"Fri 25-5-45. Up at 5.45 a.m. preparing for home going. Received pass etc & left camp in lorry at 9.15 a.m. Left Beaconsfield Station on special train at 10 a.m. & arrived at Marylebone about 10.35 a.m. Caught taxi to Bill's home in Plaistow ............."
And so at 4.30 p.m. my dad arrived home at last to his wife, May, in Paper Mill Lane, Claydon, near Ipswich, Suffolk.
They had married on 31st March 1941 and four months later, he had set sail in the Rangitiki, amongst 2,000 troops, for active service in WW2.
He continued to keep his diary until the end of June 1945 and wrote about reunions with family and friends; visits to the cinema ('Bing' in "Here come the Waves"; "Behind Closed Doors", "Tarzan and the Amazons" etc); several treatments at the dentist; doing some gardening; and even on Tuesday 12th June wrote: 'Gave Vickie (their dog) a worming powder.'
What a strange transition it must have seemed!
Maybe I'll just raise a glass at 4.30 p.m. today............
p.s. A couple of days ago a memory popped into my mind of a wooden toy I had when I was little. It was a butterfly on a wheel with a long handle and when I pushed it along the butterfly's wings moved up and down. I remember my mother telling me it was made by a German prisoner of war.
Yes, thank you for all your hard work typing it out Hazel! and for all his work keeping such a detailed diary throughout such a dreadful time. So glad it ended so happily for him.
I agree with Patricia - I have enjoyed your telling of a remarkable story which ended well. Out of interest did your father keep a diary after the war out of habit or did he drop it? Thank you for sharing that amazing time with us - I hope it has not been too emotional for you?
@doblaine My dad did not keep a diary after 1945. I think maybe at the time it helped to keep him sane, although he did say in his interview with Imperial War Museum that he started it out of 'sheer boredom'. I'm glad to have been able to reach a wider audience on 365 than the family and friends etc who have already read it. It did get a bit emotional at one point but I just had a couple of indoor days (have to have them sometimes anyway as I have BP {nothing to do with petrol!) but then when I felt I was on the home straight I was OK again. Glad I made the effort. Thanks especially for your interest and encouragement.
Thank so you much for this month's posts Hazel, sharing your dad's history. The entries have been sad, funny, and everything in between. You must be as incredibly proud of him, as we are incredibly grateful.
@thursday And thank YOU so much for your lovely comment - I'm very happy I had the idea to serialise these last 3 weeks of dad's WW2 time & even happier that several of you have found them interesting.
I hope you did raise a glass! It's unimaginable isn't it spending the first four years of your marriage apart in those circumstances. It certainly must have been paradise.
Yes, hard for us to imagine that now. I only know the details of these last few days in England and the date of my dad's return home from a little diary found after his death in his effects. He finished writing up the main part of his PoW time when he got to France, halfway home. And yes, I raised a glass last year and this, on May 25th. Thanks for your interest.
Hazel, I followed the link you gave me and read all of your Father's diary entries - truly amazing! When I came to last one with your parents photo and baby (is that you?), I actually got a little teary-eyed. It's so wonderful that you have his journal, as well as the other things he brought home as they are real treasures. Thank you so much for sharing this link with me. :)
Kim, I'm absolutely touched that you read my posts on my father's diaries. It took quite a bit of emotional effort to do and it wasn't always easy to find photos. I think that baby's me simply because there is no other child in the photo and I was their firstborn in Dec 1946.
April 27th, 2015
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Yes, hard for us to imagine that now. I only know the details of these last few days in England and the date of my dad's return home from a little diary found after his death in his effects. He finished writing up the main part of his PoW time when he got to France, halfway home. And yes, I raised a glass last year and this, on May 25th. Thanks for your interest.
Kim, I'm absolutely touched that you read my posts on my father's diaries. It took quite a bit of emotional effort to do and it wasn't always easy to find photos. I think that baby's me simply because there is no other child in the photo and I was their firstborn in Dec 1946.