大象传媒

This is the second part of my Father's 1945 diary when he recalls hearing the news of peace in Europe

30th April 1945
News of peace accepted by Himmler.
Confusion in news yesterday.
Feeling OK moved.
Rained like hell.

1st May 1945
No news from Europe.
Rained very unsettled.
Wrote Win, mother, Joyce.

2nd May 1945
Still in same position.
Rained at night.
Prome Falls.

3rd May 1945
Rained most of day everything wet.
Wrote Win.
Hitler dead??
Goebbels dead??

4th May 1945
Moved early morning. Fine/
Arrived at Harbour river crossing impossible. Raining hard.
Rangoon occupied.
News of Italy garrison surrender.

5th May 1945
Arrived PROME. House position on hill.
News of Austria Denmark Germans surrender.

6th May 1945
Wrote Win
PROME.
Sent home 拢20.0.0

7th May 1945
PROME.
Beer up!! After weeks of waiting guns pointing on Jap HU other side Irrawaddy. Very picturesque spot here.
Waiting for VDAY announcement.
Mail from home.

8th May 1945
V. DAY
Victory in Europe announced.
Very little reaction amongst the boys.
Still putting out barbed wire for local defence.
Churchill鈥檚 speech messed up by wireless.

9th May 1945
Moved to reform battery. 70 miles journey.
Oil line tapped in many places by natives.

10th May 1945
108 miles from Rangoon.
Stiffest opposition for long while.
Earlier store up.
Letter from Win.

11th May 1945
Went for rations.
Little firing Jap guns opened up at night div target
Battery had moved 85 鈥︹��

12th May 1945
Moved back with C troop to SCHEWDAUNG

13th May 1945
Mail up.
4 from Win, 1 mother, 1 bottle beer 陆 Brandy. VDAY

14th May 1945
Section moves fwd
Side of river
Suading life
Rains hard

15th May 1945
SCHEWDAUNG
Rain Afternoon

16th May 1945
SCHEWDAUNG Rain

17th May 1945
Moved to Harbour SCHEWDAUNG

18th May 1945
Beer up 6 bottles
1 whisky.

19th May 1945
Harbour

20th May 1945
D.TP joined CTP Drink with 114 RSM

21st May 1945
MARGARET ANN 3 YRS OLD.
Glorious p鈥榰p with DTP celebrated and did not know it.

22nd May 1945
Wrote to Win and Ann.
Going to another theatre!!

24th May 1945
1 small bottle beer
陆 brandy. VE issue.

27th May 1945
GREAT DAY!!
Passed in some Reverence

28th May 1945
Still at SCHEWDAUNG
29th May 1945
Ditto
Colonel gives 鈥淕riff鈥�
Rangoon and India
Up to 22 Group out by xmas?
Mail lost.

30th May 1945
Ditto
Moved to BHQ

31st May 1945
Total est cr 拢25
QA and service 5.5.3
BHQ

1st June 1945
Moved to LETPADAN area
Harbour at night
Rain

2nd June 1945
Canteen stores from THARAWADDY
Class joint

4th June 1945
Moved to box (gun position)
Harboured in village, filthy.
Rain made quagmire
Guns stuck. LETPADAN area

5th June 1945
Moved to another village in higher ground.
Jap came on to plain.
Local defence jitters.
No bread!!

6th June 1945
Scrounged bread from 9th field
114 fld for rations.
Mail up from Win.

7th June 1945
Procured eggs RHQ come up.

8th June 1945
THARAWADDY for canteen stores.
Ordered to move 6 am 9th no crossing
Bridge down.

9th June 1945
Bridge still down. Guns back into action.
Ammo comes up 6 o鈥檆lock
10 RDS GF 6.15!! Orders to move again.
News of Rept down to 戮

10th June 1945
ENSA at 114 RHQ
Mail up.

11th June 1945
To BHQ for kit had to stop night.
20Rds GF ch 14 ar 鈥︹��..

12th June 1945
Returned to THARWADDY for water
Got eggs again.

13th June 1945
News of move at last
鈥︹赌︹赌︹赌︹赌�
14th June 1945
THARAWADDY about rations
Guns pull out of action for good.
Battery gun goes back to DTP!!!

15th June 1945
Other Section CTP joins us at Relpadda
Canteen stores (no diesel)!
Orders to move 16th

16th June 1945
Troop pulls out 7am for Rangoon
2 left 0800hrs
Arrived MINGALADON11.30
Billeted with OTP

17th June 1945
Moved to Battery HQ and stores.
Rangoon give it

18th June 1945
Heavy rain 鈥渁ction BSL鈥�.鈥�
Wrote Win wrote frank
7045553 cpl Chesterf A company Garrison
wkshops. Reme Gib
Went to play. Very good.

19th June 1945
Tried (???) but couldn鈥檛 make it ride round.

20th June 1945
Arranged to go to Boat Club to Garry Kemper

21st June 1945
Beer up!!
Went to Garry at Boat Club

22nd June 1945
Went to Boat Club
Still have beer.

23rd June 1945
More beer and what a night.
Returned without Mac.

24th June 1945
Mac absent.

25th June 1945
I had to put Mac on charge!!
Remanded for OC
Went down to Georges.

26th June 1945
No news from Soapy.
Listened to Gram records.

27th June 1945
Still nothing of change.
Went to Karen house.
Heard main slos guitar
And slos. Good Hawain music.
Left 2000hrs BIC truck stuck.
Took occupants to Great lakes at 0130hrs

29th June 1945
Orderly sgt First Regt guard to mount.

30th June 1945
Mess opened for breakfast
Birchell left for Blighty. (Gp.11)

1st July 1945
Went to 27 field mess
Met friend of B.I.C

2nd July 1945
Film at HQ Karen
Nothing doing much.
Went down to Karen Baptist
Fine chap

3rd July 1945
Birthday Had calk from Ann
Had card from Win
Rain allday.

4th July 1945
Went to Rangoon Boat Club.
Saw 鈥淟ady lets dance鈥� Garry
Gives me dinner.
Seats on stage!!
Rainfall all night.

5th July 1945
Regimental canteen opens.
Garry sick all (???)
(???) up parcel from Australia
Much rain

6th July 1945
More about G1098!! Garry still sick.
Rain all day.

7th July 1945
Beer up and mail
Pay up drew 200 hrs don鈥檛 know what for.
Wacy goes on leave. Tea from Bombay

8th July 1945
Official mess opening
Karens鈥� in attend + senior officers

9th July 1945
Check preparation
Cinema show. The Rodeph
Karens鈥� invited

10th July 1945
Check preparation.

11th July 1945
G1098 Begins.
Griff invites Karens again.
Boxer spoils do. Had to whip Karens away 鈥済ildy鈥�

12th July 1945
G1098
Bit of a mix up
Check finishes
Scotty and I at Karens

13th July 1945
鈥楧inner鈥� do in mess
Saunders plays usual role.

14th July 1945
27 field came to mess
Party laid on at Karens too

15th July 1945
Went to 27 mess
Cheesed off left early.

16th July 1945
Cinema show Sarotoga Track
Karen invited.
WVS make appearance at canteen.

17th July 1945
B I C to mess Quiet drink
Filed away to house.

18th July 1945
Garry attc again
Went to Boat Club Good time.

19th July 1945
Garry attc
Major Jacks jury today.
Severe reprimand.

22 July 1945
ENSA came to mess
Good time
Karens refuse.

23 July 1945
Cinema show 鈥淓dge of Darkness鈥�
At canteen.
Letter from home about Mauri
Group 15 go

24th July 1945
wrote Win
Went to ENSA

25th July 1945
Nothing of interest
Stayed in.

26th July 1945
Browned off to a cinder.
Debate in mess 鈥� to 鈥�.. or not鈥�

27th July 1945
Credit should be 拢26.4.0.
Serity and I hitch hike to Rangoon.
Borders band, very good.

3rd August 1945
Mess canteen

5th August 1945
Group 15 Depart

7th August 1945
Win鈥檚 birthday.

11th August 1945
Heard Jap had surrendered
At Boat Club.

12th August 1945
Jap surrendered??

13th August 1945
Celebrations at Rangoon.
Have Japs surrendered???

14th August 1945
Took Karens to dentist
At Rangoon.

15th August 1945
More celebrations by Indian Troops.
Took Karen to hospital.
Japs news agency reports confirmed.

16th August 1945
V beer up!! V
50 bottles Gin for mess
15 B beer per man
50 bottles whisky for mess.

17th August 1945
Steady work-out.

18th August 1945
A little faster!

19th August 1945
A hell of a do.

20th August 1945
Pictures in camp
Karens鈥檆ame seats reserved.

21st August 1945
Whisky getting bending.

28th August 1945
Another dentist trip.

29th August 1945
1/3 move to INSEIR

1st September 1945
Ration trip for Karens鈥�
Indian officer drove jeep away!
Raining like hell.

2nd September 1945
new Prau went to church.
Karens in evening.

3rd September 1945
Prisoners of war from Bangkok arrive in Rangoon.
Took Karens to Dentist.
Went to house
Rain all day.

4th September 1945
Wedding in Rangoon
Dentist again.

5th September 1945
Pythan 26 Demonstrating a 208 Rec. camp.

6th September 1945
SENT EFM for anniversary.
More Dissatisfaction in Repat camp.
Got cheese walk out of lecture by Brig.

8th September 1945
Visited POW Hospital.
Went W O鈥檚 club.

9th September 1945
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Celebrated at W O 鈥榮 club. Navy

16th September 1945
Church

17th September 1945
Beer up

18th September 1945
19 and 20 Group report

21st September 1945
Film at 1/3

22nd September 1945
Bought shoes
Really stewed 1/3 mess at INSEIN
Not sufficient enough to start lobbing out drinks at 0130hrs.

23rd September 1945
Church.

27th September 1945
D DAY
3 years 4 months REPAT DAY

28th September 1945
21 Group medical

29th September 1945
Beer Gone.

1st October 1945
Strong rumours support 15th!

3rd October 1945
12th Army Pictures 鈥� terrible.

4th October 1945
Gracie Fields in Rangoon.
Went to boat club in afternoon.

11th October 1945
Beer up!!

12th October 1945
Went to ENSA
Good show.

14th October 1945
Bit of a 鈥渄o鈥� at mess.

17th October 1945
Went to ENSA

18th October 1945
Off mess Farewell to Bisto well oiled.

20th October 1945
Moved to FARHU

21st October 1945
Regt moves up Meihtila

22nd October 1945
5 Furhu Terrible camp.
No blasted water.
Sleeping on desk in 鈥�..

In Part three Dad recalls the journey home to Blighty.

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