Diary Entry: Wet & dull all day. Diary notes: The weather must have been especially drab for KPD to mention this – nothing unusual in what is now (not in 1943) the August Bank Holiday weekend having poor weather, of course!
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Diary Date: 27th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Had solo to Hawarden. Hitched Rhyl & stayed. Diary notes: KPD spoke of hitching during WW2 in later life, saying that wearing a uniform made it easier (and perhaps safer?)
Diary Date: 26th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Lecture on Security. Went dentist. Diary notes: Even at this (relatively late) stage of the war, the need for ‘security’ (e.g. the fear of Axis spies) was still an important part of Government Propaganda, though fears of an invasion had largely eased. . One of the most famous British posters on security in …
Diary Date: 25th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Went to “7 Miles from Alcatraz” at Wrexham with Win Quarmby. Diary notes: Win. [Winifrid?] Quarmby was a friend, probably a colleague from the A.T.S. “7 Miles from Alcatraz” was a 1942 adventure film. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Miles_from_Alcatraz By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34025247
Diary Date: 23rd August [1943]
Diary Entry: Went to Theatre – very good show. Diary notes: Although it isn’t certain, this probably refers to the Royalty Theatre in Chester, since demolished. KPD mentions going there on a number of occasions. For more details on the theatre, see: https://www.chesterwalls.info/gallery/royalty.html The shell of the building during its demolition (2001)
Diary Date: 20th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Good Ensa. Charles Dudley & his midgets. Neil McKay. Diary notes: ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association – sometimes called ‘Every Night Something Awful’) was set up in 1939 to provide entertainment for servicemen/women. It seems that Charles Dudley was a showman who ran a show based on ‘midgets’ – see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df1EqqALSqc Charles Dudley’s …
Diary Date: 19th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Irene Sedgwick & I went to fetch vehicles from Shrewsbury. Diary notes: Irene Sedgwick was a colleague in the A.T.S. This was a round trip of some 70 miles.
Diary Date: 18th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Had tea with Nancy. Went to Algiers & “The Crystal Ball”. Diary notes: Nancy was a friend, presumably in the A.T.S., with whom KPD socialised regularly during the war years. ”Algiers’ might be a café, pub or hotel. “The Crystal Ball” is a 1943 comedy film starring Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard. See: …
Diary Date: 15th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Chatterton drove me to Chester. Caught 11.10 to Rhyl. Spent day with Dowells. Diary notes: ‘Chatterton’ was probably an ATS colleague (this is the only time they are mentioned in the diaries). The Dowells were friends living in Rhyl who KPD met quite often.
Diary Date: 14th August [1943]
Diary Entry: Lecture Czech officer. Went to Llangollen with Margaret Smith (Mac) on canal. Saw Fred Astaire in “You were never lovelier”. Diary notes: It would be interesting to know what the lecture by a Czech officer was about – Czech soldiers (like those from other conquered countries) serving in the UK would have had …
Aunt Pamela's War 