大象传媒

May 11 1945. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
I鈥檝e not had any mail for 3 or 4 days. I suppose everyone is on holiday in Blighty. We took the news very steady. It was no different than any other day except that we worked a little more than usual; although I believe a few chaps have read the latest papers and it says every regiment had a feast, officers waited on them, 2 days holiday, etc. But it certainly doesn鈥檛 apply here. Instead our first parade on V day was something like this:- 鈥淵ou can forget the war now and settle down to a bit of soldiering. You will wash your neck and hands, and put your cap on straight, etc, etc鈥� anyone would think we were a gang of kids.
I鈥檒l be glad when I鈥檓 out of it. I would go tomorrow and start work and pay them all the money I鈥檝e drawn if they would just give us the date only, of when we get into civvies. I suppose the same will happen as in the last war; the first out get the good jobs, and I can鈥檛 see myself getting out this year. It鈥檚 going to be a very slow job. There鈥檚 no information at all yet. I don鈥檛 suppose there ever will be. It鈥檚 not like the Army to have a chap鈥檚 mind at rest. We were on the move on May 7th and have been here ever since. We were supposed to stay only 48 hours, but it鈥檚 5 days since and still no sign, thank goodness, because it鈥檚 a beautiful little town.
I You certainly had to pay top price for your coats. I鈥檓 afraid I shall never be able to keep up if that鈥檚 the normal price of things. Just imagine. I soldiered down Tidworth for 6 months and my total pay was only 拢6, and you spend nearly 4 times that on just a coat. I don鈥檛 know what to do about my old firm. They鈥檙e not allowed to get me out, or I know they would do, and after all these years in the open, I feel inclined to seek an open air job. I don鈥檛 suppose there鈥檚 a chance for promotion there, now the exempt chaps have got 6 years ahead of me.
Well, what sort of celebrations were there last Tuesday? I guess you closed the business and finished the whiskey off. I should have liked to have been on leave last week. They all got two days extra, do you know. I think I shall become eligible for another leave about the end of September. The general idea was to get a week鈥檚 leave about every 6 months, and September completes another 6 months since March, my last one. That should be my last one.
We are billeted in houses and very big ones too. It鈥檚 similar to the Westlands, very classy, and the civvies have had to get out for a while until we go, I guess, but it鈥檚 done us a good turn. I鈥檝e really got myself organised. I鈥檝e washed everything I鈥檝e got. It surprised me when I got it on the line. My whole army kit and endless civilian odds and ends. I鈥檒l bet there鈥檚 40 items. Now I鈥檝e just had my last (I hope) suit of battledress and sewn all the necessary on. Life鈥檚 not too bad now. I鈥檓 ready for anything from getting demobbed to a King鈥檚 inspection.
.
Well, there鈥檚 very little news now it鈥檚 all over, so until next time, Tra. God bless you.
Yours with love, Alb. Xxx.

May 18th 1945. Friday. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
Received your victory letter a few days ago. It was a long time in coming, but everyone was on holiday, including the postmen. I mean everyone at your side of the water. As regards our unit, I don鈥檛 think anyone will recall Victory Day as anything out of the ordinary. It came and passed as any other day does. In fact I doubt if half of them can tell what date the surrender was concluded. Well never mind that. How about the demobbing now? It looks as if I must do some more years yet. No-one has any real information, but the latest rumours and speculations are that, up to group 25 will be demobbed in less than 12 months and then it all stops until Japan finishes.
I would be group 26. I can see me still in it for at least 18 months or so.
The general idea is that it鈥檚 all fair, but I can鈥檛 see it. There鈥檚 no allowance for being a married man or for four years overseas or having a job to go back to. They say there will be jobs to go back to. I wonder after the first 25 groups have had 2 years to get fixed up. I suppose we shall have to bear up to it and see how things are in a year or two.

There鈥檚 been plenty of weddings this Whitsun. How did you overcome the double wedding difficulties? Harry certainly put you in a fix. How much leave did he get? He鈥檚 making a bad start by borrowing. It鈥檚 going to take a long time to pay back on service pay.
I went back to Lubeck on the Baltic on Wednesday afternoon. It鈥檚 a very nice place, almost like a holiday resort, and the people seemed to be on holiday too. We鈥檙e not allowed to speak to them. It鈥檚 going to be pretty grim if it lasts many years. Even in the desert we could talk to ourselves and no-one would consider it unusual, but here, I guess, we would be put inside.
Well, let鈥檚 hope for better news soon. I鈥檓 keeping fine. By the way, I鈥檝e asked Eve to send my swim suit and some odds and ends.
Cheerio, love to you all. Yours ever, Alb. Xxx.

May 26 1945. Saturday. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
I鈥檝e just received your Wednesday letter, along with one from Eve and another one from Mrs Housten of Oldham. She says Alan, her son, has not yet come home, but she鈥檚 expecting him any day, so much so she hasn鈥檛 been out for two days up to writing and won鈥檛 go out again until he comes.
Allan was captured in May 1942. Most of us got away but his luck was out. His mother hasn鈥檛 heard off him since February 5th this year, but had a cable from a repatriation group to say he鈥檚 been released by the Russians between Linz and Vienna and he鈥檚 on the way home..
I was in Hamburg yesterday. I went on a job and thought it a good idea to see what state it is in. Even the suburbs are flat and it鈥檚 a huge city, next in size to Berlin. I could count the in fact houses on my hands. Yet there鈥檚 thousands of civvies there. Goodness knows where they live. Funny enough a few trams are running and an odd set of traffic lights here and there. I鈥檓 certain they can never hope to rebuild it or if they do it will take 20 years to clear the rubble. You can鈥檛 imagine the completeness of it, but just imagine, say, Birmingham a complete wreck, not a house or factory standing as far as you can see. We drove from the Lubeck side right through the eastern suburbs to the docks and then, more by luck than by anything else, we wended our way out and came on the autobahn again.
I must say the autobahn is a masterpiece. It鈥檚 a double carriageway with a wide centre of grass, and fast and slow lanes with cycle track, so you can guess the width. Nothing has been spared. It鈥檚 almost straight and no cross roads, they鈥檙e all flyover junctions. Either the junctions go over or under the autobahn, so all you do is put your foot down hard and keep it there. The surface is all concrete. Apart from the autobahns, though, the rest of the roads are on a par with our street, very, grim.
I was in Lubeck on Thursday afternoon. It was a recreation trip, but there鈥檚 not much there. At least, there wasn鈥檛 much to interest me.
I see I was mistaken about the date of Whit Sat. Well, it鈥檚 all over now, and by all accounts, a bit of a flop. It was too much of a rush, wasn鈥檛 it? Eve鈥檚 letter yesterday told me a good deal about it. I鈥檓 glad she wisely went home. Most people鈥檚 ides of a good time has to have beer predominating.
We may be out in less than 12 months, not as Dad thinks. He says August, but I鈥檓 super optimistic in thinking Feb or March 1946. I鈥檒l be glad when leave starts again. It should do on July 1st and, if we stick to the old rota, I should be due home for 7 days in Sept - Oct.
I had another letter from Cairo yesterday. It鈥檚 still the same old place by all accounts.
Well, I鈥檒l be off for tea now, cheerio, God bless. Yours ever, Alb. Xxx.

June 4 1945. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
.
Just after I wrote your last letter the censorship was declared finished. We just seal the letters ourselves now. It鈥檚 about the finest thing that鈥檚 ever happened, far better than the V day news.
You ask about the German people. Well, we are not allowed to speak to them or give or accept anything, so it鈥檚 hard to say. But if we want anything they never refuse. I鈥檝e borrowed a rowing boat this afternoon and they don鈥檛 mind at all. Chippy borrowed a horse and harness the other day, and if we鈥檙e near a farm or in a village, we only have to ask for eggs or milk as we need them and they give them to us..
Whether they are afraid of us or very generous, I can鈥檛 quite decide, but I think they are more or less afraid. We are ruling them fairly strict. When we move an advance party goes the previous day and selects a suitable street or streets, and gives the families up to 24 hours to clear out of their homes. What they don鈥檛 have time or room to cart away is left behind and is not allowed to be fetched at a later date. Sometimes a whole street is cleared and cordoned off. Other times civvies are living opposite or next door. There鈥檚 a curfew at 9 pm, given on the air-raid siren, and you should see the people scamper when the 录 hour warning goes, just as if there is an air-raid. The penalty is jail for the night if they are caught out.
I was on guard on Friday and Saturday at the control point on one of the main outlet roads from the town, and it was very amusing at times. I stopped a civvy lorry and trailer after curfew, rang up the main control and was ordered to put the driver and his two mates in the guardroom for the night.
Another incident, I stopped a Jerry walking into town, saw his paybook and noticed he was an SS man, rang up again and the big cheeses went mad. 鈥淕uard him with your life鈥�, they said. 鈥淪hoot him if he attempts to escape, etc, etc鈥�. But later they decided to collect him and put him in the local jail behind bars and I was relieved.
Another chap I stopped, he got talking and showing me his papers. I noticed a letter in his pocket with Poperinge Belgium on it, so I asked him how he came by that. He said he was stationed there for 18 months prior to us invading, and out came the photo of his girl from Poperinge. One of our sentries recognised her and recalls her going with one of our chaps when we were there. Such is life. I suppose she said to the Jerry 鈥淓nglish no good鈥�, and to us 鈥淕ermans no good鈥�.
I had a client who was very interesting. He was a chap who I鈥檝e cursed above once. He told me he used to be the Observation NCO up the steeple at Venlo church in Holland. I鈥檒l bet he鈥檚 seen some of us through his binoculars before. I鈥檝e often said I would like to catch up with him and there he was, unarmed and just like any of us. He said what a time he used to have. He knew as soon as his odd guns fired, he could rest assured we would reply with 20 times more gun fire. He used to say a prayer every time he ordered his guns to fire.
The guard was quite interesting I had to see and check every man鈥檚 pass and I passed 2500 men through; also take all weapons off them if they still carried them, and stop all river traffic just below and rail traffic besides. I hardly had time to eat.

I had two small parcels off Eve during the week, first one with foodstuff and the second with my swim suit and blacking, tooth paste, etc. She sent them separate because of soap mixing with choc and what not. She tells me her mum is sick Well last page of another pad. How many more I wonder.
So Tra. (PS I鈥檓 in a little town, Friedrichstraat) north of Hamburg. Cheerio, love to you all. Yours ever Alb. Xxx.

June 9 1945. Saturday. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
Just received your letter, and sorry to hear of all the illness and confusion in town. I suppose you know Eve鈥檚 mother is copying you. She says it鈥檚 ideal, this bed and breakfast. I mean breakfast in bed.
I hope you鈥檙e very soon better, both of you. It鈥檚 a good job it鈥檚 summer, it will help a lot.
I guess you know Eve has finished with buses, officially on June 6th. I鈥檓 glad it鈥檚 all over, it was a rotten job, not one that I would choose.
So you鈥檝e got the car out I see. I knew it would soon be on the road. Hope I鈥檓 home soon, but there鈥檚 not even a mention of leave or coming home for good.

Did you back the winner in today鈥檚 Derby? We had a huge sweepstake throughout the Brigade. I bought 5 tickets but never drew a horse. My mate Chippy drew a horse but it was scratched. The total number of tickets sold were totalled up to 拢700 and the winner received 拢343, 2nd about 拢180, 3rd about 拢90 and the rest was divided among the runners.
Fancy. Out of all those tickets split up among 18 units, we had 4 in this unit and all in HQ, yet all were troopers, but none got a place, but 3 were runners, so they do get something.
We鈥檝e been here about a fortnight and command the main roads from Hamburg, Kiel and the Danish border. Our job has, and still is, to check all the Jerries passing through. I鈥檒l bet 500.000 have passed through us. The roads are always crammed with Jerries. They鈥檙e coming in from Denmark and north of us. We鈥檙e in a place called Friedrichstraat about 100 miles above Hamburg. It鈥檚 not too bad but very boring. We鈥檙e not allowed to speak to anyone except our own chaps, and we are all far apart all over the town. Still it won鈥檛 last for ever. I reckon by this time next year I may be sampling a bit of work.
How鈥檚 the weather? It鈥檚 not too good here, always threatening to rain. Still we鈥檙e in a house with a roof and electric light. I have fixed a small 2 valve set up so we can have a bit of music.
That鈥檚 all for now, hope you鈥檙e soon up again. Cheerio, love to you all, yours ever, Alb. Xxx.

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