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The 1940s saw a great turnover of population in
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Dearest Ritter:
Recapitulation:
October 13, 1945
August 7, 1944,
arrived
September 4, 1944,
left
September 11, 1944,
arrived
September 20, 1944,
left
September 1, 1944,
arrived in
September 4, 1944,
left
Either 6th or 7th
arrived Tenth at
September 13, 1944,
arrived
Which surely brings
us up-to-date, right on the nose. One year ago today, I was in this town, and
how happy I am that that year is behind us, with both the ETO and CBI and Jap
war brought to a tactical close. If we have luck and leave as a general
hospital soon, then I may be home in three to four months, otherwise it may
well go into spring of 1946. You know that I incline to the former view, but I
have no reason for being sure that I would go with the 142nd or even of knowing
that fate might not send the 142nd to some other theater.
(Source: p.217 of Elaine Pinkerton (ed.): “From
Calcutta With Love: The World War II Letters of Richard and Reva Beard”
Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2002 / Reproduced by courtesy of Texas
Tech University Press)
YOU and your outfit have been
assigned one of the most important military missions ever given to American
soldiers - the task of driving the Japanese back to
Right now the world is
our workshop and whether we, and the other United Nations, can get it back in
running order again depends on how much we know about the materials in it -
meaning the people. By winning their confidence and convincing them of our good
faith, we shall find many short cuts to success over the enemy and lay the
foundation of international understanding that are essential to building a
worth-while, enduring peace.
(source: “A Pocket Guide to
YOU and your outfit have been
assigned one of the most important military missions ever given to American
soldiers - the task of driving the Japanese back to
Right now the world is
our workshop and whether we, and the other United Nations, can get it back in
running order again depends on how much we know about the materials in it -
meaning the people. By winning their confidence and convincing them of our good
faith, we shall find many short cuts to success over the enemy and lay the
foundation of international understanding that are essential to building a
worth-while, enduring peace.
(source: “A Pocket Guide to
(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research
project. The copyright remains with the
original submitter/author)
Personally, I felt that if I had had my choice of anyplace
to be assigned, that war activities might have dictated,
I especially remember a book by a Richard Halliburton entitled,
"
So, from reading that book many years previously, I wanted
to see and be a part of
(source:
a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June
2001 and 28th August 2001)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)
I first arrived in
I was sent to
(source:
A8456952 Life running YWCA hostels in
(COPYRIGHT
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dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with the original
submitter/author)
I made my first trip to
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial
educational research project. The
copyright remains with N.S. Mani )
It was late afternoon before we started, so we had to go
over the enemy lines after dark. We flew very low. At times we could make out
the shapes of the hills towering above us, and it seems as if the planes's wing
tips must surely be able to scrape the rocks. At times, in air pockets, we
seemed to drop very sharply. At one point it was evident that we were in
trouble. We were instructed to make the emergency procedure of fastening our
seat-belts, with the plane behaving as though we were in distress. As I huged
our wee Monica I whispered to Andrew "Safe in the arms of Jesus"
In spite of yhis the plane carried on and over
We were pleased and relieved to land at Assam,
and after a short stop were thankful for a smooth flight to Calcutta, with the
dangers of the flight'over the hump' behind us. We had no friends in
In the morning we wondered what we could do,
and Andrew had the idea of visiting the
(source:
A7091273 Escape from Chine (Part 3) Over Enemy Lines. at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair
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submitter/author)
By this time it had been confirmed that 232 was
beyond redemption and postings came through splitting its members up all over
the place. The majority of us were posted to 221 Group H.F.
My final night at
The following day, April 26th 1942, we began
our trans
So, by and large, 20 hours travelling a day was
fair enough and 20 mph gave us ample opportunity to see the details of this
fascinating country as we passed along. The route was like a history lesson
with its familiar place names --
Our excitement and anticipation mounted as we
neared
At last we arrived at
(source:
A6665457 TWEEDALE's WAR Part 11 Pages 85-92 at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
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dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with the original
submitter/author)
When they got to
When
they got to
(source:
A8119000 How AC2 Jepson met Mme Chiang Kai-shek - Part 1 at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair
dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with the original
submitter/author)
But it all had to end, "get your kit
together, you're posted". I thought off to
Jill got letters cut to bits by the censors and
I got nothing, but
Then I received a train ticket to
(source:
A4144664 What did you do in the RAF, Dad? (Part 2) at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
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submitter/author)
From the Special Communications Unit, Section 8:
Early February, 1945:
Since our return from the
“And what can I do for you?”
‘Well, Pop, the trouble is that I haven’t anything much to
do now. I wondered whether I could be sent somewhere where there’s still a war
going on?’
His smile broadened and his eyes twinkled.
“Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do. Come and see me in a week’s time.”
A week later I sat in front of him again. “Well
now, Evelyn, there’s only one place where someone is needed and that is
But I was not to be deflected. Microbe or no,
By April 1945 I was ready to depart for
April, 1945
At
For a while I sat peacefully waiting to be
collected and watching with interest the family groups sitting on the floor of
this great station foyer and feeling the strangeness of life in a continent on
the other side of the world. After a while, though, I began to feel uneasy. It
was over an hour since we had arrived. I was entirely alone in this enormous
city where I knew no-one, and the only clue I had to where I was meant to be
was a set of initials. I had no idea what they stood for.
As the minutes ticked by and no-one came I
began to think about what to do. On the station I had noticed a sign saying
“RTO”, standing for “Railway Transit Officer” and was on the point of going to
seek his help when I saw, to my relief, one of the army officers who had been a
passenger on the
“Hello! You’re still here! I thought you said
you were being collected?”
‘Yes, I thought I was, but no-one’s come.’
“Oh Lord! Well, I’ve got a jeep outside. I’ll
take you. Where are you going?”
‘I don’t know.’
His face expressed wry disbelief. “Haven’t you
got any address?”
‘No. Only some initials.’
“What are they?”
I told him. His face cleared. “Well, you’re in
luck. I should think I’m the only man in
We sped off in the jeep, through the bustling
streets, where rickshaws competed with cars, overloaded buses, army transport
and the defensive gestures of policemen on platforms desperately trying to
control it all. In time this gave way to a residential area where large houses
and gardens lined the roads. At one of these we stopped and rang the bell. The
door was opened by a white clad youth and in the hall behind him I saw the
familiar, portly figure of Major Sharpe, my colleague from Whaddon. Oh the
relief!
Once assured that I was safe and in the right
place my rescuer drove away and Sharpie led me into a comfortable room and sent
for some refreshment. He seemed very surprised to see me. “I thought you were
due to arrive next week” he said, “I’d no idea you were coming today.”
(source:
A8425299 An Account Of Life In The ATS (Part Two) at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing'
terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with Christopher
Hale)
You have probably heard of Dr. E. Schaefer, a German
who spent mid-summer 1938 to
July 1939 in
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial
educational research project. The
copyright remains with Christopher Hale)
My Colonel suggested that I apply for a
commission and I had orders to attend an
(source:
A6486690 What a Lovely War at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair
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submitter/author)
With our time up at Penang, we were ordered back to
“Trinco”, and each watch was given seven days R and R at a rest camp up in the
hills at Byatalawa, calling at
Carrying on with our journey I was surprised to find that
Leaving
(source:
A3021779 Serving on "H.M.S. Volage" in the East Indies Fleet 1944 -
45 by Leslie Atkinson Edited at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair
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submitter/author)
My job was to collect thirty snub-nosed 15cwt
Chevrolet trucks, manufactured in
The road across
The question of control was something of a
problem; and I finally resolved it- or attempted to resolve it- by requiring
that the relief driver (two drivers per truck) should keep the vehicle behind
in his sights, and if he could not see it he was to stop'.
Inevitably, one of the dopey relief drivers
would nod off or forget to check; and sometimes instead of two miles, we
occupied nearer 20 before we could get the convoy together again.
One day I let the L/Sgt lead the convoy, which
after a while came to a stop in the middle of a village with the leaves of the
'Bashas' - straw houses - scraping the sides of the trucks. I forced my way to
the front and found a bar across the road where the surface had just been rebuilt
with mud and water and was drying out.
I demanded from the foreman that the bar be
removed and ordered our convoy to go over- amid loud protestations from the
foreman.
Soon after it became clear that the road was
almost none existent; I then saw a charabang grinding its way towards us with
the inevitable people on the roof, on the bonnet, or hanging outside.
I asked if anyone spoke English and was this
the road to
There was nothing for it but to turn the convoy
round, make sure all engines were firing, blow the whistle and back we went. We
got there just as the road building gang had repaired the damage caused when we
first had driven over it.
I reckon to this day that that Foreman has
neyer either forgotten or forgiven us!
We averaged about 100 miles per day and finally
reached our destination after about 13 days on the road.
(source:
A3699778 War Service' An Unusual Experience' Part 1 at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair
dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with the original
submitter/author)
Yes — on my way back to
But no, it was not to be. I was ordered back to
It seemed to be well planned but it turned out
the opposite. I could not locate this RAF doctor anywhere in
I used to wander around
There was nothing to do but wait, the war was
over and troops were gradually being returned to
(source:
A7495860 Rowland William Button's War Story - Chapter 5 - End of Story at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
(COPYRIGHT
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submitter/author)
My marching
orders
14 May 1945:
Five days ago, I received my marching orders! Five days have been spent
feverishly packing, unpacking and then re-packing, until at long last all my
goods and chattels have found a home.
I arrived here,
at ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) Transit Camp,
Exactly 92
steps to bed
Shortly
afterwards, I was issued with bedding, which I learnt rapidly that I had to
drag up six floors — 92 steps to be exact — to my room. The latter proved to be
quite nice and quite compact including wash basin. Pip
I seemed to
become attached to Felicity mostly, and we went out together that night. Her
father came from
A hectic
schedule
15 May:
Yesterday was hectic! We spent the morning at the India Office, receiving
respirators, tin hats, water bottles, identity papers etc. Thence to British
Red Cross Society HQ to see Mrs Young (our C-in-C Transit).
After returning
to the depot to deposit our new accessories and having climbed the 97 steps to
our rooms, we decided on lunch — but not as supplied in depot.
Spit, polish
and hard beds
The afternoon
grew more and more warm, until we almost fainted from fatigue in the attempt at
finishing our vitae shopping. Tea had to be omitted, despite our desperate
need, as parade was held at 5.30pm. Spit and polish was the order of the day
since Dame Beryl Oliver arrived to inspect and address us. We were subsequently
presented with a load of ‘comforts’.
It was 7.30pm
when the ceremony came to an end. We had been standing in rank for two hours.
After which, in order to deposit our comforts, we had to climb those wretched stairs
again.
Later, I went
to Ealing — home — for a couple of hours and arrived back more than fit for bed
at 10.30pm. I don’t think I have ever been so tired in my life. We rise at
6.30am, which is really such a pleasure as the beds are so hard. We ache in
every muscle.
Supper and a
show
16 May: Today
has been more pleasant since our time was our own, apart from parades. In the
morning, we shopped. Two o’clock parade was excused, so Felicity and I went to
see the Variety Show at the
Tonight,
Felicity and I, after many unsuccessful attempts at finding some grub, ended up
at the Nuffield Club, where we suppered. We also danced there and made the
acquaintance of a sergeant of the Intelligence Corps, who hailed from
He was a Jew or
perhaps just a political enemy of the Nazi Party who, through friends in the
British Embassy, had found his way to
Meeting Tommy
Handley
17 May: Today
has been very amusing and exciting. This morning we shopped a little and then
decided to charge Broadcasting House, where we were successful in obtaining
passes to see ‘ITMA’. We enjoyed the show immensely.
Afterwards we
went on the stage and were thrilled not only to speak to Tommy Handley but also
get an autographed photo. We also spoke to Jack Train and Charlie Shadwell.
At HQ in the
afternoon, a party was given in our honour by the selection committee. Those
present included Lady Limerick, Dame Beryl Oliver, Mrs Prentice and Major
General Bradley. It was very interesting, but oh! so very prim and proper.
Emlyn Williams
brightens the day
Friday, 18 May:
Another day has passed, and we are so disappointed as our advance luggage has
not gone yet. Bad, very bad, as living in
Felicity and I
saw the Emlyn Williams show that night and enjoyed it. Otherwise, life was not
very interesting.
Security
silence
Saturday, 19
May: At first, this looked as if it was going to be another day of uncertainty,
but during the morning the buzz got round that we were to move off tonight. At
2pm security silence was imposed, and we were confined indoors.
During the
afternoon, we packed up and prepared for our night journey by having 40 winks.
After a substantial meal and collecting a very generous food pack, we assembled
in the main hall with bag and baggage. Two covered wagons arrived to collect us
at 10pm, and we waved farewell to our ATS hostesses.
St Pancras was
very drab and cold at 11pm, when we boarded the troop train. Everyone was in
high spirits and not a little excited. After much backchat, we settled down for
the night as best we could.
Applying our
war paint
Sunday, 20 May:
A night of fitful snoozing passed quite quickly, and we found ourselves nearing
We were taken
the fairly short distance to the docks by special buses. We felt deeply for our
heavily laden brothers — the tommies — as they marched along. Then, suddenly,
we saw our ship. The big moment had come. It is the Queen of
Letter writing
in the smoke room
We boarded
after much signing of papers and handing in of cameras, and were conducted to
our cabins. We are four in a cabin, and mine consists of Miss Bostock (our
consul member), Ray Aitken, Cecil Aitcheson and me.
It grieves me
that Felicity can not be with us, but nevertheless I am very happy. The rest of
the day was boring — frightfully boring! We sat in the officers’ smoke room and
wrote letters and talked, mostly. Personnel were coming aboard all day, and we
looked in danger of being overcrowded. Everyone retired to bed early.
General orders
and boat drill
Monday, 21 May:
Seven thirty did not seem too early to arise this morning. We breakfasted at
7.45am, and after tidying our cabins we met in the children’s and women’s room
for general orders etc. Then boat drill, which took most of the morning.
Lunch, first
sitting, is at noon and dinner at 6pm. We are awfully well fed. The reserved,
shy atmosphere prevailed all day, but on the whole it was more enjoyable. We
retired at 11pm.
Moving along
with a sing-a-long
Tuesday, 22
May: Today, we moved down the
Tonight, the
air that prevailed was suddenly broken by the sole effort of an RAF officer,
who played popular tunes on the smoke-room piano, and so, a sing-a-long began.
Felicity, Ray, Cecil and I played Monopoly with some RE or Royal Engineers
officers.
And so to bed.
Dorothy Lamour
and The Fleet’s In
Wednesday, 23
May: We moved into our place in the convoy and also further out to sea. In the
afternoon, we basked in the sunshine on the sun deck.
We had our
first cinema show tonight. The programme was The Fleet’s In, starring Dorothy Lamour. After the show, everyone
played tombola, at which I won £2 7s 6d (£2.37p)! We are sailing tonight —
yippee.
Attack of
gastro-enteritis
Thursday, 24
May: Boat drill as usual this morning, but although the sea was beautifully
calm, it was bitterly cold.
In the
afternoon, I succumbed to gastro-enteritis, which has been playing havoc with
our girls. I was seen by the SMO or Senior Medical Officer and put on a
concentrated dose of sulphaguanidine. In all, I had 50 tablets in 24 hours.
Being confined
to bed was no great hardship under the circumstances. I had plenty of sleep.
On deck and on
the mend
Friday, 25 May:
Doc arrived at the fantastic hour of 8.15am to see me, and I was pleased to
report that my complaint was mending rapidly. My one desire was to get some
air, and I eventually persuaded him to allow me up in the afternoon.
It was such a
relief to get on deck just before tea. I felt somewhat dizzy at first, but that
soon wore off. Later in the evening, we played cards and followed it up with
play-reading. Despite my intentions, it was 11pm before I hit the hay.
Sunbathing,
partying and dancing
Saturday. 26
May: The morning passed quickly, and, apart from a letter or two, there was
nothing to show for it. We spent the afternoon lying on the sun deck, but there
was little sun! However, it was pleasantly warm.
Cecil and I
were invited to a cocktail party given by the MO. We enjoyed ourselves a lot
and met the chief officer, who gave us a lot of gen. This was followed by a
flick called The Glass Key, starring
A dance was in
progress when we arrived back in the smoke room, and we joined in until
23:00hrs. A breath of cool air on the deck rounded off the day, and we retired
at 23:10.
A promising
start
Sunday, 27 May:
This promised to be a glorious day right from the start. Our cabin became a
hive of industry in the morning as there was no ship’s inspection. Felicity and
I had gone to Communion at 7.30am, and immediately after breakfast we went
along to the barber’s shop to have our hair washed. The shop was really a
surprise — very modern, spick and span.
We then did our
washing — only stockings etc., as we have a laundry run by the RAOC (Royal Army
Ordnance Corps) Unit on board. Needless to say, this is a boon.
Lazing on deck
and hymn singing
The afternoon
was spent lazing in the sun on deck. The sea was a beautiful blue and the sky
almost cloudless. A welcome swell caused an occasional splash of spray to sweep
over the deck. I got quite a nice spot of sunburn on my arms. During the
afternoon, we watched one ship sail away with two escorts bound for the
The evening was
spent in the smoke room, chatting. Community hymn singing was conducted on the
sun deck aft. This was followed by a talk on
Everyone for
themselves
Monday, 28 May:
We hopped out of bed this morning at 6am and went on deck to see Gib as we
passed. We sailed nearer the African coast than the Rock. The latter was about
five miles off the port side and not as impressive as we’d expected.
Low clouds hung
over the coastline as dawn broke. Two lights flickered on and off as we came
nearer, and, eventually, signals were exchanged between shore and convoy.
The convoy
split up. Our escorts and four ships sailed into the harbour. Two others headed
off for
Sharks or
porpoise in the Med
The north
African coast was a beautiful sight. A pale, full moon hung over the hills, and
a wisp of cloud crossed the highest peak. The white dwellings stood out neatly
on the hills, and
We slipped away
from the coastline and once more were surrounded by sea. The blue Med at last,
and as we went we saw a school of fish on the starboard side. Could they be
sharks!! Or porpoise? Nobody seemed to know. We saw quite a bit of the north
African coast during the day. It was quite clear too.
Dancing the
night away
The Women’s
Services invited the other ranks to a dance in the evening. This was held in
the cinema, and the temperature was well over 100 degrees.
There were at
least 20 men to each girl. The floor was very overcrowded, and we danced for
three hours before a break. However, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
‘Horse racing’
and Urdu
Tuesday, 29
May: It was very warm today, and we blossomed forth in civilian clothes. In the
afternoon, ‘horse racing’ was held on the sun deck. Cecil and I won four races
out of six. We were seven shillings (35p) in pocket.
After that, I
had my first Urdu lesson. I think I shall know a few words before I reach
Tonight, we
went to see the film Sun Valley Serenade, starring
Sonja Heine. It was most refreshing.
Within sight of
Wednesday, 30
May: The greater part of the morning was spent learning Urdu and writing
letters. We also got cable forms to fill in.
Just about
lunchtime, we passed
Première of the
Thursday, 31
May: As we passed the various points of interest, e.g. Derna, the ex-Desert
Rats took great pride in pointing them out to us. The coastline was quite
clear.
There was bags
of sunshine in the afternoon, and I had a little more tan as a result. The
première of the Bermuda Follies was shown to
the troops this afternoon, and it seems to be going down well!
Rolling into lunch
Friday, 1 June:
Right from the start, it was a glorious day. At 11am, Ray, Cecil, Felicity and
I were taken to the chief engineer’s cabin, where we had coffee and biscuits.
We were then
taken on a tour of the ship. We all enjoyed this immensely, despite the heat.
It was most interesting seeing the machinery that gave us fresh water in the
cabins etc. The chief then gave us cocktails, and so we rolled into lunch.
Approaching
The afternoon
consisted of sunbathing, Urdu and PT. The excitement soared and so did the
various buzzes as we neared
I was extremely
lucky in meeting a Lieutenant Wier, who had been two years in the
Docking to
whistles and cheers
The PS
lighthouse was just beginning to function, and all the lights of the town
gradually sprang into being as we docked at 8.30pm. Needless to say, the first
soldiers we saw were Yanks! The natives lined the shore, and whistled and
cheered us.
Night life was
just beginning. Dancing was in full swing at the casino and other town clubs.
We passed along by the British and American HQs, and all and sundry turned out
to see us.
First of all,
the Egyptian Police boat came alongside, and one or two officials came aboard.
A water barge replaced our fresh-water supply, and some supplies were taken on.
Novelty of neon
lighting
The MO, some of
the crew and some army officials went ashore, but we had to be content with
just looking on. The neon lighting was a novelty, even if it did advertise the
things that we could not have.
Community
singing by us kept the air alive. Some natives came alongside to sell odds and
ends to the lower-deck troops.
With many
regrets, we went to bed knowing that unless we arose at the crack of dawn we
should not see
First sight of
Saturday, 2
June: I was on deck at 07:15hrs this morning and saw the
There is a
British garrison here, and some officers and men had been stationed there. Noel
Weir, having been one of them, took great pride in pointing out all the places
of interest during the day. The garrison gave us a rousing cheer, but they,
like every other soldier, sailor or airman we passed, insisted on telling us
that we were ‘going in the wrong direction’, which was becoming monotonous.
The native
villages were most interesting, and I enjoyed a close-up through Noel’s
glasses. We saw many camels, bison and the usual domestic animals, but I don’t
think I have ever seen anything like the cows — they were just skin and bone.
Feluccas and
war ships
All day we
passed feluccas — native boats with towering sails. The large ones, usually
containing huge rocks, were drawn by three or so natives. I can’t think how
they managed to tow such loads in the heat. The general impression given by
natives was of a very low mentality.
We passed
In the
afternoon, we passed on to
Many of the
houses were of French design, and at the entrance to the big lake there was a
very inviting French swimming club. We saw lots of war craft, mostly small
types, i.e. LCTs etc., moored around the lake.
At anchorage
outside
It was
terrifically warm in the afternoon — but that is only a taste of things to
come! At 6pm, we passed through
I was due at
the first sitting for dinner, and when we went on deck afterwards, we were
nearing our anchorage a mile or so outside
It really was
funny to watch. The locals fought over positions alongside, and there was much
gabble and tooting of horns. They also squabbled over cigarettes and coins
thrown over the side of the ship by the troops.
Entering the
We did not come
on deck again until about 10pm. We attended the Bermuda Follies which was very
good indeed, considering it was entirely amateur.
It was a
heavenly night, marred only by the smell of diesel oil etc., which we were
taking on. The sky was a mass of stars, and
And so,
tomorrow, we move east from
Hairwashing,
sun bathing and a concert
Sunday, 3 June:
As usual Sunday morning was devoted to hair washing etc. It was very hot in our
cabins, which was useful for drying purposes only. The afternoon was spent
basking on the sun deck. The sun was unbearable, and everyone clamoured for
shade.
I was annoyed
at missing the symphony concert in the cinema as ‘Moonlight Sonata’, ‘Dance of
the Hours’ and other popular records were played. In the evening, we all went
to see Sensations of 1945, which was
quite enjoyable. A stroll on deck rounds off the day.
Mopping off, no
make up
Monday, 4 June:
Today, we had our own first taste of heat. It far exceeded anything I had ever
imagined. The terrific heat is accompanied by a clammy atmosphere, and one just
streams perspiration all the while.
All attempts at
keeping make up on were abandoned, and one spent one’s time mopping off. Our
clothes were changed dozens of times per day, and moisture could be wrung from
them. This is supposed to be the worst time of the year in the
Cooling off in
the fridge rooms
PT had to be
abandoned, and all my efforts at learning Urdu failed. We had a lecture on
tropical medicine on the sun deck at 2pm, which was more of a Turkish bath than
anything else. One VAD, named Squires, is seriously ill with heat exhaustion as
a result.
Cecil, Felicity
and I went over to the galleys afterwards and saw the fridge rooms. They were
gloriously cool, but I think we felt worse when we came up again.
In the evening,
I was invited to the chief officer’s cocktail party, which I enjoyed. The rest
of the evening was spent cooling off on deck.
Tuesday, 5
June: I slept between two towels last night, and the perspiration rolled off. I
had very little sleep. This morning, we had a lecture on pay in
The lecture on
tropical diseases this afternoon lasted for an hour and a half but was held on
the port side, where it was definitely cooler. The temperature in the dining
room was 129 ˚F tonight. Perhaps, it was the chef’s idea of a white Xmas,
because turkey and plum pudding were served.
Blanket bathing
Squires
Wednesday, 6
June: Today, we passed
In the
afternoon, Cecil, Felicity and I had tea with the chief engineer, Mr Mallory —
delicious cakes!!
I took a turn
of duty this evening, i.e. nursing Squire. I had to blanket bath her, and, as
she was on an upper bunk, it was extremely difficult. The cabin temp. was 96
degrees, and, with working, the perspiration rolled off me to such an extent
that Cecil had constantly to mop my face.
After this
duty, I was invited to the chief officer’s cabin for supper. We had cold turkey
and ham with salad, straight from the icebox. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Black-out
restrictions and flying fish
Thursday, 7
June: Black-out restrictions are once again in force, and so the heat of our
cabin increased last night — consequently had little sleep.
Had tea and
cocktails with the chief officer. Heard that we had been in contact with a
submarine and so will not reach
Entire party
sat on deck in the evening drinking lemonade and watching the flying fish.
Felicity and I spent an awful hour in the baggage room packing today. Also we
had TT inoculations.
Deck races, tea
and cocktails
Friday, 8 June:
Nothing interesting happened today. In the afternoon, we had deck races — the
Cocktails in
the chief’s cabin with Bill (FANYs) and David (Lt RNVR). Do you have a glossary
that explains terms such as this?] After dinner the party moved up to the boat
deck, where we spent a gloriously cool evening.
Lack of party
spirit
Saturday, 9
June: Slept much better last night. There are numerous rumours floating around
about when we shall arrive in
Had iced coffee
with chief in the morning. Lazed on deck until tea-time — had tea with chief
and, also, cocktails before dinner.
This evening
was spent with Cecil, David and Felicity on deck. Didn’t enjoy it really as it
may be our last night on board, and nobody seemed to feel the party spirit
except me.
Sailing into
Sunday, 10
June: At 9.30 this morning we sailed into
There were
plenty of ships in the harbour, including the yacht that Barbara Hutton sold to
the navy for one dollar. We eventually docked at 10am with much fuss and bother
as usual. Numerous officials came aboard, and our sick were taken off by
ambulance.
The rest of the
morning was spent in exchanging money, filling in forms and hanging over the
deck rail. To me,
Meeting a
wealthy
We are not
disembarking until tomorrow, and we are not being allowed ashore. Some of the
men are going today. All drafts had mail except the VADs, and are we choked.
I had tea with
chief and later cocktails, where I met one of
The chief gave
a party in the evening, and at it I met Lieutenant Commander Taylor (Tiny!), who
is from the shore establishment. He came aboard as the ship docked. At 1am,
there was a tea party on the sun-deck cabins and finally got to bed at 1.30am.
Sad farewells
Monday, 11
June: Reveille for the troops sounded at 2.30am, so we had one hour’s sleep. We
arose at 5am and got our last packing done. Breakfasted at 7am and prepared to
disembark at 8.30am.
I never felt so
much like weeping for many moons. We said farewell to all our friends and
marched ashore at last. Two hospital trains were pulled into the dock siding
and waiting to take the QAs [Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service] and
VADs off to
While we were
waiting for it to leave at 10.30 am, we went to a nearby café and had drinks
and weighed ourselves. I found I had nearly lost a stone! Lots of our friends
disembarked soon afterwards, and they came to wave us off.
Part II:
Monday, 11
June: The train left
Tea was served
by the medical orderlies on board, and we had baskets of pineapples and bananas
sent us by the St John Ambulance Brigade (SJAB),
The journey was
very interesting. We sat gazing at the parched native countryside, but as the
train climbed its way up into the hills, there was plenty of vegetation and
some pretty flowering shrubs.
Arrival in
Somewhat
exhausted, we arrived at
We had tea,
which was more than welcome, at 6pm, after which we found our luggage and had
bearers take it to our respective beds. There is absolutely no wardrobe or
drawer space left for VADs, so we are forced to live in suitcases a while
longer.
After dinner,
at about 8.30pm, we prepared to lay our weary bones to rest. There were all
sorts of animal life crawling about, but we eventually fell into a peaceful
sleep, feeling comparatively safe under our mossie nets.
Weird nocturnal
occurrences
Tuesday, 12
June: This morning brought news of weird happenings in the dead of night.
Bostock found a black hand under her pillow, and her clock is missing.
We had a
welcome speech from the Brigadier I/C Hosp., followed by a health talk given by
the SMO (Senior Medical Officer) in the morning.
Still feeling a
bit fed up with life, Ray, Cecil, Felicity and I went to
In the evening,
a party of us went to the dance given by the hospital’s military police and
thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We retired to bed shortly after midnight.
Cheered by our
first mail
Wednesday, 13
June: Had a security talk this morning. Miss Corsair, our liaison officer,
arrived this evening, and we had our first mail. It brought me nine letters,
which have changed my outlook on life very considerably.
In the evening,
we went to a dance at one of the clubs in
Possible joint
posting
Thursday, 14
June: Today, we had TAB all over again. It had no effect on me this time
either, but several of our girls are not feeling so good.
We had
individual interviews with Miss Corsair. She seemed quite pleased with my past
history. It seems highly probable that Felicity and I will be posted together.
This evening,
we went to the sergeants’ mess (sappers and miners, Kirkee) and had quite an
enjoyable time.
Lucky break
Friday, 15
June: Went on duty in MI room. We had volunteered and were seen by matron this
morning. As usual, I struck lucky in getting a soft job. Horsby is my opposite
number, and we do not go on duty until 8.45am. (Those on ward duty go on at
8am.)
There is very
little to do in the MI room, but we set about spring-cleaning it. The general
organisation is hopeless. There is a Lieutenant Corporal in charge, an
ex-prisoner (Italian), and an Indian sweeper, which, together with the MO or
medical officer (Lieutenant Leis), comprises the staff.
Language difficulties
We do a sort
out of the patients’ department — our patients being either general staff or
locals employed in the hospital. It is very often very difficult to diagnose
the ailments of the latter owing to the language difficulties.
This evening, I
was supposed to go to a party at the Sussex Regiment’s sergeants’ mess, but,
just as we were about to leave, Jumbo (Major Hall) and Ian (Captain Robertson)
arrived up from Kalyan. Felicity and I were most surprised, but it was good to
see a friendly face from the ship again. We all went out to dinner at
Success at the
races
Saturday, 16
June: We were all vaccinated once more this morning. Jumbo fetched me after
lunch, and we went to the races — the Kirkee Stakes, held at
In the evening,
we had dinner at the Poona Hotel and then went across to the Poona Club to
dance. We met Pip, Felicity, Ron and many others from the ship, and a happy
time was had by all.
Bags of joy at
posting
Sunday, 17
June: The morning brought quite a few patients into our dept, and I was kept
quite busy.
Had another
half day today and went with Jumbo to the Lady Colville Club for woman of the
services, where we lazed in the lap of luxury all afternoon and ended with tea.
Ian and co. joined us later. In the evening, we all went to the Poona Club.
Felicity and I
learned today that we are being posted to Entally together — bags of joy all
round.
Less work and
more play
Sunday, 24
June: It has been a week since I last scrawled herein, and that week seems to
have passed swiftly. As far as work was concerned, I seem to have done little,
and what I did manage was done in the mornings!
By way of a
change, I have not been dancing lately. Life has mainly consisted of dinner
parties, and one night I went to see Greer Garson in Mrs Parkington at one of the
local cinemas. The governor of
Yesterday
evening, Ana invited me to a dinner party at the EWI given by General Iverliss.
All his high staff officials were present. One major was Irish, so I didn’t
feel too lost. I quite enjoyed the evening.
Today Major
Graham, who taught me Urdu on board the ship, came to see me. He is stationed
about 15 miles from
Quite a week
Sunday, 1 July:
This week was quite interesting, so I’ll relate at length.
Monday — More
inoculations and vaccinations. Had the day off in view of our posting on
Wednesday. We shopped mainly for food for our trip. Did a spot of charpoy
bashing in the afternoon. Felicity and I went to the farewell party in our
honour at the OT (occupational therapy) centre.
Tuesday — In
the morning, I finished making my S. bag at the OT centre — did most of
Felicity’s too! In the afternoon, we all prepared for the ball at Government
House.
No coach and
magic wand
The edge was
taken off our excitement by the arrival of two army lorries to fetch us. No
coach and magic wand for Cinderella!! On arrival, we put the finishing touches
to our hair and faces, and went downstairs to the magnificent ballroom complete
with chandeliers and panel mirrors.
From the
ballroom, thro’ magnificent doors bearing the coat of arms, one passed on to a
terrace, where lots of tables and chairs were arranged, and one could sit
overlooking the moonlit gardens.
Just before his
Excellency arrived, we formed up on the left of the doors leading to the
terrace and the officers of the
It was a most
enjoyable evening, but midnight soon arrived. Afterwards, some of the officers
invited us to a party at their mess, and off we went by jeep. Eventually, we
arrived home at 2.30am. As we had to finish our packing and be at breakfast at
5pm, we decided it was not worth going to bed.
Aboard the
Wednesday — We
left 126 IBGH at 6am and arrived bag and baggage at
Needless to say
we were very sleepy, but we — Felicity and I — shared a four-bunk compartment
with two QAs (also going to Calcutta) and two lieutenant colonels as far as the
Dulallah homeward-bound transit camp. It was in the afternoon, when they left
us, that we had our first nap.
As a matter of
fact, we slept most of the next two days, apart from wayside stops, where we
had meals laid on for the entire mass of officers. We saw some very colourful
birds on the journey and also saw coconuts growing.
Friday — We
should have awakened to find ourselves in
At 4pm we
arrived at Hourah Station,
(source:
A1940870 Life in the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment), 1945at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
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In the summer of 1939, my father was on home leave from
In the spring of 1940, when the
Then we set sail again, this time without a convoy, round
the north of
The next stop was
(source:
A2640601 A Schoolgirl’s War in the
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From there followed a 5 day train journey to
Calcutta in East Bengal where, on arrival, at 12 noon, we had the opportunity
to inspect the platform at Howrah station, which, without food or water, we did
until 12 midnight. Much to our relief, we piled into coaches for the final lap
of our journey. The name Barrackpore rattled around the coach. This cantonment
was 14 miles from
At last, we thought, a hearty meal and then a
good sleep. We were quickly disillusioned as the N.C.O informed us that we
shouldn’t have been there at all and we would have to drive back to “
(source:
A5760281 My War - Part 3 at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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Then we were put on a troop train, and headed
east to
Traveling on that train was an experience on
its own. There was no water, there was a toilet in the middle of the carriage,
it was barely a metre square, no water, just a hole in the floor straight
through to the middle of the track. There were two blocks one each side of the
hole about the size of a size ten boot. The method was, stand on the blocks
squat, and line up with the hole, hope for the best, and let go. If you missed,
tough luck - you just had to clean up with the toilet paper, {army form blank}
We ate and slept and done our ablutions in that
compartment. We used to draw our rations every day from the supply carriage.
Usually it was just corned beef and hard biscuits, some tea, and a couple of
tins of condensed milk. The only way we could have a cup of tea, was to wait
for the train to stop, and send someone up to engine with the three gallon tea
bucket, and ask the driver for some boiling water from the engine.
Sometimes when they stopped for water we would
run up and stand under the water pipe and have a quick shower without bothering
to take our clothes off. It didn’t matter about getting them wet, because they
were already wet with perspiration, so they had a wash as well.
It was stinking hot in the train, we used to
climb up on to the roof of the carriage for a cool off. Sleeping at night was a
bit rough because the train was literally lousy, under the wooden slats of the
seats there were thousands of Bugs which used to have a feast off us every
night. Most of us were covered with red spots from bites.
Sometimes during the day we were able to buy
fresh fruit from the natives, Pineapples, Bananas, Mangoes, and Oranges, these
were very cheap, but we had to be very careful to avoid catching a decease we
had to wash the fruit in Permanganate of Potash solution, this was a bit hard
due to the shortage of water.
(source:
A1982955 Stan Martin's WW2 story at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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In
October 1940 we were ordered to our base in
In January 1942 we were posted overseas,
originally bound for
We were there until march 1944. by then the
Japs were close to invading
(source:
A4120291
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My Mother and I had passages booked on a Bibby line ship
due to sail for
We also had another problem in that
No progress was made on the passage front until, in
desperation, Thos. Cook asked if Mother and I would be prepared to fly out to
Now for the journey itself…..
February 11th 1940
My mother and I left the small hotel in Worthing where we
had been staying since before Christmas to travel to Poole Harbour for an over
night stay at The Haven Hotel preparatory to leaving next day by Imperial
Airways Flying boat for the journey to Rangoon, Burma, which was to take at
least four days.
The winter of 1939/40 had been very, very cold, so cold
indeed that for some days the Flying Boats scheduled to leave both for
One of the least pleasant preliminaries for our flight was
that we all had to be weighed and as a rather self-conscious seventeen year
old, this filled me with dread! However the very nice man doing the job said,
“We have had people who have topped the scale” followed by, “It is all in kilos
so no one knows what that means!” That comforted me!
{NB: In those days not much was measured in the metric
scale}
February 12th 1940
We were up quite early and after breakfast waited around in
the lounge ready for the summons to join the launch to go out to the Flying
Boat (there was a jetty right outside the hotel which was used for this
purpose)
However, I think it was about mid-morning, we were told
that due to bad weather conditions our departure was postponed until the next
day! So Mum and I took a bus into Bournemouth after lunch to have a look round
and have tea in one of the big department stores (either Bobby’s or Beales, I
cannot remember which) then it was back to
February 13th 1940.
We learned at breakfast or soon afterwards that we were to
be away that morning. Off we set in the launch to board the aircraft. Mum and I
were really very nervous as neither of us had been near an aircraft before let
alone flown in one.
As far as I can remember there were only about seventeen
passengers as, the Captain told us later, the plane was carrying a heavy load
of Mail. Amongst the passengers was a young Maharajah, his mother, his
Political Officer and his wife (Col. And Mrs. Affleck I think) and a young RAF
Officer, a test pilot flying to
With a great roar the engines started up and we were off at
great speed across the water and eventually a smooth take off into the air, I
loved it!! Incidentally the plane was named, ”Co-ee” all the planes on the
Australian route had Aboriginal names as far as I know.
The windows of the plane were ‘whited out’ until we were
well clear of any Naval or Military installations, rather excessive security we
thought! We flew down the Channel and across the Channel Islands and
The weather became very rough, the plane rising and falling
with monotonous regularity, a horrible sensation and it was not long before Mum
(amongst others) began to feel ill and were ill! I felt pretty grim too. We
eventually landed at Biscarosse south of
It was getting dark when we came into land, the wind was
blowing hard and the waves on the lake were quite high. We hit the water and it
seemed to rush past the windows for ages before we came to a halt, it took a
half to three quarters of an hour to moor the plane on to the buoy, Normally a
matter of minutes and we tossed about all this time and I was eventually
sea-sick!
At last the order came to disembark we went to the exit to
find the launch bobbing up and down like a cork. Imperial Airways staff just
shouted, “When we say jump, JUMP!” and this we bravely did. It was freezing
cold, borne out by the icicles hanging from the Jetty when we went ashore and
into the customs shed, a sorry looking lot we were.
We saw the Captain there (name Harrington) looking rather
white and drawn and he told us later that he had only had one other landing as
bad as that in the whole of his experience! So how was that for first time air
travellers?
Eventually we set off by bus for the Hotel Splendide in
FEBRUARY 14th 1940
After breakfast we left by bus for Marisnane to continue
our journey, Mum and I felt that we would gladly not board the plane again, if
there had been any other option open to us! We all sat around in a rather
ordinary café for a bit and then were told that there was a problem with the
re-fuelling launch and we would not be leaving until after lunch, our
destination an over night stop in
We ate sparingly of lunch and eventually went out to the
launch and then on to the plane, it was still freezing cold
It started to snow and we all realised that the heating
system in the plane was not working. All the metal fittings inside the plane
became frosted and the glass of water I had on my table turned to ice! The
planes carried fur lined foot muffs and blankets for this eventuality and we
all sat shrouded in blankets endeavouring to keep warm. Also these aircraft,
being very wide-bodied, allowed one to get up and walk about and there was a
rail down one side where you could lean and look out of the windows. You were
able to see quite a lot. These aircraft were not pressurised and therefore
could not fly very high.
We were much relieved to land at
I forgot to mention that when we left Poole another flight
took off bound for
We got back to the Hotel to find a very anxious Mum, after
we had left she realised she didn’t really know these people very well and
wondered if she would see me again!!
FEBRUARY 15th 1940
After breakfast we went back to
Again it was dark and we were taken by bus to a small hotel
in a hilly and wooded area and when we were shown to our room it had a glorious
log fire burning in the grate, it was so welcoming, we were delighted. It was a
very small hotel and as far as I recall there were no other guests apart from
the air travellers.
Anyway, after a wash and change Mum and I went down to join
the others in the bar for a drink before dinner. Mum wished to reciprocate the
kindness of our RAF friend on our arrival in Rome the evening before, so we
asked him what he would like and he said when he was in a foreign country he liked
to taste the local beverages and as we were in Greece he would have an Ouzo.
This was duly ordered and Mum wondered whether it would be very expensive but
it turned out to be the equivalent of two pence (old currency of course) so she
said he could have as many as he liked, which I think he did!!
FEBRUARY 16th 1940
We left Corfu during the morning en route to
FEBRUARY 17th 1940
This proved to be a rather interesting day as the first
re-fuelling stop after leaving
Up and away again for our overnight stop at
FEBRUARY 18th 1940
Up very early and took off at 4 a.m. First stop was
We then flew across the Arabian Sea en route to
We duly arrived at
It was in this hotel that I shouted in alarm when I pulled
the plug out after a bath and the water swirled around the tiled area. I
thought I had flooded the place but there was in fact a plinth to stop the
water going all over the floor and it eventually ran out through a hole in the
wall and down a pipe, I assume! This was a common system of drainage in the old
fashioned parts of
FEBRUARY 19th 1940.
We left fairly early this morning, in a different plane
named “Coorong” This was to be the last full day of flying, there were at least
two re-fuelling stops, one on Lake Udaipur where we were taken for a trip in
the launch whilst the re-fuelling was done. In the middle of the lake was a
vast palace belonging to a Maharajah it was indeed a spectacular sight. My
recollection about the second stop is rather hazy but looking at the distances
and likely areas of water it could have been
(source:
A3335816 My Journey to
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indian - en route
October 14, 1944
Dearest Reva:
This morning's note failed to
mention the bathroom facilities offered at our apartment house. Now this is
Tsk. Life in a plumberless land.
To top it all, the proprietor blithely put on his hat and set off for the
races, so for all I know, the darn beds have now floated away.
Our afternoon's program (now
6:00 P.M.) consisted of dinner at the Red Cross, a rickshaw journey to
Those ghats aroused my ghoulish
interest, remember my research on torture?, but no one wanted to stay - so I
had to leave, too. The Red Cross girl and her girl companion didn't even go
into the burning section. There was a body of a girl (or boy) awaiting burning.
It had a dirty white-brown rag thrown over it. Probably that of a beggar child.
This is a nasty letter, and time
that I bring it to a close. I'll write on more tonight, if I have an
opportunity. I have just had a nice chat (about the classification errors in
the Army) with two musicians, Max Cline (grad. Cincinnati Conservatory of
Music) and Hustes, who are with a touring troupe in this area.
Much love, darlin',
Dick
(Source: page 75 of Elaine Pinkerton (ed.): “From
Calcutta With Love: The World War II Letters of Richard and Reva Beard”
Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2002 / Reproduced by courtesy of Texas
Tech University Press)
Probably the first thing you
will notice is the strangeness of Indian dress. After you've experienced the
Indian sun you'll realize that the costume worn by Indian men and women results
from centuries of living in a climate one American soldier described as
"too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry."
As you see more of the
Indian people, you will encounter many customs that are strange and new to
Americans. A large number of them have grown out of the religions of the
country and are therefore most sacred. You should respect them as you would
wish your own beliefs and ways of living respected by strangers.
Naturally, there are a
number of obstacles to establishing friendly relations with the people of
(source: “A Pocket Guide to
(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research
project. The copyright remains with the
original submitter/author)
Our squadron had been at Gushkara for about a month before
any of us could get passes to visit
We caught the train at Guskara with the destination being
At home, we had power machines for most farming activities.
In
The train ride with carriages (coaches, we call them)
having compartments, was all new and different. We had to learn how to use the
carriage "water closets," too.
Our train arrived at
Moving slowly, we saw strange (to us) sights of small food
sellers with tiny charcoal burners, saw dimly lighted hallways and building
interiors. We were not worried, though, for it was all so new and fascinating
-- so different from anything any of us had previously experienced.
Arriving at the Red Cross, we found all their beds for
transients were filled. They called a military base out at DumDum and a truck
was dispatched to meet us at the Red Cross, much later that night. It finally
arrived about 1 AM and took us out to a tent camp with Indian-style rope beds.
(Are those called "charpoys?") By that time, anything to sleep on
looked like a king's couch.
The next morning, we had our first daylight sight of
A truck again drove us back to the Red Cross where we were
able to get a bunk for the next two nights we were to be in town.
My first rickshaw ride was from the Red Cross to the New
Market. We had heard about it so were anxious to go there first. I'll never
forget watching the puller as he jogged along, ringing his hand bell with
nearly every step. His sweat-soaked shirt fluttered in the breeze and he, in
fairly good English, described some of the sights we were seeing. He knew we were
newcomers into town and seemed proud to be showing off his city, such as it
was. I understand there was a disasterous fire at the New Market some time ago,
but that it is now back in full operation. I'm glad, for
We learned to use the
(source:
a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June
2001 and 28th August 2001)
(COPYRIGHT
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Journeying from
'I saw the cast system in action and didn't
like it, bloomin awful'
Saw a traffic policeman walloped a rickshaw
walla holding his rickshaw up at the time, for stepping forward when the
traffic was stopped at a junction. The rickshaw walla did nothing, they were
used to being treated like nothing, he just picked himself up off the ground.
'Wherever you went it was Backshee Sahib’
Then there was the pimps chasing you to have a
Bibi (woman/ girl). If you went in there you probably wouldn't come out alive
or at least would get a dose.
(source:
A2615726 tom clifford - the war years 2 at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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Well,
once again we were stuck in another camp and waiting as before for someone to
call our names out on parade. Daddy found out after the first parade which took
place, that he would’nt be wanted till next day or even afterwards, so he put
on some clean clothes and took a tram into
(source:
Leonard
Charles Irvine
"A LETTER TO MY SON" at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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13th April - I spend most of this day in Calcutta it is another stinking city, literally teeming
with people and traffic, beggars and buck she wallahs by the thousands, shanty
towns all over the place, any peice of open ground houses them, they even live
on the traffic islands, this city has gone backward, the cow still roams at
large, the inhabitants wash and bathe wherever there is water.
13th April - We departed by air from Calcutta bound for Delhi, my first time here and having
a certain amount of free time I took the opportunity to go sight seeing, this
was a pleasure for it was in my mind far superior to Calcutta. This city possesses some remarkable fine old
buildings also plenty of open spaces but having said that it still has a fair
share of poverty.
(source:
A3734813 British Legion Pilgrimage at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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(source:
A7659723 A Willing Volunteer Part 3 at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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We arrived at
While I was in
(source:
A8117895 Bill's memories-Let's go to sea. Chapter 2 at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
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I went back to 221 Group Headquarters in
(source:
A4254103 AN RAF WIRELESS OPERATOR ON THE
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We eventually reached
When we arrived at the hotel there was a
cablegram from Dad which read, “Up brave hearts, it’s the last lap” which
amused and cheered us up. Also he had been in touch with a business
acquaintance in Calcutta,
a Mr. Cowan who came round to see us and insisted on us dining with him and his
wife at the Saturday Club (little did I know then that in three to four years
time the Club would become a very familiar haunt until we left for the U.K. in
May 1945).
We had a pleasant evening with the Cowans and
in the course of conversation Mr. C. mentioned that he knew that Dad was very
fond of celery (a delicacy not available in Burma but grown in the hills at
Darjeeling, not too distant from Calcutta) He had arranged for a few sticks to be
delivered to the hotel for us to take with us next day. “Fine “ we said until
we got to our room to discover that far from being a few sticks there were two
enormous bundles of twelve sticks each complete with full foliage! Mum said we
could not take these on the plane without incurring a huge excess baggage
charge, so what were we to do? We had seen Capt. Harrington in the dining room
so we decided to seek his advice. He thought about it and then said, “If you
will agree to let me take one bundle on to our staff in
FEBRUARY 20th 1940
This morning we had another bus ride through
the crowded streets to the River and then away on the last lap of the journey.
We landed at Akyab (now called Sittwa) on the N.W. coast of
The steamy heat did not strike me at first but
did a little later on!
(source:
A3335816 My Journey to
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We had a few 48hr passes whilst at Digri and we took the opportunity
to visit the only place of interest, the city of
It was a large overcrowded city, but very interesting,
(source:
A1982711 Through Pilot Training to Action With 463 and 617 Squadrons at
Waddington at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
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Imagine walking along, say, Dalton Road
and seeing, say, the Spencer brothers—one sitting crosslegged in the
midst of his wares in a loincloth and a beautiful turban, the other .sitting
right in the middle of the pavement bathing himself (with his clothes on') at
one of the wells of water that spring up at intervals all the way along. Then
next door probably a soothsayer or phrenologist with all sorts of weirdlooking
objects hanging outside—tortoise shells, dead things, goodness know; what!
Then, say, Mr Bell lying in his .string bed fast asleep in the street—or
sitting there stitching away and machining in the midst of naked little
urchins—boys, yelling little coloured birds. Rickshaws being drawn by men,
gharries by horses. Dead cats and rats lying about all over the place! Such a
bewildering conglomera tion—it is indescribable!
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16 July 1945:
My first impressions of
The hospital —
Entally — was a pleasant surprise to us. We drove in through the bold iron
gates, on either side of which extended high stone walls that encompass the
entire hospital. We were taken past the main hospital buildings, which looked
very imposing and consisted of white stone buildings with green shutters,
rather on French lines — not surprising since it was originally a convent.
Watching
fireflies on the veranda
Finally, we
arrived at our mess. This indeed is very pleasant. It is a two-storey building
with upper balcony, and my room is over the dining room. The floors are highly
polished stone.
Matron takes a
keen interest in the garden, and just now, with the rain, it is at its best.
The lawns are beautifully green. In fact, apart from a few tropical palm trees
mixed in with other trees, and of course the everlasting heat, with the roses
in bloom, hollyhocks and gladioli one could easily imagine it was
What I most
like doing is sitting in the cool of the evening (after a most satisfying
dinner) on the veranda — watching the fireflies, flit to and fro in the dark
like lighted matches, while the crickets sing and the little lizards dart
around catching flies.
(source:
A1940870 Life in the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment), 1945at BBC WW2 People's War'
on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
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Eventually we arrived at
(source:
A1982955 Stan Martin's WW2 story at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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We were there for about a week. During this
time we were able to explore quite a bit of
(source:
A1982955 Stan Martin's WW2 story at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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Later I was sent to
(source:
A4050163 Smugglers or Spies ? at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/
Oct 2006)
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Always, in
I hate rusty water in the bathtubs, and showers which dry
up just after you have soaped your burning body. And idiot boys who make
appointments for you with the boss, but forget to tell you the boss is coming
to see you, not you to him. All because the poor boy can't speak proper
English, and you can't blame him for that, can you? That makes it even worse.
But it isn't just the boy. I rage up and down the room
under the unworkable electric fan, screaming silently to myself at
I'm homesick.
Kalimpong March 27 [1950]
Well. Obviously, I should never go to
I hate
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with Margret
Parton 1959)
With our time up at Penang, we were ordered back to
“Trinco”, and each watch was given seven days R and R at a rest camp up in the
hills at Byatalawa, calling at
Carrying on with our journey I was surprised to find that
Leaving
(source:
A3021779 Serving on "H.M.S. Volage" in the East Indies Fleet 1944 - 45
by Leslie Atkinson Edited at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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I sailed away from
the most exciting period of my life, an episode which had felt like a lifetime,
and one which, hopefully would not.
ever, be repeated. The few days it took to reach
Calcutta was known by many appellations, the sweetest of which was 'the arsehole of the
In spite of Churchill's remarks, there were some very
attractive areas in
The residence of the Governor General, Lord Curzon, was one
of the finest examples of British architecture: in 1805 he spent two million
rupees to build a mansion in the likeness of his home in
Close to that work of art was
The new fort, with the river on one side, occupied almost
two square miles; the excavation of the thirty-foot-deep moat that surrounded
it contributed material for the building. The moat could readily be filled with
water from the Hoogly; it had six gates with such romantic names as
By the south-east corner of the maidan was the one mile,
five furlongs race course. St Paul's Cathedral, built in 1847, with a spire two
hundred feet high, stood at the extreme south-east of the maidan. King George
once landed in Calcutta on the Hoogly, at the Strand, at the aptly named
(source:
page 376-377 of William Pennington:
Pick up you Parrots and Monkeys and fall in facing the boat. The life of a boy
soldier in
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Kali apart,
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I was lost, and this time the crux of the matter was that I
didn’t know where I was supposed to be.
It was New Year’s Day, 1946. It was nearly midnight and I
was alone, on foot, about a mile outside
How stupid can you get? said the voice of my father inside
my head.
Rubbish, I said. It could have happened to anyone.
You mean, like the scissors?
I knew exactly what he meant. I was about six, then, and
helping him cut the lawn. He asked me to get the scissors. Wondering about this
I went to the kitchen and got the scissors. Then as I took them out of the
drawer I understood. With these, you could trim the edge of grass that butted
on to the fence because you could push the small point behind the tufts and
snip them easily.
In the garden I knelt down by the fence and had a go. It
was a good idea, but it was going to be a long job.
I jumped at his laugh behind and above me.
‘No-o! The scissors - you know, the clippers, the shears!’
Getting them from the shed I felt myself go hot with
embarrassment but I told myself it could have happened to anyone.
This time I should have known better. That same afternoon,
with two other RAF men, I had arrived in
My problems began at the moment of departure from the
airfield. Had I kept my wits about me I would have noted that we crossed the
River Hooghly via Howrah Bridge, turned on to the Barrackpore road and
travelled about ten miles out to our unit in the wilds of a village called
Bally.
But I did not keep my wits about me. My wits, as life was
later to impress upon me, were not the sort you could keep on a lead.
As we were shown into the long hut we were told that a
gharrie (in Service terms a covered
We threw our bags on our beds, showered and changed and the
three of us climbed up into the back of the gharrie. We wandered along
Chowringhee and had an expensive meal at Firpo’s. I said I wanted to see the
film at The Excelsior. They weren’t keen, so we split and arranged to meet a
little before ten at the appointed spot.
The Excelsior was big, with red velvet seats and icy
air-conditioning. After the film ended I went out into the blast of heat in
Chowringhee and looked at my watch. It was five to ten.
At two minutes to ten I arrived at the meeting point.
Neither the gharrie nor the other two men were to be seen. I waited for ten
minutes. Then it became worrying. I called a taxi. The driver’s friendly Sikh
face smiled broadly at me.
‘And you go to -?’
‘The RAF Station at,’ I said, and stopped. It was like
walking into a glass door: I couldn’t tell him, and I didn’t immediately know
why.
In the armed forces you get used to having your hand held
whenever you move. Jeeps take you to railway stations, RAF Police Corporals
point you to your train and more RAF Police wait for your arrival and get you
to your transport which takes you to your new unit. So, instead of noting
important things like names of places and serial numbers by which Air Ministry
establishments tend to be known, you dwell dreamily on the scenery.
I had no notion of the name of the village to which I had
been posted, the number of the RAF Unit, and certainly not the name of the road
by which to reach it. And, beyond my twelve-fifty identity card, I had no
papers on me to help. They were all lying on my bed somewhere in what is now
The taxi driver’s eyes lit up.
‘Ah, you forget name?’ I nodded and he began listing
military-sounding addresses, but I shook my head at each one. I knew I would
have recognised it had he said it. Sikhs are not easily put off by western or
any other oddities, but I could see that my taxi driver was beginning to sense
that he was dealing with an oddity of quite another order. He left.
Then I had the solution. If there were as many military
stations as he had revealed there would be military trucks speeding between
them and the city. All I had to do was to choose one of the roads (I knew it
had been a long, straight one) and walk along it, wave down anything that
approached from behind me and give the driver any information I could think of.
As I walked, I began to formulate sharp words of complaint to my so far unknown
commanding officer about drivers who did not keep to their schedule.
I was half an hour along this road before anything hailable
came. It was an American Air Force jeep, and it stopped
‘Well, Hi, there, fella. Wanna lift?’
I explained. The enormous engine idly crackled away and
they shook their heads and drew on their cigars. Then one of them snapped his
fingers.
‘Climb in,’ he said.
He had an idea. They would take me to their own unit and
get their files out and phone around. This they did. They found my unit, rang
it, then gave me a meal and a comfortable bed.
In the morning they gave me a breakfast, huge, hot and
aromatic.
‘English breakfast, huh?’ said the white-aproned GI,
putting it in front of me and surrounding me with sauces.
An hour later I stood to attention in front of my own C.O.
at what I now knew was No 329 Maintenance Unit in the
(source:
A2849484 Another Innocent Abroad Edited at BBC WW2 People's War' on http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/ Oct 2006)
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