Britain at War – August 2019

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'Britain at War' Magazine,PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1NA | [email protected]

FIELD POST

http://www.britainatwar.com^59

ABOVE Wessex HC 2 XS678 of 72 Sqn in SOAF markings at Salalah in 1974.
(VIA DICK WILLIAMS)

Our Brave Forebears

Dear Editor,

As a serving officer in The Light

Dragoons, I thought it right to

follow up on the two features

on the 13th/18th Royal Hussars

published last issue – in which

you were aided by past and

present members of the regiment

and its successors – with a few

words of reflection on the legacy

of our forebears.

Today, as soldiers who deploy

around the world on operations

and exercises, we can only

imagine what this might have

been like during the Second World

War. Many of the experiences

draw parallels; the excitement,

preparation and stresses involved

in leaving families behind. The

unavoidable stretches of boredom

were almost certainly present as

were peaks of joy.

The preparation and training

would have been on an incredible

scale, a necessary burden to

ensure no stone was left unturned

for the moment when the

beach came into sight, and yet,

inevitably, there would be concern

that not all eventualities could

be planned for, with a sickening

feeling of trepidation.

Comfort can be found in

the months and years of hard

training, where soldiers dig deep

and perform under incredible

pressure on cold, wet, training

grounds. This helps to settle

the nerves. Idle banter offers

familiarity and soothes tension,

while comradeship is leant on

hard. The inevitable boredom

and the understandable

frustration of unplanned

delays sets in. But, soon, an

overwhelming notion – ‘let’s just

get on with it’ – precedes the

commitment to battle.

There would have been little

time to think about loved ones

back home during the build-up,

probably at least until the last

night, then everyone thinks

about friends and kin and last-

minute hand-scrawled letters are

deposited someplace safe, in the

hope that they are never opened.

The next day, onto the ships,

ready to move and the mind is

back in focus, acutely aware of

what may lie ahead and what will

or may be done.

These human aspects of

soldiering have not changed, and

are unlikely to do so. Thankfully

though, due to the bravery

and valour of our forefathers,

fewer letters are opened and we

remember with great gratitude

and pride those who fought so

bravely before us.

The sheer scale and enormity

of the feats involved, both

by individuals and collective

squadrons and regiments, during

those war years are not lost on

soldiers today. We look on our

job with a pride that we are able

to follow in their footsteps, albeit

under very different global and

political conditions.

Should the time come, we

hope to demonstrate the

same immense courage and

comradeship of a special

generation whom we rightly

remember through marked

events.

Major Edward Quicke

Squadron Leader, ‘B’ Squadron

The Light Dragoons

By email

Dear Editor,

I was delighted to see the Britain

Beneath the Blitz feature in the

July issue, as for many years

I’ve felt that the tremendous

contribution made by Civil

Defence Service during the war’s

early years has been largely

overlooked by the history books.

I’m glad to see Britain at War is

helping to right this wrong!

I think the line in the article

that said “People didn’t take

kindly to being told to ‘put that

Extraordinary People

RIGHT Air raid wardens and members of the police force helping to keep

Londoners safe in October 1940. (KEY COLLECTION)

light out’ at night” hit the nail on

the head – Air Raid Precaution

staff weren’t always valued, until

the Germans started the Blitz

on British cities in earnest. Only

then did the service start to be

taken very seriously by members

of the public. As you’ve probably

already guessed, I do have a family

connection with the Civil Defence

Service – my late father being an

air raid warden during the war.

Doug Rose, by Email

Extraordinary People

BELOW 'A' Squadron, The Light

Dragoons, exercise in Morocco, 2016.

(CROWN COPYRIGHT)