Diary of Wing Commander Edward Lloyd Fleming, January 1944- January 1945 - Part 13

AUGUST,1944
Wednesday 16
I went to treatment & saw the M.O. &
he seems to think my thumb is O.K. &
then I went to dental parade & had
one tooth filled then I went to the
flight & did a period of link & F/O
Halliwell pinched my kit so I
didn't fly. I posted a few letters &
then had dinner & in the afternoon 
we had the usual lectures. I
had tea & then came back &
wrote for a while & did a spot of 
swotting. I had a shower & got
off to bed. I wrote to Margaret
today.

AUGUST, 1944
Thursday 17
I got up & went to treatment & the M.O.
has reversed his opinion & seems to
think my thumb is not healing at all.
I had lectures and we had a spot
of time in the D.R. trainer. After dinner
I went to the flight & we had a trip
to Colne & Wales IF most of the
way. I practised a fair bit of S.E.
work & S.E landings. I went to
pay section & posted yesterday's
letter then got treatment & had tea.
I came to the hut & then wrote to
Pat Wade, read a bit then had
a wash & got off to bed. 

AUGUST,1944
Friday 18
I got up & had breakfast & went to
the flight but flying was scrubbed
for a while & I did some link
after sick parade. I went up for
an hour and then had dinner &
got my pay. I went to lectures
but we ony had two before we
knocked off. I raced to the hut &
got a lift into Oxford & just caught
Kodaks. My photos were xtra good.
I caught a bus to Wolvercote &
straightway got a track as far as
Burford where I walked for about
a mile & then got another lift to
Camp. I got organized a bit tonight
& the other lads went to a Canadian
concert. I wrote to Beth Duncan.

AUGUST, 1944
FORTY-FIVE.
Saturday 19
I got up as usual & as it was wet I
waited a while then got a lift to
Cheltenham. It was raining heavily on
arrival but cleared during the day. I
went & did my Xmas shopping & got some
linen & lace for Audrey & Margaret & a
pair of bookends made from blitzed
stones off the Houses of Parliament for
Mum & Dad. I wandered around town &
saw the University & bought some postcards
& was going to Gloucester but the
buses were all full so I spent the
rest of the time in Chelt. After tea I walked
out of town a bit but eventually
got a lift. Later in the evening Jack & I went
for a ride thro' Windrush & Sherborne to
Bourton where we saw Muriel &
Ken & Angela. We messed about a while
then came home. I didn't have a shave
but got straight off to bed. 

AUGUST, 1944
Sunday 20
I had break
I had breakfast & then went to sick
parade & got the O.K. then went to the
flight & we did some armament as
there was a damp. We were called
back to the flight & our instructors
went thro' our Rates with us.
I had dinner & then went to the
hospital & on to the flight & we
just mucked about & I wrote a
bit. I came back to tea & then
came to the hut & packed my
Xmas parcels then had my Camp
Pie for supper & eventually had
a shower & shave & hit the
hay.

AUGUST, 1944
Monday 21
22, 23
I overslept this morning & had a hell of
a rush to get ready. I missed first two
lectures & then joined up with the lads.
After dinner I had lunch & then went
to the flight. There was nothing doing
all day so I did a lot of questions
writing. I got mail from Auntie,
Mum, Mrs Morris and Margaret.
I wrote a very long letter to Margaret.
After tea I got treatment then
came to the hut & just wasted a
lot of time. Our photos appeared
in Australasian March 25th &
L. top & centre all three. I had a
wash & went to bed. 

AUGUST, 1944
FORTY-SIX.
Tuesday 22
I went to breakfast & then went to
the flight after treatment. There was
no flying & I posted my parcels to
home & to Margaret. I went to
Link & got caught out with a C.A.P.
practice as I didn't have my respirator.
Dent took our names. I had
dinner & went to lectures & they were
quite interesting. I had treatment
and then got tea & after reading a
short time, had supper with Chips
& Jack then did a bit of swotting.
Then went to see Muriel tonight
& got wet coming home in the
mist which is very thick. I had a
shower & shave & got off to bed. I
wrote to Mum & to Audrey today.

AUGUST, 1944
Wednesday 23
I got up & had breakfast & then went
to treatment & on to lectures. I had a
talk with the M.O. & then went back to
lectures. I had dinner & then went to the
flight. It rained heavily this morning
but cleared very quickly so I got in
a bit of flying. I did some nautical
I.F. & then had tea. I had a bath &
got a bit of stuff at the canteen. I
did a link period & got on O.K.

PARIS FALLS - RECAPTURED BY
FRENCH PATRIOTS - SCATTERED
FIGHTING STILL.

AUGUST, 1944
Thursday 24
I had breakfast & went to the
flight but a damp set in so
we had to stop down & I did some
link. I had dinner & in the afternoon
went to the lecture block & we got
on O.K. I went down to the flight
at 1730 after tea and did a little
mutual I.F. I came back & taxied
a N/F kite then had supper. In
the evening I copied up a few notes
and had a shower & shave &
got off to bed.

RUMANIA CAPITULATES TO
ALLIES - WANTS TO BE AN ALLY.

AUGUST, 1944
FORTY-SEVEN
Friday 25
I got up & after breakfast went to
lectures & we had an interesting
morning. In the afternoon we were
scheduled to fly but weather was
crook at first but cleared so I
got in a bit of I.F. I had an early tea &
came back here & wrote a bit & then
went to supper. I sat in the anti-room
for a while then came
back here & went for a bike ride as
far as Nth-Leach with Blue Brittain.
I got right off to bed on our return. 

AUGUST, 1944
Saturday 26
I had breakfast & went for treatment
& then came down to the flights. I
did a spot of link and flew only
one period because flying was
scrubbed for a while. After dinner
I wrote a little in the crew room &
then flew for 1½ hrs. Chips doing
a Northern local X/C, ended up
near Andover at Chilbolton today.
After tea I went to S.S.Q. & then came
to the hut I wrote quite a lot of
letters & then went to supper &
later to the ENSA show "Out of the
Blue." It was fairly good but a
bit amateurish altho they had a
super ventriloquist. I got off to
bed as soon as poss. Letters from
Audrey. Pat ^(Cranwell) & Margaret & I wrote
to Pat & Freda &
Margaret.

AUGUST, 1944
Sunday 27
We washed & shaved, then started
walking & hitched with some WAAFs to
Burford & after more hiking got a lift in
an R.E. truck to Oxford. We had dinner
after walking from Wolvercote we
looked over Christ church & Magdalen
then went down to the river, Ken &
Blue came up so I left Chips & Jack
& we went on the pick up. We had
a short yarn to some kid then had tea
& started home. We got a truck to
Witney & except for a short ride of
about 2 miles, walked back from
there. We had two WAAF's from with us
& they came from Gloucester. Not a
single truck passed us & we stopped
at Burford & got them a drink then
hit on. We first stopped outside the
hut when a truck turned up & took
them on. I hope they got home O.K. -
Joyce & Trudy from Wales. 

AUGUST, 1944
FORTY-EIGHT
Monday 28
I got up & went to breakfast & then to

the lecture block & we had our A/R

exam. I didn't do very well. We
knocked off early & after lunch we
went to the flight. I did some link
and then did my Nav.4. & after
getting a bit rushed, ended up O.K.
I taxied an N/F kite across to the lines
then came & had supper and then
came back to the hut & packed
for B.A.T. I had a shower & a 
shave & then got off to bed. I
wrote home.

AUGUST,1944
Tuesday 29
I got up & had breakfast & went to the
flight to get my log book fixed up then
I stooged around there for a while. I
came second in the Link assessment
with a total of 32 - 34 was the highest.
I finished packing & then went to the
mess & wrote a little. We left Windrush
at 2.00 & came to Kingham where
we had to wait till 1615 for a train.
We arrived at Pershore O.K. and
after a further wait, we got transport
to the station. It looks a super place
& is in the heart of a big market-gardening
and fruit growing area.
We had tea then I came to the
hut & wrote a bit & then went to the
post office & then had a shower &
went to bed. I got an A/mail letter
from Margaret & a cable from
Shirl Phillips & also wrote to Audrey &
to Margaret. Saw Ron Exelby at Kingham
Matty & Bill Gray & Bill Klising. 

AUGUST, 1944
Wednesday 30
I got up & went to breakfast & then
down to the flight, we had our
preliminary lectures & I did some
link and then went up. After dinner
I had more link but the period
was scrubbed and then I flew
again. We went over to Windrush
to drop a bloke. I guess I haven't

got a clue on the old link trainer.
I had tea then Blue & I got
clean, shaved & dressed & went
out on the bike. We had a
look at Pershore and the river
Avon then we had some supper &
came out to the dance. I didn't
dance for a time then I pushed
on to a beautiful kid called
Daisy Moss. & I later took her home -
with variations. She's an 18 yr old
and very nice too. I came
home on foot and got off to bed
very quickly.

AUGUST, 1944
Thursday 31
I got up & went to breakfast then flew
at 10 o'clock & again in the afternoon.
We packed up a little earlier than
usual & had tea then I had about
an hour's snooze, then a shower &
flew at 2130. Link at 0030 & then
supper in the airman's mess. Flew
again at 0245 & made a very poor
showing. I came straight back &
got to bed by 0415. I got my night
flying sweets ration & it was good. 

SEPTEMBER, 1944
FORTY-NINE
Friday 1
We stayed in bed until about
1030 and so got up & had a shave
& then got dressed & went to Pershore
and had a look around. I went
over the Abbey & then met Blue & we
had lunch together & went down
to the river where I took a snap.
We came back & met Daisy & her
friend Anne and we had a yarn
then came on & met Joyce. Her father
is the cop and he called after us in
fun for dinking. I flew & then got
dressed & went in to the dance at
the local hall. It was quite a good
affair and I had a swell time. I
brought Daisy home & then ran &
walked back home. It was very
wet & I got drenched. I got straight
off to bed. I wrote home today.

SEPTEMBER,1944
Saturday 2
I got up and went down to the flight
& had link & flew before dinner. After
dinner I wrote a couple of letters

& then changed to go out. It rained

heavily during the afternoon and then
cleared so Blue & I went to Pershore to
catch the train to Worcester. I called at
Daisy's & told her I wouldn't be at the
dance then we got the train. We
didn't do much there except eat
fish & chips in a filthy café & then
go to the pictures. We saw Johny Apollo
& "Knickerbocker Holiday" and then
we caught the train back home.
I borrowed Blue's bike & rode to the
dance at Wyre but Daisy wasn't
there so I came home the long way
& got off to bed. I was a bit disappointed
because it was a glorious moonlit
evening. I wrote to Sue & to Ian
today.
 

SEPTEMBER, 1944
Sunday 3
I got up & went flying at 0930 & we
did an X/C to Church Lawford &
back. We got there O.K. & he showed
me stall turns & I did a precautionary
landing at 60 mph on our
return. I stooged about then went
to the mess for dinner. Daisy
rang me & it was all arranged
for this afternoon. We finished
up here & I borrowed F/O Johnny
Aird's bike. We met the girls first
near the camp and then went
to town & sat in the pub porch
all the afternoon as it was raining.
We had tea at the W.V.S. then
met the girls again and went to the
Moss' place for a while then Daisy
& I & Blue set off with Anne & we
two stopped in the telephone box
for a while then I took Daisy home
& rode back here & had a shower.

SEPTEMBER, 1944
Monday 4
23.24.25.26
I got up & went to the flight & it was
very wet. Nothing much was happening
so I volunteered to clear up &
then packed. We had an early
dinner & went to town. I rang up
Daisy & she came into the station
to say goodbye & we sure opened
the locals eyes. The trip back was
uneventful & it rained all the way.
We had a long wait for a tender at
Kingston. I arrived in time for tea
then I read all my mail. I had a
wash & supper & then got off to bed.