sinking of the Maia in Poole Harbour. This famous flying-boat had completed the first British commercial flight across the Atlantic with it’s passenger flying boat the Mercury, before the war.  The attacking Heinkel bomber was brought down by fire from ships in the harbour and anti-aircraft guns.  Railway line north of Bournemouth and Christchurch aerodrome were also attacked in the early hours.

(Extracts from ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).

 

 

 

CHURCH ARMY CENTRES FOR H.M. FORCES

From Southampton

Date 13/May/41

Supplied gratis to Men of H.M. Forces for personal correspondence only.

 

My Darling Chotie,

                                                            I'm writing as we promised on Tuesday Evening.  I hope you got back all right - it was far too late for little girls to be travelling alone, but I won't argue about that, at any rate not until I see you again.

            I went sick this morning and have got off all duties so far and hope to for the next few days.  I'm also getting treatment twice a day, which can't be grumbled at.  There is, however, no hope of sick leave.

            I'm in the Hut on the Common* at the moment trying to drown my sorrows in tea (without sugar...)  I've also just had a supper so I'm not feeling too bad on the whole.  I slept all day in the Corporals’ Room, and hope to do the same tomorrow.  They're very good at this place (Church Army) - the old boy has just come round with free fags - two for every one in the place.

            There doesn't seem anything for me to write.  I haven't yet got over the shock of having to come back again.  It nearly kills you after seven days of freedom - but as usual I expect to get over it OK. 

            Well, Sweetheart, I'm afraid there's no news of any sort to tell you.  Hope your mangy sniffles are all better.

                                                                        Bye, bye Darling

                                                                                    Your loving

                                                                                                Dicker

* presumably Southampton Common

© Chotie Darling

 

14th May 1941 – the RAF attacked Syria, which was pro-Axis and governed by the Vichy French.

 14th May 1941– bombing of Swanage, Dorset, including Wesley Cottage where John Wesley stayed on a preaching trip.  (From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).

The Quartermaster - Thursday 24th and Friday 25th April 1941

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

IMMEDIATE

Southampton

Thursday.

24 APRIL 1941

Darling Tootsie,

                                         Well, Sweetheart to get it over quickly, I can't get my seven days this week at any rate. 

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

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

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

                                                                       Bye bye, Darling

                                                                        Don't lose hope,

                                                                                    Your loving

                                                                                                Dicker

                                                                                               XXXXXX

PS Thanks for letter received this morning.

 

 

“D” COMPANY

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

25 APR 1941

70^th BN. THE DORSET

RKWilliams  Capt.     Commanding D Coy

                        70^th Bn. The Dorsetshire Regt. 

 

                URGENT!

Southampton

        CONFIDENTIAL!                                                          Friday

25 APR 1941

My Darling,

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

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

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

                            Well Darling once again bye bye for the moment.

                                                                       Lots of love

                                                                                     Dicker

 

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

 

© Chotie Darling

 

24th to 30th April 1941 – Allied forces evacuated from Greece and on 27th April Athens was captured by Germany.

 

On 27^th April 1941 Winston Churchill broadcast on the BBC his famous speech ending, in reference to increasing support from America, with the quote from a poem by Arthur Hugh Clough - ‘Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth’ : 

    “For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,

    Seem here, no painful inch to gain,

    Far back, through creeks and inlets making,

    Comes silent, flooding in, the main.

    And not by eastern windows only,

    When daylight comes, comes in the light,

    In front, the sun climbs slow, how slowly,

    But westward, look, the land is bright."

and said “When we face with a steady eye the difficulties which lie before us, we may derive new confidence from remembering those we have already overcome. Nothing that is happening now is comparable in gravity with the dangers through which we passed last year.” 

 

 

28^th April 1941 – a Fairey Battle, one of the special duty fighter-bombers based at Christchurch aerodrome, crashed into the sea off Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth. The soldier who swam out from the headland to rescue the pilot was later given the George medal for heroism.  

29^th April 1941 – two French pilots escaped in a stolen German aircraft and landed at Christchurch aerodrome. (From ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 Tel. 01963 32583).

 

 

At the beginning of the war the 50^th (Northumbrian) Division, characterised by its TT insignia to represent the Tyne and Tees rivers, was a motorised Territorial Army Division. Re-organised as infantry it fought with the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium.

The 4^th Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers served with 50^th Division as a motor cycle reconnaissance battalion but by 30^th April 1941 they had become 50^th Recce and part of the Reconnaissance Corps.

From November 1941 they served in Cyprus, Palestine, Syria and Egypt before meeting their nemesis in the Battle of the Gazala line, May 1942.

Their role as Recce unit for 50^th Division was later taken on by 61^st Recce – the unit Dick fought with in NW Europe.

(From ‘Only the Enemy in Front Every other beggar behind…’ The Recce Corps at War 1940-1946’ by Richard Doherty, Tom Donovan Publishing Ltd 1994, WW2 Talk Forum and The Garrison.)

 

                   

Failing the OCTU Board - Tuesday 22nd April 1941

10th April 1941– severe incendiary bombing of Poole suburbs including Broadstone, Upper Parkstone and Canford Cliffs. Water supplies were used up by fire fighting in the lower part of the town so there was no mains water to dowse the blaze at the Canford Cliffs Hotel which burnt to the ground. (The converted remains of the stable block behind the hotel accommodate The Cliff pub and the flat where Chotie was to live for 44 years).

Bournemouth was also bombed that night and several people were killed by the bombing .

11th April 1941 – Incendiary bombing and machine gun attacks in the Poole suburbs of Broadstone and Corfe Mullen. 

13th April 1941– bombing of Upton, near Poole. A Heinkel crash landed at Lydlinch in North Dorset.

(Extracts from  ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004).

 

13th April 1941 – Russia signs a neutrality pact with the Japanese.

 

14th April 1941 – Rommel besieges Tobruk, a key port in Libya.

 

17th April 1941 – Yugoslavia fell to Germany.

 

18th April 1941 – Britain warns Italy they will attack Rome if Cairo is bombed.

 

19^th April 1941 – British forces land in southern Iraq.

 

 

Southampton

Tuesday

My Darling Little Chotie,

                                                          As promised I'm writing as soon as possible.  To cut a long story short, the Board failed me because I'd done too much service on P.T. and couldn’t therefore have enough military knowledge! 

                I was that mad when I heard, I could have rushed from here to there but now having cooled off somewhat I don't care twopence.

            Last night I went to the Bellemoor* to drown my sorrows with John and a few others.  On getting back to get to bed, however, I found I hadn't got my petrol lighter.  Half crazed with grief, I rushed back to the Bellemoor to see if it was left there, despite the fact that it was after Roll-call.  It wasn't there.  I almost cried. Some time later John comes in and casually gives it to me saying that he had pinched it from my pocket.  I was so relieved; it left me a physical wreck.

            I realised then, Darling, that every thing connected with you means far more than anything this world has to offer, least of all commissions.  If only I could tell you how much you really do mean to me, Tootsie. It makes the Army seem so insignificant.          

            At the present rate things are going, it should be all over in six months to a year.  Just wait ‘till then...

            I mustn't write any more Darling, as I have to make out a pass for my Seven Days.  I doubt if I'll get it now as things appear to be bad in that direction. But, here's hoping.                                                                    

            Bye, bye Darling,

                            Take care,

                                            Your loving Dicker.

P.S.     Vous êtes le lait dans mon thé,

            Ce n’est pas possible de vivre sans toi!**

                        (all my own work!)

S.W.A.L.K.** etc!

 

* the Bellemoor Tavern in Shirley, Southampton

** “You’re the milk in my tea, it’s not possible to live without you!”

*** acronym for “Sealed with a loving kiss”.

 

© Chotie Darling

 

24^th April 1941 – German forces advance into Egypt.

On Guard again - Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February 1941

1st February 1941– a flying-boat service to neutral Portugal was established from Poole Harbour. Lisbon was the only safe staging post in Europe and became vital in supplying air support to Africa as well as Egypt and the Middle and far East via the Free French colonies in West Africa – the famous ‘Horseshoe Route’. This was a vital artery for the Western Desert campaigns.

The BOAC flying-boats had been moved to Poole from Hythe, near Southampton, in August 1939. Water runways known as ‘the Trots’ were marked out in the Main and Wareham Channels and operated from Salterns Pier (Poole Harbour Yacht Club, now Salterns Marina Hotel). Poole Harbour became the main UK civil airport during the WW2.

(From ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 Tel. 01963 32583).

 

Rye Cottage, Marine Parade W

Lee-on-Solent, Hants.

 Darling Chotie,                                                                               

                                    Thanks for the letter.  As I'm on Guard again I thought I'd write.  It's about the only time I get.  I'm on the Beach Hut Guard with no stove and only a candle for light and heat, and is it cold! 

                It's now just eight o'clock Saturday evening, and I'm faced with the pleasant prospect of staying in this wretched hut, awake, ‘till ten o'clock tomorrow morning.  It's so damn cold now that I can hardly write - heaven knows what it will be like by about midnight. 

                There was an inspection of these guards by a General a few days ago.  From what I can gather from various sources, he condemned the conditions and I believe there is the chance of moving again.  I don't know where it will be, of course.

                Everyone's fed up with this place as, apart from the food, there's nothing to be said for it.  It's one long Guard - up to our necks in mud and only one wretched cinema, when we get any time off.            

                Anyhow, Darling, I still love you so much that even Guards become a pleasure when I think, of the glorious time we're going to have when I get back.  And I don't mean maybe...

                About every ten minutes someone, some clumsy ---, knocks over my candle, and if it were not for my lighter, Darling, I don't know what I'd do.  I'd certainly have used a good few matches tonight.

                I'm afraid as usual there's very little news - if any.  Nothing of any real interest ever seems to happen.

                I hope to meet Eric again soon. He's at Gosport (about 5 miles from here) and I'm trying to arrange a reunion.  The snag is that it's difficult for us to both get the same night off duty.  I expect we'll manage it soon - Eric's a born wangler.

 

Sunday Evening

                I came off Guard and after a bath and some din-din, felt a lot better.

                I'm afraid I can't write any more, Darling as it's just on Supper Time, and I must post this in the NAAFI as it's the only chance I’ll get.                                              

                                        Bye, bye Darling,

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Dicker

© Chotie Darling

 

Dick appears to have been stationed at Southbourne (in Bournemouth)

for the rest of February and into early March. 

 

There are no letters between 2^nd February and 12^th March 1941

so he presumably met up regularly with Chotie.

 

9th February 1941 – Churchill’s broadcast to the nation ended:

“We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

The Churchill Centre and Museum

 

11th February 1941 – German forces arrived in Africa for ‘Operation Sunflower’, reinforcing the remaining Italian forces in Libya after the destruction of the Italian Tenth Army in the Allies' 'Operation Compass'.

 

Dick was promoted to full Corporal again

on 20th February 1941.

He also appears to have been moved to ‘D’ company of the 70^th Dorsets

Copy of Record

Statement of Service Army No. 5731671 Richard Kelner WILLIAMS

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT

Order 55/41 70^th Y.S. Bn Appointed Paid Army Rank A/Cpl 20-2-41

 

25th February 1941 – British forces captured Mogadishu, the capital of Italian Somaliland.

26th February 1941 - following Hitler’s appeal for Spain to enter the war General Franco declares “I stand today already at your side, entirely and decidedly at your disposal”, but Spain remains neutral.

Demotion

 

Dick was demoted to Lance Corporal

on 1^st January 1941

and transferred to ‘C’ company of the 70^th Dorsets

 

Copy of Record

Statement of Service  Army No. 5731671 Richard Kelner WILLIAMS

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT

Order 2/40 70^th Y.S. Bn Relinquishes appointment as A/Cpl Army Rank P/L/Cpl 1-1-41

 

 

‘C’ Company, Corsham, Wilts

 2/1/41

 

My Darling,

 

     Thanks for the letter. I’m afraid I’ve some not so good news in this letter. I’ve been chopped from full rank to Lance Corporal, and Pete has been made up.

  

During the last few months, discipline has been neglected and I was the only rank to charge anyone. Today I was hauled up in front of the Colonel and calmly told that I hadn’t any control over the men! I was amazed.

As usually happens, I have been transferred from ‘A’ Company to ‘C’ which is at Battalion Headquarters; actually at Corsham about 10 miles from the Aerodrome. This Company, which was the old ‘L’ Coy, is junior to ‘A’ and is consequently still training. This is a pleasure as it means no more guards, better food and generally better living conditions.

Pete, for some mysterious reason, has been transferred to ‘D’ Company which is also here. I don’t think he’ll last very long as I have just seen him and he isn’t feeling too good, being generally fed up.

 

I don’t give a damn myself. All I want to do is to get back to my little Cho-Cho. Nothing seems to really matter in the Army. All I do is live for that glorious day when this will all be over and just a nightmare best forgotten. If only you knew how much I miss you Tootsie, and how often I think of you, you’d know just how I feel.

 

 I don’t know whether you remember me telling you about J P Clarke (“JP”) who went on a 48 without permission. Well, he’s here, at the Headquarters. At the moment he’s on his first Seven Days. He is, I think, the only bloke here who I really understand. He’s so crazy about his Toots. He’s the only one I’ve got something in common with. All the rest seem so shallow and so far from genuine. He was busted from L/Cpl to private by the Colonel.

 

Corsham is a village of sorts, having a few shops, one half pint sized cinema & a small YMCA. We get very little time off and consequently I haven’t had much chance to see it yet.

 

I’ve met many of the blokes I knew six months ago in the old ‘D’ Coy. Most of them are pretty fed up with everything. There’s no chance of a Commission as the new Colonel hasn’t passed a soul since he’s been here. Toni was passed by Col. Heseltine, the previous C.O. I wish he was still here. At least he showed a little interest in the junior NCOs.

 

Well, Darling I must say Au Revoir here as its lights out.

Goodnight, Tootsie Darling,

all my love

 

Dicker.

 

P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon…

 

New Address : -

L/Cpl RK Williams, ‘C’ Company, 70^th Dorsets, Corsham, Wilts.

 

9th January 1941 – the Allies began their attack on Italian forces in Eritrea, Somaliland and Ethiopia.

 

January 1941 – Poole attacked with incendiary bombs on six of the first twelve days.

9th January – Incendiary bombs caused 37 fires in Poole. 248 houses were damaged and two men were killed by high explosive bombs at Canford Cliffs.

 

(From ‘Poole and World War II’ written by Derek Beamish, Harold Bennett and John Hillier and published by Poole Historical Trust in 1980 and ‘Dorset’s War Diary - Battle of Britain to D Day’ by Rodney Legg, Dorset Publishing Company 2004 Tel. 01963 32583).