Sunday morning the last day of January, a wild wet day blowing a gale from S.E. and heavy showers of rain. Ashley’s field at the back of our house is almost water-logged. If it doesn’t soon dry, it will be very serious as the autumn sown corn will rot in the sodden ground, and most, if not all, of our wheat is sown in the autumn. If our harvest is a failure what shall we do for bread next winter if this continues? We think we may be getting a bit more master over the U-boats but they are a very serious menace at present. We are shipping wheat to India now. I think we as a people must have a large faith in providence. We either have a lot of faith or a lot of confidence, perhaps a mixture of both. Ron says they get no bread only biscuits tho’ there is no shortage of food. We had a letter on Thursday. I am afraid he won’t get my air-graph very quickly as no air-mail is accepted for N. Africa at present. There is an Air Mail Letter Card from John Meldrum this week again, I am enclosing it in today’s letter to Ron who says John’s APO [Army Post Office] number is the same as his. If that is just for N.A. there is a possibility that they may meet sometime. Ron has received the snaps of Rene’s wedding and Sprogg and Father sent on Dec. 13.42. Our letter was between 3 and 4 weeks coming this time. Ron had had a chill and been to M.O. [Medical Officer], said it was bitterly cold and he did not get warm until in bed. It was Sunday night and he was writing in bed and was quite warm then. He says hardly anything about Xmas only that they had pork and not a bad time considering conditions so I’m afraid it wasn’t a very “Happy Xmas”. When we have finished fighting in N.A. which may be soon, I wonder if he will go further away still.

Yesterday we bombed Berlin twice during the day. It is terrible, and were over Ger. again last night. It cannot, must not, go on, this wholesale murder is not war but destruction. In fair and open fight we can pray for our side to win and we do, but bombs and fire appal us and choke our prayers. We have sorely mismanaged this world given to us to rule for God. May he turn the hearts of all men towards Him that we may live in peace and destroy the Evil one who is having so much of his own way now.

Father and Jean are not up yet, suppose I had better call Jean. She has a bit of homework to do yet and it won’t be fit to go to Chapel I think this morning. It is Fa’s day off, but he has to take Mr. Walker to W[illoughby] Stn this afternoon, he is on 36 hours leave. Sprogg has just come in, don’t know where he lodges but is not wet. Of course the windows are open at Corbie so he can get in there if he wants to, a lot of R.A.s came to Canning’s houses yesterday, but we have none so far, tho’ a Cpl called one day to inquire which were Corbie and Red Tiles.

Houses built by John Henry Canning on Sea Bank Road (nearer to ‘Lenton Lodge’ than those on Sea Road) are probably meant here. See Village Map.

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Another book of scraps

From our doings of everyday

Odds and ends of trouble and strife

And happenings grave and gay.

Just over three years ago, I started to keep a little diary. I thought I might get tired of it but I still write fairly frequently and sometimes it comes in useful to refer to. Early in the first book I recorded that Tony [Hill] was missing. He has never returned and now his mother has gone too. Peggy his wife is a Land Girl. Now Ken [Hill] is missing and another mother (both widows) is bearing the same trial and anxious waiting for news.

Tony Hill with mother Rose and wife Peggy, c.1939

I hope we have a letter from Ron today. We had so many letters from him before he went abroad. It is 2 weeks now since we had one, but of course that is not unusual. We have really got Libya at last and now for Tunisia, then I suppose the great strife will really start. I wonder if we shall see more of it here, certainly some of the country will, at least I fear so. We may not survive it, no one can say they are safe now, whether they are in the forces or factories or quiet homes. Quiet! The terrible raid last week when the school at Lewisham was bombed and machine-gunned shocked us all. 42 children and teachers killed and many more badly hurt. Balloons were down for work on them, they say it was necessary and nobody’s fault, but when the planes came in they thought they were not heading for London. Some of them did go, but sirens were not sounded, otherwise children would have been in shelters. Why do we not always be ready? Of course they say we lose so much work when sirens are sounded that they don’t want to do so unless necessary but children must not pay for misjudgement. Churchill and Roosevelt have met in Africa. I had been wondering where Winston was these days. Wrote to Amy last night. Made Dennis a pair of pyjama trousers.

The first (undiscovered) Diary was believed to have been started in January 1940.

Tony Hill, May’s nephew, went missing and was presumed to have died, aged 24, in active service in the RAF, on 21^st February 1940, as a flight sergeant pilot of a Wellington bomber (38 Squadron). His aircraft failed to return to RAF Marham, Norfolk, from a mission searching for enemy shipping in the North Sea. He was honoured in the village war memorial and one at Runnymede. He was the youngest son of Will’s brother, George (who died in 1931) and Rose (whose death on 2^nd November 1941 had been mentioned in May’s diary entry of 11 Nov. 1942). Tony, his mother Rose and wife Peggy (née Truman) are shown together in the photograph which was probably taken around 1939. (Some information is from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty Register and from ‘Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume I: 1939-1940’ W.R. Chorley, first published 1992, Midland Publications; later (2nd Edition) Classic Publications, 2013.)

Ken Hill, Tony’s cousin, was also serving in the RAF when reported missing (see 1 Jan. 1943).

The school at Sandhurst Road, Catford, in the London Borough of Lewisham, was bombed on January 20^th 1943. May expressed her feelings about the tragedy in her poem ‘Bombing at Noon of School at Lewisham’.

Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle were meeting at the Casablanca Conference which proclaimed the aim of  achieving ‘unconditional surrender’ of the Axis forces.

Dennis Raynor was the nephew for whom May had made pyjamas.

 

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A very wet morning after a lovely, breezy winter’s day Thur. with sunshine all day and the birds singing and roads drying. Now the roads will be as bad as ever and Jean foolishly left her Wellingtons at school and came home in her shoes. So she has had to take shoes and stockings to change into. She has a cold too, so hope she gets no more. Father not up yet as he was on watch until two a.m. and is on again at 8 to-night, and a journey to Skegness this afternoon. Our pig is getting fat slowly. There is not enough meal to feed it properly and now the R.As have gone we get no bits from them.

Had another letter from Mrs Jock. She got the tray and slippers safely, they were a perfect fit she says. Jock came back to Sk[egness] but was sent to Suffolk and after a day there went back to Sc[otland] on 4 days emb[arkation] leave. He left there on 13^th and she had not heard any more from him when she wrote. He was attached to a Tank corps. Poor old Jock.

I find I am on the last page of my diary, I have another exercise book in the drawer tho’ and Jean owes me one as she decided to keep a diary this year. We had two letters and Air Mail letter card from Ron last week. They were all a month on the way, not too bad. Our Airgraph not been returned so presume it has been sent. I hope he has got it. Keith and Marian have been on leave both looking well and happy, they came for tea on last Thursday 14^th and Colin of course. I wrote to Em. Vic and Mrs Jock last night and have several more letters to answer yet. Had a photo of May [niece] and her husband yesterday. May in long white dress and veil. Must really get her tray sent. Harriet came Tue. for a few minutes to fetch a rabbit and Mary called on her way to Belton’s [garage/ shop] and brought a few apples, also half pig’s head. Father likes it but I don’t care much for it. The soup is good tho’. I see one or two snowdrops are pushing up this week. They are late this year in spite of mild winter. There are a few stray primroses. I have no flowers in the house this week.

My book of words is like a chain of beads

Strung by a little child

Some near together when each day is marked

Some large and far apart with days like lengths of string between.

Some bright and gay, “red letter” days

And some of sombre hue.

 ______________

The following lines from ‘Epitaph on a Jacobite’ by Thomas Babbington Macaulay (1800-1859) were written inside the back cover of the exercise book used for the Diary to January 22^nd 1943:

“Beheld each night my home in fevered sleep,

Each morning started from the dream to weep;

Till God, who saw me tried too sorely, gave

The resting place I asked, an early grave.”

Macaulay

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Jean has gone off to school this morning after Xmas holidays. I have remade her school bag as it was shabby and too small. I put in fresh side-pieces to bag and pocket, from an old leather coat surviving from last war. Hope it hangs together. If not I shall send it to cobblers to be machine stitched. Yesterday we heard that the Grange at Huttoft was not demolished but windows blown out and serious damage done both to it and other property. Also there were some people killed but I think not Ailsby’s. Edie A’s young man, a soldier, was accidentally killed and now the war has blitzed their property. Once the war machine gets going it spares neither just or unjust but marches on over everything. I always think the tank is typical of war, just keeping on relentlessly over all obstacles crushing and mounting everything in its path leaving a trail of mangled remains behind. So it goes, but with it progress in science and engineering develops in leaps and bounds too. Strange how war inspires so many new ideas in these things, and best of all, perhaps, in surgery and healing. Well, if we are spared to the end of the war, we may see the beginning of this “brave new world” they speak of. Let’s hope it does not prove a “mirage”. It seems to me they don’t allow God his proper place in all these schemes. One day in seven he asks, and the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. I interpret that as meaning that one Day given up to rest and the worship of God is necessary to the bodily and spiritual development of man, and that the omission of this is the root of all our troubles. Only through God is Life and if he is ignored how can we hope for Life Everlasting. All Life must have sustenance to continue and if we neglect the Source of Everlasting Life our souls must surely die of starvation.

Had a letter and wedding? cake from Mrs Jock a very nice letter. She says, on Tues. night Jock had a wire recalling him immediately but he stayed to be married on Wed. and returned on Thursday. He will wire when settled. Yesterday we posted a tray (like Ron’s) and the slippers Jean made, to Mrs Jock, so hope they arrive safely. Rene put a note in and told her I would write later, so will wait until I hear that she has got them. The W. cake was pale and dry with a kind of almond cream on top, very war-time cake. Our people were very fortunate in theirs. The cause of E[lectric] L[ight] failure last week was a runaway balloon and the bombing on Sun. put it out of action again on Sunday for an hour or two, but it did not inconvenience us except for radio, as it was before tea-time. It is wet and stormy again, but so hope Rene will wash to-day, then I can have mine done tomorrow, but not a big wash so late in the week. Father finishes his patrol to-day. I am sorry, as when on patrol he has all his nights at home and I am rather nervous when he is out.

The Ailsbys of Huttoft were farmer Ben (brother of Harold – see 21 Dec. 1940) and wife Ada. Edie Ailsby was their daughter.

‘Mrs Jock’ was Mrs ‘Jock’ Brown, wife of the Army cook (see poem “January 12. 1943 or ‘to J.B. and C.T.’ celebrating their wedding.)

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Sunday in January 1943. Community singing on the wireless and they have just sung the hymn “Oh God of love, oh King of Peace”. More than 40 years ago we sang it at school each day until the Boer War was over. “Beneath the angel-strains have rolled, two thousand years of wrong. Oh hush your strife ye men of blood, and hear the Angels sing.”

About 1.15 pm. a single raider probably a Dornier flew over the coast round by Huttoft and bombed the [Huttoft] Grange flat except the kitchen and did more damage in the village. It shook us and we heard machine gun fire, and (very foolishly) looking out saw the plane coming over S Kirks house-top height. It was so low and near the Swastika or rather cross on the plane was visible. It gave one or two bursts of machine-gun fire, putting a bullet through Mrs Blakely’s window in Landseer Av. No one hurt, then flew off over the sea. If it had dropped its bomb then it might have demolished us or the soldiers billets and killed many of them. Jean did not seem at all afraid and went to S[unday] S[chool]. After it had passed I went outside, and it was really amusing. Outside all the bungalows and houses were people and soldiers returning from dining-hall and there was a chattering of all of them talking at once like a lot of starlings or another burst of M.gunfire. It reminded me most of when we used to have teas in chapel, and when the door was opened to go in, a burst of chatter and clatter of cups used to meet us.

It was snowing fast when we got up at 7.15. this a.m. and there was about 3” of snow. It thawed later and the nervous start I give when it slides down our rather steep roof shows my nerves are still shaky. The infantry billeted near us moved away to-day. Yesterday afternoon 2 of them – young ones, came and asked if I would lend them a saucepan to heat up soup and beans (tinned) which they had got from Halls, “without points” one of them beamed. I asked if they had enough bread, and they grinned and said “Yes, pinched it from the dining hall.” I lent them the pan and they brought it back washed clean later on. Jean went to the door and she asked if it had been alright and they said “Yes, very good”. Poor boys. “Like lambs to the slaughter.” I wonder if we shall have any more near us. Father saw one of the R.As when on patrol today and he says Jock was recalled from leave, and has been posted, but not abroad. He did, however, get married. Poor old gloomy, he would moan. Not without reason tho’ this time. Keith and Marian are home. Roy was recalled from leave, sent to Weston-Super-Mare for a 12 weeks course, when they arrived they found it did not start until 14 Jan so asked for and obtained leave until 13^th. Roy arrived back at Joan’s at 7.a.m. Sat morning. Rene came this afternoon but not Tom. He was resting but might meet her. It is not nearly so cold. Hope this thaw doesn’t mean more snow. Father took Jim Coupland to Wil[lough]by Stn. to catch 3.30. train this afternoon as roads too snowy to cycle.

Sampson Kirk’s property was ‘Nelson Villa’, west of May’s home ‘Lenton Lodge’. (See 11 Jan. 1942 and Village Map).

Mrs Blakey (corrected spelling), a widow, lived in ‘Alpha’, Landseer Avenue. Her son, Fred, a decorator, who also lived there, was serving in the forces away from home at that time.

May’s nephew Roy, married to Joan, (see 30 Apr. 1942) was attending a boat-building course, related to his RAF post in Air-Sea Rescue.

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?

It is so wet and stormy Father has gone to see if he can get on the 8.15 bus’ to Ingoldmells and patrol back instead of cycling one way. We had snow showers all yesterday, very wet and slushy but not nearly as cold as Monday. Washed on Tuesday but it hardly dried a thread. Lit fire in room yesterday morning and put them round fire. They are all dry now so must iron today. My asthma not so bad now. I usually get about 3 months when I am free from it. Must persevere with “Anestans” now I am improving and who knows? Not I, certainly.

Had a cable from Ron on Tues. with Xmas and New Year Greetings. It is nice to feel in touch once more. Mavis and Mary P. came for tea on Tue. They were like 3 old women playing card games all the time except when Mary could bury herself in a book. Jean went to Sk[egness] on Monday and stayed dinner at Coulston’s. She did not take coupons so could not get slipper wool? 4 oz 1 coupon 4½ oz. However, Father took Mrs Jones, Cook’s Welsh friends, to the station on Tue. and got it. It is blue, very pretty, and she has nearly finished them. Had a short letter from Jock, Wed, saying he expected to be married that day, so sent him a Greetings Telegram. Virgin took it so hope he did not forget it. It was so rough to send Jean out, tho’ Rene came. Mavis came too to fetch her cycle just before dark and brought the paper. She found it too rough to take cycle. I was sorry she had come, we don’t expect them to bring papers. Did not get any rug done yesterday as I had to put a hook and eye on Fa’s collar (tunic) and he got his gloves so wet they would not be dry for to-day, so he thought he would have mittens made into gloves. It was a longer job than I thought but found a pair of Ron’s wool ones for him to wear today.

Hope the weather improves, I haven’t got my groceries from Stow’s yet. My throat is dry and tickly. It would be, as we have no sweet coupons until next week, having been rash at Xmas. Also I made a mistake in the weeks and thought this was the commencement of 7^th period and it isn’t until next week. Am alright except for tea, it will be “tea begrudged and water bewitched” I’m afraid until Monday. Made too many cups at Xmas I’m afraid. Infantry in R.As [Royal Artillery’s] billets and in two of Ashley’s houses. They do not cook here or have meals so we don’t see much of them. Our pig is missing the R.As most, especially as we can’t seem to get pig pot[atoe]s either. Heard the sound of bombs yes[terday] afternoon. Father went on watch for Joe Kirk 6 to 8 pm. and found they were at Mablethorpe, no particulars, but one on beach sent shrapnel thro’ Watch bx. Others were dropped down Vic[toria] Road. Later on radio said bombs were dropped on East Coast and damage and casualties resulted with some people killed and afterwards a place in E[ast] Ang[lia] was bombed too.

Will did catch the bus – to Mastin’s Corner, Ingoldmells, near the ‘Royal Arthur’, almost in Skegness. (Jean’s diary: 7 January 1943.)

Mary Plant, Jean’s friend lived at ‘Waysmeet’ with her aunt Mrs Dandison (see 4 Jan. 1942).

The three ‘old women’ were Mavis Simpson, Mary Plant and Jean.

The note on slipper wool probably meant that, whilst May intended to buy 4 ounces, 1 coupon was required per 4½ ounces of wool.

Jones, soldier, and his wife were friends of Army cook Jock Brown. Their daughter was also a taxi passenger on that occasion (Jean’s diary: 5 January 1943).

Frank Virgin was the postman (see 16 Dec. 1940).

Victoria Road was in Mablethorpe.

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?

From “Give me back my dreams” by Anne Maybury.

“When two people fall really in love, something very beautiful happens in the world, and that alone should give us courage and hope.

“Because we are human we can’t be satisfied with love as an ideal in our lives.

We must have something more, we must materialise, possess the substance.

Actually, it is only the loving that matters.

“If we never saw each other again, because we are human we’d be heart-broken; but deep down inside us something would know that time didn’t count in love. We have loved – that is what would count. If one of us died, a kind of process of death would go on inside the other, too.

But in a little while we would get over it.

Not because we didn’t love enough, but because we loved so much that we knew that love reached out beyond everything material, beyond death itself.

We should want to go on being happy because of that love which hasn’t ended with death. So, – love shouldn’t make us despair, because we can’t have materially and physically as much of it as we want.”

“Whatever is uncertain —– we’ve always got the memory of how happy we have been together —–

If we have Courage”—–”

‘Anne Maybury’ was the usual pseudonym of Anne Arundel (Mrs Anne Buxton), a prolific author. The title Give me Back my Dreams was published in 1936. (The broken lines represent illegible writing in the Diaries.)

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?

Yesterday we had a letter from Emmie. She found 4 letters at home. Mr R[ussell] was much amused at Ron’s Irish statement that he was “quite happy but very fed up”. She found her father not very well, at least he arrived home soon after her, from work hardly able to hobble. She thought he must have sprained his ankle, but as he is 75 I would not be surprised if it was gout or rheumatism. Had another letter today, I hardly knew how to open it, I wondered if anything was wrong. However, it was to say she had had an air mail letter-card from Ron and as he could not send two he asked her to write to us. He was moving I think. It was written Dec. 6 and he said we were not to be looking for more letters just now as he had not sent any for two weeks. He will send us an air mail letter as soon as he can, but they are not always able to write. It is chiefly rain and mud where he has been so far. I believe it is the rainy season there until end of Jan. It is nice to hear from him, he does not seem so far away. Grace [Hill] heard last week that Ken was missing so it has made her Xmas a very troubled one and cast a damper on us all. I wrote a little note to let her know we sympathised with her and received a very nice one in return. Let’s hope she soon has better news. This “posted as missing” is almost as hard to hear as the certainty of a loss, except for the little gleam of hope and still the chance that they may turn up again. Em said her father was a little better and getting up yesterday. Mrs R said our Xmas cake was better than the one she had bought. They enjoyed the fish we sent. It was part of a cod caught here by Hallgarth and Paul. They are beautiful because so fresh, and after the so-called fish we get now are a feast. It has rained most of today but little patches of snow still linger as if waiting for more.

It is New Year’s Day. Father fetched in the usual green “for luck”. It was polyanthus leaves, as it was dark and pouring with rain at 7 a.m. Fa was on watch at 8.a.m. He also let Sprogg in so we ought to be having things coming in all the year. However, I am not a great believer in “luck”. Sprogg’s thick coat was so wet, Fa dried him on a duster, he appeared quite pleased. Rene came in spite of the weather. I had done most of baking as I thought she might not come. We had a beef pie from “resurrected” beef, crust made with dripping. Very good. A date pudding too. I made an apple-pie for Rene and used my last bottled plums for a pie for us. I still have blk currants and gooseberries. They are keeping well. Then treacle tarts, Rene made those, and jam tarts. Jean made ginger biscuits and semolina biscuits very good too and useful as they do not need points as the bought ones do. Have done a bit more of my rug, hope to finish it soon now, perhaps next week. A lot of infantry have come, but none near us so far. There is only a guard of R.As at the Ammunition Stores now. Mrs W[alker] came for War Savings. She had a heavy load of silver and 3^D bits. Fa fetched Mr Whitehead from Sk[egness] Hos[pital] today. He [Fa] starts patrol tomorrow. Expect he will have proper breakfast before he goes as he won’t start before 8 o’clock.

Grace Hill was Ken’s mother (see 1 Mar. 1942).

Mrs Walker, here, was probably NOT Captain John Walker’s wife (see 1 Nov. 1942), as she did not live in the village at that time. Another Mrs Walker, more likely meant here, was the sister of coastguard Gilbert Paul’s wife (see photo 7 Jun. 1942).

Mr Whitehead was probably the husband of Women’s Institute speaker, Mrs Whitehead (mentioned at a later date).

A full-length foot patrol, carrying rifle and gas-mask, was along the beach from ‘The Point’ to Skegness within sight of the Coastguard point, on the end of the pier, from which a signal would be given to turn around.

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?