Before handing over my memorabilia to the Imperial War Museum, I made sure that I had transcribed all my surviving personal diaries onto my PC. How satisfying it is to occasionally make the right decision in life As a direct result, this morning I was able to do a search on July 27th and found the following entry, first in the Regimental Diary 27/7/1945 The Regt, less B Sqn, moved to ROTTENMANN taking over part of the zone evacuated by Russian forces of occupation. The Regt received a tremendous welcome from the civil population. Major RR Archer MC, commanding HQ Sqn, received and answered an address by the Burgemeister. A Sqn was established in TRIEBEN and C Sqn in ADMONT. My personal diary for the same day read: After waiting nearly all day the Squadron arrived at 5pm. Busty leading complete with Union jack !. Straight on guard after showing the troops their billet. Interesting times........ Ron
Ron It is interesting looking back 69 years to what you actually did on that day as opposed to the war diary, are you going to start an " on this day" post from your diaries?
Oldman I confess that I've done that many a time already In fact it was because I felt guilty about hogging the "it happened on this day" thread I've decided to use this new thread to post some of the more (I hope) interesting entries. Roni .
Hi Ron What I find most satisfying, is to find that me memory is correct when the facts are checked. For as we get older and the years fly. It is difficult to come to terms with the fact, that we did do all of those things in our collective memories.It gives me a lift to know that what I recall is exactly what happened... Best Sapper
Brian I agree wholeheartedly..........There's nothing quite like it when something occurs to confirm a memory from long ago The other day I found a picture of Adrano on the IWM website and it was exactly how I remembered it, even down to the taste of the dust and the stench of the bodies. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/The_British_Army_in_Sicily_1943_NA5782.jpg http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/1496-soldier-poets/?p=435904 Do keep well ! Ron
All those people we came across sometimes in battle. I often wonder ..What happened to them?The office I found leaning on the farm house steps with one leg completely off, just for a bit of sinew. That and many other happenings... Where are they all Ron...Those ships that pass in the night/....70 long years ago?
good day ron goldstein.ww2 veteran.yesterday.06:45am.re:browsing through my wartime diaries.its a good job you kept all those diaries,for the future generations to read,i never made a note,and there was nothing wonderfull that i can remember.its strange how you dismiss what happens when you are young.and always glad to be there next day.thank you ron and all veterans like you who went to the trouble to record what is our history,stay well.regards bernard85
All those people we came across sometimes in battle. I often wonder ..What happened to them?The office I found leaning on the farm house steps with one leg completely off, just for a bit of sinew. That and many other happenings... Where are they all Ron...Those ships that pass in the night/....70 long years ago? Sapper They live on in your memory and always will do, beside old soldiers never die they just fade away! 0 Quote MultiQuote
Bernard85 With the greatest of respect i find it hard to believe that nothing "wonderful that I can remember" ever happened to you ! Do us all a favour, put on your thinking cap and tell us all here on this forum the wondrous things that happened to you during your many years of service. I await your offerings........ Best regards Ron Who, for his sins, just happened to write it down.
Hello Ron, Now what a coincidence about memory. I watched a film called "The Desert Rats" a while ago on the tv. A few nights ago while sweating and shivering in my bed I suddenly remebered something my Late Father had told me, possibly when I was a youth. He told me that as a Wireless Operator/Loader in tanks he used to end his message with the letters "Vic" Ack". Now from my limited memory I believe Vic Ack is ...- ..- I'm sure I heard the end of a Morse Transmission in the film with "Vic" "Ack". Can you please confirm my memory, or is it just me ? Kind Regards, Mick D
Mick For once, my memory has let me down and we must wait for another morse afficianado to come our rescue. I have to confess that once having learnt the Morse Code in Training School I never had occasion to use it other than for a brief period in Sicily when the heavy and very wet local ground foliage made RToc (speech) difficult to transmit and we resorted to using key transmission. Your letters, of course, are quite correct and I have vague memories of ending a message with Dititida Dida, but perhaps others with a better memory than mine will confirm. Ron
Rockape Must confess that for many years as a w/op in Tanks - I never had the necessity to use the Morse Code except as a refresher in the various practices to keep us up to date...and in practice... but my memory is of using "Charlie " - "Ack" to end morse messages… Cheers
Hello Ron and Tom, Many thanks for your prompt and informative replies. --- Perhaps the Letters may have been used to identify a Troop Commanders Tank which had 2 Wireless sets installed one set to keep COMMs with the other tanks in the troop and the other set to have COMMs with HQ ? Morse Code being "better" than voice COMMs to cover the vast ranges involved in the North African Desert ? Also, maybe the letters identified the Unit ? Just guessing. Is there anyone else who can help me please ? Kind Regards, Mick D
Rockape Did a bit of Googling and found this: AR, End of message di-dah-di-dah-dit Can't argue with that Ron
Hello Ron, Nice one, I can rest now. Many thanks, I didn't Google because I wanted to use this site as a resource Kind Regards, Mick D.
Friday 11th. August 1944 Moved off at 4 am & drove 190 miles in blazing sun to No.1 Anti Aircraft Training Camp at El Deir, 10 miles from Alex. Passed thrugh Cairo. Ron
Thank all of you gentlemen for letting us listen in on your reminiscings from so many years ago. Who would have thought any of this would be possible just a few years ago. The very best aspect of the sometimes maligned Internet. No one is capable of remotely understanding what it must have been like and your individual and collective memories are remarkable. To say thank you is terribly inadequate, it gives deeper meaning to the word poignant from all the human anguish you have seen and experienced and best of all survived and shared with us. Ron, Sapper, Bernard and Oldman always a pleasure, Tom it is hard to believe we were both in the vicinity of Cortona, you in '44 and I in '79 under far far different circumstances. Lots of Brits live there now, in second homes, thanks to you guys. Gaines Blackwell Auburn, Alabama
Saturday 9th. September 1944 Following the coast round all day. At 6pm entered Taranto harbour & anchored alongside an Italian cruiser of pretty heavy arnament. It is still uncertain as to whether we disembark here. After a month's rest and re-equipping in Egypt the 78 Div returned to Italy to face another winter and the cessation of hostilities on May 8th 1945. I was not to stay with them to the end simply because in December '44 my unit was to be disbanded and broken up for "spares" but I was to meet up with them during my later life with the 4th QOH and we shared duties with them in Austria.
It's breafast time, here in peaceful Cocfosters and just browsing the net when I cane across this old entry on the BBC People's War Site. Can it really be 73 years since I penned these few words in my diary ? http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/34/a2513134.shtml Ron
