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Thread: On this Day |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 31st July 1944
----------------------------------------Bundy has spent a day with the Americans in their R & R area, and Dinah Shore is not the only woman among them. They have the girls of Stage Door Canteen and the Rainbow Club (ARC - the American Red Cross) while we have our NAAFI & ENSA girls (NAAFI -Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes; ENSA - the Entertainment National Service Association) Tuesday, 31st July 1945 Bundy, now in the transit camp, which is in Bruges, reads the latest issue of "Soldier", including his letter to the editor about resuming his university course after discharge, and an encouraging response. We know nothing yet of military plans, but most of us expect to be joining units here in Belgium [Edit 2 times, last edit by Former Member at Jul 31, 2007 7:37:20 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 1st August 1944
YESTERDAY, 11TH armoured Div. (the Black Bull) captured a bridge over the river Soulevre. Now we are moving southwards, and Operation Bluecoat is in full swing. There were plenty of incidents during the move, but B Coy itself suffered little of the resultant harassment apart from the extra work. Wednesday, 1st August 1945 Still no move, but the cook has a radio set which brings us the latest news. In the Pacific, the Americans have captured some of the smaller Japanese home islands. The Japanese are using their last weapon - kamikaze - the final refuge of the physically and morally bankrupt military service. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 2nd August 1944
----------------------------------------XXX Corps commander, Gerard Bucknall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Bucknall is relieved of command. B Coy is still creeping forward, just behind, or level with, the R.A.P’s, and keeping busy, moving, setting up, working and repacking for the next move. There is certainly no time for reading or writing, and Bundy’s Penguin library, destroyed during the retirement from Hill 112, has not been replaced. Thursday, 2nd August 1945 Enola Gaye has dropped the first atom bomb and we are still in Bruges. The cook is going mad, waving a Flemish newspaper at Bundy, shouting, "Does this mean what I think it does?” Bundy, mouth agape, reads it twice, to make sure, then goes wild too. Soon the whole barracks is cheering and out of control. Almost immediately, they reinstate the church bells and a squaddy takes charge of the carillon. Blanket counting ceases and every spare man gets a day off to go to Blankenburg or wherever. When we return, the carillon is playing the latest swing tunes, interspersed with patriotic melodies. There is dancing in the streets, especially the square between the canal and the church. Here itinerant caterers are cooking gauffres (Belgian waffles) and "bollokjes", which are very popular. Now it does not matter about being late for supper. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Aug 2, 2007 11:10:41 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thursday, 3rd August 1944
----------------------------------------The commander of 7th Armoured Division, George Erskine, is relieved of command. 15th Scottish Division is now making its way South-East, through the Foret di Cerise. For B Coy it is much the same routine. Nothing is happening that has not already happened many times before. Friday 3rd August 1945 Suddenly the 53rd RHU is a happy camp. It is neither anything like the boring, depressing, 53 RHU in surrey, where Bundy waited for his transfer, nor something like the unhappy, convalescent, 53 RHU in Normandy. This is a 53 RHU of men from whose shoulders a heavy burden has been lifted. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Aug 3, 2007 7:34:06 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 4th August 1944
----------------------------------------WW I Opening Day has been celebrated with a change of weather. The signs “DUST BRINGS SHELLS” are prominently displayed on every road near the front, but there is no dust - It rains overnight, so we now have mud instead. Once more, as at Hill 112, different formations are attacking each other's objectives, and there is much confusion. We are treating casualties from 43, and other, Divisions and independent brigades. Saturday, 4th August 1945 Now it is like it must have been, 31 years ago, when men happily congregated with strangers and pals alike, happily looking forward to a war which should be over by Christmas. For the next few days there is nothing to report locally, but plenty to report from Japan, so nobody cares. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Aug 4, 2007 9:36:29 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 5th August 1944
Our water bowser seems to have become stuck in the mud somewhere, so we can now only use the water we have in our Gerry cans, and have to pour this very carefully so as not to waste it. The trick is to hold the can with the pouring lip at the very top corner so that the air entering the can does not disturb the water inside. Yesterday’s confusion seems to have been settled and 43 Div, together with the rest of 12 Corps (or is it 8 Corps?) are now on our left, and proceeding eastwards slowly, hampered by the effects of the bombing of Villers Bocage and the slow raising of the artillery barrage. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 6th August 1944
[We have reached a place called "Sept Vents", living on American K-rations. The problem is that, like our 24 hour packs, they are dehydrated and need water and we have a daily ration of one bottle each for all purposes - which mean some of us, cannot shave, and washing is difficult. We do, however, have toilet paper in plenty, as brigade has discovered a good supply in a farmhouse taken over from the Americans. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 7th August 1944
Even though we are a long way from home, we still think of the first Monday in August as August Bank Holiday, and today's weather is typical Bank Holiday weather, warm and sunny, but not so dusty. Now someone has found a pick, so the C.C.P is dug a lot quicker - even Bundy learns how to swing it. We have a big, flat field all to ourselves, so there should be plenty of room, but we cannot use the centre of the field. The local people have planted scraps of paper in the middle of it, weighed down with stones, and every scrap marks a mine that they have seen the Germans planting. How they, presumably without experience, have managed to do this will always be a mystery. There is no sign "Achtung Minen" and no coded plan for the German engineers, so they clearly have no intention of counter-attacking and lifting the mines. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Duplicate posting
----------------------------------------[Edit 3 times, last edit by Former Member at Sep 20, 2007 10:44:03 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 8th August 1944
Now Bundy starts studying the map of the district. He has practiced military map reading and has used his knowledge on the other front where it was difficult to fold the maps correctly. There is a saying "All important battles take place at the junction of four maps" and this was true of Hills 112 and 113. Now it is much easier and he can spread one map across the tailboard and show the others the situation. We cannot get back to our old front without wasting time or disrupting local manoeuvres until our infantry have captured a certain lateral route. As Captain Kilpack hinted previously, it is a matter of counter marching. Once that road is in our hands Normandy is ours and we can advance as fast as the Americans can. It will be a few more weeks before that situation arises, as the Falaise Gap cannot close while the Germans in it are fighting for their lives. Meanwhile we carry on with our slow advance, with no relief and no rest area. The Germans seem to be using a weapon unfamiliar to us, but something like a Schmeiser. We identify it by its rattling sound, which is now becoming very commonplace; it is called a Spandau submachine pistol. Wednesday, 8th August 1945 Suddenly the 53rd RHU is a happy camp. It is neither anything like the boring, depressing, 53 RHU in surrey, where Bundy waited for his transfer, nor something like the unhappy, convalescent, 53 RHU in Normandy. This is a 53 RHU of men from whose shoulders a heavy burden has been lifted. Now it is like it must have been, 31 years ago, when men happily congregated with strangers and pals alike, happily looking forward to a war which should be over by Christmas |
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