Ending the war in Italy (1945)

Eileen’s brother, my Uncle Bert, joined the RAF, leaving Auntie Gwen to run the flower shop in West London. After initial training, Bert was told he wasn’t fit to fly but became a radio operator and was posted to North Africa. A chirpy Londoner, Bert sent a series of letters and cards as his units travelled across North Africa and then through Italy.

16/2/45

Dear Eileen

I am afraid I have been rather a long time answering your letter, the first one you wrote from your new address, but I have been on the move. I have left my mountain home and am now in a climate so much milder that we shall be sunbathing very shortly.

The climate is not the only change, we are living in comfortable billets in town, the same one that I spent my leave in last summer. It has the atmosphere of a peacetime town in many ways. There is no blackout and everything is just so.

In our billets shoes have to be polished and left in a certain place under the bed for inspection every day together with other little rules for kit layout. This is the first time I have encountered the home service routine since I have been o/s. 

The first morning I arrived I clicked for orderly dog and had to accompany the Sdn/Cdr round for inspection. He is a bad type. He tore off a terrible strip to one of my crew for having a little dust on the boots under his bed. I felt inclined to shoot a horrible line to the officer about forward areas but it wouldn't have done much good. Still, it's a bit of a shock to come from a place where one is left absolutely alone so as long as you operate efficiently and then land in a place that has been so far from the front for such a time that they are able to think up pretty rules. 

Still, I shall have a nice change here. The work is easy and to be able to keep clean, wear a tie and polished shoes and generally be away from the strain of war for a bit will be very welcome.

I was replaced at my mountain fort with the Americans as I had a disagreement with their C.O. He might be able to sit on his own men but their comes a time when the British don't only talk democracy - they do something about it. I was absolutely within my rights in the action I took and had the wholehearted support of my own officers but it was policy to put another crew in. I wasn't at all sorry, for things were definitely grim and an extensive tour of Italy as an alternative was a very good substitute. I expect I shall return to my H.Q. in about two months.

I had a very nice letter from Mum, poor dear. I was so glad to get it. It arrived in a week too with this new address, so let's hope postal arrangements will be better now.

The Russians are still doing an amazing job aren't they? For all the talk of carrying on the war after the fall of Berlin, I shouldn't be too surprised to see it fold up fairly quickly.

Don't judge the British action in Greece too badly. I know they did the best thing, I have the facts and first hand information. Sir Walter Citrine will unbutton one day. He knows what the troops think about Lady Astor etc. So watch it.

Cheerio

Bert.

10/5/45

Dear Eileen

That's another war over.

A VE day snap of Eileen in London

I am afraid that the spirit that existed in London and other towns was not seen here. The troops had seen the end coming for a long time and it was just another turning point reached that would get them home eventually. The civilian population did not show any outward sign of celebration either. I suppose they felt a bit small really since they started on the other side ... Anyway, there was no organised "do", civilian or military, and apart from the few that thought they ought to get drunk on VE day or because they had promised themselves they would, there was nothing at all to mark the day we had been waiting for, for five years, from any other day …

The day was also marked by hundreds of hysterical people parading with Communist flags, banners and with a brass band. I have great respect for the Reds, the real Reds, but to see these people that not so many years ago were doing the same thing, only in black shirts, cheeses me off. There is an Italian that works in one of our clubs and speaks quite good English … he confirmed my opinion that these were the same set that were screaming in support of Musso …

What are your hopes of release and what work are you doing now. Have they modified your job to watch our own a/c instead of the enemy’s or will you be employed in some other branch.

I shall have about another six months to serve out here I think before my group comes up. What we shall do and where we shall do it remains to be seen. I can’t foresee the possibility of getting home before my group is ready for demobbing. In fact t might be a good thing, for people get ideas of the Far East when they see spare lads hanging around England. Besides, if I’ve got to stop in the service, I might as well see as much of Europe as I can. The opportunity might not come about again for many years.

Cheerio

Bert

PS Happy Birthday – you should feel honoured I forgot Gwen’s and Jack’s.

26/5/45

Dear Eileen

I am now allowed to say where I am stationed, it is in Florence as you may have guessed. The HQ have been here for a long time, they moved up from Siena last autumn. During the winter I was up in the Apennines about fifty miles north of Florence. A bit too near Bologna for our liking but we came through alright …

Our billet is right in the town about 200 yards from the Duomo, the local name for the cathedral.

Now that work has almost ceased our time is almost our own. Everyone has gone EVT mad. We have had our Air Commodores down to talk to us and other nobs to make us EVT conscious. None of them had the facts of the scheme as it is to be applied in this theatre but they wanted the units to get discussion groups going as a stop gap. I think this stop gap is likely to be a lengthy period for I am not at all impressed on the major scheme.

I don’t think there has been very much preparation. I am sorry for the chaps that want to prepare themselves for a job. I expect I shall be roped in for our signals section discussion group, but apart from attending compulsory lectures on resettlement I have worked out my own studies.

I have applied for a correspondence course on agricultural science. Last night I saw about French lessons. The fellow I knock about with (and I) … went to see a lady teacher. She is a Trieste Italian. We arranged to go for lessons on alternate evenings, my friend for German, and me for French…

Leave, which was stopped at the time of the offensive in Italy has now been resumed. I have put in an application to see the C.O. for permission to visit Arthur and Ginette. I have put in a craftily worded request (at least I think so) and have even mentioned that I had made preparations to work in France with my uncle … It will probably be slung out just the same. The C.O. will probably think that if I get to France, I shall sneak home. Unfortunate, but officers do think things like that about ORs.

Cheerio

Bert

11/7/45

Dear Eileen

Just a few lines to let you know the score.

At the moment I am still in Florence but our postings are in although we don’t know our destination yet. I should have been in Rome two days ago but I have been very unlucky with transport. Three times I have started but each time the truck has broken down.

Bert - the diving champ

All of this must sound very disjointed, so I will explain.

I think I mentioned in my last letter I had entered for the Northern Italy diving championships. I came second out of six entries – an Olympic champ beat me. We two were chosen to represent Northern Italy in the all Italy finals. The meeting is on Saturday at Rome and the rest of the team went down on Monday, giving them nearly a week to practice. I wanted to go with them, but my C.O. said my posting would have arrived by the time that I arrived back. If I anted to go I should have to get cleared from TAF, posted to a unit in Rome and my posting would be sent on. This I decided to do …

.. as a convoy was going to Foggia from our unit I decided to go with this as far as Rome. I put all my kit in a six wheeler and sat in the front of another truck. Of course, this was the only truck that didn’t make the grade. It didn’t even get to the assembly point for the convoy. We got down the bottom of the road and had petrol trouble, sent for a mec., got it fixed, started again, got round the corner, conked again. Had it towed back to the yard and started again at three o’clock. We got about fifteen miles out of Florence and we had had it again. I hitched back and got the M.T to tow it back…

If I want to compete on Saturday, I must get to Rome by tomorrow night as it will give me a day to practice on the new springboard there.

If the truck isn’t serviceable tomorrow, I shall hitch to Rome … Of course the whole of my kit may be anywhere between Florence and Foggia, but it will turn up I hope …

Till then

Cheerio Bert

P.S. my voting papers have not arrived and as my proxy vote was made out in Dad’s name I guess I have lost my vote as many of our lads have, I regret to say, through various hitches.

19/7/45

Dear Eileen

I am still in Rome and have been stuck at a Transit Camp for several days.
As you know, I came down to compete in the swimming finals. This proved a farce however, as I was declared ineligible owing to it being a British Army competition. There was trouble over the colonial troops also. Even so, I had a good week at the pool and the rest camp and learnt a lot of the finer points of diving from the ex-British champ who beat me in the N.Italy competition.

I telephoned TAF after the competition was over to find out my ultimate posting. I was lucky for it is Mestre near Venice. Over 90% of our unit has gone south and although I had hoped for Austria, Venice is good enough. Before I left the unit our F/Sgt assured me the Austrian posting would come through eventually. We shall see.

I am waiting for something to take me up North, a train, truck or plane. Meanwhile I am at this halting place which has the air of a concentration camp. We parade in the street at 0830, when the erks are selected for fatigues, spud peeling etc. and the Cpls for duty. I was caught for this this morning and am, in fact, writing this letter while carrying out that duty. Those that remain on parade after the allotment of fatigues are then taken for an hour or so’s drilling. It shook me yesterday morning doing about turns and saluting to the front.

I have visited the Santellocco’s several times and am going for dinner tonight. Each stay I have in Rome I think will be my last but I always manage to come back. Mrs Santellocco insists that if either you or Gwen ever manage to get to Rome you must be her guest.

22^nd July

A couple of days have slipped by since starting this letter. I am still at the Transit camp but hope to get started tomorrow evening … The heat in Rome is really intense. Today I haven’t left the building. I have done a little washing (always a problem when one is on the move) and have started letter writing now.

I shall be glad to get settled again, somewhere, soon…. The only trouble of staying in one place for long is that you do make new friends and it is a bit hard to make the inevitable good-byes. I have got used to this now, and when I make an acquaintance, try to keep it casual.

I had one tearful farewell from Florence, I think I mentioned a girl in the Welfare centre before. I am afraid I was never very deeply attached from my side but she told my friend Arthur that he could not imagine how much I meant to her. Poor Eleanor. I promised to write and I will endeavour to concoct a passage or two of brilliant French.

Cheerio 

Bert

02/08/45

Dear Eileen

I received your letter in two parts when I arrived in Mestre. I am so glad you have taken a sane view on the University scheme. It must be a great disappointment for you but I do think you would have had too big a job to tackle …

I had a miserable journey from Rome – four days in a cattle truck. Mestre itself is an unlively town but as it is at the end of the causeway that leads to Venice, its lack of life is not important. 

Venice itself is indescribable. It is so unlike any town that it is bound to fascinate. It has suffered no damage from the war and the gondolas fly back and forth through the ancient canals as before… It seems so strange to see hotels and cinemas with their steps leading down to the water and the commissionaire instead of waiting for a taxi is armed with a boat hook. 

A few miles from the town on the seaward side is a strip of land with a marvellous beach, this is the Lido and contrasts with Venice proper as everything is modern, the streets are wide and trolleybuses run up and down its whole length.

There is an interesting story about the gondoliers. After the British occupation of Venice the British authorities fixed a maximum charge for gondolas. This didn’t suit the gondoliers so they all went on strike. The Army immediately threw all their small amphibious craft at the disposal of the sightseers and civilians and they operated very well. After two days the Italians agreed to the fixed rates – and so ended another British victory…

There are twelve of our old crowd here, but Arthur went to Pomigliano, near Naples. John is here with me. He had already got organised with a very interesting circle of ladies. They all seem to have husband trouble. I have seen two of them and they are real old fogies while their wives, although not young, are very attractive. The most noticeable thing is that they are so widely travelled and intelligent. They can converse on any topic from ancient history to politics, classical music to Walt Disney … We usually drop in about 9 o’clock and midnight is upon us before we realise it. We then tear ourselves away … of course, they, like the rest of the Italian population sleep in the afternoon and never think of going to bed until the early hours. Actually, it is quite a good idea in the hot weather.

Well, what about the election. Amazing, wasn’t it! I think the D.H. spoke of Churchill committing political suicide. He certainly did, for I am sure his campaigning lost him many votes. Anyway, Labour has got it all their own way now so I hope we shall soon see some real action on our own domestic problems at least.

That’s about all for now so, ‘till next time

Cheerio

Bert