My father Dick Boon sent over 300 letters and postcards during his war service – firstly in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq and Palestine) and subsequently in Italy and Austria. He was in the Royal Signals attached to Artillery.
On his return from the war he married his stepsister June Challis (my mother).
The two letters below relate to the moments when firstly my father left England on a troopship heading out to the Middle East and secondly when my father was on a troopship returning to England at the war’s end.
This letter was written in April 1944 when Dick was part of the Middle East Force:
The photo at the top of this page is of my father lying on his cot reading a magazine in a warehouse billet in Italy. By then a seasoned soldier, his Thompson submachine gun is leaning against the wall close at hand. His first letter on departure was sent by a young, inexperienced boy.
Along with letters were photographs detailing his journey from England out on a troopship to the eastern desert (Syria, Palestine and Iraq) and then onto a landing in Italy at Rimini. Then the hard slog up through Italy on the Adriatic coast. Gothic line and Po River Crossing. When the fighting ended he was then involved in moving the horses taken from the Cossack units fighting with the Germans to try and free Ukraine from Russian control over the Italian and Austrian Alps to use the horses to get agriculture going again. This was due to the many horses being taken from Austria to support the German war effort.
This letter was one he sent home via a friend going on leave who then posted it in London, a route to avoid the censor’s pen and to give a full explanation of his travels after he left home:
Transcript:
Letter 1
Dear Dolls,
Just a hurried scrawl at the dock, feeling OK
Hope you are all the same, just had my last cup of tea in England, & I'm looking forward to the next one.
Please Excuse writing
Love to All.
Letter 2:
Dear Folks,
I'll be seeing you 5th or 6th of September.
Will send a telegram when I arrive in England.
Yours,
Letter 3:
Sigmn Boon
26/4/44.
My dear Doll,
Thanks for the L.C. dated Apr 17th. – the mail has improved a little lately & I've had 4 L.C.'s in the last two days – this means I've some writing to do, at the moment I'm sitting on the shady side of the tent – inside there are too many flies – Heaven knows they are bad enough out here, constantly settling on my legs & body, Its very warm today and although I had a cold shower 1/2 hr ago I feel just as sticky. I went to the cinema last night and saw “This Above All,” it was a grand film & today I’ve started reading the book – Joan Fontaine was very good as Prudence although it was not quite as good as “Rebecca” – the best film I’ve seen in years.
I’d certainly like any photos of June that you have spare – so pop them in the box if available, they will be very much appreciated by me. – I will be writing to June this week – so look out for the postman. Those “Gayettes” will be very welcome also – we get most of the “Daily Mirrors & Sunday Papers but there is nothing like the old local.
In ref. to my little pal Jose’, I guess she thinks a lot of me – she’s OK and I like her a lot but I keep telling her to get herself a fellow & get married – I tell her that my ideas on the future are vague – like a load of other fellows I have watched five years of my life go to waste – five important years & I’m likely to do another two years in khaki before we get our ticket – I’ve not the faintest idea on what I’ll do after the war – at least I feel entitled to be cynical about many things & I am – in this army I been pushed around by plenty of [unclear] who wouldn’t do in out of uniform. I’m sick of the army system & I’ve got just one big teethful of it in the last 4 1/2 years. I think they can safely write off my generation as a dead loss – some of us will make a success of things after the war, maybe I’ll be one – but the majority will be a useless crowd – they’ve been taught soldier’s work and that’s no good.
About that money – I just figured that if any was needed in a rush there it would be – Heaven knows all the money I’m ever likely to have would not pay the debt that I owe you Doll, or Pop – I never worry about whether there will be any money when I get back. I’ve got that “something will turn up” philosophy – and although money is very handy – the best things in life can’t be bought – they are free to the poorest beggar if he has any soul.
Despite the tone of this letter I’m always laughing & thinking of the folks. I’m happy 'til next time
Love to all.
Dick
Letter 4:
Dear –
I’m putting it this way just in case it gets opened by authority, only it is my one chance of giving you pukka gen, this letter isn’t coming through normal channels as you can guess.
At present on the outskirts of Faenza on Route 9, they are having a crack at taking the town today. First went into action at Lanciano just north of Sangro River and followed Jerry right up Adriatic coast through Pescara, Ancona, Senegallia Fano, we were in the Gothic Line fighting at Rimini, it was pretty tough going there, we have been lucky & had no casualties in Signals. There have been some fellows killed in Regt about forty, all by shell fire, Jerry hasn’t got much artillery, but he uses it to good effect, he has 88 mm, very high velocity, unpleasant things them, and all sizes up to 240 m.m. make heap big holes. Oh yes, and there are those nebelwerfers, six barrelled rocket projectors, they sound like Sandy Mac at the flying theatre organ, no shrapnel but bags of blast.
Travels to date. – South Africa; Cairo, Bagdad, Kirkuk Mosul Kermanshah Persia – Tripoli, Damascus, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Suez Port Said & then across to Italy.
Expect to pull out for rest soon, we’ve had six months in the line, that’s long enough for me & all the rest.
Havent any idea when I’m likely to get leave – its very remote chance – also no idea when the regt might come back although there have been rumours, I don’t put much faith in them. After the Gothic line breakthrough everybody expected a headlong pace across the Lombardy plain, but the weather beat us & the Germans of the 1st Parachute Div, 42nd Jaeger Div & 26th Panzer Div are tough babies, there have been deserters coming across, their morale pretty low, they are mostly Russian or Polish conscripts, the true German Fights hard, thats why the war didnt end as quickly as people expected, one instance of how they fight, a German anti-tank detachment in a house, kept firing even though house was on fire & dropping about them, but for all that they cannot do more than fight bitter delaying actions at each river, we have superiority in everything, they use horses & oxen for pulling many guns – their aircraft put in very rare appearances at dusk, our planes are dive bombing now, and when weather is clear enough the mediums give Jerry a pasting.
Our last billets were in Forli, before that Cesena, Montiana & so on back to Rimini, the heaviest fighting has taken place in these parts & the countryside has been devastated, thats the thing that gets me, seeing smashed houses, bridges, railways, white crosses scattered in the odd corners, and that odour of decay – phew!
Dont worry on my account we are always more than a mile from front line, so all we get slung at us is shell fire – there are plenty of mines sown by enemy but we have only lost two fellows that way.
I’m sending by roundabout way just in case it gets opened but there isn't much chance of that happening.
It will be posted in London, to another address than yours. You can acknowledge it in your ordinary mail just to let me know it gets to you O.K., at least it may clear up any doubts as to my whereabouts.
Of course I have my fingers crossed about this leave scheme, but we get one man allotment in six weeks, that isn't much, but its good propaganda for Churchill & the War Office – it will get bummed up in the papers to show what the troops are getting – we say phooey, there are fellows here who have been away From their homes 4 yrs, how about forgetting the leave scheme & cutting down overseas service to 3 yrs.
This is all for now, Hoping this reaches you OK.
I Remain as ever –
Yours. – –
