| 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, 27th July 1945
On the way to cook-house for breakfast, I bumped into the new R.S.M., who had apparently been looking out for me. He informed me with regret that he was under orders not to keep any of the existing members of the unit as the brass hats’ intended to deploy us elsewhere. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 28th July 1945
----------------------------------------Now we had finished our job, both there and in Schloss Rohlstorf, the divisional strength was lower and most of the men replaced, rather than reinforced. Those who were not replaced were going nevertheless and the whole unit was now small enough to fit in Schloss Rohlstorf. I tidied up the office, retrieved my few personal possessions, including my mug, which “Tommy” Atkins had appropriated on leaving Schwerin with the main body, claiming to think I had left it behind. I accepted his apology and packed up. However, there was no way I could return the stein to its owners, so I kept it. Sunday, 29th July 1945 All three companies now boarded what had been our unit transport and made for Hamburg. In the evening, a comrade from another unit persuaded me to go with him to an “all star variety” show in the Hamburg Garrison theatre. After last week’s Booboo by the divisional clerks, I was not surprised to find that the “show” was actually a celebrity concert, with a high artistic standard. We enjoyed it, but most of the audience walked out, leaving us a good choice of seats. Monday, 30th July 1945 We all entrained here for Osnabruck barracks, where we had lunch, then again for Belgium, to take trucks to a transit camp, where we had nothing to do but count blankets. Nobody had any idea where we were to go from here, or why. Tuesday, 31st July 1945 I, now in the transit camp, which was in Bruges, read the latest issue of "Soldier", including my letter to the editor about resuming my university course after discharge, and an encouraging response. We knew nothing yet of military plans, but most of us expected to be joining units here in Belgium. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jul 31, 2009 6:18:44 PM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 1st August 1945
There was still no move, but the cook had a radio set which brought us the latest news. In the Pacific, the Americans had captured some of the smaller Japanese home islands. The Japanese were using their last weapon - kamikaze - the final refuge of the physically and morally bankrupt military service. Meanwhile, nobody seemed to know why we had left Germany, or we were not party to the secret! |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thursday, 2nd August 1945
All quiet on what's left of the Western Front. The only job available was the counting of blankets. This was the same boring 53rd R.H.U. in which I had languished too long in Sussex and Normandy. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 3rd August 1945
There was no friendly face about and no way of striking up a new acquaintance but everybody else was in the same boat. One of the cooks was in the billet next to mine, so I struck up a friendship with him. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 4th August 1945
There were no signs of any American about, so this day was as dull as the others. However, I was getting to know some of the other blanket counters, so there was usually someone to talk with even when the cooks were busy. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 5th August 1945
Still no Americans about, so what news we got from the Pacific was several days old |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 6th August 1945
----------------------------------------I chummed up with another squaddy to sneak out unnoticed and tour some of the ancient buildings and canals of Bruges, known as "The Venice of the North" As long as somebody counted some blankets, nobody cared, or searched for us. We were just "doing a recce." [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Aug 6, 2009 8:52:03 AM] |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 7th August 1945
Enola Gay had dropped the first atom bomb and we were still in Bruges. The cook was going mad, waving a Flemish newspaper at me, and shouting, “Does this mean what I think it does?” I, mouth agape, read it twice, to make sure, and then went wild too. Soon the whole barracks was cheering and out of control. Almost immediately, they reinstated the church bells and a squaddy took charge of the carillon. Blanket counting ceased and every spare man got a day off to go to Blankenburg or wherever. When we returned, the carillon was playing the latest swing numbers, interspersed with patriotic tunes. There was dancing in the streets, especially the square between the canal and the church. Here itinerant caterers were cooking gauffres (Belgian waffles) and "bollokjes," which were something like falafel balls and very popular. Now it did not matter about being late for supper. We could, and did, spend the evening celebrating with the local population without fear of being declared absent without leave. |
||
|
|
Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 8th August 1945
Suddenly the 53rd RHU was a happy camp. It was neither something like the boring, depressing, 53 RHU in Surrey, where I waited for my transfer, nor anything like the unhappy, convalescent, 53 RHU in Normandy. This was a 53 RHU of men from whose shoulders a heavy burden had been lifted. Now it was like it must have been, in reverse, 31 years before, when men happily congregated with strangers and pals alike, happily looking forward to a war which should be over by Christmas, except we presumed that our war was already over. |
||
|
|
|