A Story of War

I go down to Brussels again, well and truly navigated as of Indian days, and see W/C Andrews, Air Movements, who turns out to be an old acquaintance of the 1st Burma campaign. After a lot of negotiations I am given the job, as there is some stooge in the office who has to be satisfied first, but on returning to Celle I find no posting signal in, and I had planned to leave tomorrow. So perhaps I will be foiled at the post again.

Of my several nights in Brussels, I live in boredom in the Palace hotel and wander round at nights spending francs. One joint – the ‘Cosy Club’ – some hostess sets to work on me and I buy a couple of rounds, cognac and fruit “cup” for her, costing 175 francs, and then get her away. We go to some cafe of her friends where she warms up a bit and eventually tells me to go home, but that she will keep with me all the next night, and we arrange a date for 2pm the next day. I wait until 3.05 but she does not turn up. I also do a bit of drinking in the RAF Club.

Andrews and I set off one day by car to the Hague. We arrive and go o Shaef Mission Air Component and also visit the air movements people in Valkenburg, the Hague airfield, and I get my office and bed provisionally promised in the Terminus Hotel, used by the Boche and now taken over for RAF transit officers, but actually inhabited by some ancient permanent residents and the town major’s staff. We have lunch at Mission and dinner at the airfield Mess and then go drinking gin at some local Dutchman’s house in the Wassenaar residential area. We booze Bols from 9-10.30pm and I meet there some 28 year old dame called Kieks Henny. She is brought in by some other RAF type, but is taken out by me. Andrews and I are taken back to town and then she is dropped, but comes to town with me in the back seat. And is she warm – God! I get her address and hope to return, but this damn posting signal may cock things up.

A magnificent bedroom, a Canadian padre’s bully beef for breakfast. The car is delayed due to a puncture and we depart at 12.00, getting to Brussels Everes at 17.30 where I arrange to take off and fly home. But on running up the canopy it blows over a hedge and is broken, so I return to the Palace hotel for yet another night, returning here today on a Dakota lift at 06.45 – to find no posting signal – damn!!