Brilliant day, mild and sunny, but felt it overshadowed by the coming night. This morning Charlie Baldwin came in with a story about the murder at Abberton. A Home Guard officer named Capt. Grundy has been shot by a regular soldier, whom he came across when rabbiting.
Charlie said: “Did you hear
together about these goings on at Abberton?
That was like this: Thursday night we had a ‘robert’ bomb [V1 robot bomb] at Copt Hall,
and then later on the same night there was an owd Jerry came over and he
dropped a string o’bombs on the next marsh to where that was. Well, of course all this here upset our
cattle, and we had about 100 head o’stock out by the morning, so I went up to
Copt Hall Chase to find Cutting, and he says to me “I suppose you know all
these here cattle are out all over the parish?
You might let Webb know when you’re up the village, and you might tell
him there’s an unexploded bomb on the bottom marsh.”
Well, I thought if I went to
Ponder’s place, him being Head Warden, I could tell him, and he could ‘phone
Webb, ‘cause that’d be cheaper, like, but when I get to Ponder’s his missus
said “He’s out, but that ain't a might o’good getting on to Webb, ‘cause he’s
got a murder on his hands, and he’s busy.”
So I says “Oh, has he. But what
about this here unexploded bomb? Webb
can't do no good to the poor chap what’s dead, but if this bomb go off that might
kill somebody else.”
Well, I went off and told my
brother Cecil, and he went off with young Neville to the tractor they’d left
behind the stacks near Peldon ‘Rose’.
When they got there, Cecil noticed that the cloth had gone off the tractor,
so they had a look round, and right agin the stack they found the cloth with an
R.A.F. chap rolled up in it, fast asleep, in fact he looked that white and
queer they thought he was dead, so Cecil goes up and gives him a kick. Well, that woke him up, and Cecil says “What
are you up to mate?” and this chap says “I’m a-going to Mersea.” “Where are you come from?” says Cecil, and he
says “I’ve come from London Island and told Sergt. Woods. He says “That’s all right,” he says “he wont
get off,” he says, “And I’ll tell you for why,” he says, “cause I’m going to
put a man down by the Stroud, and that’ll stop him, see?”
Well, last night my brother and
Neville was in the Rose, when in come Woods.
He calls my brother out, and he say “You know that fellow what you told
me about?” and my brother say “Yes”, “Well,” he say “we found him.” “Yes?” says my brother. “Well,” he say, “he ain't nothing to do with
that murder at all!”
It appears that Capt. Grundy was
killed just behind Mabbitt’s house, Manwood Chase. The soldier then went across
to the Layer Road
A flying-bomb fell at St Osyth
either yesterday or the day before.
Went into the Park this
afternoon, and went to sleep on the grass.
Big crowds about. Felt strangely
lonely.
To Rallings’ at tea-time and
picked several pounds of cherries. The
fruit trees here are all very old, but still bear well. Some of the pear trees are over 60 years
old. Father came over and we all had
tea. Miss Payne went off to Takeley for
the weekend, and I am spending two nights in the old house. Have not slept there since before Mother
died.
Thinking about preparing maps of
Boxted to show the agricultural development of the parish, with particular
notice of the siting of the little 15th century hall houses round
the Heath.
Went up town this evening. Saw an American at St. Botolph’s Corner, very
drunk, standing on one leg and shouting “Look at me! I’m a stork!”
Calm evening, and not many ‘planes
about. To bed at eleven, in the front
room, in Mother’s place. Have to go on
duty at Horkesley tomorrow. The Royal Observer Corps
don't seem very anxious to make use of my services, but I shan’t complain if
they leave me alone entirely.
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