大象传媒

Gnr R Dalley (OFC) 1838809
E Troop
320/98 HAA Regt. R.A.
B.L.A
Somewhere in Belgium

2nd September 1944

Dear Mum, Dad and Bubs,

I sincerely hope that you are all safe and well. Thank you ever so much for the newspapers mum, they are more than worth their weight in gold here. Our mail has been in a chaotic state, letters posted over a fortnight ago just reaching us. The next morning looked like the aftermath of a party, with paper littered all over the place.

Soon after I arrived in France I became well acquainted with the River Orne and Caen itself. You remember saying to me Dad, 鈥� I wonder what a 1000 bomber raid must be like?鈥� I鈥檝e seen the gruesome evidence of such bombing. The town was big: was prosperous: was peaceful; now, it is a mere skeleton. Around those parts I prayed for rain to lay the intense dust and dirt that arose from the rubble, but none came.

We suffered from a plague of mosquitoes which bit us night and day alike. It grew to such an intensity one night that I arose, lit a cigarette and blew the smoke between my blankets in an effort to relieve the irritation.

Thousands of Jerry prisoners are coming in, most of them youngsters. The Officers and S.S. men are very arrogant indeed and are kept separate from the rest.

One of the worst curses left by Jerry has been mines, but our mine-clearers have worked swiftly and they now just lay neutralised in the hedge. Its quite an experience to see a mine-clearer in action. I鈥檝e hardly seen a French bridge intact so far as most have been blown up by the retreating Germans. In their place has arisen pontoon bridges with names such as 鈥楲ondon Bridge鈥� and 鈥楥hurchill Bridge鈥�. The roads are full of dirt one moment and the next moment a quagmire of mud- never the happy medium!

We traversed many of the escape roads Jerry had just used previously. It was a headlong retreat, and village after village was intact; some individual places here and there showed some resistance, besides bridges blown up.

Strewn all alongside the roads were burnt out wreckages of German cars and tanks. Seldom did you see an allied car, which rather suggested the terrific carnage inflicted on Jerry was due to our rocket firing Typhoons. Scattered here and there were several Jerry red-cross vans, but we were not to be deluded by this petty Jerry trick of protecting his columns by placing ambulances amongst his guns and equipment. Every so often he had methodically dug slit trenches for protection against the terrific pounding of our planes.

Our lorries streaming up to the front-lines seemed to be never- ending, and in addition to those returning it reminded me of an August Bank Holiday rush. Refugees were simply teeming back- goodness knows what to find! Several things struck me funnily to see their methods of returning; but, believe me!, all sense of modesty and etiquette are forgotten in such dire plights as some of the poor devils are in. To see their appealing look as they trudge their weary way back, and the radiant joy that abounds when offered a lift. This is mass sorrow and grief! It is so extensive and gigantic that it just numbs. After the terrific battles just fought in Normandy the French people seem immune to anybody and anything; and it is only when one has personal sorrow that one grasps its real significance; otherwise the price is too great and comprehensive to have effect.

The food situation is very bad as you can imagine. One woman I was talking to had evacuated from Paris and said they were on the verge of starvation. (I told her you had evacuated from London Bubs.) I really thought I should see Paris, but no! As I鈥檝e mentioned, in spite of their limitations, the French women are very smart indeed; no doubt giving rise to your chief centre of vogue being in Paris and NOT London. Most are stockingless, and wear sometimes as many as six-tiered shoes, many others wear sandals and queer assortments. I tried to purchase some stockings but they were 15 f upwards , also braces are 13 f. The only places to go in France are cafes where you can obtain cognac, calvados and cider. No beer at all, and nothing to eat anywhere- your army grub is all the edible stuff you will ever get in France, apart from a few pears. One meat meal a week is the civilians ration and one loaf for a family a day.

On our journey through France everything eatable was thrown to the kiddies. Biscuits, chocolate and sweets, although these were part of our own rations. It hurt me deeply to see the pathetic look upon their faces when my last one had gone. Not for four years have they seen any chocolate and even our hard biscuits they scrambled with one another to get them. It was the same with just a cigarette: in fact many were nearly run over by the wheels of our vehicles in their desire to get one. Thousands of cigarettes were thrown, and it included hundreds I had bought. Never mind about waste of my money! It was no waste- just to see the expression of thanks upon their faces was reward enough! I would even have robbed anyone to feed the poor little kiddies.

The Marquise and FFI were to be seen everywhere. They have had to have plenty of courage, as some have confirmed to me that Jerry often took about sixty political prisoners who were made to dig their own graves and then shot into them.

You will be very interested to know that I saw several flying-bomb sites from the main roadways. The first indication of such a place were the numerous craters straddling the fields and roads. I鈥檝e never seen so many. It culminates into a large wood, with camouflage green buildings all around and several brand new concrete runways. Large German notices, liberally displayed, forbade any unauthorised person to go near, and I noticed that the living quarters of the workmen building these sites were situated outside the area. They were heavily defended by 88mm guns; but you Londoners owe a very great debt to the RAF boys for their accurate bombing of these sites.

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