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Extracts from Arthur Allvey’s letters to his wife, Gladys, October — November 1944

22-10-44 … It seems a lifetime since I last saw you, and actually it is approaching five months since I left England … It’s so lonely being without you dear; I have friends here amongst the C.P. personnel of course, but I mean lonely in a very different sense of the word — the loneliness which can only be dispelled by one person in the world. It’s strange how comparative a term time is; it bears no relation with clocks nor calendars because 6 months away from my beloved lasts as long as 6 years spent with you, and the 12 months of married life which I enjoyed with you passed like lightning…

24-10-44 Thanks for your letter of Sunday 15th October darling. I hope that my mail is reaching you more regularly now. I don’t understand why my letters are not arriving promptly at the moment because I almost always write you each second day and therefore you ought to receive about 3 letters every week.

No dear, I didn’t see the King myself but he was here.

I remember those nice houses in Bramerton Road and am sorry to hear of their sad fate.

It’s a problem to know what political party to support after the war since party politics are suspended for the duration though it’s evident that all parties are becoming restless now that we are approaching the end of the war, especially when the cessation of hostilities in the internal politics of the country is used as a lever by certain members of the Government to attain their own ends. You see it’s impossible for me to keep sufficiently in touch with civic affairs to form any opinion as to the future political trend in the various parties…When things begin to assume some form in the days of peace I expect the structure of the parties will be radically altered.

I have read the press reports of the TUC view on war criminals. Of course they are right in classifying the merchants who supplied Germany with her raw materials as war criminals but what of the Government who idly permitted these materials to reach Germany almost up to the day of the war and of the people whose slackness alone left in power such a weak-kneed Government. The majority of exports to Germany can be said to have aided that country to build up her war potential so how many merchants and factors will be safe from reproach in this respect. No, I think this is a wrong attitude because we are all lesser or greater war criminals and therefore must all seek to make amends in the future for our sins of commission and omission.

Well dearest wife everything progresses well and each day here is just like the last — sometimes plenty of work, at other times little to do. Weekends now have no significance and one scarcely notices the date at all. I long for peace and a return to you darling…

29-10-44 thanks for your letter of 20th October which I received three days ago but have only now had an opportunity of replying to as I’ve been away from the battery for two days at an observation post…

As I said, these two days past I have been away at an O.P.. I was situated in a house from the upper windows of which we could get a fine view of the places we were desirous of observing. There were three of us in the party and we made ourselves quite comfortable as the place was well furnished and even the cooking utensils, cutlery, plates and so on had been left behind. We had a fire in the grate the whole of the time so had frequent brews made in a real teapot, and heated our meals. Slept on mattresses which we found in the place. There were several other houses in the vicinity but all were deserted of course. A dog attached itself to us, a smallish black and white dog which had suffered various wounds from shrapnel and we fed it. Also a number of starving cats were constantly running about the place looking for food. Of course the house was in a terrible state of disorder as it had been hastily evacuated and having been used as a C.P. for some little time, there were empty tins and rubbish all over the place.

30-10-44 Thanks for your letter of Wednesday 25th darling which reached me yesterday which was a quicker delivery than usual…

I don’t always sleep with my clothes on; when conditions allow and I’m not on duty I undress as it’s very uncomfortable sleeping in one’s clothes.

The plotting of a target is usually done on a board similar to an architect’s board but sometimes it needs to be computed when it’s necessary to use logs., but in any case the work is duplicated so everything is checked thus eliminating mistakes. It is, of course, very important that the work should be accurate.

Yes I know that the scheme for demobilisation includes a system of points based on age and service, the groups ranging from 1 to 75, and my figure is 41; the first to be released will be those in group 1, but, in addition, certain people whose release is desirable for reconstruction work will be demobilised out of their turn. It remains to be seen how many occupations and trades will come within the scope of these special releases but I believe that some attention will be paid to the building up of our export trade wherein we are already considerably lagging behind our American competitors… Well, this being the case and E.R.M [Enfield Rolling Mills] requiring my services in their export section why shouldn’t I obtain my release out of turn…

Yes darling I believe a certain amount of freedom is permissible in discussing one’s position but we here at all events cannot state our present location. Artillery units have to be most particular — guns are costly pieces of equipment. I have told you of some of the more important towns and places I’ve passed through in my Continental travels though I can’t mention places in this country.

Abut the books don’t spend a lot of money on them sweetheart as it is not worth it since I cannot hope to keep them after reading them. One can’t carry much personal kit you see dearest. Therefore only buy when you can obtain penguins or such cheap editions. I usually manage to pick up a few books; I’ve obtained a copy of ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ which will provide reading matter for a while…

I note that our baby needs coats and other garments and wish that I could buy such things out here. I shall certainly keep my eyes open both for undies for you and clothes for Marian. In that house which we used for an O.P. everything had been left behind by the tenants when they evacuated and it was pathetic to note the baby’s cot with its clothes all disarranged and the child’s toys and garments trampled upon as well as the other bedding and furnishings in a terrible state of disorder. Even the remnants of their last meal were left on the table.

3-11-44 Today I went to a mobile bath unit in the city and had a good shower. At these baths they replace your dirty clothes with clean, nicely aired things which is a useful service.

I’ve just moved into a house for sleeping in and it’s a very nice house of ten rooms, one of which I occupy with two other acks. It’s more satisfactory than the garage which I formerly occupied as the latter was very cold.

I’ve had a second dinner tonight as our Assistant C.P.O. couldn’t eat his and I won the toss for it.

We seem to be intimidating the Germans in the rest of Holland now, i.e. around the coastal areas and I’ve heard news today of some very devastating raids on Emmerich. The sky was lit up by fires last night.

At long last we’ve had our blankets changed by order of the M.O. My old ones had been to Africa etc., with me so were not exactly fresh… We haven’t yet been issued with winter underclothing though it’s cold enough for it.

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