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Category: Community
Forum: Chat Room
Thread: On this Day |
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Thread Status: Locked Total posts in this thread: 716
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 27th April 1945 – first day of leave
As far as I could remember, the seven days of leave does not include travel time, so my furlough started this day. It felt good to be sleeping between bed sheets again, and I was late getting to bed that morning, so this day was a lazy day at home with the family and the telephone, plus a visit to the post office to rid me of that excess “kit”. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 28th April 1945 – second day
While on leave, I enjoy furloughs fabulous four – freedom, family, food and friends. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 29th April 1944
----------------------------------------Rumours were buzzing around HQ Company, 194 Field Ambulance. We all knew why we were here, but not when D Day would be. All reports suggested that Rome would fall soon and my guess was that D-Day would be the following day. Sunday, 29th April 1945 – third day First, there was freedom – went anywhere, Southport, New Brighton, Hoylake. Did anything, as long as it was legal and I had the fare. I went shopping at the Army Surplus Store and bought myself an army officer’s open neck shirt, as the Army now allowed open neck blouses, but did not issue shirts with collars. [Edit 2 times, last edit by Former Member at May 17, 2008 10:22:22 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 30th April 1945 – fourth day
Next, there was family – father, mother, sister and brother, lots of uncles and aunts and cousins by the dozens. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 1st May 1945 – fifth day
Next, there was food – rationed, it was true, but including fresh vegetables, milk, meat and fish, fresh fruit, sweet biscuits and an occasional new laid egg - not all out of tins and none dehydrated (except for the dried eggs - imported from China by Goldrei-Foucard). True, there were shortages - there was talk of bread rationing for the first time. Petrol (gas) would be “Pool” (unbranded) for eight years to come, and the old banana boats were still converted to troopships, so there was not one banana. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 2nd May 1945 – sixth day
Finally, there were friends and a favourite female. I am not sure if this happened on the present leave or my final embarkation leave, but the lady was one I first met at West Hampstead Maccabi Club, while a member of 163 Field Ambulance, in Hampstead, London in 1943/4. She had come to Liverpool to spend her days with me and her nights with Barbara. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thursday, 3rd May 1945 – seventh day
This left, or so it seemed, only the final farewells and a few memories. I still remembered those first few embarkation leaves to Southport, where people would ask, “On leave again, when are you going back?” Liverpool folk tend to ask, “Home again, how long have you got?” which means the same, but sounds more welcoming. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 4th May 1945– eighth day of 7 day leave!
I kitted myself up and took an L.M.S. train from Lime Street. At Crewe, someone in authority called out, “Leave party number 538 has an extra day’s leave”. Nobody needed telling twice. Most of the other members of the party started looking for the next train to Liverpool. I crossed the island to the other platform, where there was a Great Western train standing, bound for Birkenhead. I took this to Rock Ferry and changed to a Mersey Railway train bound for Central station, walked in full kit through Lewis’s to Renshaw Street, crossed the road to the tram stop and took a number 8 tram to Mossley Hill. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 5th May, 1945
My leave seemed to be definitely over, so I took the L.M.S. to Euston, London Underground to Waterloo, the Southern Railway to Newhaven and a ferry to Dieppe, travelling all day, and all night, including inspection and registration of leave passes and travel warrants. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 6th May, 1945
We went overland to Germany. More day and night travel followed. Fortunately, one seat had a loose back, which just fitted the space between the seats, making a bed wide enough for five men facing alternate ways. Another “Shorty” and I slept in the luggage racks, while the tallest of us slept in the corridor outside, guarding our kit. |
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