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A GENTLE WAR
October 27th — November 15th 1942

During his RAF posting at Predannack Airfield in Cornwall my father, Kenneth Crapp, kept a diary. The diary runs from October 27th 1942 — June 7th 1944 and the first 4 month extract is included below. It shows an unexpectedly tranquil aspect of war — quiet background work on a somewhat isolated airfield, where an interest in birds and nature was undoubtedly ‘a saving grace’.

Tuesday, October 27th 1942
Forgot to deliver some accumulators — orders were very vague — felt very annoyed with the Warrant Officer for some time.

Tea very poor, probably due to large number of new arrivals.

I have to walk everywhere because last evening, outside the NAAFI, my valve was stolen. At the cycle stores, they are most unhelpful.

Axis reports on the new Egypt offensive say ‘ Position serious’… At Herrane Cottage I put my bag with its 3 bars of chocolate on the floor by the bed and in the morning every bar has been nibbled by mice.

Wednesday, October 28th
Counted up 33 flowers between the camp and here …. Larks sing. Many tiny black spiders are out in the warmth and a bright sheen of gossamer lies over the grass, lit up along the path of the sun’s rays.

Thursday, October 29th
A wretched day — the worst I can remember here. A gale and heavy rains from the east.

Friday, October 30th
I investigate a reported accident at the end of a runway. I discover it to be a mast with lights, not our affair, broken down by a touch from the wing of a passing plane. As I return to my bike at the end of the runway, on the grass, I see a plane coming in. I run. It is closer now. I run faster. To my relief it puts up its wheels and passes overhead, to land on the next runway some minutes later.

Saturday, October 31st
I’ve been wondering how to get over the difficulty of booking in and out while I’m living out. It solves itself. My pass is not in the Guard Room and the corporal there says I needn’t bother to come back with it. I get it — but the ration card has not been made up.

Sunday, November 1st
On duty at 8; so that Mrs Bray shall not lose her Sunday lie-in, I take my breakfast, bacon, egg, bread and butter up with me and cook it there ….

Monday, November 2nd
On a new frequency and a new aerial we can get only feeble transmission. I find the aerial length incorrect (if it is a quarter wave aerial) and re-adjust but it makes no difference.

Tuesday, November 3rd
A glorious day of warm sunshine. I sit outside and write to Dad, with woodlark and meadow-pipit, robin and wren and wagtail, for company. The old farmer, Mr Williams, again appears and we talk of the hosts of starlings. He says that when feeding, the foremost birds just punch holes in the ground with their beaks; this drives out worms and grubs, those that follow devour them, then fly on and do the hole punching.

I told him how remarkable it was that they should all turn as one in the air and he told me he’d seen pilchards behave in similar manner — a wall of advancing fish execute a smart spontaneous turn to be caught, or not to be caught, in the seine-net.

The starling roost, he’s heard, is in the rushes at Gunwalloe Church Cove.

I spend the evening making apple jam, flavoured with orange peel. I do too many apples; they do not all break up easily, the orange peel still looks like orange peel straight from the fruit, there are foreign bodies in the sugar, and innumerable other little annoyances — yet the jam sets and has a pleasant orange flavour — and a lot of peel kept back for more jam later.

Wednesday, November 4th
I spend the afternoon reading ‘Last Train to Berlin’ — and I’m amazed at what he says about the German home front, morale, food, clothing, shelter, since the start of the Russian war.

Especially since October 9th 1941 has there been a marked decline in German morale. Then Dr Dietrich, Nazi press chief, appeared [at]a press conference in Berlin, straight from Hitler’s HQ and announced that the Russian armies had been beaten, the road to Moscow open and the war as good as over. Succeeding days hammered nails in the coffin of this vast lie — and since then it seems as if this ‘Wolf’ has really been called once to often.

Ribbentrop, he said, is hated in Germany. At the Anhalter station in Berlin, when Molotov was being received by the Nazi dignitaries, they all had a small cheer from the crowds, all but Ribbentrop who appeared in a stony silence.

At 5 we set out for Gunwalloe to see the starlings. We passed the bungalow at Polurrian where Beaverbrook is supposed to be going to live. At Poldhu cove, in the dusk, we saw some greyish birds that kept darting out after flies in the manner of flycatchers. At first I took them to be pipits, but a red flash from each of their rumps in flight made me realise that they were quite unfamiliar to me. It was dusky, so we could not see their colour plainly. A loud chacking call came, we found, not from them, but from a stonechat. The chatter of starlings in the Poldhu rushes came to us and we went on to Gunwalloe. Later, the book showed our birds to be female black redstarts — rare autumn and spring visitors to our coasts; it was a thrill to me.

At Gunwalloe we found the starlings in the rushes at the valley bottom; a black lake of them in the rushes. Never have I seen so many. There was a ceaseless shrill chattering and a stench, not so strong as I expected, of eels.

Later
From Mrs Allport came the suggestion that as Gracie Fields had been operated on for cancer by a famous surgeon and had had her ovaries and certain glands removed, it would inevitably have a great effect on her personality and so we should not judge her so harshly ….

Petworth in Sussex was the scene of the bombing of the school some weeks ago — this came from the Vicar of Cury.

Thursday, November 5th
Uplifting news from Egypt — the Axis forces in Egypt are in full retreat. Elsewhere, the Russians have beaten off more heavy attacks at Stalingrad; the Germans seem to be making slow progress in the Caucasus and very recently, Aussie troops captured Kokoda in New Guinea, a Jap base.

Germans report big British fleet at Gib.

I finished ‘Last Train from Berlin’ — a most refreshing book. He admits the strength of the German army and that the Gestapo is ready to crush any revolt, and that the great majority of Germans would willingly help to overthrow Nazism if they could lose their haunting fear of what defeat would mean for them. What we should do, he says, is to make ourselves truly democratic in an economic as well as a political sense. Convince the Germans that we mean what we preach by nationalising the mines and the armaments industry. Tell them that when Hitler and his Nazis have been overthrown, they will help to rebuild their own land and the world; cease threatening
them with dread penalties, which will be reserved only for real Nazis and the militarists and all those in Germany who can in any way be blamed; meanwhile strike at the German forces and towns as hard as we can — to convince them of our strength; and get going with total war ourselves.

Friday, November 6th
News from Africa is of our ceaseless hammering of Rommel’s routed army. General Montgomery speaks of ‘complete and absolute victory.’

Saturday, November 7th
Out of the extra jam left over from earlier in the week and more apples I made another pound of jam (apple flavoured with orange) in a jar salvaged from a wayside heap.

Sunday, November 8th
Remarks about Rommel’s rear; landings in North Africa — were explained when I heard that US forces had made landings in French North Africa — on west coast and in the north. Airborne troops were also used. Where was their starting point?

The rout of the Africa Corps continues; our Sunday papers are full of boasting at our spectacular victory.

A rook was tumbling in the air this morning.

In our efforts to track down the trouble in our intercom with control panel, we made little progress, but get useful practice.

Mouse in the waste pail — ran off at my approach.

Monday, November 9th
Not quite certain, but I believe there were two black redstarts outside this morning, perched in the aerial mast awhile.

A cutting I got last Thursday, of Senecio Greyii, and planted in a heap outside here, seems to be doing quite well.

Still busy trying to locate the trouble in the intercom.

Reading now ‘Blood of the Martyrs’ by Naomi Mitchison — a tale of Christians in Rome at the time of Nero.

In North Africa it is reported that Algiers has surrendered and that the airfield at Rabat is in American hands. General Giraud has appeared to the French forces to co-operate with the US troops.

Landings continue; Spain’s neutrality is assured to her; Vichy orders resistance; Germany makes fuming remarks and speaks of the breaking of international treaties.

Tuesday, November 10th
Such a lovely morning that I felt impelled to go out. So I went down to the Lizard, down on to the rocks below the head, and so out as far as I could go …. On the way I kept my eyes open for birds and saw ……[over 20 types of birds are mentioned here, including swallows].

In the intercom circuit between here and the controlling end, I’ve detected a resistance of 250 ohms between the negative line and earth and over the same path a voltage of 1.5 to 2 volts can be measured.

In North Africa the Americans have asked permission to cross Tunisian territory; most of the airfields in Algeria and Morocco are in the hands of allied troops; Darlan is reported to be in allied hands, some reports even suggest that he is working for the allies.

Farther east, rainstorms delay Rommel’s retreat and our pursuit and large numbers of Italians are in our hands; it is said that the Germans left them without even supplies of water.

I came to keep Frank company when he was on duty. We fried two sausages for supper — in margarine - and prepared soup for breakfast by boiling potatoes (sliced) and then adding the soup later — vegetable soup this time.

Wednesday, November 11th
Further discovery on the intercom line — supply appears to be reversed on the call channel.

Two black redstarts appeared, hawking flies from the mast; this time one was a male, and such a handsome bird.

This morning German troops march into Unoccupied France — this then is Hitler’s reply to our actions, (whether it’s the whole or part of his reply remains to be seen) and the obvious one for him to do. Oran is in Allied hands; the French battleship Jean Bart blazes in the harbour at Casablanca and many destroyers have been sunk. The Eighth Army hold Sidi Barrani.

At the Lizard I see more black redstarts and find uncovered a long stretch of rock and large pebbles covered with sea-weeds that I have never seen before. I went a little further south, could have gone further, but progress was slow for my feet did not grip on such a slippery floor. I thing the little pied ‘wader’ is a ringed plover; the size, the colour of the upper parts, the colour of the legs, the haunts, all agree with my observations.

Thursday, November 12th
The first clothing parade I’ve had since I came here. A shirt was refused and two collars; I got new collars, a new tie, and a new pair of pants — too thin for winter wear. Parade was badly organised, as usual.

My letter posted to catch the 12 post on Saturday hadn’t reached Salisbury by Tuesday evening. Evidently the censors are busy here — and this was confirmed later by another fellow who knew.

News today — another Allied landing in north Africa, this time only 50 miles from the Tunisian border: German troops reach the French south coast, but have not entered Toulon where the French fleet is pledged to resist aggression: long-range Allied fighters have destroyed 19 and damaged many Axis plans on a Tunis airfield: some 500-600 German troops have arrived in Tunisia by air: large scale air combats are reported over Tobruk: Mr Churchill’s review of the Battle of Egypt to the House of Commons yesterday reveals that the order for the invasion of North Africa was given in July and the idea was Mr Roosevelt’s; the pledge to Russia for a second front in 1942 was bluff to deceive the enemy: reinforcements for the 8th Army were sent before the vote of censure — much of them new American munitions: and he paid a tribute to all those who knew something of the impending invasion and who kept quiet!

On Sunday the church bells are to ring for morning service, in celebration of our victory.

Darlan has ordered fighting to cease in North Africa. Weygand and Pétain have disappeared. This is most certainly the most exciting day of the war so far.

Friday, November 13th
A cold wind blows, but the weather holds fine.

This afternoon I moved into the hut where Frank and Brian are - it’s a bed right under the draught from the eastern ventilator.

War news — Darlan has appealed to the French fleet at Toulon to get away to North Africa, but the Germans are waiting to pounce; so far they have not entered the Toulon port area, for the Admirals of the Fleet are pledged to resist aggression. A heavy British raid on the town, night gives the ships a chance to break away. We have entered Bardia and Tobruk — and the Germans appear to be launching a new assault in Stalingrad, for has not Hitler said he would take it — and how badly he needs a big success just now.

Saturday, November 14th
Up early; shave and wash out my mug; tea and toast for breakfast; off early to catch the first bus from Mullion.

From Helston I had a lift right into Falmouth; the driver was going to Mawnan, so I took him to the turning he had to take.

It was good to see them [Uncle and his wife]. Uncle’s been busy in the garden, especially at the lawn. Their RAF protégé hadn’t even bothered to cut the lawn, though he’d been there for his 24 three times.

Good, too, to get at the piano again. The afternoon I spent seeing Robert Donat as the ‘Young Mr Pitt’; Robert Morley as Charles Fox was splendid. We ought to have many more of this type of film; the parallel between Britain in 1800 and Britain in 1940 is startling.

German news report — ‘The Axis forces in Northern Africa are advancing westwards without hindrance’.

Frost early this morning, especially in the valley bottoms and sides. The first we’ve had.

Betty’s [Ken’s wife, they married in 1941 and the marriage continued until KJC’s death in 1990] letter today — she suggested that for Xmas I give her something towards buying a vacuum cleaner, and a wringer and a sewing machine after the war: an excellent idea.

Sunday, November 15th
Great joy in hearing the bells again. Mullion mustered six and gave quite a decent pealing, with some stops.

A pleasant interlude in the showers, and then I went to the warm reading-room to get out of the cool wind. I read the Sunday Times: opinion there expressed that it’s a mistake to ring the bells yet.

After trouble with fuses this morning, I managed to get the charging board working well. In the dusk, a stag beetle droned by: drizzle and a warmer wind had taken the chill away. On November 10th I saw a Red Admiral butterfly basking in the sun.

I finished ‘The Blood of the Martyrs’ which became quite an absorbing tale, very well told.

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