Читать книгу We Were Young and at War: The first-hand story of young lives lived and lost in World War Two - Sarah Wallis - Страница 84

Dear Trudie,

Your letter of March 23rd arrived today. It’s taken over six weeks, what a time! It certainly is a very short one and you haven’t asked me one question. Tut, tut! I have had no proper sleep for six successive nights and I am going to bed early tonight.

We are in the news. Last Saturday night when Liverpool was having its biggest ‘Blitz’ one of our ‘Defiant’ night fighters chased a Junkers 88 from Liverpool and shot it down over Lostock Gralam. The plane was dashing about out of control. I heard it coming. I was in the house, I shouted ‘Look out Mother!’ as I heard the plane roaring towards the house, it roared past and Dad and I rushed out. People who were outside said it was marvellous that it hadn’t crashed into the row of five houses of which ours is one.

We jumped into the car and followed it until it crashed and burst into flames. We were amongst the first to arrive there and we helped put the flames out. What a Godsend it had crashed in a field of oats. We found no bodies in the machine. So we began to search then news came through that two had escaped by parachute, one had been captured by soldiers and the other by members of our Home Guard platoon. That left two to find. We spread out and Dad found another parachute, open, and the harness undone. So he called me and three others to search. We were going to turn past a stream when someone shined his torch in the water, and there was a body lying face upward in the water. He was dead. I’ve never felt like being sick in all my days as at that moment. I turned away and someone said to me: ‘I shouldn’t be sorry for him if I were you, he’s killed lots of women and children tonight.’ I said ‘true’. And my heart hardened and I turned towards him. He had been badly shot, and how he found the effort to crawl from the parachute to the water nobody knows. He was an NCO about twenty-three years of age and very broad and well built. The other man, the pilot, was found by a dog, his parachute had failed to open. These two are to be buried with full military honours tomorrow, by the men of the squadron that shot him down.

Well things have not gone too grand in Greece and we realize our heavy lack of equipment. Mere courage is no good alone. We are relying on America to send us tackle. And I think it should be conveyed by you. We can’t fight Hitler with all the resources of Europe in his hands, alone. I don’t see now why your men can’t participate in the war. Enough of this war. Lets talk about ‘somat’ else.

Talking about carrots, I like raw ones over grated, but have not the slightest idea what pea-nut butter is. What is it? Did you know our night-fighter pilots eat carrots to give them keen eyesight?

Well must get some shut-eye before Jerry arrives tonight. You and yours keep well………

Lots of love!!!!

Brian

In Łódź, Dawid would have come across the dead and the dying regularly. In May 1941 alone almost 1,000 ghetto inhabitants died from starvation and disease. Over the following two months, Chairman Rumkowski clamped down on any signs of dissent, which threatened the smooth running of the ghetto, targeting strike leaders in the workshops and Communists. Dawid had been a committed Communist since prewar days.