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My father, Graham Douglas of Gateshead,was in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. I recently discovered some letters written to my mother between July and October 1944. I include a few extracts below which give a sense of the times. Censorship leaves the exact locations vague. Each letter is headed as follows:
4277246 Gnrl(later L/Bdr)G.Douglas
RHQ,
91 A Tk Regt.,R.A.,
B.W.E.F.

Letter, dated 8 July 1944.

I dare say you would like to hear a little more about our adventures since we left Seaford. Well,early one morning, just like the Arabs, we folded our tents,and silently stole away. We left at 3 o clock in the morning so the people of the town would get a bit of a surprise when they woke to find we had gone. Still, down there they were getting used to that sort of thing.

From Seaford we moved to another big town on the South coast - I had better not tell you where just now - but that is where we had such a good time, with pictures every night and concerts all free. We were billetted in a big camp which was run by the U.S.Army. The food was great and we had beds, paillasses, bolsters and blankets andslept in tents. and did we give those beds a hiding? I've never slept so much in all my life. We spent nearly four days in that camp which came near to being a record. Of course all good things come to an end and on the afternoon of Sunday 18th June we got the order we had all been waiting for. So once again we got all packed up and moved down to our vehicles. I was very fortunate as the carrier I was travelling on was parked outside a house and just before we moved off the owner of the house gave me a big basket of strawberries and also some cigarettes. So on the way down to the docks we all fed ourselves with strawberries.

However, we didn't reach the dockside in one go. At 6pm we were held up outside a big common in the centre of the town. The weather was very fine and as it turned out we were here until three o' clock the next morning. At first the lads stood around smoking and chatting. The(n) one or two of the locals, when opening time came around , brought some beer from nearby. After that a football appeared from nowhere in particular and before you could say "Bob's Your Uncle" a gigantic football match was raging on the common. Argylls versus the Navy. By ten o' clock at night some of the pipers had got their pipes going and eight officers and boys did an eightsome reel on the grass. This of course attracted quite a crowd and also an M.C. who promptly formed everyone into a big circle. Then the lads got cracking and had the local girls doing the Highland Schottische, St. Bernard's Waltz and all. The finale was a sing song in which everyone joined and a couple of drunk sailors went round with a hat and collected about five bob for the pipers to get themselves a drink. It was a great send off from dear old England. We got on the boat, a U.S. craft about 5 o'clock the next morning, but owing to very rough weather in the channel we hung about until the next day when we eventually set sail. It was the next day after that, the 21st of June before we eventually landed on the shores of France.

(Is there any one else who remembers this? a later letter suggests the town with the big common where it all took place was Southampton)

11 July 1944
We all had a bath yesterday- the first real one since we came to France.(21st June!) Previously we had been making do with a half and half in an old petrol or biscuit tin....

I thought you would get a laugh about my experience with the slit trench. It doesn't have any water in it, though. Since then, as we have been stuck at this place for about a fortnight now, three of us boys got together and have constructed a smashing place in which to sleep and enjoy all the amenities of home!!! The roof is a cover from a truck and our "room" is dug into the earth for protection. All around we have shelves, also of earth, for keeping our kit and stuff on. Some of the boys have even gone one better and used old ration boxes to line the walls and even cover the floor....

Today has been quite a day. From where our office is situated, right on a main road, I have seen for the first time in person none other than Monty himself. Allday long too we have been waving greetings to refugees being taken to safer areas. Presumably they have come from Caen. There is a house near here which was unoccupied when we first arrived but now the proper owners are back again.. They are an old couple and today the old man was showing me his tobacco plants and also some tobacco which he had dried. I suppose the only reason it hasn't been pinched before this is because no-one would recognise it as tobacco.I don't soppose it is the real thing but he seemed to enjoy it, although as, as you can guess, he enjoys an English cigarette, too. I gave the old lady a piece of soap and a bar of chocolate and she was very grateful. One cannot help but feel sorry for these poor people as a lot of them have lost nearly all their possessions. It is a hard thing to realise unless you can see it for yourself.

In case you are interested, here is a fashion note which I can vouch for as I have seen it with my own eyes.It may seem a bit peculiar but the biggest majority of women I have seen here, from the wee lassies to old women, wear stockings which reach barely to the knee. Something like the fashion which was in vogue a few years ago.I don't know whether it is a fashion over here, or whether it is due to a shortage of material. And of course the stockings themselves range from anything in the way of lisle (I think I am right) to coarse wool ribbed styles. It does look funny to see a lady about the build of your Ma (large) wearing them. Ask how she fancies
them? Especially wearing a pair of clogs to match.

31 October 1944
(Last surviving leter)
Last night I had a rare time. We have a new chap working in the office just now, a yorkshireman from Leeds called Walter and he , myself and Dennis went along to the house at the bottom of the road, taking with us , as usual, the old accordion. we taught them there how to do "Bumps-a-Daisy" and the "Hockey-Kokey" and did they enjoy themselves. Of course , I was the stooge and had to play the squeeze-box all the time while the other two enjoyed themselves. I must explain that this house is full of evacuees, and, all told, there are 32 people living in an eight-roomed house. In spite of this , they are a very happy family, although they come from different parts of the country, and "Poppa" sits benignly in the corner and keeps his eye on thinmgs (that bit is just in case you are thinking things, dear)!! I don't know whether you remember an old music-hall song called "By the Side of the Zuyder Zee". Well, I suddenly remembered it last night and when I struck it upthey just about took the roof off. I didn't think they would know it , but they did.

This morning , one of them came over to our camp and gave us another invitation for tonight. I expect we will accept it, as it does make a nice change to have a sit -down in a house, even if one can't get near the fire. In any case, we never want to, as its always so warm anywhere in the room....

P.S. with 32 in that house , half of them smokers, you will see that a packet of 20 fags doesn't go very far. Thanks a lot for the 200,but don't order any more just now....

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