On this day US planes bombed Singapore.
As usual
5th November 1944
My Darling Wife,
Guy Fawkes Night and it’s Anthony’s fifth and I don’t suppose that he’s ever seen fireworks. I wonder if we shall be able to have some rockets this time next year. Here’s hoping.
Four of the lads and myself made an attempt to climb one of the local mountains, nearly 2000ft high. Of course, you must remember we start at a height well over that of Dunkery Beacon. Of course, it being rather out in the wilds you consider yourself lucky if you find a path, then they just go as far as the village and then conk out. Funnily enough they don’t seem to reach the bottom of the hill but merely connect the hill villages to the lower slopes of the mountain where they grow their rice. Well, having left camp about 11am and motored to the foot of the hill then fought our way through elephant grass well over our heads we happened on a path. Well, for the first hour the going was hard till we got into the woods, jungle if you like, but it was just delightful, not unlike Watersmeet, but on a larger scale. Just as we were getting rather thirsty I noticed a pomelo on the ground (a wild grapefruit and rather more tart) and we found we were under a tree of the same so sat down and quenched the said thirst. I suppose we got to within 1500 feet of the top but that would have been the worst part as it was terribly steep and thickly matted jungle. I reckon it would take two days to do the job properly.
Pomelo fruit
The pomelo, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis, also called pomello, pummelo, pommelo, pamplemousse, jabong (Hawaii), or shaddock, is a natural (non-hybrid) citrus fruit, similar in appearance to a large grapefruit, native to South and Southeast Asia.
The pomelo is one of the four original citrus species from which the rest of cultivated citrus hybridised.
Staff Sergeant Kellaway who comes with me on such tours is also a parson’s son and his father is minister of the Methodist chapel at Bury to which I went for church parade. He runs a large Bentley sports car. So you can see he’s fairly well off. I have another sergeant who runs a Lagonda and my batman has a car like Miss Misa’s car so you see I’m surrounded by wealth.
I’ve been a captain nearly a year now but still have received no pay for it. But won’t it be a nice big lump when it does. The high debt that I had at the beginning of last year is now nearly settled. I spend so little that I have easily managed on the balance I had in the bank at that time for I have not received any pay over that period. Of course your allotment was not interfered with. When the captain cash does come through I shall not increase your allotment but send home lumps of cash as bank accumulates.
All my love sweetheart to you and Anthony.
Till then I’m still your own,
Johnnie xxxxxxxxxxxx
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