{"id":2457,"date":"2013-05-22T20:59:36","date_gmt":"2013-05-22T20:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trevorgreenwood.co.uk\/tg\/?page_id=2457"},"modified":"2019-09-27T14:11:50","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T14:11:50","slug":"letter-21-8-45","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/trevorgreenwood.co.uk\/tg\/august-1945\/letter-21-8-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter 21.8.45"},"content":{"rendered":"

No. 7925934. Sgt. Greenwood.
\n\u2018C\u2019 Sqdn, 9th Battn RTR,
\nB.L.A.<\/p>\n

21.8.45<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

Jess Darling: I simply cannot settle down to writing these days… My mind is going round in circles thinking about leave and our re-union: It seems stupid to have so little control over one’s emotions – but I cannot help it: whenever I think of you – and the imminence of our meeting, something happens inside me – and I just go all haywire. So… please don’t be too harsh upon me when you see these miserable little letters: I will make up for them when I come home, and will talk plenty!<\/p>\n

In case you are wondering how I am living here in Germany, I can assure you that I am reasonably comfortable, and not enduring any hardships. We are all in civvy billets – and we sergeants have a house to ourselves with our own cook, waiters etc. – and we have a German woman to do all the cleaning for us: she is known as Mrs. Mop! The houses are comparatively new – and the owners were ejected to make way for us. I don’t know where they are sleeping… but presume neighbours have provided shelter for them.<\/p>\n

In this house there were two families, and they had 3 goats and 2 pigs – all under the same roof in a sort of annexe to the cellar. These animals are still here, and are looked after and fed by their owners.<\/p>\n

Our village is quite small and consists of one or two farms and about two dozen houses – all with a patch of cultivated land and various kinds of live stock. The people are perfectly docile and seem only too glad to cooperate with us. This isn’t really surprising: we are only about 10 miles by air from Hanover… and I’ve no doubt that our villagers witnessed every air raid on Hanover. They must have had some pretty awful times – judging by the appearance of Hanover itself.<\/p>\n

Jess… about leave. Here are a few more details: on the morning of Sept 1st, I go to a R.H.U. at Hanover and there join a combined leave party and travel by rail to Calais – arriving Calais some time on the 2nd – and then cross to England. I don’t know the expected time of arrival in England; I suppose this will depend on the weather. But I hope to let you have more definite information by wire from Dover or Folkestone or wherever we land. According to orders here, I am scheduled to commence my leave on Sept 2nd – so I will be in England on this date… barring further cancellations of sailings, of course.<\/p>\n

Gosh! I do wish I were on the way home now: It is nice to be able to think about leave – but I didn’t bargain for such a severe dose of pre-leave jitters.<\/p>\n

And now to bed…
\nGood night, my love
\nAlways
\nYour Trevy<\/p>\n

\n