26 May – 12 July 1944
Notebook supplied for the Public Service.
1 June
Left A 14 at 1000 hrs – I led column to Gosport where we loaded up into LST 384 – very long procedure and much lounging about – inevitable I suppose – got on board at 4.15 pm. Lucky to have a bunk and food in wardroom. Got to bed at 12 ocl – difficult to get in. Illustration.
2 June (Friday)
B’fast with white bread etc at 9 ocl – read in morning after v lengthy conference which lasted 10 – 11.30 am. Lunch good at 1 ocl – Wrote A after lunch – read – tea and so it goes on – Reading Angela Thirkell’s ‘Wild Strawberries’ which is excellent – finished ‘Wild Strawbs’ – tasty – Wrote to A again after tea. After dinner had game of poker – won 12/6 – good game! Best hand FH Accs – several gooduns – bed at 0010 hrs.
3 June Sat
Nothing special to report wrote A and L – read and slept, poker again in evening & won steady 12/- – 4 Q & 4 9 within 3 hands, latish to bed.
4 June
Nothing to report – read, wrote, poker – average luck – won 3/- ? D day tomorrow – sea getting choppier – Papers came on board.
5 June
D Day postponed last night – should have been today – sailed at 1830 hrs this evening – choppy and LST is a real roller! Not sick but felt a trifle like it. Last game of poker – last wistful look of England and to this big journey begins. I long already for the next journey back to England – how long? – who knows. Lost at poker tonight – about 6/6 so up about 22/- on trip.
6 June
D Day arrived after good trip at H +6 i.e. 1340 hrs – but rhino ferries not functioning properly so didn’t get off until 11.30 – only one air attack that I saw – 3 MEs dived over – air ever super – on this memorable day 2 most amazing sights were cruisers b’ships etc plugging away at enemy coast and most amazing ever – gliders – thousands of ‘em crossing in to bridgehead, several strong points left behind on coast – read a little, watched a lot & spent most of day with Col Teacher – (Airborne Light Regt Co) – farewell to ship’s company – v good lot.
News – well, all about it. 4 planes in flames, houses in flames – din and chaos – c’est la guerre.
7 June
Landed just before midnight and then the rhino ferry ramp door broke – fugged about on beach – jerry dropped one or two very close – not pleasant – got to Div HQ at 6 am – met Charles etc – not an awful lot to do – visited beach and the Airborne Div with Lamb – Alistair Pearson still going strong – bound to get 4th DSO – Gilders all lying about the fields – many prisoners in today – battle fair many snipers and pockets of resistance about – slow job mopping up – not so many casualties as expected – George now in command of E York’s – met Tapp – Bobby Thompson wounded – last day of 48 hour ration. Weather fair, sunny with dull intervals.
8 June
Very noisy night – spent most of it in slit trench with Wright – nothing fell very close though Jerry was very active – b’fast wash and shave at 9 ocl – gunned up and at 12 ocl set out for Corps – got half way and found that there were several snipers about – nothing came near me though on way back I was on the road under my jeep on one occasion – all no front were so I followed suit! LETTER from Eileen dated 27th superb show. Sent cards (FS to A & L)
On return dug very hard!
9 June
Went over to Corps in the afternoon but found them moving – Visited 6 Airborne in morning – wrote A and L. Nothing much to report today.
10 June
Shocking night – about one hour’s sleep bombs all round including Anti pers bombs which killed poor old Roger Bunnan, Robert Blyth and Cpl Smith – came back to Corps at 0900 hrs after visits.
11 June
Duty 0600 – 1400 – relieved Garratt v early! Good night in Garratt’s tent – spent pm digging me a hole and reorganising now v comfortable
SUPER SHOW – MAIL UP 4 from A and 1 from L & G read & re-read & then after short line to A & L to bed.
12 June
Duty 1400 – 2200 hrs. Quiet morning with big letter writing effort – wrote A, L, G and B all individual letters otherwise I just wiled away the time. Nothing further to report.
13 June
Duty 2200 – 0600/14
Leisurely morning with stroll into la Delivrande where I bought the odd (very odd) trinkets and some stamps from the Post Office. Battle went averagely today – only chief news being 7 Armd Div thrust South – held up and beaten back from Villers Bocage by 2 Pz Div. Snooze in pm and walk with Ken Rigg into Village after tea then letter to A and dinner after which I tuned in to the news – BBC say we have taken troarm – b – nonsense – Drink with Owen Hunt and so on duty. Met Woodrow Wyatt – to take Roger Brennan’s place.
French in village seem fairly happy – village badly knocked about – very pathetic to see many well nourished children not knowing what to make of this b war – Boche knock them about – one day, we the next.
14 June ]
15 June ] No entries
16 June ]
17 June Saturday
What a birthday – no letters but I had a couple of brandies in the evening just to show there was no ill-feeling.
18 June Sunday
Came off duty at 0600 hrs and after b’fast attended a celebration of Holy Communion at 0830 in the orchard by Rear HQ. Wrote A in evening otherwise awfully little happening today – spent most of it reading the Song of Bernadette finished during the evening – Slept 0930 – 1815 hrs! Good show.
19 June Monday
Up at 0600 hrs – nothing of importance during my tour of duty – In afternoon went over with John Morris to visit 2nd Army and 8 Corps – stopped in BAYEUX and did a little shopping my purchases being a rather wizard bottle of scent for A (135 fr) – a camembert cheese and a razor + 5 blades. Met Ian inspecting a knocked out tank in fair form – Diana had a girl. In evening wrote A and warmed myself with a glass of Calvados – tres pleasant. Letter from Lois dated 13 June and ECS. Wet and windy all day. BAYEUX a pleasant town comparatively untouched by the war as is the same with most villages and hamlets in 30 Corps area.
20 June Tuesday.
Quiet morning wrote Eileen, Lois, Eric B and Aunt Vi and pottered generally – after lunch duty at 1400 hrs and found letters from A and Elli waiting for me – poor darling Eileen in hospital – no big event now, thankfully she is OK – letters dated 13 June – my consuming desire for all this to be over and to return to her more ardent than ever before. After dinner took half an hour off to write to A again – thank God for Dorothy’s kindness A very miserable Peter got to bed at 0015 hrs. Cold and windy all day.
21 June Wednesday
Heard today that Americans are only 4 miles from CHERBOURG – good effort – they hope to be in there tonight – nothing happening with us. This morning did a little domestic work in my tent and wrote to A and Dorothy then walked over to rear where I had a long chat with Doc Stevens – inter alia about A and bought him back to the mess for a glass of gin. After lunch had a very restless lie down and came on duty at 1600 hrs where I found nothing exciting happening.
Illustration my shrine.
Good dinner – soup
M&V new spuds
Strawbs & ersatz cream
Biscuits, butter camembert cheese tea.
Quiet til midnight – one bomb 1230 on rear – intercept re shelling certain areas proved correct.
22 June
Quiet morning – still tidying up tent – wrote A – took over from Garrett to help him out at 1.15 he relieved me at 8 pm til rest of evening – at 11 ocl Brig Mears phoned up to say that he had a vacancy in 20 A Tk Regt for me if I would like it – spent rather sleepless night thinking it over. Weather improved, not so windy – not much air activity in night – longing more than I can say for news of A. 320 Forts went over at 6 pm and we also watched 72 Mitchells 1 Marauders attacking the factory at COLOMBELLES – great sight. Flak not awfully accurate – rumours that we may be winning.
23 June Friday
Mind made up – saw Bill H at 9.45 and confirmed then told Mears – Answer – can’t accept (a) lack of tech knowledge etc makes it impos – can’t leave in middle of battle – if a few days grace then OK – not fair on Bty or myself – (b) getting into swing here. Saw & had long chat with Sandy D, Francis & CBEC MBE! Wrote A after lunch and had ¾ hour kip – we move tomorrow.
Lovely afternoon. Duty at 1600 hrs – good dinner with incl strawbs and ersatz cream. New address is BWEF – off at midnight.
24 June
Spent first hour or so this morning packing up – relieved Stephen at 10.30 for an hour then over to new location just west of DOUVRES – booked Ken Rigg and myself a site and then back to the old place where to my great joy I found some MAIL UP – 3 from A – dated 15th, 16th and 18th – 2 Gerald – 18th – 1 Lois 18th. All most gratefully received – boy was I relieved to hear A is getting on OK and Lois has received some mail from me.
On duty 4 – midnight after writing off a hasty line each to A and L.
25 June Sunday
Spent whole morning digging – relieved SG at 2 pm – 8 pm – then wrote A a good longun after dinner – back again from 10.30 until midnight – news good this evening – 30 Corps adv during day – Yanks all but got Cherbourg Russians – good show all round. Very hot and sultry some rain in evening. Otherwise not a very thrilling day – Letter from Aunt Vi – v welcome.
26 June
8 Corps attack 0730 hrs – during the day progress was made though slowly. Duty today 4 pm – 8 pm – Spent am letter writing and getting my tent organised – wrote A, L, Jack Baker and Aunt Dolly. After lunch very showery with heavy rain at intervals – end of bed wettish but not enough to hurt – just odd drips – defence turnout at 3.30 spoilt my afternoon’s kip – early to bed as I’m on duty at 0800 hrs in the morning.
27 June
Up in the morning early – 6.15 but still not in for b’fast til 7.30 – brewed myself some hot water – good shave. Not a very thrilling day except right at the end of it when I received 3 letters from A – one from L – one from Elli – attack by 8 Corps v slow today – Weather not being a bit kind to us – wind – low cloud – rain – wind prevents a certain amount of stuff not being landed – low cloud lets him bring up more stuff as we can’t bomb him so easily.
Cherbourg ours.
28 June
Letter from A today – great show. In evening went over to rear to see George – poor old G. looking v weary and washed out – John Hig now comds Coy in E York’s – drink with G. Wrote A after dinner – 8 Corps have reached line of Odon – good show. Odd shells nearby during night – rained on and off all day – especially hard during night.
29 June
Another letter from A today – what a hero she is – also letter from G. Spent a pleasant half hour after dinner with Phantom – cheese and biscuit and grand cigar – wash and brush up after tea, and sort out of kit. Rain again on and off with thunder storm in evening. Wrote A after tea and sent her 5 5 f notes as souvenirs. Heavy c/a put in v 15 (S) Div this evening – no good – well done our chaps though they got to HAUT DU BOSQ by last light all our posns intact. Normandy butter today. Sleep or rather bed early but didn’t ‘drop off’ til 12.30 noise too great.
30 June
Series of counter attacks today against our bridgehead over the ODON – Armour withdrawn during last night north of River. Hours of duty today – 0800 – 1130 1330- 1800. After I had finished work came back to tent where I had a super wash – feet, knees, arms, neck, then hair wash and change of undies & creased trousers. Parcel from A today – SUPER show and letters dated 25 (with parcel) and 26 – parcel 4 oz baccy and 10 valet R.Bs – clever girl.
Wrote A and L in am and A again in evening.
Feeling something in wind about future, early end to war – probably entirely wrong but Monty reported to be apathetic about things
Letters To From
A A (parcel) 25
L A letter 26
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