A Story of War

Diary Entries

Volume 1 (Big Little Wars, 1939-41, India and Iraq) is now available to buy in print on Amazon. These diary entries are arranged by month in the right navigation, though due to the order in which they were posted (originally they were published on the same day exactly sixty years later), the posts within each […]

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Passage to India, 1947

by Angela Dunford Wood It had been snowing since before Christmas, and now it was early March 1947, and the weather had not changed. Snow was banked unevenly each side of the roads, like petrified clouds. The white fields lay stunned and silent. I was tucked into the back seat of the car with a […]
April 27th 1946

A.and I have a drink with Jerry Philips in my favourite bar, the Mayfair, and then we have dinner with Bill and Daphne at Manetta’s, where I get a bit weary at 11.30 or so. We see Mary Churchill, who recognises A. with whom she was at school, and A. says “Yes, you are Mary […]
April 22nd 1946

We come up to town and stay at the Majestic Hotel in Cromwell Road. I go to the Great Central Hotel and meet Jerry Philips, 10 Baluchis, Donald Gorden, 7 Jajputs, and Macdowall, now a Lt Col working at the India Office. The outlook appears a bit depressing in India, and no word of when […]
April 19th 1946

On 11th I get a wire postponing my report until 20th and I am annoyed. I go up to London the next day and find that I am on a draft leaving on “Britannic” ex Liverpool about 25th, so A. and I are going up to town tomorrow. We have arranged a small party tomorrow […]
April 7th 1946

I go out shooting with A. and get a rabbit and a grey squirrel. We also have a sort of family ride and I go over three jumps. The second one I do badly and come off, the first time ever in my life. I hurt my shoulder and go in to Oxford for an […]
March 31st 1946

We spend a couple of days in Brighton and then return home, and we ride a little and go out drinking here and there. I have a very good ride by myself along the Icknield Way, and see so many rabbits decide to unpack my .22. We then go up to town for a few […]
March 18th 1946

We go down to Brighton and lunch at the Old Ship, dine at the Crown at Chiddingfold, and yesterday morning I dress up and we go and visit the R.M.C. (JDW: Sandhurst). It is much the same, with the same ‘bluebottles’, but damned cold. I teach A. cribbage and we walk around the surrounding country.
March 12th 1946 – Wedding Day!

Bill Robinson and I are staying at Hambledon preparing for a wedding, my own, at which he is best man. We spend the morning polishing Sam Brownes and swords. Old Hume sends two table napkin rings. John and Betts (JDW: Angela’s elder brother and his wife) give a sort of party in our honour on […]
March 9th 1946

I come up to town and find that I am out of the RAF on March 1st. A chap called Cam gives me 14 days leave at the India Office, but later increases it to 21 days, as the wedding is on 12th March and there is a draft sailing on the 15th. I sell […]