 |
| Mairie de Lieurey (Town Hall) on the Place de la Mairie. Jean-Michel Gobet (Jmgobet), CC BY 2.5 |
On the 3rd. of Sept. we had packed up and were on the move again. We arrived at Lieurey in time for dinner. Tents were pitched but our stay was only to be short as it was for the purpose of the Servicing Unit to inspect and modify our equipment. There was no work for us except a little cookhouse fatigues [1] and guard.
The next afternoon I walked about a mile into Lieurey with one of the boys and we just had a look around. While we were standing in the square three lorry loads of Jerry prisoners came up and unloaded. There were very few young men amongst them. As they marched past us I noticed a rather peculiar look in their eyes. Suggesting a feeling of "I'm sorry, but I don't care" attitude.
 |
| ROUTE - CONVOY MOVEMENT Caen - Troarn - Dozulé - Pont-l'Évêque - Cormeilles - Lieurey (sharp right at X roads) 100 yards, fork right, then 1/4 mile to 308 M.S.S.U. [2] [3] (Yes, this is what passed for a Sat Nav in 1944!) |
The next day at dinner-time a liberty run was organised to Trouville [4] but I couldn't go as I was on guard that night.
Next day I was lucky however and we arrived in Trouville about 2.30 p.m. This place and Deauville across the bridge had been a favourite place for British tourists before the war so quite a number of people there spoke English. The Casino [5], which had been a big gambling place, was now the ENSA [6] Cinema. I saw Betty Grable in "Pin Up Girl" that evening. We were told the Germans used to bring their families here for a holiday. Scores of shops had quite a good stock of lip-stick, powder and scent of good quality and most of the boys bought something. I had a good dinner in an English speaking hotel, and spent the rest of the time chewing pears and plums.
That evening, just after tea-time and while it was still light, I saw for the first time an R.A.F. bomber raid in progress. Lancasters were bombing Le Havre and everything that happened in the air could be seen very plainly. Each 'plane seemed to be working independently and dropping its bombs at leisure. There was slight AA [7] fire. When it got dark the flames from a huge fire could be seen across the water.
- Kitchen duties often involving potato peeling
- Presuming this was for No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron
- Mobile Signals Servicing Unit (MSSU)
- A trip to the seaside at Trouville-sur-Mer
- Casino de Trouville-sur-Mer
- Entertainments National Service Association
- Anti-aircraft warfare
Potato peeling was also often given as a punishment, as my father admitted he'd received on one particular occasion. Never did admit, at least not to me anyway, what he did to deserve it, mind you.
