12th Parachute Regt

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 27. 28 Aug. 44.

Sat. 26 August. This morning we were up at 4 o'clock and had breakfast by candlelight in one of the rooms of the farm. We were to resume the advance, starting at 5.30.a.m. from a nearby cross-roads. The C.O. decided to go on ahead in his jeep (there were other troops in front of us) to see if he could get advance information; so I jumped onto the trailer and we drove forward about 4 miles while the battalion marched on behind. At a road junction we caught up the battalion in front, and decided to wait for further orders. It was still only half light, and no-one seemed to know exactly what we were to do. At last the C.O. was called away to a conference, and I waited at the road junction to stop the battalion. After about an hour the C.O. returned and said we were going to be lifted in transport for the next 15 miles or so, seeing that the Germans had with-drawn faster and farther than was expected.
After another hour or two, during which time I ate some sandwiches and chocolate as I sat by the side of the road, the 30 cwt lorries that were to lift us arrived. we loaded onto them, and then dived down a mud-lane to the right to bypass a blown railway bridge further up the road. The drive was quite uneventful through typically English countryside; I led the column in a jeep. We passed through a town, B-, where people had flags out, and waved as we passed, and then out into more open country with fewer hedges. Eventually we came to some high ground overlooking a river in a valley - it was just like Surrey, and

you could scarcely believe there was a war on. We drove down the hill into the valley past lovely wooded slopes (said to contain members of the Maquis) and then for two miles or so alongside the river. The enemy were supposed to be on the far side of the river on the hills that overlooked us, but though they must have had good observation they sent no shells over. We drove right up to a church in the town, F-A-, and there debussed and marched a mile and a half further on to the area where we were to take up our position. The inhabitants of the town had out French flags, Stars and Stripes, and Union Jacks, and brought out jugs of cider.

It was now about 1 o'clock and lovely sunny weather. B.H.Q. was sited along a ditch behind a high bank, so we had fairly good protection against the odd shell (which never actually came). Some people also dug slit-trenches in the ditch: but I didn't it was to hot then, and I was going to wait till sundown. It was just as well I didn't because at about 5.30.p.m. we were told that we were being relieved by another crowd, and that we were going back by transport to rest. We marched down to a nearby chateau at about 8 o'clock where the trucks were. We went back along the route we had taken in the morning (almost to where we started from;) we turned off to the village of F-, where we were split up and shewn the way to our billets. It was dusk now; the signals officer and I were billeted on the local priest, sleeping on a bed for the first time since we left England. They produced water for washing in, and candles, and sheets and pillows for the beds, so we cast off our equipment, and had a wash, but decided to sleep on the beds for that night so as not to

spoil the sheets until after we had had a bath. I soon went to sleep - it was now about 11 o'clock p.m.

Sun. 27 August. Woke up this morning at about 8.20 a.m., though by local village time it was only 7.20.a.m. because they don't have double summer-time. We went to breakfast at B.H.Q. about 1/2 mile away in a farm. The C.O. said we should have to come up there from the priest's house so as to be nearer B.H.Q. i.e. so that there should be some subalterns at B.H.Q. who could do all the work while the senior officers slept, or paid visits to Trouville. During the morning I didn't do much; but during the afternoon I moved my kit up from the priest's to this farm, and had to get a bath-house, tin-dumps, etc., organised for B.H.Q. and H.Q. Company. This took most of the afternoon. In the evening I read the papers - several days old - and as there was no room in the farm-house itself, prepared to sleep under a tree in the home paddock. I borrowed the M.O.s. sleeping-bag, and with an extra blanket inside and my air pillow was perfectly warm and comfortable. We are miles behind the gun-line, so we scarcely even heard a bang; and as long as it doesn't rain I shall be more comfortable outside than cramped like sardines inside a building. The M.O. and Padre took over our room at the priest's. In the evening some of the Intelligence Section gave me some tomatoes that they had been given by the local inhabitants.

Mon.28 August. This morning there was a fairly heavy dew. At 10. o'clock a.m. there was a church parade in the home paddock which is also a cider-apple orchard. The

troops round B.H.Q. are billeted in the haylofts and barns of the farm. The rest of the morning I mooched about not doing much; my batman boiled my clothes and put them out to dry. This afternoon they are going for baths, and I have decided to write this while there is a bit of peace and quite.

By the way, since we left the area of the marshes we have been completely free of mosquitoes, thank goodness.

Its now 1/4 to 9 p.m. so I'll finish this off.

At about 6 o'clock I had a hot bath in a cider vat; it was jolly good too; I then changed my clothes. After the bath I saw that one of the men had a horse in the orchard. It was a French horse, but had a German saddle and bridle picked up from abandoned equipment in the orchard. I got a ride on it for about 1/2 hour to shake up the liver.

There's no more news, so I'll close down.

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 28. 30. August 44.

I haven't had a letter for a goodish time now, so I hope it's the post that's gone wrong and not a bomb dropped on the house or anything; your last letters were dated 20 and 21 Aug. i.e. about 9 days ago.

Tues. 29 August. Today has been showery, with cloud overhead most of the time, so I suppose it will give the Germans a chance to get over the Seine without interference from the R.A.F.; but I suppose the R.A.F. can catch them on the other side even if they do get over under cover of cloud.

This morning a French civilian barber came to cut hair, and I had to see that it was organised properly.
He charged 8 francs per haircut, which is pretty reasonable (about 9d.) especially as he uses proper clippers instead of having to improvise with scissors and comb, as we should have had to do if he hadn't been available.
Later in the morning I marked up our maps with the latest news and divided up for the companies some maps I had received from brigade.

During the afternoon I had another ride on the same horse as before. The saddle is not at all comfortable, because the Germans had tried to destroy it before they left by cutting off the saddle flaps and slashing the rest etc., so the girth buckles were exposed and gudged your legs. If they knew anything about saddlery they would have known that the saddle-bow should have been broken to make it unusable. After the ride I had a haircut myself, and didn't do much else during the evening.
The Intelligence Section have gone into a local town for the evening, and so I lent them so cash as they were skint.

Wed. 30 August. Last night it rained fairly heavily; but I was quite dry in my sleeping-bag until about 6 o'clock

a.m. when it began to leak in places.

After breakfast I went out in a jeep to find a Field Cashier to get some money for several officers and a cash advance book for myself.
Hitherto I have lived on practically nothing, and it's about time I got some cash. All I got, though, was the usual form to be signed by the C.O.
This search for the Field Cashier kept me out till about 1.30.p.m. - and quite a lot of the time it was raining.

This afternoon I took a party to the mobile baths about 4 miles away (hot baths, not swimming).

This evening I received your Sunday papers of the 20th - the post has taken 10 days! I'll now close down and read them, seeing that nothing else is likely to happen this evening.

12th Parachute Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 29. 31 Aug. 44.

I have been posted to another unit, this time of the Leicesters, and am leaving here tomorrow Sept. 1st.; so I am writing to let you know of the change of address. My address will probably be '1st Leicestershire Regt. B.L.A.' but I will confirm it at the other end. I know quite a lot of the officers there, including Major German (Col. German's brother) so I shall not feel like a fish out of water. Can you therefore write your letters to the new address in future, or I shall not get any mail forwarded for ages? When you write next could you also let me have some envelopes; in

another fortnight or so I shall have run out?

I shall have been with this unit almost 2 months; I came to them on 3rd July, and am leaving them on 1st September, let's hope the war will be over before I have been 2 months with the 1st Leicesters

Thurs. 31 August. This morning I had the maps that were surplus and were still out on loan withdrawn from companies and returned them to Brigade. Then another officer and I went to the Field Cashier again. We went on a motor bike and I rode pillion. The other officer went to return money after paying out the men, and I went to convert the form I picked up yesterday into a Cash Advance Book, having had the form signed by the C.O., and I also drew some cash - 1000 francs (which sounds a lot, but it's only £5 in proper money). After we returned (it took about 1 ¹/₂ hrs because the Cashier was 16 miles away) I did nothing much till dinner-time, when I heard about my posting already mentioned; and I was told that I should be leaving any time after 8 o'clock a.m. - for any other information you'll have to wait till I reach the other end.

After lunch I told the section I was leaving and am now writing to tell you. It's only about 2.30.now so I'll finish this off this evening

It's now 9 o'clock so I'll finish this off.

This afternoon I packed my valise and pack ready for tomorrow. I had my boots dubbined, and changed my battle-

dress trousers, so as to put my old ones on again. This evening I walked to one of the companies with the Intelligence summary; apart from that I have done nothing.

By the way, I have just heard that we shall go on to a Corps Reinforcement Holding Unit before being sent on to the battalion, so don't send my letters to any new address until I let you know what the address is; I don't know how long I shall be at the R.H.U.

I'll close down now and go to bed early.

1st Leicestershire Regt.

B.L.A.

Letter 30. 2 Sept. 44.

As you can see, my surmise of the new address was correct; so can you remember to use it in future, in spite of getting used to the old one? The people I was with are getting ready for the next show, and that is why the reinforcements have been posted from them. Actually I am no more than a mile or two from the areas we were in when I was with my old unit, so you can guess the locality roughly, seeing that it is almost the same; in fact this division took over from my old division so it is a change of unit for me but not locality.

I dare say my letters will get to you just as regularly, but the change will me that yours will have to be re-directed, and so I probably shall not get any for about a week. Luckily just before I left the old unit I

received Daddy's letter of the 27th which was a relief because I hadn't had any for about 10 days until that arrived; the post evidently can't keep pace with the advance. I'll now give the diary.

Fri. 1 September. I was woken this morning at 6 o'clock because we had to be ready to move by 8.0. a.m.; but it was still dark and the stars were still out, so I stayed in my sleeping-bag until about 7 o'clock. I then got up and packed and breakfasted. I then hung around till 9.30, when the message came through telling us where to rendezvous.
I said good-bye to the Intelligence Section and some of the others who were around, and we then went (myself, another officer, and two truckloads of men) to the cross-roads mentioned. We were rather late because we had to make a diversion through the forest, because the bridge on the main road was being cleared by bulldozers. As usual, the journey couldn't go without a hitch - we were supposed to change over to other transport at this road-junction, but none had arrived. We were kept waiting for it till 2.15.p.m. i.e. 4 hours. Luckily a Canadian Engineer unit was camped in an orchard beside the road junction, and we got a very good meal - fresh food, not tinned - from them. It was meat, peas, potatoes, and apple pie and 'cream', with a cup of tea and a glass of milk thrown in. At 2.15 our trucks arrived, having been waiting for us for 4 hours at another map reference! I had no map, but had a picture of the route in my mind, which was about 15 miles to the rear, southwestwards (the destination was, not my mind). We were supposed to be going

to the Corps Reception Camp. We went back several miles along the road we had advanced upon, and then turned left, and then left again. The Reception Camp had moved from where it should have been, so we carried on along the third side of the square hoping to find where it had moved to. We passed

through L-, which had been a cathedral town. It had been bombed flat by the R.A.F.; but it was a masterpiece of precision bombing, because the cathedral was almost unscathed, even though houses within 20 yards had been hit. The cathedral is late Norman or early medieval; grey stone, one stone spire, one slate one, with a long red tiled roof with dormer windows in it, making it look rather like a hay loft. Some of the glass was still in the windows even. After passing through this town we cut off north-east, until we arrived at the village where we are now, which is actually the farthest east we got when I was with my last unit, so I have been here before. At the time, though, we didn't stop here; we passed through, and went about 4 miles further on to divisional H.Q., where we were sorted out by units, and kept hanging about for an hour or two in case any other reinforcements for the division arrived. At 8 o'clock I said I wanted to move on, so as to get to this unit before dark; there was a truck available, so I arrived at B.H.Q. (4 miles back again) at about 9 o'clock. I saw the C.O., had a meal, and went to bed in one of the rooms of the farm where B.H.Q. is, jolly glad that the 12 hours' waiting and travelling were over; especially as we ended up only a few miles from where we started, having made a circuit of about 40.

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