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Extracts from Arthur Allvey’s letters to his wife, Gladys, July 1944

5-7-44 Well darling everything is going on as usual with plenty of work for all, interspersed with occasional days of comparative quiet — as today for instance — but one never knows when sudden demands on the battery may not make us as busy as bees in a hive.

Yesterday we had a parcel of cigarettes, about 16 per man, a present from Montgomery. I exchanged mine for tobacco and have about a pound of the latter so am quite well off.

There’s nothing here upon which to spend money so I should manage to save something. We’ve had no pay out here and it’s unnecessary. In fact I still have some English money which I brought over with me together with 10/- worth of francs. These latter were issued whilst we were still in England. I gave away several 5 franc notes to little boys and girls as souvenirs; I told you how for two days we were parked in the streets at the point of embarkation and the people there, despite being forbidden to converse with us, were very friendly and they kept us supplied with jugs of tea and coffee. They naturally knew what we were there for. At a nearby CWS we could obtain all sorts of things which normally are difficult to get and they didn’t bother about coupons.

By the way, on board the invasion barge they had a curious mascot, a goat, who walked about freely and seemed quite at home there. Yet there was nothing, except its own nous, to prevent it from walking over the side of the vessel.

The news from all quarters is still very encouraging and each day, bringing each successive loss or failure to the German forces, must compel them to face the fact that they’ve already lost the war. The Russians are no great distance from East Prussia and, I believe, we are even closer to the German frontier on this front.

Today, in a field nearby, I saw a newborn lamb, pink and without any fleece except upon its legs. There are lots of young colts which frisk about in the fields. It’s very attractive country here and a great pity that the war should ravage such rich land. The wheat and corn is being ruined and we shall need to send terrific quantities of food here to support the population.

8-7-44 Thanks for your letters and I was very pleased to hear that all is well on the home front. Everything is equally under control here I’m glad to say, except for a touch of indigestion, probably due to all these rich foods to which I was unaccustomed and which now we enjoy — eggs, butter, milk and sweets. I should say that our standard of living is higher than that of the average English civilian if one includes all the extras which we manage to obtain.

The weather here is very variable with plenty of rain mingled with spells of really beautiful weather — blue skies and hot sunshine reminiscent of Sicily. Such was yesterday evening and it was used to advantage by our air forces. Never, at home or abroad, have I seen such a display of air power — it’s no use saying that the skies were filled with planes because that’s becoming a hackneyed phrase nowadays. It resembled an aerial Piccadilly Circus. For about an hour they streamed across the sky travelling in all directions, criss-crossing at different heights. I wasn’t in the least surprised to learn from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ news broadcast today that 2,000 tons of bombs had been dropped just in front of our lines. I had seen from a distance the effect of a mere 1000tons but never such a large quantity as were dropped yesterday.

Most of your questions about my life over here have already been answered in my earlier letters darling. The work is well organised and by working in shifts we manage to get plenty of sleep as a rule. The tempo varies, of course, and when an attack by us or the enemy is in progress we are extremely busy but there are quieter spells. There isn’t much real leisure because we must be on the qui vive day and night against any demands for fire and so I’m more or less confined to the area of the command post for the whole time. Being so buys the time slips by at an astonishing rate — it’s hard to believe that I’m in my fourth week in France.

It’s very difficult to keep a check on time as one day or night is like another and one doesn’t notice weekends — it’s the same routine day after day. No doubt I’ve made mistakes in dating some of my letters — sometimes there are as many as three different popular ideas of the date and it’s difficult to choose the right one.

I have, of course, heard about this new menace, the aerial bomb, and it’s very worrying. Do you get the alert when these things are approaching London? I expect that it’s possible to give warning of their approach and perhaps to plot their course since these things can’t deviate from their original approach, and I hope you go into the shelter.

11-7-44 It’s several days since I last had the opportunity to write to you since we’ve moved to a new position and I’ve been busy in consequence but everything is alright and I am well. I hope you and Marian are both fit… I’m just listening to Big Ben striking the hour of twelve — the news headlines are being broadcast now and you will have heard of the capture of Caen which is a very important success.

We’ve left our comfortable quarters in the farmhouse and now I live in a ditch but it’s a dry one and so not so bad as it sounds.

For the first time over here we’ve had bread — one loaf which arrived yesterday. It’s whiter bread than the usual, as white as pre-war bread.

Well dear there’s not a lot I can say really. I think that air attacks are all proceeding very satisfactorily and the Russians are doing fine aren’t they. The Germans have just about shot their bolt I think and the war shouldn’t last so long now…

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