Category Archives: Uncategorized

Diary Entry: ‘Ian home for lunch.’ Diary notes: KPD must have had a day or two’s leave, as she was still at her friend Dulcie Leggett’s home in Gerrards Cross (Ian was Dulcie’s husband).

Diary Entry: ‘Went to Gerrards X [Cross] stay night Dulcie’ Diary notes: To Gerrards Cross was a drive of over 70 miles (and KPD’s diary entry in a couple of days implies she had driven to Gerrard’s Cross), but Dulcie Leggett was a good friend, and KPD was the godmother of her young son, Paul.

Diary Entry: ‘Took Brig & Major Doughty round Tilbury, Purfleet etc. Duty N.C.O. Had to ring Hove police about girls’ leave.’ Diary notes: After a pretty routine day driving two senior officers around, KPD was clearly on call as the duty N.C.O and describes one job she had to do. But. of course, she was …

Continue reading “Diary Date: 25th February [1944]”

Diary Entry: Saw “ Hers to hold” Diary notes: Although this was a midweek day (a Thursday) KPD seems to have gone to the cinema (possibly shown in camp by ENSA). The film, also known as “Three Smart Girls Join Up”, is a 1942 American romantic comedy starring Joseph Cotten and Deanna Durbin.

Diary Entry: ‘Took car to R.E.M.E. W/S. Fetched evening.’ Diary notes: A reminder that KPD’s duties included ensuring her car was serviced and in good working order. To that end she took her car to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshop, presumably as it required something she could not so herself.

Diary Entry: ‘Stanford-le-Hope am. Southend pm.’ Diary entry: A fairly ‘regulation’ diary entry; KPD has just made a brief note to remind herself where her military duties took her that day.

Diary Entry: ‘Took Brig. To O.T.S. Officer’s mess Fetched 1.45 & followed Chinese people in car Foulness & Shoeburyness. Tea officers’ mess.’ Diary notes: Another fair drive (about 85 miles). The mention of following ‘Chinese people’ is intriguing, and it seems that there was a Chinese delegation, led by General Yang Chieh, in Britain during …

Continue reading “Diary Date: 21st February [1944]”

Diary Entry: Took Brig. to Tilbury, Grays, Brentwood. H. [Home] Guard lunch White Hart group, Stanford-le-Hope, Orsett. Diary notes: A round trip of just over 100 miles – possibly still with snow on the roads.

Diary Entry: ‘Snow settled. Took Brig & Maj Warne to Southend.’ Diary notes: Back at base, KPD may have had an interesting journey due to the snow.

Diary Entry: ‘Snowing’ Diary notes: At one word the equal shortest entry in KPD’s 60+ years of diaries! Presumably the snow stopped her doing anything else!