大象传媒

Irish Brigade HQ moves on the Treffens, near Villach. Initially, there is still a lot of work sorting out the people wandering around the area, but calm gradually arrives and there is time for sightseeing, painting and fishing.

Thursday 18th May
I was able to get packed up before breakfast. Still answering enquiries whilst packing up the office. Podizmek and his wife were there to say good-bye. They are an extremely nice pair, he a socialist and very much against the Nazis. His stories of his life as the interpreter at Stalag 18A would make a good book. I introduced him to Roy Kelly as a standby in case he didn鈥檛 get fixed up with 128, but he did not relish a police job but he recommended a chap called Hoffmann, French 鈥擜ustrian and anti-nazi who by all accounts knows everyone and everything. DaQ had made some woolly arrangements about giving them some rations. When the time came they did not materialise so I sent Roberts to the German DMA to get some. He came back just as we were leaving with them. Podizmek gave me some excellent photos of Austrian national costume. Willi took his farewell of his girl friend 鈥� a nice quiet looking girl. Apparently his marriage has not been successful and he has done the next best thing. We left Wolfsberg about 12.30. I think the inhabitants were rather sorry to see us go, as they seem to prefer us to the Russians and Yugoslavs. Another batch of Russian PoWs left this morning. We went through S Andria, Griffen and Volkemarkt. The country now seems full of scrapped enemy vehicles and equipment. Only at the organised collecting points does there seem to be any order. Sometimes for miles one passed ditches full of rifles, grenades etc. In some area where there had been camping sites for the German and Hungarian troops the countryside was covered with rough shelters of branches. The villages north of Klagenfurt seem very different to those south of it. They have peculiar spire shapes like onions. Sometimes the spires are in pairs. To the south they are more austere, generally straight, steeply pitched grey spires. The church of Volkemarkt with its twin bulbous spires looked very fine. The hills looked very much better looking in Austria than in Italy. We continued long the valley of the river, which runs into the W枚rthen See. Klagenfurt seemed very busy and full of 6th Armoured Division. On a square there was a troop of 5.5inch guns bullshitted for display and some tanks. All the way from Klagenfurt to Velden along the shores of the W枚rthen See was a marvellous sight. The unbroken sheet of water with sailing boats, rowing boats, and motor boats against the densely wooded hills on the other side looked marvellous. Many people were bathing all the way along and I cease to wonder why Albert wanted to get back so much. All the villages here are hospital towns and no doubt many of the wounded from the hospital train at Wolfsberg are here now. Then on to Villach, and on to the frontier which we crossed about 16.45, so we have returned to Italy. We got to Tarvisio at 17.30 and went on to an unfinished hutted camp just south of the town. Apparently 46 Division are to move out of their barracks at 09.00 tomorrow and we are here only for the night. Got ourselves in OK and a mess established and we had a meal 鈥� M and V 鈥� and after spending an hour or so discussing and speculating we retired at 22.00.

Friday 19th May
Up 07.00 and packed everything by 08.00 to get a message from OR for some maps. Got them out according to his order. We are to move up to the barracks in the town when vacated by 46 Division. Sat around until 10.30, then moved up. Pretty narrow road up there. Office in very large room. Got ourselves established and chaps in a large barrack on top of the hill, and ourselves in a smaller house down the hill in which we all had separate rooms and a mess. Got things straight by about 12.30 and had lunch then back to the office to get a map distribution done. At 16.15 John came in with orders to make a move at `17.15. Hectic rush to pack and collect all the chaps鈥� kit, but by rushing about we managed it. OR thank the Lord went on ahead. We moved off about 17.15 and at a good pace crossed into Austria at 18.15. Pushed on to Villach and branched off some five miles to the north west to a small village of Treffens where we are established in a Hitler Youth School, a big building with large rooms. The downstairs room was all set out with small tables and chairs and the same room upstairs was all beds with check pillow and sheets. Al these beds had to be taken downstairs and our office established. The Brigadier nailed me for a map job before the truck was unloaded! I had to stick the maps together on the bonnet of a car. Eventually we got most of our stuff up. We made a nice room with all beds and sheets, a small mess with wooden high back chairs and print tablecloth of first class quality. I can鈥檛 use the beds, as they are too small so the old camp bed comes out again. It was presumably a girl鈥檚 dormitory and all the nick knacks are left in the bedside tables. It has a couple of sinks and a good mirror. There is a whole stock of school textbooks all of which bear the same stinking propaganda. It鈥檚 amazing the lengths to which to the Nazis went. The general idea is that we are here for some time 鈥� I hope it鈥檚 true.

Sunday 20th May (Whit Sunday)
Up 07.15 Grand to wash and shave in bedroom. Engaged in the office sorting out maps most of the day for the Brigadier鈥檚 story. It鈥檚 a grand spot we are in with very steep hills covered with pine and fir trees behind us. This evening John and I went for a motorbike ride to Ossiancher See about two miles from here by back lanes. Not such an imposing lake as W枚rthen See. Got back about 20.30 then went for a short walk into the village. A small place, all timber houses and straggling up the hillside. Very picturesque with the timber balconies with flowers hanging out. There are two or three saw mills working here. The grey tiled pointed white church steeple is very imposing against the darkness of the tree-covered hillsides

Monday 21st May
This morning I went to Division at Milstatt to finish the Brigadier鈥檚 story maps. It was a really fine drive down the narrow country lane all the way, winding up the valleys and beside the lake. The wooden houses of the small villages looked most intriguing with their fantastic balconies of flowers. There is much evidence of the timber industry here. Every group of houses is centred around a sawmill with wood seasoning and plank stacks. The road was very narrow and it was very difficult for two cars to pass. We passed through Afritz, Radentheim D枚briach, and Feld. At Feld there are two lakes both medium sized. Milstatter See is magnificent. The road runs along the very edge of the lake, which looks very deep as it drops away from the bank. Trees grow right to the water鈥檚 edge and it is surrounded on three sides by high fir clad hills. We got stuck on this bit of road as the Brigadier鈥檚 car was coming along against us. Milstatt itself appeared to be a collection of tourist hotels in which Divisonal HQ had liberally spread itself 鈥� each department has one to itself. We arrived at 12.45, so ate our sandwiches outside a hotel which was now used as a German hospital and whilst we were there the patients were taken out for the afternoon in a bus. I went to the 鈥淚鈥� hotel and saw Cpl Burt and with him we go t the job done after a bit of mucking about. We returned about 17.00, taking a few photos on the way. Went for an evening stroll with Bill Moore down to the Ossiacher See and back.

Wednesday 23rd May
Heavy rain on and off most of the day. I am now continuing with hand drawn maps for the Brigadier, which is just about browning me off. Parade this morning. Bit of a hectic evening as we tried to tap a barrel of beer. It was desperate. The beer went everywhere as the tap was too small. Went for a walk with Chalky, met John and Bill then went with them

Friday 25th May
Overcast most of the day, cleared later. On the maps all day. This evening John and I went up the hill behind us some 1000feet. The initial climb was up almost a 1in1 slope through thick undergrowth but thank the Lord it levelled and thinned out a good deal. When we had got up to a good height it was really well worth it because there below us lay the valley with Treffens below S Rupertin and away in the distance Villach. The border mountains with snow and mist glowed in the sunlight. We came across a house high up with some rat-like children much the same as one sees in the isolated places in the Fens. We returned via the roadway passing through a dense forest of firs, which made us feel very creepy. It was intensely dark and one expected to see wolves peering around the corner. On the way down we saw several veins of mica bearing rock and took a sample. Got back about 21.45 feeling very fit!

Sunday 27th May
Communion service this morning with Capt. Morris. Quite a large number of chaps there. I explored the depths of the cellars here this morning and besides finding myself a recorder, we found much more Nazi literature. Maps still continuing. This evening we had to go on a job to pick up some Ukranian SS. We went down to Vinklem, a small forestry plant, and found a young Pole in a small wooden hut. He was an ex slave worker. He had an amazing story as to what was going on of which we couldn鈥檛 make anything so we decided to wait for the other chap and girl to return. To further investigations we questioned people at one or two farmhouses with negligible results. We returned and as we neared the road Collins鈥� Volkswagen 鈥渉opped鈥� by. When we got round the corner I saw a large column of smoke. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the end of Collins鈥� car,鈥� I said. And so it was. It went up in smoke. We were then accosted by one of the local farmers who said there were some more chaps further back, so we went with him. En route we met them. As they were supposed to be SS and armed we held them up at pistol point and secured them. One was a queer customer and I was rather forceful with him, but later I found out it was a bit of a joke as I鈥檓 sure he was a mental defective. Two of these chaps were ex workers and the idiot ex army, so we took him to PoW and the other two to report at Banleitung Camp tomorrow. We then returned to the shack, as it was getting dark. I went in first and lo and behold there they were, the girl and chap. The girl, Russian sturdy and 18 and the Pole young fair-haired. I decided the best thing for them and for us was to take them along. They packed up and we returned. On the way back we saw two people, chap and girl civilian at 22.00 so we gave them a natter and turned them about. We got back at 22.30 to pick up the little chap who we had sent on earlier. I reported to BM and after half an hour went to the truck. Just as we were about to start the guard brings up another civilian 鈥� a Russian, very talkative, so we bung him in the truck as well. Later we find out that he was one of a truckload of Russians standing on the road looking for three of their chaps who were arrested this afternoon by Greene. After a bit of explaining that these were now in the camp at Villach they left after much handshaking. This morning Capt Burness of 68 FSS came in and asked me to arrest the local Orbsgruppenleiter . I went along this afternoon but unfortunately he was out.

Monday 28th May
Went this morning with Willi and Cowboy and arrested Hans Fabian the Orbgrupperleiter. He worked in the local bakery, and looked a nasty specimen, small bald and thin. He didn鈥檛 show any emotion but the baker鈥檚 wife, a very pleasant woman busy cooking, told us she was not sorry to see the back of him as if the Nazis had won he was going to take over the bakery and the mill as a reward. We took him along to the FSS at Villach. I also had to drop off a Croat and so I went to Banleitung Camp but after a walk round found it entirely taken over by Russians. They were all quite happy playing accordions and cleaning up. Finally dropped the Croat at the Displaced Persons Bureau. Went for a walk to our pub this evening. All the beer does is make you urinate at a hell of a rate.

Tuesday 29th May
Maps going on all day. This morning a party of PoWs turned up to do the garden. Four are being retained, all senior NCOs of the MP and all professional gardeners. They worked very hard all day and are apparently pleased to be here. This evening Gordon, myself went on road patrol in the Brigadier鈥檚 vehicle. We went down to Ein枚de, turned up by a track to Stadt, a small group of buildings. The people ran like hares. Apparently we are the first English troops they have seen. We inspected permits etc en route. Went into one farm and a mill and had a glass of elderberry wine. Hell of a family 鈥� 8 children and grandpa looking like Franz Joseph himself who was disgusted at the way the Bosch lost the war. We returned to the main road and went on the Radentheim, which we reached at 22.00, and returned to HQ by 22.45. Road clear except for Brigadier鈥檚 spp and Archy! Just before we started Mr Da took us to the local castle where there were 29 cases of books. The Da soon had them open. The first I saw was a Joh Bromyard 鈥� with a 15th century binding. A most amazing collection of miscellaneous books all taken from private collections. There were no bookplates only the stamp on the last fly Wesselski. I should think he was the chap who cased them. One case we opened I spotted contained a copy of Jos Miller鈥檚 Gestbook, of course Mr Da took that. Apparently the Commission have been here already so I hope it comes under the hammer. A further 300 cases were discovered in a monastery according to the paper today.

Wednesday 30th May
Continuing with maps. Football match this evening. Filled in form re further education and the subjects we could teach. Loyal scouts coming under command and officers here today. Out on road patrol this evening with Willi. Went to Amiach and up the road from there. Very rough but beautiful valley with stream. Continued on to Stadt where we turned north and went high up the valley through many gates past timber mills and isolated houses until we couldn鈥檛 go any further as the track fizzled out. It was peaceful. Came down to Stadt again and stopped to have a drink of goat鈥檚 milk at the wooden house at the foot of the hill. Continued on the main track and saw a soldier (Slav) washing his feet in the stream. He had a fire drying his socks. Apparently he comes from the camp at Feldkirchen, where the company commander allows them to come to the farms for 5-6 days. It was getting dark so we wended our way along heavily wooded paths in the half-light which was rather hair raising. We eventually arrived on the main road near Himmelberg. Turned south here to Feldkirchen. Saw a dozen Germans walking along the road after curfew. Later saw the commander of this camp and go it fixed to get the guard in position before curfew. Also saw a girl running down the road after curfew, but she ran too fast for us. Got down to Ossiacher See and contacted the LIR to get booms across the road. It was lovely riding through the tree-lined road along the invisible lake only visible when the flashes of lightening came sufficiently high enough over the bordering mountains. Saw Archie Evans and George Davies at Bodendorf. Invited to the mess, but it was 22.45 so had to refuse. Willi had to take out a Hungarian colonel to a house when we returned.

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