Up again at 8, and office 9.15. Usual Saturday rush and hurry. Not out till nearly 2, and so no lunch but a cup of coffee.
Horseshow at Chelmsford today,
but could not go. Fine this morning, but
rain in afternoon.
Went home to tea, then left for
the Post, being on from 9 to 1am. One of
the Horkesley policemen came in for a chat, and was talking about the affair at
“Woodside” Gt. Horkesley, some months ago.
This place had been fitted out as a brothel for Americans, when one
night some 8th Army men, who had learnt to hate the Americans in
Italy, raided the place and smashed it to pieces. There was not a piece of glass or furniture
left. This was all hushed up at the
time, but the general opinion is that it was a good thing. The English police can't touch these American
brothels for fear of upsetting the “allies”.
Quite a dull watch, and nothing
to report. Went off at 1.00, intending to
go home, but turned back at the corner and hurried down to the stack by the
marshes. Then wished I hadn’t – felt
quite cold with terror, lying on the stack in the silence of the night, and
overcome with a feeling of horrid premonition, in fact felt I was expecting the
sirens which sounded almost immediately.
Tried hard to lie still under the yellow moon, but could not, in case
something crept up on me from behind the stack, so had to get out of the warm
straw and stand shivering, listening to the distant guns, and the wailing of
sirens over in Suffolk. Yet the sky was
clear but for the moon and the stars.
But it was soon over, and slept
peacefully for 4 hours, lulled by the cries of herons and owls, and the
rustling of rats in the stack. Woke to
find a light rain faling, and heard the Nayland church clock strike 5. A pale yellow glow in the NE, and thin
watering clouds drifting over.
Had a message for Dunsley at
White Park Farm, so walked up the driveway and pushed it under the door. Not a sound anywhere but the rustling of
something in a stable.
Cycled back to “Woodside”. Near Water Lane a young red setter bitch came
trotting along, a piece of cord round her neck.
She refused to be shaken off so I had to shut her in the wash-house with
some water.
Then to bed.
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