| Index | Recent Threads | Unanswered Threads | Who's Active | Guidelines | Search |
 |
World Community Grid Forums
Category: Community
Forum: Chat Room
Thread: On this Day |
| No member browsing this thread |
|
Thread Status: Locked Total posts in this thread: 716
|
|
| Author |
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 11th May, 1945
----------------------------------------We spent a little time wandering around the town, as none of us had any duty. There were now signs in English to military establishments, including strange ones like “Town Major” and “S.M.O” [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 11:12:35 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 12th May, 1945
----------------------------------------I had a rough description of the term “Town Major” It seems it was the title of the senior officer in charge of civilian administration and “S.M.O.” was the Senior Medical Officer. I would soon learn exactly what these terms meant, especially “S.M.O.” [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 11:13:42 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 13th May 1945
The German army was victorious - the SS were now POW's, and the Wermacht welcomed us to "B" Coy's first peace time camp in Europe, Schloss Rohlstorf. This is a stately home on the banks of a large lake, the Warder Zee. For our boys it was a rest camp - the Germans were doing all the "spud-bashing" and other housekeeping fatigues, as well as maintaining the baronial estate. I wondered how the other companies were faring. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 14th May 1945
I was no longer wondering how the other companies were doing. Word had now arrived from A Coy, whose accommodation was not quite as luxurious, but they were not jealous. They had German female housekeepers to scrub their floors and the word "scrubbers" was taking on a new meaning. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 15th May 1945
Scotty Barnett MM, the Company Clerk, had done no clerking since leaving the Netherlands, but had managed to maintain his equipment and supplement it with a "liberated" flat bed duplicator. I now appropriated a typewriter and wax paper stencils, so we had a proper company office on the ground floor of the Schloss. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 16th May 1945
----------------------------------------The Baron returned on his bicycle (Germans were not yet allowed to drive themselves). He had some arrangements to make with his ostler. The typewriter came in useful for communicating with other units, writing to the folks at home and to Gnr. Hartog Davidson (Royal Netherlands Brigade). Hartog and I had been corresponding since the liberation of Tilburg. I was now also using the duplicator to create company part I orders and other information for distribution. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 10:59:16 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thursday, 17th May 1945
----------------------------------------I continued my search for useful devices, starting on the top floor of the Schloss, which seems to have been one large box room. There was a wire fence-like wall separating part of the room and beyond it, among other things, a polished wood box about a foot tall, with a carrying handle. I recognised this as a microscope case, and was tempted to purloin it but we were now at peace with Germany, so what would previously have been regarded as legitimate "soldier's booty" had now become loot. However the borrowing of a typewriter, presumably to give back after use, was still legitimate, so we now had the beginnings of a company office. The ostler brought a mare out into the corral while the men congregated around the fence and a stud arrived. This seemed to be the men's first experience of stud farming. It was also the first regularly organised pay day since D-Day. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 10:57:46 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 18th May 1945.
----------------------------------------The estate was rather empty last night. Almost to a man, the unit went to Bad Segerberg, leaving behind the MO, the SBO, the sergeant, the Don R (Cpl. Farrier), one driver, Scotty, me and 2 cooks. The other driver took them both ways, and came back sober. This day we had a letter from Corps Commander, Airborne Divisions, thanking us, the 194 (Air Landing) Field Ambulance, for our support after the Rhine crossing, when the pontoon bridge was inadequate for two-way traffic and we were unable to evacuate the casualties. Instead, we had, under his command, opened a large house as a field hospital, operating it until relieved. [Edit 2 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 10:51:28 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 19th May 1945
----------------------------------------The army had a new role - supervising civilian affairs. My part in the reorganisation was the management of the S.M.O.s office in Bad Segerberg, so I did a recce of the local hospital management office. The typewriter key board was not QWERTY, but qwertz. Is there no "Y" in German? [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 25, 2009 10:50:16 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 20th May 1945
----------------------------------------I started commuting daily between Rohlstorf and Bad Segerberg along empty roads. Hundreds of cars were stationary in an otherwise empty field opposite my new office. These were presumably German and therefore immobilised.. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at May 21, 2009 10:35:16 AM] |
||
|
|
|