Diary Entry: Drove Brig. Rawcliffe to Wickford am & Danbury pm. Diary notes: About a 45 mile round trip. ‘Brig. Rawcliffe’ may be the “unpleasant Brigadier” KPD mentions having driven “in a large Humber” in her post-war memoirs.
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Diary Date: 25th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Tried out Humber. Betty Collis came to see me. Diary notes: KPD’s duties included driving officers around, and so it was important she felt comfortable (and confident) in the choice of car she used. This is the only mention of ‘Betty Collis’ in KPD’s diaries.
Diary Date: 24th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Posted to Southend Sub-dist. H.Q. Glencare, Chalkenwall Av. Westcliffe-on -Sea as L/cpl Bus. Lunch. Chelmsford. Diary notes: I assume this refers to KPD’s promotion to the ranks of NCO (‘Non-Commissioned Officer’). As a ‘L/Cpl’ (‘Lance Corporal’) KPD was officially a ‘Junior N.C.O.’
Diary Date: 22nd January [1944]
Diary Entry: Signed off M125. Went Braintree in Bren gun carrier. Diary notes: Most of KPD’s driving was in cars or lorries, so this is a far more ‘military’ type vehicle with tracks, not wheels; given this it is likely that KPD was a passenger, not the driver: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Carrier A Bren gun carrier in France …
Diary Date: 19th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Hitched Ipswich. Night Peggy. Diary notes: Peggy Dell – Anthony (KPD’s brother) had married Peggy (1910 -1991), his first wife and mother of his two children, Grahame & Jennifer.
Diary Date: 17th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Had bad chill Diary notes: Quite possibly KPD caught this from her difficult work yesterday.
Diary Date: 16th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Duty Driver. Three trips Chelmsford. Foggy & v. bad last time. Met Leslie. Diary notes: Felsted to Chelmsford is only about 11 miles, but three return trips adds up to nearly 70 miles, in bad weather and quite possibly after dark at a time when the ‘blackout’ meant no street lights. ‘Leslie’ may …
Diary Date: 13th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Took Col. Anderton Shoeburyness. Saw “George Washington slept here” Diary notes: “George Washington slept here” is a 1942 US comedy film (based on an earlier play), starring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Slept_Here https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28995614
Diary Date: 12th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Returned Felsted. Diary notes: Perhaps because she had worked over Christmas, KPD now had enjoyed nine days leave before returning to the military camp she was working.
Diary Date: 11th January [1944]
Diary Entry: Tea & supper Orc[hard] Cot[tage]. Diary notes: Orchard Cottage, Crofton (near Farnborough, Kent) was the home of the Lewis family, former employers of KPD who became good friends.
Aunt Pamela's War 