My Dad was stationed in the middle east with the Royal Artillery during WWII -his brother was stationed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) There are several letters from Bill to Dad with their affectionate use of names (Chip) and he always signs off his letters with a little image of the Saint -and the message ‘I’ll be back..’
I never recall meeting my Uncle Bill but these letters were found amongst all the memorabilia my Dad kept from his war years. Dad ‘s war story is very interesting as he was captured trying to escape from the Germans who were occupying Kos on a raft which he and his comrades constructed. Several of his pals died in the escape. Dad was marched overland from there to a prison camp (Stalag IVB) on the border of Poland and Germany where he remained for the rest of the war. Escape attempts were made from the camp and there is a detailed map of the camp amongst the memorabilia. A fellow inmate also managed to conceal a camera inside a book and there are many photos depicting what the camp was like inside. During his incarceration, Dad learned to play the guitar and after the war became a semi-professional musician leading his own band as vocalist.
In the photo attached – Bill is standing 2nd from right.
Below are letters from my Dad’s brother – stationed in Ceylon during the war – to my Dad who served in the middle east. These letters describe the day to day life of the soldiers and reference different offensives and events of the war.
In the letter below, Bill describes how life is and the routines of army life. He talks about the ‘action’ (or lack of it) during this time. He also tells Dad that he is to become a father – and thus my Dad will be an uncle – he’s clearly very pleased.
