Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Anecdote
There is no diary entry today, probably because my grandfather was still not feeling well. However, on the following page, there is this anecdote, with accompanying diagram. It isn't attached to any particular date:
The OC told us rather an amusing story at dinner, about a captain who wanted to find a position for a 6-inch gun to fire at a Bosch sausage balloon, as the authorities think that they observe the pipsqueaking on the Béthune - La Bassée road from it. Well, he thought a very good position would be in the door or gateway to the farm that is just outside the Mess window and he requested leave of the Orderly officer to bring his smallgun along. Just at this moment, the Colonel arrived and told him quietly that the position was impossible, and he was last seen one and a half miles away, working south to try to find a position for the man.
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Two things about this.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, what gentle understatement it contains. Bringing a gun into the mess, but also the Colonel not having a bar of anyything that would upset his 'off'time.
Secondly, I so appreciate seeing your grandfather's hand. Of course, he wrote in pen, the biro not having been invented. And the paper is reminiscent of Moleskine.
It is a brown cloth-covered thing, with a six inch rule marked down the right hand side of the front cover (it is longer than six inches) and it has "ARMY BOOK 152. Correspondence Book (FIELD SERVICE)" printed on it. I will take a picture and put it up. In fact, I will add it to today's rather terse post, once my camera's battery has recharged.
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