During September 1943, Lawrence (Lawrie) Franklyn-Vaile continues the written dialogue with his wife, Olive, sending ten letters to her during the month.
Lawrie’s first letter confirms that he and John Glennie had now joined up with 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers (Faughs) near to Patti in Sicily and he spends the first part of the month reacquainting himself with the battalion, which includes many men that he had known very well at the regimental depot in Omagh. He hears of the terrific exploits of the Faughs during their campaigns in Tunisia and Sicily but also learns of the deaths of, and serious injuries suffered by, a number of good friends.
His descriptions of this training period convey a sense of excitement that he now has the chance to play a leading role in the forward progress of the Allied Armies in Italy. While at the Brigade Training School, Lawrie becomes aware that, although he comes with extensive home front experience, a number of former “junior” colleagues are now holding more senior positions right across the Irish Brigade.
In his letters home during September, Lawrie continues to express hope that Olive had now been able to settle down in England, and raises ongoing concern about family finances, a theme that will continue over the succeeding months. This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that he has yet to hear from his wife due to the vagaries of the military postal system while he has been on the move. Lawrie also expresses pleasure in learning of the rapid advances of the Red Army on the Eastern Front, but it seems that his left leaning views do not always coincide with those of all of his comrades within the battalion.
On 22nd September, Lawrie takes over the role of Intelligence Office (IO), which requires close coordinated support of the Faughs’ Commanding Officer (CO), Lieut-Colonel Beuchamp Butler. He suggests that he might be slightly ill suited for the role, and would prefer a mainstream position in one of the fusilier companies, but recognises the advantages of working closely with the CO. It is clear, though, that Lawrie is well regarded throughout the battalion.
The last letter of the month, sent on 29th September, suggests that the Faughs, along with the rest of the Irish Brigade, had travelled to mainland Italy. The battalion had actually arrived in Taranto on 25th September (although the town is not able to be named) before travelling by train to Barletta, where they arrived on the last day of the month.
Due to the rapid advances of the 8th Army in Italy, the expectation of the battalion’s officers was that they would not see offensive front line action for a week or two. This belief, of course, turned out to be completely mistaken and October 1943 proved a most difficult month for the Faughs, bringing some shattering events for Lawrie and the whole battalion.
Lieutenant Douglas Room, who was with the Brigade Group in September 1943.
2nd September- From a Rest Camp “Somewhere in Sicily”.
My Dearest Olive,
I am writing this letter to you sitting under a lemon tree “somewhere in Sicily”. Above me, the hot sun beats down fiercely although it is tempered by a slight breeze and below is a huge vineyard extending almost down to the sea. It all seems very faraway from England and it is amazing to think that it is only just over three weeks since I left you.
I was not at all sorry to leave N. Africa. The heat, the sand and the flies made conditions most trying. We departed on Sunday (28 August 1943) and after a wait of about four hours on the quayside under a blazing sun, which almost shrivelled us up, we finally embarked. The two drafts had been split up: the RUR were all on another boat and John Glennie and I shared a cabin with an RAC officer. He has been out here for 2 years and 9 months. I seized the top berth by the porthole. We had quite a pleasant voyage – rather too short this time. The food was very good.
We disembarked at a port in Sicily and had a 5 mile march to a rest camp. It was certainly a gruelling march carrying the large pack on the back with two blankets inside, small pack and a respirator. However, we managed it alright. The town we passed through has certainly witnessed the ravages of war – scarcely a house has not been damaged. The local population seemed very friendly waving their hands and smiling. On the whole, they are rather a low type. Most of them seem very poor which is not to be wondered at, as it is practically impossible for them to obtain cigarettes and all the way along they were begging cigarettes from us. A lot of them appear short of food, and some of the children seem very hungry.
Conditions at the Rest Camp are very primitive but that is only to be expected under the circumstances. We are all camped in the vineyard under trees. The food simply consists of bully beef, biscuits and tea. The tea is something of a consolation – the best we have tasted since I left England. The biscuits are so hard that it almost breaks one’s teeth to eat. However, the small boys accept them with alacrity and eat them with relish. They keep on coming up and asking me for more. Last night, I could not eat them but this morning they tasted somewhat better, presumably because I was hungry. One of my men asked a small boy ‘where is Mussolini?’ and the boy grinned broadly and drew his hand across his throat. So I then said ‘where is Hitler?’ and the small boy promptly replied ’Italy’.
We joined up with our RUR friends here, but unfortunately it was only for a short duration because last night they were posted to a battalion of the Inniskillings. This was particularly annoying to Aubrey and McConnell who have been with these regiments for a long time. I had got very friendly with them – also O’Brien and Ellis – and it was sad to see them depart. It would have been very nice if we had all been able to go to the same battalion, but such are the fortunes of war. Glennie is still with me – he is a good lad and we get on very well together.
One of these bright days, a letter will come from you and I will be very happy indeed but, of course. even happier when I am back home with you again. In the meantime precious, look after yourself and remember I love you more than anything in the world. Keep cheerful and get out and about as much as you can.
Give Valerie some big kisses from her Dad.
Your devoted husband
Lawrence
6th September – With 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers on the north coast of Sicily.
My Dearest Olive,
As you can see from the above address, (1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Fusiliers, CMF) I have duly arrived with the 1st Bttn (see here for reference to Franklyn-Vaile’s arrival in the 1 The Royal Irish Fusiliers’ war diaries). I have written a long letter from the Rest Camp which describes, in some detail, what has happened. After leaving North Africa, we travelled by boat to a port in Sicily from where we went to a rest camp and spent four days living under lemon trees in a vineyard. The heat was considerable but not quite as trying as in N. Africa and the nights were rather more pleasant. The RUR officers were all posted to a battalion of the Inniskillings, much to the disgust of Aubrey and McConnell. Glennie and I rather wondered where we would finish up, but to our pleasure we have been posted to the 1st Bttn. We had a two day journey by road and passed through many towns which have had a terrible amount of damage. In some towns, there is scarcely a house still standing. The local population are amazingly friendly under the circumstances. At each town they came out and waved and cheered and, curiously enough, the more the damage the friendlier the inhabitants. The children, some of which are very pretty, all gave the ‘V’ sign. The Irish Brigade put up a magnificent show receiving special congratulations from Montgomery and the ‘Faughs’ bore the brunt of the campaign. Incidentally, we are part of the 78th Division and in the Eighth Army but to relieve your anxiety, we have not gone in action yet and may not for some time.
The battalion is very much changed and I know very few officers. Denis (Haywood) is wounded but not as badly as first supposed and may be back in a short time. Howard Brown has returned to England according to reports here. Edward Gibbon is here but I have not seen him as yet. He is suffering from malaria. Douglas Room is with Brigade HQ. ‘Pixie’ Brown is here and I have had a long talk with him. He arrived out here early in April. He seemed very cheerful and asked after you. I am posted to ‘D’ Coy as second in command, but don’t suppose I will get a Captaincy until some further action occurs. Practically all the Captains are junior in service to me, but if I had come out at the beginning, I might not be alive so there is that way of looking at it.
Although I have only been here a few hours a lot of the men have come and spoken to me and said how pleased they are to see me. Quite a number asked after you – one man telling me how the last time he saw you, he had a long talk with you in Lisburn. I have not seen any of the runners yet but I hear they are all here, except Jones who is wounded and Porter who is temporarily back in Africa.
When you write, send to the above address. Send me an air mail in return and there is a reasonable chance of my getting it fairly quickly. Now I have a fairly permanent address, I should at last start receiving some letters. Will you notify Pat Vaile and Ted Porter of my new address, as otherwise, letters will continue to take ages to arrive? I am longing to hear from you, darling, and miss you terribly. It will be wonderful when we are together again. I hope everything is going alright with you.
All my love and kisses to you and Valerie.
Your adoring husband
Lawrence
9th September.
My Darling Olive,
I am still looking forward to the day when a letter arrives from you. I expect they are following me around the Middle East.
I am settling down in the battalion although there are very few here I knew originally. Edward Gibbon has returned – he does not look at all well and is very thin. He is now a Captain. There are no other officers here you would actually know. I am very friendly with Dennis Dunn who lived at the Newall’s house in Mourne Park until he came out here in February. You probably remember them speaking of him. He is an awfully decent fellow and is also a great friend of Denis Hayward, who I am glad to say is expected back to the battalion shortly. Magginis the QM is a very good fellow. He told me that his wife wrote that she had met you in Omagh and liked you very much. She seemed to think you quite a personality.
I met Douglas Room today at a demonstration. He is attached to Brigade and has quite an easy job. He is still a Lieutenant. He has grown a moustache and looks much older. He immediately asked after you and said his people would very much like you to stay with them any time you wished. He said they have mentioned you in letters. I told him we had lost his home address and he was going to give it to me but unfortunately we got separated just before the end of the demonstration. However, I will be seeing him in a few days so will get it then. Johnny Harrison is out here but is ill with fever.
My Company Commander is a very decent fellow named Jewell who actually belongs to the Devonshire Regiment but came to the Faughs some months ago. The only other officer in the Company is a young 2/Lt. named Dicky Richards, who put up a very fine show as a Sergeant with the ‘Skins’ and was given an immediate commission. A first class fellow. I had a long talk with Keenan who looks very well and is still RSM.
I had a talk with Frank Higgins. He has apparently put up a very good show out here. He is very changed, having very much more confidence in himself. Hartshorn thinks he is not nearly as nice as he used to be and there may be something in it. Hartshorn came and squatted down outside my little tent the other evening and had a long yarn. He looks a bit older but is the same in all other respects. He is rather war weary and would very much like to go home. Hulme was sent home suffering from shell shock as he had lost all power of speech. Touhey took part in the airborne landing in Sicily and visited the Bttn a couple of times.
You can send papers out here so whenever you see an article that might interest me, will you send it out? Also would you send me the “New Statesman” and “Tribune” each week? Otherwise, I will completely lose all touch. The occasional book would also be greatly appreciated. There is nothing to read here.
All my love and kisses to you and Valerie my own dearest, sweetest wife. Great news over Italy perhaps it won’t be so long before I am with the two people I love so much.
Yours
Lawrence
12th September.
My Dearest Olive,
The days slowly pass gradually getting nearer the time when I will return to you. Today is Sunday and I am feeling rather homesick. When there is little to do, one’s thoughts turn towards home and I miss you and Valerie more and more as time goes on.
We are not doing over much here at present. Reveille is at 6am and we have PT from 6.30 to 7. I take my own platoon on PT and quite enjoy it. We then have a swim which is very refreshing. After breakfast, we do fairly vigorous training from 8 until about 12.30. The heat in the afternoon is usually very considerable and little is done. I have usually been doing a spot of motor cycling. After tea, we usually have another swim and there have been several officer study groups. It gets dark here by 8pm and consequently there is only the alternative of sitting in the Mess which is very small and not at all comfortable or to go to bed in one’s little bivouac.
We had a guest night to celebrate the capitulation of Italy and it was quite a hectic affair (the capitulation was announced on 8 September 1943). Quite a good deal of Irish dancing was done and everyone had a good time especially as the whisky and gin ration had just arrived. A few people got very drunk but I think I can say that I was not one of them.
I have just had a long talk with Douglas Room. The following is his parents address: – ‘…’ He has written home telling them you may come and he says they have often mentioned you and said how pleased they would be to have you stay so do not hesitate to write. It would be a pleasant change for you. According to Douglas, we might quite easily obtain a house in that district as several have been going recently and as the Rooms are apparently fairly big people in that part of the world, their name would undoubtedly be a help. In any case, it will mean different and interesting people to meet. The nearest stations are Stratford on Avon or Moreton on Marsh. Birmingham is about 30 miles away but they will no doubt advise you as to the best way. Dicky Richards has just had a letter from Denis Hayward in which he says he hopes to be back very shortly. He asks if an officer by the name of FV has arrived and suggests Dicky tries to contact me. He describes me as ‘a queer cove but a really sound chap’ and goes on to say that I was his Company Commander in England and would fit very nicely into ‘D’ Coy. As it happens, I am in ‘D’ Coy and well and truly contacted by Dicky.
At the present time here, all the local population are very busy picking the grapes. All over this part of the world, one sees hundred of women of all ages carrying large baskets of grapes on their heads to the places where they are pressed. It is remarkable the way in which they balance the baskets on their heads – their carriage is magnificent and some of the young ones are very pretty, but as they all walk barefooted, their feet are usually squat and ugly. The girls are very modest and will not look at the men. I must say our fellows are very good. You know how they ‘cat call’ after the girls at home – well there is none of that here.
I have had several talks with Keenan who seems to be doing very well as RSM. Incidentally, poor (Wilfred) Thomas was killed. The first of the runners to go. He had only been married a few months when he came out.
Don’t forget, will you, to have the ‘New Statesman’ and ‘Tribune’ sent out. The easiest plan is to give the address to a newsagent and get him to do it each week. Could you occasionally send me a good book. I would like to get Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”? I believe you can get a cheap edition now. Finances should be improving. I have not drawn anything since I left home and am hoping to save £10 per month which will be very useful after it is all over. I am sending you a parcel of oranges and lemons. Let me know when they arrive. It will take some time of course.
Look after yourself my dearest darling wife and give my little daughter plenty of kisses from her Dad.
All my love,
Lawrence
14th September.
My Darling Olive.
Nothing very special has happened since my last letter a couple of days ago. Day after day continues to be extremely hot here – the sun shines fiercely all day long from a cloudless blue sky. Sounds very nice on paper, but it is very tiring when one is doing strenuous training. It would be more pleasant but for the flies.
The other night, Dennis Dunn and I visited the Brigade Training School and met several old friends. Lyness and McClinton, who were at the ITC late last year and came out with Denis Hayward, are both there as instructors. They are contemporaries of Purcell and Yates and I had liked them both. McClinton, who is with the ‘Skins’, has done particularly well and won the MC. Another was Seymour who used to be in Arthur Davies’s Company. You would probably remember him if you saw him.
I dearly wish I could have some news of you. This wait for letters is appalling and I am always wondering what has happened to you since I left and whether you are now fixed up satisfactorily. Once the first letter arrives, they should start coming fairly regularly. The first letter I receive from you will probably be the air mail direct to this address. The letters sent to the draft number will probably take a further time to pick me up. I hope you are receiving mine alright and if you are not staying at Hampstead, they are being forwarded on to you quickly.
As I mentioned in my last letter, I hope to save £10 per month. May not always be able to quite manage that figure but will have a good attempt. By those means and with the hoped for gratuity we should have something behind us when the war ends. My own expenditure is very small and if they don’t start too many fancy ideas in the Mess here I should be alright. It is extraordinary that the moment the battalion has a lull in the fighting, they start trying to return to peace time standards. It has just been decided to have a Guest Night once a week, incredible as that may sound, and strict rules are laid down that no one must depart before the last guest leaves. Of course, how long they will be able to continue having guest nights remains to be seen. Most of the officers are definitely opposed to these Guest Nights but the minority rules. The CO (Lt-Col Butler) is away at present so I have not yet met him.
The news comes through in spasms but the Germans appear to be putting up a fierce resistance in Italy. The Russian situation looks very hopeful as they continue to push on steadily and arouse great enthusiasm amongst the men here if not to quite the same extent amongst the officers. I think there can only be one result now to the war but the Germans may manage a good deal more damage. Are the RAF still raiding Germany heavily? We don’t hear much of this now. The local population don’t appear to worry much. Their main occupation of pressing the grapes into wine continues – they usually do it with their feet and, as they are walking around barefooted all day long, it would seem as if a good deal of dirt was mixed with the wine.
I hope you will occasionally write to Mother, darling, and give her first hand news of Valerie as I am unable to do that now. I miss you both very much and cherish many delightful memories of our happy times together. I am very glad we had that time at Mourne Park and that last week at Saltfleet. Valerie must be turning into a real little girl now.
All my love and kisses to you both, dearest one.
Your devoted husband
Lawrence
16th September.
My Darling Olive,
At present, I am up at the Brigade School of Tactics in the somewhat curious position of pupil cum instructor. John Glennie, two others, and myself are here. When I came up on a visit the other night with Dennis Dunn, the Commandant, a very decent fellow named Jack White of the London Irish, told me I was down for the course but that it was ridiculous in view of my experience etc that I should be on a Platoon Commander Course. I said I was very ready to come, as there was no doubt a lot I could learn about conditions out here. He replied that he would use me as an instructor, so that excepting for mines in which I am an interested pupil, I am back at my old game of doing some more instructing. Of course, it is only very temporary until something else happens. Apparently I owe my reputation mainly to Lyness and McClinton, who when they heard I was coming said it was absurd that they should be instructing me as they had been my newly commissioned 2/Lieuts when I was a Company Commander and getting a ‘D’ at Barnard Castle. I was always very pleasant to them at Omagh and it shows how it pays, as many people might have been very pleased at the reversal of fortunes.
It is very pleasant up here and as there is a jolly crowd, we are having a cheerful time. At the moment, I am not very enthusiastic about the battalion mess. It is a queer thing how a certain atmosphere always pervades the 1st. We had a marvellous mess in the 30th and everyone who has been to the 6th say they are a most friendly crowd but war and the changes of faces appear to make little difference to the 1st. No doubt, I will become more settled later on. John Glennie was surprised at the coldness of the atmosphere – his short commissioned service had been spent with the 7/RUR, where everyone was very friendly. This place is mainly run by London Irishmen and they are first class fellows. We work respectable hours, as the afternoons are much too hot for anything strenuous.
We have some very pleasant swimming here, the sea continues to be lovely and warm, and my swimming is steadily improving. Last night, I did a comfortable 200 yards without any particular extension and my over arm stroke is very much better than before. Still, for all the swimming and everything else, it will be a day of great joy when I return to you and Valerie.
The fighting in Italy seems fairly severe but things should turn out alright (Allied armies landed in southern Italy on 3 September 1943). We have just had the news of the fall of Bryansk. The Russian push seems to be gaining in power every day, and undoubtedly, they have made remarkable progress when one realises their offensive was only launched two months ago.
Do you think you could send me a small dictionary? I have rather a particular reason for wanting it. I will be very glad to have news of you, sweetheart. I am always wondering how things are progressing and whether you have got settled down satisfactorily. Once they start coming, letters seem to arrive fairly regularly for people so send me an air mail letter every two or three days and tell me all the news. Keep cheerful as I know you will, and don’t worry more than you can help, and when you can let me have some up to date snaps of Valerie so I know how she is progressing. I expect she is a real problem now, full of energy and causing you plenty of trouble.
Use those cheques for as much as you require and if at anytime you are in urgent need of money let me know and I will get Lloyd’s to pay over some more that month.
All my love and kisses, my own dearest sweetest girl.
Lawrence
19th September.
My Dearest Olive,
Today is pleasantly cool – the first day of this kind we have had since I arrived here. I am having quite a good time on the Course, doing a certain amount of instructing and learning quite a good deal regarding mines. I now feel reasonably competent to clear an enemy minefield and to render harmless enemy mines. They are an extremely pleasant crowd up here and we are doing ourselves very well on food, very much better than the battalion. Actually, I much prefer it to the 1st, far too many ceremonies and so forth with them.
The other night Brigadier Russell came to dinner. As you know, he comes from Lisburn and used to be CO of the 6th. A couple of days previously, I had been introduced to him in the field and he had asked me quite a number of questions and finished up by saying ‘You have had quite a good deal of experience.’ There were several recent arrivals present at the dinner and Jack White said ‘Do you know FV Sir?’, and the Brigadier replied, ‘Oh yes I know FV alright.’ Subsequently, Frank Lyness said ‘He used to be my Company Commander at Omagh, Sir,’ and the Brigadier, in his drawling voice, said ‘You never know he may be your Company Commander again’. It was a very gay party which went on until about 2am. I could not make out why my wine tasted so great in the later stages of the evening and finally discovered John Glennie had been pouring rum into it every time I was not looking.
This group think very highly of Denis Hayward. Lyness says he is just as quiet and unassuming as ever and tends to be unimpressive out of action but in action he is very cool and quite a lion. Lyness, McClinton, Seymour and I have had some great talks on the old days at Omagh and the many good times we had there.
We are in an agricultural part here but the people have to work terribly hard to eke out an existence. The farms are very poor and most of the animals are in frightful condition. At night time, one sees our men sitting outside the farmhouses with the inhabitants and although naturally there is not much conversation, everybody is smiling cheerfully and drinking the local wine. I am quite convinced they really like our lads quite a lot. I have struck up quite a friendship with a little 7 year old girl called Nina. She is dark and very pretty with lovely eyes and a lovely smile. We say ‘good morning’, ‘good evening’ and a few other phrases in Italian and the rest of time we make conversation by smiles and gestures. She was much interested in the photos of you and Valerie and was amazed at the blondness of Valerie’s hair comparing it with her own and making remarks I could not understand.
If at any time, there is a bit of a gap between letters, darling, do not worry as I will write as regularly as possible but there will be occasions when it is not possible to write for a few days and that does not necessarily mean going into action. It should not be too long now before the first letter comes from you sweetheart.
Remember, I love you far beyond anything in the world, dear heart, all my blessings for you and Valerie.
Your devoted husband
Lawrence
22nd September.
My Darling Olive,
Today, I have been appointed Intelligence Officer for the Battalion, and I’m probably the most unsuitable person of all for the job (“Lieut L Franklyn-Vaile was appointed IO vice Lieut CC Hill, who was admitted to hospital” 1 RIF war diaries 21 September 1943). This morning, I was just starting a lecture to the Company on Assault Boating when a message came that the Adjutant wanted me immediately. On arriving, the CO (Lt-Col Butler), whom I only met yesterday for the first time since I only knew him slightly in Omagh, came out and said “Colin Hill (the IO) is going to hospital, and I want you to become my IO.” He went on to say it required someone with experience, and that it was a pity I had never been in action but my experience as a Company Commander would be highly useful. I told him I really knew nothing about the job but he said I would pick it up quickly enough.
It is not a job that arouses my enthusiasm, but at the same time it provides valuable experience. I act as Adjutant when the Adjutant is away and, as IO, I go everywhere with the CO. In battle, when he goes to receive orders from the Brigadier, I go with him and when he goes on his recce, I am the only other person with him and then I put the Company Commanders in the picture while he completes his plans. I attend all Brigadier conferences with him taking notes for him etc. From that viewpoint, it is very interesting. I learn far more than the average what is really happening. It also has the advantage in so much that I am learning a new job, whereas as a platoon commander I knew the job backwards. Here is something fresh which will certainly test my brains. Subsequently, it sometimes leads to one becoming Adjutant, especially in a case like mine with fairly long service. Tony Pierce held the job for 8 months until he was wounded last March and had held it as a Captain. Of course, it is not necessarily a Captain’s appointment and the rank depends entirely on promotion being available. The IO is supposed to keep his CO supplied with all kinds of information which I should be able to do, but he is also supposed to be an expert map reader and very good with the compass and while I am good enough as a platoon company commander, I am certainly not of the standard required. However, I can only practise and do my best.
Last night, I was the guest of Douglas Room at the Brigade Guest Night and had a very good time. It was a comparatively small and select party and highly enjoyable. Douglas was in fine form, discussing old times. He said the coffee he used to have at our house as a L/Cpl saved his life. One often talks about lack of gratitude in people, but in the case of Douglas he is really grateful and a very fine friend.
The course also ended yesterday. I have found it thoroughly interesting and apart from doing some instructing had learnt quite a useful amount. It was a very happy atmosphere. Both John Glennie and I contrasted it strongly with the atmosphere in the battalion. We got a very good bridge four going and had some fine games
The war seems to be going quite well, although the Germans are not going to be too easy to drive out of Italy. It is quite amazing how they let Mussolini get away – it looks queer to me. The Russians continued advances arouses much enthusiasm here.
Can you send me a strap for my watch, Darling? I fear the present one is going to break.
All my love to you, my most precious wife, and my darling little daughter.
Lawrence
Editor’s note: the battalion received notification on 15 September that it was travel to Taranto on the southern coast of the Italian mainland. The advance units of the battalion set off on 18 September. The formation embarked for Taranto on 24 September.
26th September.
My Darling Olive,
You will be interested to hear that Denis Hayward arrived back a few days ago. He has recovered from his wound and is quite well. Everyone seemed pleased to see him and I must say I very definitely was. He has not changed much. A little harder perhaps, a little more cynical which is only natural, but otherwise little different. We have had several long talks and discussed you and Ingrid (his wife) a good deal. He showed me a fairly recent photo of Helen (his daughter) in which she is standing up. She seems to have altered very little and there is still a very strong resemblance to him. I showed him the most recent snaps of Valerie and he was quite impressed. He said ‘I think she is going to develop into a real beauty’. Sentiments with which I strongly agree. He has taken over command of ‘D’ Coy whom I was with before I became IO. As far as I can judge, he is quite a capable Company Commander doing his work without any sort of fuss or bother.
I find the job of IO quite interesting, but would prefer to be with a Company. I had a long talk with the CO last night, as we were by ourselves and he got quite animated. I put it to him that while I found the IO work very interesting, I had always got on well with the men and liked the Company role. He likes people who are rather keen on fighting and he agreed. He said there was another officer specially earmarked for the job of IO when he came to the Battalion. He had done a tremendous amount of work but had no infantry experience. The CO thought he should have some before he became IO and he was wounded in Sicily but is expected back shortly. The CO said, in that case, he would make me 2 i/c of a Company, which will mean I will probably get my Captaincy back. He said Dennis Dunn was very keen to have me as his 2 i/c but in the meantime the IO work would provide valuable experience for me and teach me quite a lot. He seems very well disposed towards me and asked me various questions about you and Valerie.
Frank Higgins has gone to the Brigade Defence Platoon which is under the command of Douglas (Room). It is a good job for him, fairly safe and I think he deserves it after two hard campaigns. From what other people tell me, he has had a very hard time and put up some very good performances, being unlucky not to receive a decoration. I was up at Brigade the other day collecting information and had quite a talk with him and Turner. The later seems very fit and well and often harked back to the old happy days at Ballykinler. Afterwards, I had tea with Douglas and received a very much better meal than one would get at the battalion.
I am longing for news of you and Valerie. Nearly seven weeks now since I left home – it will be a great pleasure when I get the first letter. I am very anxious about you. I hope you will write plenty of air mail letters – everyone out here says they are by far the best to write from the point of time. Tell me all the news and you might give me your size in stockings, darling, in case I am able to purchase some for you.
All my love and kisses to the very best wife in all the world.
Your devoted husband
Lawrence
29th September.
My Darling Olive,
The war news that we are getting nowadays seems extremely good and the success of the Russians has aroused much enthusiasm out here. The men are always enquiring how the Russians are progressing and I think they are hopeful that they will defeat the Germans without us having to do too much more fighting. Most of the officers are also pleased at the successes. It is only further away from the fighting line that one appears to get this bellicose talk about having to deal with the Russians after Germany is defeated.
Yesterday morning, we had a gruelling route march across country. I was with the CO the whole time and had to keep on checking up with the leading platoon to see that they were keeping in the right direction which, during the greater part of the time, they were not. I don’t think I have ever lost so much perspiration – all my clothes were wringing wet and my mouth was parched. The CO is very strict against drinking on the line of march and I was very glad to get back and have some water, the only drink available.
We have moved from our farm place and are living under very uncomfortable conditions, dirt and flies everywhere and very little water available. Nor have we the consolation of a bathe as formerly.
Yesterday we went to the local town. The CO drove me in – I had arranged to meet Dennis Dunn, John Glennie, Denis Haywood and Dicky Richards. Rather to my surprise, the CO stayed with me and asked my plans. So I told him who I was meeting and out of politeness asked if he would care to join us in a meal. To my surprise, he said he would be very pleased to do so, but unfortunately, when we met the others, we could not find a place to eat or drink as everywhere we tried was shut. The CO finally got rather tired and Dennis Dunn drove him back. We hunted on for a time but at last gave up in despair. I think they are very short of food here and the water shortage is acute – around every drinking tap are scores of civilians struggling for a drink. The shops open from about 8am to 11 and then perhaps from 5 to 6. The local people are not as friendly as in our former place – they tend to ignore us which is not surprising considering the sad fall of the Italian Empire. The town has some magnificent buildings mostly erected since the Fascist Regime but of course all for the Fascist officials and not for the ordinary people. I don’t think they regret the passing of the Fascist regime but would probably like their country to themselves.
I hope you are keeping well, darling, try and get about as much as you can. Remember, I am looking forward to seeing my dearest wife at her best when I return. I am very anxiously awaiting a certain piece of news but if it is not so, it cannot be helped and I will be just as keen to be with you and Valerie again.
P.S. Edward (Gibbon) is sitting opposite me and asked me to send his love to you.
All my love and kisses, darling
Lawrence