大象传媒

October 27 1944. Friday. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
I鈥檝e been catching up on my mail this week. We鈥檙e supposed to be resting. In a sense it is a rest, but old Jerry doesn鈥檛 appreciate it . he lobs a shell over, maybe accidental. Someone touches the trigger and says 鈥淗o, it鈥檚 gone off鈥�. Then that starts the ball rolling. We retaliate, 20 to his one, and before you know where we are, there鈥檚 a war on. But all goes quiet after a sharp do, and we all get down to brewing tea and writing, one ear permanently cocked, until we鈥檝e all developed one ear larger than the other. Sketch.
I鈥檝e written to a few friends this week; Mrs Loake of Cottingham, Mkt Harborough, to tell her I鈥檝e come back from the ME, Mrs Housten of Oldham to ask about her son Alec, a mate of mine who was captured in May 1942. Rev Fred Brock to introduce myself. Plus 3 letters to Eve and two to you. Still it鈥檚 a pleasure with a decent pen. I鈥檝e stripped this right down and soaked it in very hot water, and really fetched it like new again. I have just bought a new bottle of ink from the YMCA mobile canteen which has just pulled in, and away we go again. I also bought cigs, blades, writing pad, Rowntrees gums, etc. I don鈥檛 really want the cigs, I have hundreds, but the civvies get a treat off me from time to time. They can鈥檛 get a thing and they鈥檙e almost starving. It鈥檚 grim for them, plenty of money and no food.
We have a mole who is making things mighty uncomfortable under our big groundsheet in the tent. It鈥檚 like sleeping on the Alps now, and it鈥檚 not quite my idea of a joke to waken up in the small hours with something pushing my back. A good thing we know what it is. We鈥檝e tried to catch him many times but have failed so far. We don鈥檛 want to kill him, but he鈥檚 slowly heading that way if he carries on. We鈥檝e a NAAFI wireless set here. We have it for a week, then pass it on to someone else. It鈥檚 a 4 valve battery, medium wave only. We can鈥檛 get a single British station until 8 or 9 pm. Then it鈥檚 only one station which fades out completely at regular intervals.
This is a complete week of dry weather. If only it will continue. It鈥檚 wonderful to walk about without acres of mud on our boots and slacks. They鈥檙e doing well in Greece I hear, it will be over in a week, even quicker than Jerry did it.
We have music while we eat now. A civvy comes to our cookhouse and plays his accordion, a beautiful instrument, all through our mealtimes. He looks the dead image of Henry Hall, complete with specs of the same style.
They鈥檙e not bad people, the Dutch, but one can鈥檛 expect to see their best side up in the front when their home and cattle are in constant danger. Still they bear it very well and no complaints or nasty looks.
I鈥檝e met a local chap in the unit. He鈥檚 even in my squad, a new chap, I think. I鈥檝e never seen him before, named Chadwick from Chamberlain Av, Penkhull. That brings our total of local lads to 5 in the unit.
It goes dark early these days. As soon as dinner is over at 5.0 pm, it鈥檚 time for bed.
I have a few pounds of powdered milk and it鈥檚 delicious. I have a mug of really thick, creamy milk every night. One day, Monday I think, I had a custard and some local bottled cherries off a farmer鈥檚 wife. Life鈥檚 what you make it. We in our little circle here have a decent time. We used to utilise the crops, spuds when they were abundant, cabbage, carrots and apples, pears, plums, etc, we鈥檝e stewed them, fried them, boiled them and even eaten them.
Our winter clothing was issued the other day, underpants , woollen, 1 pair, vests woollen, 1 pair, all size 6s or extra, very big, the average size for the chaps is 2 or 3, and they send all size 6. What freaks they look on a medical inspection. I wish we could film them. Well, I鈥檓 off for tea now. Cheerio. Love to you all. Yours ever, Alb. Xxx.

October 29 1944. Sunday 8.30 pm. BLA.
Dear Mother and Dad,
I鈥檝e just had a surprise - 2 letters off Eve and a card, and a letter off Dad. Usually mail comes about 6.0 pm each day, and I鈥檝e just closed a letter to Eve, thinking there was no mail for me today.
I鈥檓 all on my own tonight. My mate Jim is up on patrol with the infantry, doing forward patrols around Jerry鈥檚 lines. My other mate, Lawrence or Jonah as we call him, is on patrol down here.
We鈥檝e just had Jerry over again. He was over last night and gave us a merry 2 hours, with his little bit of straffing and bombing. I was just writing a letter to Eve, but I couldn鈥檛 concentrate with the fireworks going on up above, so I鈥檝e finished it tonight.
I鈥檝e just had my mug of milk. It鈥檚 delicious this powdered milk. I make it very thick and quite a bit of sugar in. It doesn鈥檛 seem to be popular at home, but if you want a decent night cap, I can recommend it. Just put 4 heaped tablespoons of powdered milk and a bit of sugar to a pint of boiling water and tell me what it鈥檚 like..
My mate Frank from Barnsley was on this forward patrol stunt a couple of nights ago and he doesn鈥檛 like it. Of course, we鈥檙e not used to it. To be out of a tank or scout car is like roaming about naked. It鈥檚 not our job, this infantry work. I would like to know whose idea it is.
A chap with Frank got 3 bullets in his thigh from a machine gun. I reckon he鈥檚 all set for a Blighty. Frank went off with the Artillery OO (Observation Officer) and they saw Jerry鈥檚 supplies coming up at night, so the OO rang back for a spot of shelling from out 5.5s. it came and so accurate they just whistled over our heads and caught old Jerry a lovely fourpenny one.
I reckon Jerry is counter-attacking now down the way. There鈥檚 a lot of 鈥渃rumpers鈥� landing and an odd burst of machine gun fire. Well, today marks 5 years of married life. It鈥檚 been a nice day too, very sunny and reasonably warm. I鈥檓 glad the rain has stopped. It鈥檚 so miserable otherwise.
You know, when we pulled in here, I think I was the only one in the vicinity who dug a slit trench. I had a few visitors last night and tonight, and when I awakened up this morning, I saw a change in the landscape; plenty of earth mounds about. Chaps who laughed and scorned at me at first were busy with the spades in the night. I always warn them when I鈥檝e finished digging, that I shoot down the hole first, and God help anyone who鈥檚 beat me to it. It鈥檚 a fact though. You鈥檒l get chaps standing by, watching you dig and taking a rise out of you, and the first sign of trouble they will be down the hole you鈥檝e dug. Yes, the weather caused Arnhem to come unstuck. It was just the same up here when we decided to take Venrai. It tumbled down and we had a job getting supplies up; scores of vehicles down to their axles in mud and all waiting for recovery tanks to tow them out. It is a shame. Every time we plan something, the weather stops us.
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November 6th 1944. Mon. BLA
Dear Mother and Dad.
Received your Nov 1st letter yesterday along with three off Eve. Don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 short of anything, right now I have far more kit than I shall ever need. I鈥檝e just written to Eve and told her how I鈥檓 fixed, so I鈥檒l tell you, then you won鈥檛 worry, and if I鈥檓 no better off than those at home, then blow me down with a toy trumpet. First we have cigs, 700 in stock. Soap - about 14 blocks of Lux and 3 lbs of washing soap, endless matches which I never use, plenty of flints for my lighter. Blades - 4 doz. Writing material sufficient to last three wars. Choc and sweets galore. Batteries - bulbs and torches - plenty. I have my own medical kit full up except for aspirins.
Winter clothes - access to as much woollen vests, pants, gloves, pullovers, etc, as I want. I never bother though, unless it gets really sub-zero. I鈥檝e got all the winter kit I want.
Food - tea, sugar, milk galore, Sh and bread, more than I can eat. I wonder if there鈥檚 anything else. I don鈥檛 think so, and after all, 5 years in the Army, I should have a bit of kit, shouldn鈥檛 I, or be able to get some. All I want is a ticket home.. We鈥檝e just had a few new chaps, some of whom were only called up last June. What a shock for them. Still if they鈥檙e as enthusiastic as I was when I first went into action, we can see the end any day now. I had a chap on guard with me the other night. He was new to the game after spending 4陆 unbroken years at the Tank depot at Bovington. My, if you had seen him you would have knelt down and wept. Every gun and every shell that went off, he dived into a trench, he was really scared. Many a time I went and relieved him or kept him company, but what a poor show after years and years loafing in Blighty. I reckon we all duck when one comes over, but as a rule we can tell whose it is and where it鈥檚 going.
For goodness sake, tell brother Levi to keep out of it. It鈥檚 as grim as can be. Perhaps it looks good to see a picture in the Motor Cycle of a DR tearing along, shells whizzing past, bullets right and left, and still he gets through. What about those that don鈥檛 get away with it.
If he鈥檚 in a tank in action, an officer will select his target and tell him whether to load armour-piercing or or whatever is needed. The officer will tell him when to fire also, so there鈥檚 not much fun in that. You can鈥檛 just shoot when you feel like it, even if you know for dead certain you can knock a tank out or kill a dozen infantry. I was on guard about 4 or 5 days ago with the infantry patrols. We stood in a trench from darkness until first light, about 12 hours, daren鈥檛 cough or sneeze or get out of it, because all our chaps have orders to fire anyone roaming about after a certain hour. Well, apart from the terrible cold and pitch dark, drizzle and heavy atmosphere, we daren鈥檛 fire.
When the moon came up, we saw the Jerry come up with his horse and cart to give rations to his front line men, many fuming too. A shell was coming over and old Jerry just knelt by his horse, still with the reins, waited for it to go off, then got up and on his way with the rations.
Another funny episode. We saw Jerry making a real good road block with sawn off trees and what-not. The Observation Officer said, just watch this. He let them almost finish and picked up his field telephone. Hello - - just put two dozen shells over - - OK. Then we heard our guns open up far behind us and in two shakes, there was no road block, no men, just one big hole.
We daren鈥檛 fire at them, and as for the Jerry ration man, some of my men said, Gee, boss, let鈥檚 fix him up鈥�; but we dare not. It would probably fetch a shower of mortars on us, and after all it was only a watching guard, just to see old Jerry didn鈥檛 get ambitious. If Levi wants to join up,then let him
he鈥檚 got all his life to regret and conditions and pay are a million times better than when I first joined. I hardly know how I survived on 5/- a week at first; still I did and now I get 6/9 a day. It will make a man of him and by Jove, he will appreciate Home and a paltry water-tap and a fire, a light, a chair, a paper, a lavatory - all the simplest things of every day use which you take for granted.

I鈥檝e never seen anyone I know up to date. Funny isn鈥檛 it, but when you come to think of all the chaps out here, it鈥檚 not surprising. I only hope a buckshee rumour turns out to be true, that we may get home leave this year. It鈥檚 on everyone鈥檚 lips but not one word is official or semi-official. It started with Monty鈥檚 promise and chaps talking about it so often have led themselves to believe it鈥檚 coming off. I know I can鈥檛 just believe it. I only realise I鈥檓 on leave, when I鈥檓 coming back, because it鈥檚 always liable to be cancelled or you鈥檙e always likely to be withcalled or anything can happen. I saw a raid on Borkum last night and a few nights before it was Dusseldorf, then before that Cologne. We get a grand-stand view of all the raids on the Rhur, and what a sight. By Jingo, I wouldn鈥檛 be under that lot for a pension. Old Jerry is a wizard for new tricks, he sent up dozens of queer things which burst into flames, then went out, and zigzagged to earth, just like a bomber coming down. I鈥檝e heard since it鈥檚 a Jerry trick to make our pilots believe he鈥檚 shooting them down by the hundreds; but the planes never falter, steady ho, steady, drop their loads and get their tickets clipped, then off home.
. Cheerio, God bless you, love, Alb. xxx.

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