Wartime Brothers 1944
October 1944
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Hugh
Keith
Joan
October 1944
Logbook entries October 1944
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Keith's diary 25th September - 1st October 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Sun. 1
October
Sun. 1
Lolled in bed until about 12. Polished my bike in the afternoon. Went up to the Youth Club, Had a game of snooker & billiards, won the first.
Keith's diary 2nd - 8th October 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Mon. 2
Wed. 4
Thu. 5
Fri. 6
October
Mon. 2
Went to Keswick, lifted, topped & sacked carrots. Daphne fainted about 10.30 & she went home. Darky came about 3.30. Mrs Jackson forgot her ring & watch so Mr. Jones, who is on holiday, suggested I accompanied her back to the surgery as she was scared of the the dark, which I did. Latish to bed.
Tues. 3
Went to Keswick, lifted, topped & sacked carrots. Darkey was there. Very tired in the evening. Had a bath. Mr. Seaton is going to Birminham. Lil is leaving the café. The Poles have given up in Warsaw.
Went to Keswick, lifted, topped & sacked carrots. Had a puncture at work, but I mended it. Gave away the cigarette case I found on the common to Lil. Had a fit about 8.45.
Went to Keswick, lifted, topped & sacked carrots. Rained a bit. About 18 minutes past 8 a flying bomb fell in Derby Rd, caused a fire, A lot of our glass out, walls cracked, plaster down. Capt Heather & a friend of Miss Lucas came to help us. We came off very lightly. Cleared up got off to bed about 10.45. Got notice of my medical.
Fri. 6
Started cleaning up the house. Mrs Bird came & helped us. Mr. Jones & I put the stuff over the windows, finished about 6.15. The 3 Adams brothers & a wife came & put our door and 2 side panels in - they are going to make a proper job of it to-morrow. Joan rang up. Rose came & helped. A piece of plaster fell on Mum, Rose, Mr. Jones & I, hurt Mr. J quite a bit, caught Mum on the arm & me on the shoulders. 2 evening alerts - 1 flying bomb came V. low over our house. Windy day and night.
Sat. 7
Didn't go to work. Did odd jobs all morning. Got some more lathes in the afternoon. Met Jacky at 4.25 outside the Odeon, came out about 7.45. 1 evening alert. Miss Lucas hasn't done a stroke of work all day! Off to bed latish. Saw Ulman,
Sun. 8
Got up about 10 & went to Woking with Jacky, & 3 of her friends, Michael, Laddie & June. Walked from Woking to Byfleet along the Wey. Got home about 6. I didn't enjoy it much. Saw a Luxembourg soldier. Wendell Wilkie dead.
Memo
Saturday 7th. Surbiton Police Station
Tuesday 3rd Aunt Emily's birthday
Tuesday 3rd Aunt Emily's birthday
Keith's diary 9th - 15th October 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Mon. 9
Wed. 11
Thu. 12
Fri. 13
October
Mon. 9
Raid in the night - nothing much. Went at 11 to Keswick. Topped carrots. Darky & Mr. Rawlins helped. Mr. Weston's paying me for my holiday. Mrs. Cheel came. Daphne away. A bit showery. Churchill & Eden flown to Moscow.
Tues. 10
Went for my army medical at the Drill Hall. Kingston. Failed, Grade IV. Went to Keswick, dug carrots. Very dreamy. Couple of alerts last night. Got off 1/2 an hour earlier to collect a couple of wage packets.
Went to Keswick, lifted, topped & sacked carrots. Margaret lousy - and how! Clarkson & Larking get blown up by Weston. Started to rain about 3.30. Went home about 4. Had to go to the W.C. at a private house just off the By-Pass. Alert - nothing. Got bus home.
Got ready for work, but had another fit. Had the whole day off. Mum & I went to Kingston in the afternoon. Bought a pair of trousers & a pair of gauntlet-gloves & some books. Went to the Youth Club, had a couple of games of billiards which I lost & went to the discussion group. Rained. Made a 14 break at billiards.
Fri. 13
3 alerts last night - nothing much. Went to keswick by bus, but moved over to the Rec soon afterwards. Pulled, topped, & sacked swedes. Damn wet & cold. Margaret crotchety this morning. Rained in the afternoon packed up about 4.30. Pay day. Got my watch.
Sat. 14
Went to the Rec:, pulled, tipped & sacked swedes. Pulled pears in the afternoon & did odd jobs. Saw Fanny Mouel. Alert last night. Jacky gone away for the weekend. Pam sent back my autograph book.
Sun. 15
Alert in the night. Stopped in bed until 12.30 lolled around the rest of the day. Rommel dead. Hungary wants to make to make peace. I am thinking of taking Generals again at Evening Classes at the Tec.
Memo.
Tuesday 10th Medical. The Drill Hall 9.00am
Keith's diary 16th - 22nd October 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Mon. 16
Wed. 18
Thu. 19
Fri. 20
October
Mon. 16
Started to get up for work but I had a fit. Slept all morning. Read in the afternoon. Couple of alerts last night. One this evening. Calculated how many fits I've had 17 since 23-1-44!
Tues. 17
Got up early & went to St. Thomas' Hospital. A Dr. Maybury looked after me. There may be a chance of keeping it under - but only may! Lounged around in the afternoon & evening. Fixing up to see 'Arms & the Man' on Nov 4th
Saw 2 Black Widows.
Went to the Rec: pulled the remainder of the swedes. almost got a leg broken by the trailer going over it; luckily it stopped before any damage was done. Then we moved up to the Lodge & cleaned up there. Darky came. News of the German Invasion maps released. I think Surbiton would have been bang in the middle of it. Early to bed.
Went to the Rec: pulled the remainder of the swedes. almost got a leg broken by the trailer going over it; luckily it stopped before any damage was done. Then we moved up to the Lodge & cleaned up there. Darky came. News of the German Invasion maps released. I think Surbiton would have been bang in the middle of it. Early to bed.
Alert last night. Went to the Lodge, cleared the garden. Mended a puncture for Margaret. Pictures of the 'Tempest' released. Jean Manning is in a bad way. Miss Lucas in bed. Fairly early to bed. The Russians have arrived on German soil, 1 month & 1 week after the Yanks. Had a packed lunch. Alert in the evening.
Fri. 20
Alert last night. Went to the Lodge, dug & cleared up the gardens. Rained a lot. Sherwood was a nuisance. Daphne was not very well. Pay day. Aachen taken at last. Belgrade captured.
Sat. 21
Went to Stotts. Went to the Lodge. Spread muck. Darky came. By an accident worked till 12.20. Very dreamy. Charged about getting to go to the flicks when Jacky suggested that I waited for her and we could go together. Met her at 4 went to Kingston. Queued outside the Regal for 1 1/2 hours. Came home late. Met Irene Trussler, Jacky's sister. She is staying for a week.
Sun. 22
Got up late. Alert last night. Went to the Club in the evening. Had a couple of games of ping pong. Won one. Wrote to Pam in the afternoon. They may close down the club.
Keith's diary 23rd - 29th October 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Mon. 23
Wed. 25
Thu. 26
Sat. 28
Sun. 29
October
Mon. 23
Went to the Lodge. Dug all day. We got mucky as the muck had been spread and we were standing on it all the time. Rained for a couple of hours in the afternoon & again in the evening. Alert this evening - a couple down. Cold. Saw Biddy, Snot & Boxhall.
Tues. 24
Alert during the night. As it was raining this morning I went by bus to the Lodge Dug all day. Sherwood was a nuisance. Cold this evening.
Alert this evening - a couple down Jacky got the ticket for the show.
Went to the Lodge. Dug all day. Sherwood was awful. Cold this evening. Miss Trusslar showed me half a brain. Alert at 20 to 8 - the third one in succession at the same time - one fairly close. Feel a bit sour. Saw Biddy.
Went to the Lodge. Margaret has a bad pain in her back - lumbago ? Dug & cleared up. Had a fit about 4.30. Barker & another bloke collected me in a car and took me home.
Fri. 27
Went to the Lodge. Darky came. Dug all day. Margaret out because of her pain. Rained a bit early morning. Pay day. Went up to the Youth Club. Had a game of billiards, lost. Talk on films by Mr. Peter Barnes - jolly interesting. Bed latish. 4 rockets down - made a mess of a station. Saw an R-4.
One loud rocket about 4.45 - but I didn't hear it. Went to the Lodge - dug. Margaret still not very well. Went to Kingston, bought 3 books witha a book token. Miss Trussler & Mrs Jackson came down afer 9 O'clock and talked.
Alert last night. Did nothing all day. Went up to the Youth Club. Had a couple of sets of table tennis - won one. Had a game of billiards, lost. Had a talk on China - pretty awful. Miss Tusker goes back.
Keith's diary 30th October - 5th November 1944
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Keith's diary entries
October
Mon. 30
October
Mon. 30
Alert. Went to the Lodge. Darky came - dug all day. Daphne out. Helped Jacky to do her jig-saw - had a fit before we finished. It was a light fit.
Tues. 31
A terrific explosion last night round about 3 a.m. Went to the Lodge - dug. Dayliht alert. One FZG 76 at Roehampton. several rockets down. Left off work at 4.30 as it was raining.
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