Diary of Edward Lloyd Fleming, January- September 1945 - Part 2

intelligence. Had dinner & filled up my log, and then
wrote a bit. In the afternoon we I went to the nav.
section and wrote up some [[?]] on the D.R. compass
In the late afternoon I went for a run out the 22
runway and back on to the St. Wolford road.
I had a shower & shave & went to tea then spent the
evening in the hut.
17.2.45.
Jack & Eddy & I went on parade & I put in my
laundry. I went to assembly but the CGI kicked
me out to go to a lecture on the briefing [[?]] After
break he organized P.T. for us but I wouldn't
have any of it & so bludged. After dinner we went
on parade then I wangled the day off & I wandered
thru the wood & by road to [[?]], a pretty
little village 2½ miles away. Saw the county store
Hand drawn diagram – see original
which is at the junction of Glos. Worcs, Warwick &
[[?]]. Came back from [[?]] across country
to [[?]] and as I was walking over the [[distance?]]
a flying control bloke gave me a lift. I had tea
and in the evening steamed & pressed my
uniforms & clothing. Did a bit of study then
turned in. The boys (Hal & Len) were a bit
niggilly tonight "cos they had to do a test
flight & flew in cloud a lot.
18.2.45.
We stayed in bed until quite late and then went
to have a shower etc. About 1400 they cancelled all
N/F so I applied for the day off. Saw F/L Bolt & he went
thru our earlier [[?]] with him us and then said to
disappear. We split up, Alf & Hal went to [[?]] and I
went for a walk via Dorn to Batsford Park & then
home. A glorious afternoon with lots of sunshine &
high cirrus cloud and the countryside looked
beautiful. The trees are showing signs of budding now.
I had tea then went to church with Jack & Murray and
met Alf who came too. All walked back to the Y.M.C.A.
and in there, they had a sing-song so we stayed to
it & had supper too. Then I got off to bed.
19.2.45.
I had a shower & shave before breakfast & then
 

went on sick parade. Had a serious talk with the doc
who seemed to treat my problem a bit lightly and
gave what I consider duff advice. I reported to the flight
and then came back to the hut & got the lads up. There were
numerous check-ups today & we had an unofficial day
off but got thru O.K. After dinner we waited for briefing
& they held it despite crook looking weather but at 1715it was scrubbed. I had tea and spent the evening in the
hut. About 2030 15 Lancasters were diverted in here &
all were trying to get in together & be first down hence
a terrific shambles. I wrote a bit & did a spot of
work then got off to bed.
We were up quite early and went on parade. Then
we reported for fighter [[?]] but it was scrubbed so
we first mucked about, watched the Lancs take
off and then had dinner. We were briefed to do bombing
and had tea then took off a bit early. [[?]] in with
suction trouble but took off again & did a bombing trip
then came down & saw the results then took off &
the second trip they reckon failed & we told
them top stick another. The A.C.P. made a bad blue
by giving us a green and he then gave a green to a
chap at 300'. Luckily we saw him & stopped. We
had supper & hit the hay
21.2.45. We slept in till lunch time and then I
got up and had a shower & shave then went to
lunch. We saw the bombing folk and got last nights
first trip passed but they were doubtful about the
second. Then we went to briefing and were put
on a bullsey - Base - Loughboro . Bedford - Green's Park
- Eastbourne - Canterbury - Windsor - [[?]] - 5400N0200E
- [[?]] P.H. base. We bombed a red T.I. at Gren
park and a Beaufighter interrupted us but I cork_
screwed out of it. We cane back to London & had
searchlights on us but weaved out of them
all right then continued on with the Z/C. We got
back very late after 6 hrs in the air. Were interrogated
& had supper & hit the hay.
22.4.45.
We slept in until about 1130 then I had a shower
& went to lunch and came back to the hut to wait for
briefing. We had it as usual and about 1730 they scrubbed
flying so we went to the pictures to see "Meet the
People" but it was a corny show - the "homeless flea"
was an xtra good cartoon. Got off to bed but were
wakened by numerous drunks later on.
23.3.45.
I got up early and looked in at the crew assembly
and were given a few jobs. I had lunch and in the
 

afternoon went to the briefing. Were put on a cross-country
to Saffron Waldon - Gunthorpe - Thirsk - 5420N0230E - [[?]]
- Radstock - P.H. base. A very good trip and everything
went off well. I'm afraid we haven't been getting quite
a fair deal here 'cos they haven't tried to push us
thru at all - in fact I've had to ask time & again for
all we have done.
24.2.45.
We slept in till late again then I had a shave &
shower. We said goodbye to Goldsworthy's crew who
passed out today. I had dinner & found out what we
were doing in the evening. We attended 1445 briefing &
then messed about the rest of the afternoon. We had
tea & just nattered until 2030 when we went to the
control tower. Took off 2200 & N.F.A. was cancelled so
we stooged off to [[?]] & [[?]]. They only plotted
5 when we got back so we had to wait for the
photos. I opened the Wimpy right out & got about 200
out of [[?]] today. We had supper & I had a yarn to
[[?]]-Walker about the commission. He is in big with
the new WAAF met. officer. jack had also applied for his
commission & was accepted as an applicant. Hit the
hay about 0300.
25.2.45.
This morning I stayed in bed until about 1100 and
then had a shower and shave and reported to "A"
flight. We were not down to fly & I checked up on
our F/A & yesterday's bombing. Had lunch & spent
a fair bit of time in the hut then went to the
flight again. We weren't drawn to fly so I spent the
afternoon in the hut. Our A.C.F. Christmas parcels
came today & they contained dried fruit, tinned
fruit, chocolate, plum pudding, fruit cake, talcum
powder, shaving soap, writing paper & envelopes,
pencil, tooth paste, chewing gum & cigarette paper &
tobacco. After tea I washed & and went in to
church with Jack and Alf and it was quite
good. Came home & wrote a bit then got off to bed.
26.2.45.
I was up early and we got all ready to fly but they were
undecided about the weather & eventually scrubbed it.
We booked in at [[?]] Assembly and then I had lunch.
They had us down for F/A at 1300 & we got off about
1440: went well east past [[Barford?]] St John and coming
back  we had just broken cloud when W/O [[?]] in the
Hurricane reported 5-10 [[?]]. Could see no
dromes about so called on Darley and then as I got no
reply, authorized an 'O' message for a QDM. Shortly afterwards
we sighted the drome & thought we saw the
fighter land & followed him in. He had not been
 

speaking to us however, & the message was intended for
"Y" to say he'd be ready 5-10 minutes. We were commended
for prompt action taken. By the time we got
back we were ready for tea & in the evening I stayed
in the hut & wrote a bit. The water in the ablutions was off
but I was able to have a shower. C.G.I. inspected the huts &
Len's car went O.K. to Stow-on-Wold tonight.
27.2.45.
I got up early and managed to wrangle a day
fighter [[?]] trip. Did very well and had lunch.
I went to the flight in the afternoon and they told me
we have finished. We made up our log books
before tea and in the evening we went to town
to the pictures to see "Lost Angel". Second viewing
was equally as good as the first.
28.2.45.
I finished the log books and we had our bit
inspected. Just after dinner we saw the S.N.O. and went
to the C.G.I. - no show for commissioning, why Lord
only knows, if Pepper etc can get them, Hal looks like
getting his & Jack too. I got stuck in to [[?]] all
afternoon with the boys and then had [[?]] Did a
whole lot of washing and then mucked about with the
fire which smoked the hut out, Len & I poked a
sapling down the flue & pulled the blinking flue
out with the sapling. I went to the [[?]] library to hear
a recital of Beethoven music & LAC Creed ([[?]])
played Op 27 No 2. Backe in the hut I wrote & ironed
and then got off to bed.
1.3.45.
We were up early again and I got my shirt, u/clothes
tie & flying gloves exchanged at the clothing store. Then
I took the boys to an interview with the C.G.I. and he
wished us all the best. We're posted to Sturgate A.C.S.
We had dinner then saw the M.O. who gave us T.A.B. &
T.T. & then we were paid & completed the clearances.
At 1600 we pushed off and caught the 1642 train to
Reading. Arrived there early, about 17.30 and so went
to see Sandy Powell at the Palace Theatre. Xtra good
vaudeville show with beautiful dancing - no low
stuff. We caught the train at 2245 to Exeter. My
[[?]] were playing up a whole lot but I managed
to get some sleep. We arrived Exeter 0400 & shifted
our luggage & also had some refreshments. Went
again at 0540 & there was an officer in the compartment
who was lying right across the seat so Jack asked 
him to sit up which he did ungraciously and later
when a matelot lit up a cigarette, said "Good God man,
haven't you got any bloody manners" & promptly threw
the window open. Arrived Bideford c. 0745.
 

2.3.45.
I went to the Royal Hotel & we got cleaned
up a whole lot and then we phoned thru to the farm &
had a look at the town of Bideford. We took a taxi
and arrived c. 1130. Met Mrs Cork, Margaret (16) &
Joyce (married). We had a little walk & met Mr
Cork & Mr Read. After dinner we phoned Mr Read who
is the war Agriculture Inspector for these parts, and
he took us for a drive along the Lorridge valley to
Lorrington & onto Beaford where he had to visit
some farmer. He came back a different way & dropped
us in Bideford & we walked out here. Had tea &
spent the evening nattering & showing around
pictures. We hit the hay 2300 hrs.
3.3.45.
Our day started about midday when we got up
& I wrote a little & helped Mr Cook with some sewing.
The church at Lorrington is one of the few with a spire in
these parts & just near it is a monument to a Cromwellian
battle fought there. The bridge at Bideford has each
span a different size according to the wealth of the
parishes which supplied the money. The house here is
reputed to be 200 years old and is low ceiling with big
beams across. You have to stoop to get thru the doors.
There are 8 children in the family - two boys, Bill & John
live here & two others are in the army. The other two girls are
away, one being married, the other engaged & working
with N.A.A.F.I. After dinner I wrote up my diary and
a little [[?]] and read just a little & that took us
to meal-time again. After tea we washed up then
went into the front room & nattered & listened
to the radio. The whole family came in & just sat
about & it was real family life & gee, I got a buck
out of it. Got off to the nest about 2200.
4.3.45.
We were called at about 0830 and had breakfast
then went & did the washing up. Got changed &
we went to church with Mr & Mrs Cork. Not a particularly
good sermon or service. We came back to
dinner which was collosal. The church was at Abbotsham
We washed up and then went to the Abbotsham
cliffs more or less across country. Beautiful scenery
and the coastline was grand with high cliffs and
a rocky beach. We climbed up on to a high tor and
could see all over Bideford Bay, the entrance to the
R. Taw & way out west to Lundy Island. We
came back thru a big property and then had tea.
This property is owned by Sir Hugh Stucly who is the
owner of Moreton Lodge across the road, [[was?]] used as
a boys school. In the evening I played the piano a
 

little & it was pathetic. Talked for a while & then hit the
hay. Saw a film called "First in, Last out", in
Bideford & "The Cheddar Cheese" in Reading.
5.3.45.
We got called quite early again and after breakfast
we cleaned Joyce's and Margaret's bikes and then
got ready to go out. Took the bus to Clovelly about
9 miles from here. Bus stops at the top of the cliff
and you make your way down by a winding
cobblestone path into the village which was owned
for 50 years by Christine Hamlyn & it has now become
a company owned affair We had lunch in a little
café then went down to the water. On the way we
passed some old tars yarning and also a doorway
carved by Anton Lang at Oberammergau &
bought by Mrs Hamlyn. The houses are all very
quaint and quite brightly coloured and are built
flush with the path & [[?]] with it right down to
the water. On the water front were a number ^of little
fishing boats & the tars were repairing them. The
jetty is a substantial affair built with solid stone
& there is a marine light at the end of it. The Red
lion Hotel is right on the water and the tide
must come almost to its walls. We got on to the
Hobby Drive and walked for three miles to the
main road, saw some beautiful panoramas on the
way around and saw a bit of Lundy Island in
the distance. We waited a while for the bus then
started to walk and got a lift in a coal
truck to home here. Had tea & washed up and then
came into the front room. Joyce played the piano
a bit.
6.3.45.
We were up early again and after breakfast, washed
up then went to town in the car to the Market. We
strolled thru the flower & veg. part with Mrs Cork then
branched off to have a look at the Kingsby Memorial
& Victoria Gardens. We made our way back thru the
town doing a lot of window shopping. I went to the
station & found my bike had arrived & then we had a
look at the church in which lies the Lady of Richard
Grenville. Had dinner with Mrs Cork & Mrs Wickett at the
[[?]] inn, and then we had a look in the cattle market
but business was over so we came home. I played
the piano and wrote a bit and after tea we decided
to go to the dance at Littleham. Walked 3 miles there
with John Cork and had an xtra good time. Wizard
band & a nice crowd and fair floor. John says if a
girl smokes in these parts it's a sign her morals aren"t
so hot. I saw a rabbit lying on the post office
 

counter & a wrapper round its middle with a stamp
on it! John [[?]] & I walked home & got off to bed.
7.3.45.
We slept in a bit today and then got up to
breakfast. Nothing else to do so we took a walk to
Moreton Lodge, home of Sir Hugh Stukely, & had a
look at the gardens there. They are all laid out and
most attractively arranged. After dinner we stayed
at the house a while - I had a very bad niggly all
today - and then sat out on bench & read a while.
After tea Mr & Mrs Cork, John[[?]] Joyce & I went to the
Wicketts. We male folk took a delightful walk across
the fields to the coast just near sunset and the
picture was unforgettable looking across the rich
valley with the sky pink & blue & the sea filling up
the hollow. A nice evening with a bang on supper &
we came home. Knocked a milk tin over leaving
their place. Leave extended to 16th March
8.3.45.
Up ay 0815 and after breakfast got a bit tidied up
and went out to the field far side of the Rd, near
Abbotsham, to spread manure. Nice working day & in
the morning we spread 41 piles. Knocked off at 1245 &
had a beaut lunch. In the afternoon John & Mr Cork
went to a cattle sale but I had to go to town to get
some more coupons & collect my bike etc. I had a
look at last night's prang & the bloke surely made a
mess of the Wimpy. Just missed the town's gas
works & burnt out. Five killed. I rode the bike home
and wrote for a time then we had tea. In the
evening we sat in the front room & I read a bit.
Mr. Cork, in his broad Devon said" If us can
git across in one place, us can git across in
another can't us?" - referring to the Rhine.
9.3.45.
We went to our old job in the morning and
did 5 more piles than yesterday. Beautiful for
working. Had dinner & John wanted to write
but I went to Bideford, then to Northam on
the bike. Between Northam & Appeldore I looked
at an old tower called Chanter's Folly built
about 150 yrs ago by a fella called Chanter to
watch his ships come in but it wasn't high
enough so he wasted all that money. Appeldore is
a pretty little fishing village and [[?]] Imstowe on
the other side of the river. Pushed on to Westward Ho!
via narrow, winding. Ridged in county lanes
and found this place to be quit large & a sort of
seaside resort, built way up the side of the cliff.
In the last part I passed thru some beautifully
 

green country & big estates thru Abbotsham back
home. Spent the evening reading & nattering before
the fire.
10.3.45.
We put in another morning on our manure
job and have about half a morning's work to go.
Came in for dinner and then in the afternoon I
got stuck into cleaning my bike out on the front
path as it was such a glorious afternoon. I took
all the pedal mechanism to bits & got it all back
quite O.K. In the evening we sat by the fire and
played a game called "Who Knows." I read quite a
bit & listened to the wireless. The fences or hedges in
Devon are merely raised earth barriers with possibly
hawthorne growing on top of them.
11.3.45.
Up at the usual time and at 1045 I went to church
in Bideford. The bursar of Edgehill Girls' school, Rev.
Pike, was the preacher and he was very good.
I went to the station and collected my flying
clothing & made my way out here to dinner. We
had another sunny day & I intended going to the
cliffs but my bike was u/s so I stopped back &
tried to fix it. About 1030 John and I went for a
walk to the Rittleham Road and then back for tea.
Margaret's friend, Dorothy, was here and later Edna
arrived. In the evening I showed them our flying
equipment and then we nattered until quite late.
12.3.45.
We got up at the usual time and after the preliminaries,
went out to our field and finished off our
dung spreading. I rode into town to get some brake
blocks etc. and then came back along the Abbotsham
road. Saw the hospital and grammar school and one of the
lodges of Moriton. I walked across country there some
nice green fields all full of sheep & lambs, to the
Clovelly road & came in for dinner. I spent the early
part of the afternoon fixing my bike and then got
dressed and John and I walked up to take the bus to
Edna's. While waiting we watched a stoat - like a ferret
playing on a bank of leaves. Edna met the bus & drove
us home and we had tea then walked along the R.
Yeo and picked some daffodils and then went up to
have a look at an old church. A tablet in it read:-
Hand drawn diagram – see original
which puts the date at 1644 & I should
say the inscription Jesus, below, in &
middle" or something to that effect. The
building is now in ruins. [[Norman?]] drove
us to Westward Ho! where one of his men
was working and then we came back and sat
 

 
around the fire & talked. Bill came c 2130 after
having been to a H.[[?]]. meeting and led us home.
We got right off to bed.
13.3.45.
Margaret called us as usual and we were
given a new job - to cut up some oak boughs.
The family went to town to market so only
Margaret, Bill, John, John & I were at lunch.
The wood smelt beautiful as we sawed it
thro: In the afternoon John washed up & I lit
the copper & we boiled up all our dirty clothes
When we had washed the, we kept the water
and John had a bath in the washhouse in a
tub but when Mrs Cork came in, she said to
use the bath upstairs so I had mine in luxury.
I had tea and we spent the evening as usual
around the fire & Joyce played the piano. We
stayed up till 2240 to hear Lord Haw Haw.
14.3.45.
Up early and off to our job of sawing. We did
a very big log and I split it up. Then we came
to lunch which was characteristically huge.
In the afternoon I rode the bike up the Yea
Valley as far as Bradworthy. Saw the Northam
water supply and the ruined church near [[?]].
Got back in an hour - 13 miles - and had tea &
we spent a typical evening in the lounge. I signed
the visitors book in the Bradworthy church & was
the first Australian to do so.
15.3.45.
I got up and we had breakfast and then we
did the washing up and packed our kit and
waited for the taxi. It arrived about 1100 and
we said goodbye to the Corks and drove into town.
Got our luggage organised and I bought some
[[fruit?]] in town and at 1224 the train left. I had
to stand to Exeter but it was O.K. after that. I
sent a telegram to Moreton at Templecombe to
ask for their further posting instructions. We
saw the spire at Salisbury and it looked beautiful
and then when we arrived at Waterloo we got the
inter-station bus to Kings Cross. Had a lot of
trouble with kit storage and eventually just left
my bike behind a piece of tin! John went to stay
with the Andrews at West Wickham. I went to
Victoria League & got room 57. Went to Alexander
Rd. to deliver some cigarettes to Mrs Ratham then
came back & had a delightful supper of cod at
the Athaneum Restaurant in Edgware Rd. I met
an Aussie W/O nav. there & we walked back to the
 

Vic. League together. I had a beautiful bath and the
hit the hay