I'll get on now with the diary

I'll get on now with the diary before I forget what has happened.

Sat. 5 August. This morning I did practically nothing. I went to Brigade for the latest news, and then round the Companies with it, finished up with taking it to the medical post. In the afternoon I received your parcel, and spent most of my time until tea putting my washing things in the new bags, etc.
In the evening, at dusk, I furtively hung out the arms outside the command post where I am sleeping, so as to break it to the battalion gently. What with the flag, and tin hat, and ring, I am almost medieval!

Sun. 6 August. This morning at 10 o'clock there was a church parade outside the A company writing room, because they have a piano. The piano was not an embellishment to the service. What with a player who makes a mis-hit on the notes every now and then, and missing keys, it was only with the greatest difficulty we could pick up the tune, and when we sang one tune the piano seemed to play another. -rather like Auntie singing.
After the service there was a short conference over a mug of tea about a forthcoming administrative inspection by the Brigadier, and then I went to Brigade for a situation report. In the afternoon I read my 'Histoire' and another 'Country Life' and at 4.30 we were suddenly told we were going to move up to a very quite part of the line the next day. At 5.15.p.m. I went with the C.O. and 3 other officers to see the area - we all crowded onto a jeep. Viewing the area and getting all available news from the Intelligence Officer of the unit there took about an

hour, and we then returned to the rest area. After dinner at 8.0.p.m. I hurriedly 'packed' i.e. crammed my loose kit and clothes into my valise and pack so as to save time tomorrow because I knew we had to get up early.

Mon. 7 August. Got up at 5.30.a.m. and breakfasted at 6.0. Packed the remainder of my blankets and put them on central dump. At 7.0.a.m. I left with the C.O. on a jeep and left R___ the rest area, and came to our new area, which is about 2 miles further north than we were before. I tied up further details with the outgoing unit's I.O. and then made a tour of the area noting where all the positions and H.Q.s were. I then entered up the maps - and enlarged 'battle map' and a smaller one covering a larger area, and fitted together the air photographs. This took most of the day, especially as I had to visit Brigade to pick up what further information I could. I didn't finish till about 8 or 9 p.m. and then looked for my valise and blankets etc., which had been off-loaded at different points, and fitted myself into a slit-trench for the night, after setting up the Guy Arms thereon.

Tues. 8 August. At 9.0. o'clock this morning I saw all the Intelligence Section together, as I hadn't seen them all yet. I got one fixed for batman, and found out the names, etc. of the rest. The rest of the morning was spent reorganising the chaos on my table left over from yesterday, and sorting out photographs. I visited

Brigade per usual, and entered more detail on the maps. This evening I went round companies with available information and news, and very late started to write this letter. It is now 10 o'clock p.m. and I am writing this by candle-light in my slit-trench.

The trench I am in is long and very narrow. The floor is planked and the roof sandbagged, so it is bomb and wet proof, and there is plenty of room at the foot end for my Sten, etc. Over the entrance flutter the 3 leopards faces, and a rope is burning inside to ward off mosquitoes.
It is situated alongside the wall of a front garden of a house of the village we are in. The house is B.H.Q. and we work and eat in the rooms (groundfloor!) there by day, and sleep in trenches by night. There is some furniture, so it is fairly comfortable, but houses masses of flies, which crawl over the food, not for long though when I am around to eat it.

It's now 10.10. so I must close down and blow out the candle.

I am enclosing Uncle's letter. We had fried spam and egg for breakfast this morning.

12thParachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 19. 10 Aug. 44.

Dear Bun,

Thanks very much for the 'Guy Arms' you made. They sit spiffingly on my slit-

trench; anyone can tell now which it is a mile away! I don't mind about its being thick; in fact it is better like that, because it doesn't crease.

You seem to be well up on my letters now. This morning I got Daddy's letter dated 7 Aug, and in that he said you had received Letter 16; as this is only no.19 you are only 3 behind hand now.

The other day there was a ration of a bottle of whisky per officer going in the mess for 85 francs (i.e. 8/6d.) a bottle. I got a bottle of Johnnie Walker; but it won't be of much use here. In fact it is an absolute white elephant because I don't drink it myself the same as the other officers and I can't travel with it - but I couldn't resist a bargain for 8/6d. and if I hadn't accepted my ration someone else would have had it! So at the moment it is standing in a ration box I use as a cupboard outside my slit-trench, looking at me with an enquiring gaze. It is wondering what is to be done with itself as much as I am.

I have just had two suppers of beans in tomato sauce. My batman was out at suppertime, so I helped myself, and later he brought me another one!
Now for the diary:-

Wed. 9 Aug. This morning I went round companies with the situation map, with the local news and the main Battle of France News. I then went to brigade

to see if anything new was in. This took me till about 12 o'clock, and as I then had to tell our forward platoon about a patrol our neighbouring unit was sending out (and one platoon was a considerable way away) I was rather late for lunch.
After lunch I got straightened out on my table, and sent a sketch of the battalion lay-out to brigade. In the evening I took the Brigade I.O. round our positions so that he could see them for himself; this took about an hour.
The C.O. then said that for the next 2 or 3 days he wanted me to organize and start running a new platoon, and then come back to be I.O. again. I hope he really means 2 or 3 days - organizing platoons isn't as quick a job as all that! But he said I was 'making a success' of being I.O., so I hope to be back at it soon.

I then went across the village green to the farm yard where the company concerned was, and got the platoon to their right positions, and into slit-trenches etc., for the night, and then had my kit moved across to the same area. By the time I got my own bed made it was about 11 o'clock, so I was glad to get to sleep.

Thurs. 10th August. This morning I started to get the platoon organized into their sections and a headquarters.
The rest of the morning was taken up with making nominal rolls, weapon checks, etc. During the afternoon I sorted out my own kit, which had been hurriedly slung together when we left R__, the rest area, before we came up here, hitherto I hadn't had the time to do it.

I have now gone through my valise and my pack, and have put clothes to be washed etc. to one side. This evening I cleaned my Sten and revolver (also for the first time for 4 days) and got the platoon onto making a reading room, by carting some tables, chairs, news-papers, etc. into a loft in a farm just behind us. I also ate my double supper.
Then I settled down to writing this, sitting on a sandbag at the entrance to my slit-trench - it's now 9.25.p.m. and all the mosquitoes are beginning to come out.

It has been gloriously sunny here today - a clear blue sky, just the weather to give the breakthrough a chance. It has been quite peaceful here too; in fact, from what the papers say, it must be more dangerous in London than it is here. Perhaps in another 3 weeks or so the main battle in the west will be over and done with?

I'll stop now to prepare my bed and get some rope burning to make the mosquitoes dummel.
To answer a few points from Daddy's letter:-
1. No, battalion I.O. does not carry a captaincy with it.
2. Yes, I have been bodged against lockjaw.

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 20. 12th Aug. 44.

Nothing particular to say so I'll get straight on with the diary.

Fri. 11 August. Another boiling hot day.
After breakfast I censored the platoon's mail, and washed and dried everything I could lay my hands on so as to have no washing to do later. The sun was so hot that it didn't take long for everything to dry, except my thick sweater. I also read the papers in the loft we had turned into a reading room; it was the only cool place to go to. Half way through the afternoon a new officer arrived who was to take the platoon over; so I am back as I.O. again, and I had the platoon only a couple of days as the C.O. said. I gave the new platoon commander all the information I could, and then handed the platoon over to him. After tea I moved back to B.H.Q. across the village green, and got up to date with what had been happening in the Intelligence line while I had been away. I had dinner, and then visited one of the companies to tell them about a neighbouring patrol that was going out; at about 10.30 I went to bed in the same slit-trench as I occupied before.

Sat.12 August. This morning I got up at about 7.30 and after breakfast walked 1/2 mile up the road to visit our neighbouring unit to find out what news they had from their last night's patrol. Then I read the recent intelligence summaries that I had missed, and went to Brigade for the recent news, calling in at one of the companies on my way back.

After lunch I took the news around to another company, and called on the same neighbouring unit again as I visited this morning. On my return I decided to write this letter seeing that nothing seems to be happening between now and teatime (it's now 20 to 4).

I have just put out my sweater to finish off the drying; it should not take long in this heat. The sun drives most of the mosquitoes into their holes, so you do get freedom from them. I am now sitting in the dining room on a chair and at a table to write this. As there is nothing else to say, I'll read the papers now and finish this off this evening.

It's now 10.10 p.m. so I'll finish this off by candlelight again in my slit-trench.

After tea I paid another visit to our neighbouring unit, and also read a sort of Heraldry-for-beginners article in 'Illustrated', or some such paper.
This evening for dinner we had chicken - tough but recognisable. I'd better close down now, or someone will start shouting about the light.

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 21. 14 August 44.

Sun. 13 August. This morning we moved back to the same area as we were in a week ago for another rest, although

we had been pretty nearly resting up in the line. Most of my kit was packed up last night, so I didn't have to get up particularly early. We left at about 10 o'clock and marched the 2 or 3 miles back. As we were going to precisely the same area there was not much organization to do on arrival; before lunch I settled in the intelligence lot and got the maps etc. out and took the news to the companies.
After lunch I pottered about doing nothing in particular. In the evening when I went to Brigade, I found that some of the troops there were looking after some German horses; so I am going on a ride on one of them later. They are frightfully thin - probably they have been cooped up in the barn, and a small black one is the one I shall try to get hold of. Some of them are saddle-galled, and some have shrapnel wounds, so only about 3 are rideable.

I have my bed in the Command Post again, and leave my kit in the house where we have meals.

Mon. 14 August. After breakfast there was a conference on an administrative inspection we are having, and then I went to Brigade for the news, and took it round the companies. This afternoon I read a French guide book found in the house here, and also tried to get a ride, but all the steeds were out already.
This evening I cleaned my Sten and revolver, and in a few minutes I shall go to Brigade again for news - it's now 9.15 p.m.
Quite a lot of planes have gone over

today, and we heard a good deal of bombing in the distance, so they were probably after the fleeing Germans further south. The war is going very well now, isn't it?

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 22. 17 August 44.

Three days have elapsed, so I had better get down to the diary straight away.

Tues. 15th August. Today we were going to be inspected by the Divisional Commander, so all the morning was spent in cleaning up, laying out Kits and getting ready generally. At 2 o'clock he arrived but didn't inspect our company till 3.30; so we had the usual Army hang-around for an hour and a half. He didn't spend very long inspecting the company, and then looked at the men's Kits, and finally gave a pep talk in the farm-yard to officers and N.C.Os. After tea I tried to get a ride; but the horses were engaged i.e. pinched by some of the troops, so I couldn't.

Wed. 16 August. This morning I spent all the time up to 11 o'clock censoring letters, because there were no other officers to help. After that I went to Brigade for the news. After lunch I aired the contents of my valise and read a bit more of my 'Histoire'. It was stiflingly hot in spite of thundering

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