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Former Member
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Re: Thought for the Day

Thank you both for your thoughts. It is your thoughts I want rather than those of Seneca. The thoughts of the famous are relevant if linked to yours, especially if there is also a date link - otherwise there is probably a better place for them.
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Former Member
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Re: Thought for the Day

Friday 15th September 1944

On this day we arrived in Gheel and started to reconnoitre for a C.C.P. somewhere nearer the canal, while Capt. Kilpack formed the flying squad on the banks of that canal at Aare, employing one or two stretcher bearers as replacements for the men, including Farmer and me, whom Capt. Coe had taken for his C.C.P. recce, which was unsuccessful.

I went off to rejoin the flying squad. Farmer would have gone too, but Atkins had taken his place, and I now joined Atkins on a local recce. Our house was one of three whose basements had access to the canal-side railway and across it to the canal. The flying squad, a signals squad and a bridge master’s squad of engineers now occupied these three houses. This last was attempting to build a class 5 raft for ferrying Bren Carriers, which the infantry on the other side needed.

These were the 8th Royal Scots, whose R.A.P., manned by Capt. Hooper was in the basement of a cement works, or maybe a flour-mill. The hopper tower of the same mill was an enemy O.P. (observation post). There was also a German sniper in the same tower, but he was inactive - presumably, to avoid becoming pinpointed by our meagre artillery, which was within range. This consisted of one Bofors (40mm, rapid fire, anti-aircraft) gun.

There were a number of collapsible canvas boats slung on ropes, which crossed the canal at several points. I had used one of these to visit Dr. Hooper, who was pleased to see me and hoped I could stay. This was inadvisable, as I had not yet reported to Dr. Kilpack.

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[Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Sep 15, 2009 1:47:46 PM]
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Re: Thought for the Day

Tonight is Erev Rosh HaShana, the eve of the new year and my thoughts take me back to another New Year, just 65 years ago.

Sunday, 17th September 1944

I rose early this morning to the sound of hundreds of aircraft engines and the sight of hundreds of low flying bombers, many of them towing two gliders each, in double echelon. These formed the upper layer ("Market") of Operation Market Garden.

Later that day, Dorfman and I went back to the main Synagogue in Rue Royale, Brussels for a civilian Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) service. We only got as far as the street outside the Temple. Neighbours and friends had saved about two thirds of the Jewish population of Belgium, and all of those who could had come together for this, the only Holy Day service this day in the whole country centred on a consecrated venue.

Most of the congregants spoke French. I engaged in conversation and soon found myself talking with Brenda Adler, a 15 year old local girl, who took me to a book shop to buy a pocket Flemish dictionary, and then home to meet her parents for Holyday lunch.

I remarked on the title of the dictionary, which seemed to indicate that it was a Dutch dictionary and discovered that the two languages use the same words - only the pronunciation differs.

Roman Catholic neighbours had been hiding the Adlers throughout the German occupation, and they had interesting but harrowing tales to tell. They also showed me a poem someone had written about the fate of one Adolf Hitler. In place of the last word, it had "m----" to rhyme with "perde". As my French vocabulary did not include such a word, I asked about it and they showed me the dictionary definition - "l'excrement gros des animaux"

All too soon, Harry Dorfman and I were on the way back to Gheel where the unit was packing up for the next move. An advance party had already left, led by Cpl. Farrier, who had reserved parking places for the rest of the unit's vehicles in the queue to cross a Bridge into Eindhoven. As we approached the bridge into the Netherlands, there was more airborne activity.

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[Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Sep 17, 2009 2:56:29 PM]
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