h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Frank you have a cherished respect for people you are trying to help. That is a good attribute on this site.

I am pointing people i know in your direction, i hope you do not mind. It is a privelege to know you keep up the good work Beniton

Hello Beniton,
Having been called many things in my life, more so when I was a Warrant Officer, WO1. in the army, cherished was not among them.
A jumped up never come down black enamelled granite faced fatherless armoured plate. Yes many a time but then I ran a tight Unit who got the job done.
Permission to polish my Halo. The one I do not think I deserve.
At my age my intention is to help if I can with information or just to show people where their stories vanished to. I cannot compare in that department with Peter and many more of the Senior Ranks on the site but hope my small input does some good.
I always read your input and comment where I think it required.
Regards Frank.

Hi Frank, can i please run this past you. I have recently gone into detail in an interview case study relating to regression on relationships during WW2. Which were very strained at the time as you could imagine.

being a man of the world, i hope you might shed some light on this.

Relationships during WW2 where somewhat strained, as many American veterans have mentioned to me. Apparently certain women were having affairs with other men while their husbands were away. Even those who were on shifts.

They apparently had a call sign to put in the window to say their husbands had returned, and the sign would deter them. The call sign for some was a soap box with OMO the soap powder, the box would be put in the window. It was supposed to be read as ODE MAN OME. Warning them not to call.

I have been told this is true, but i have just been told to query this. Apparently it is right, what do you think Frank? No implications old chap but you may have heard of this, if so i would be grateful if you let me have your feelings or any information, please best regards Frank Beniton

Hello Beniton,
Well that is a sticky one. Being of an age where girls were getting to be important in that Dancing was a major part of my life, they could all dance hence my interest. I cannot really answer that question with any corroborative evidence.
Men were away in many case for five years or more. Women were suddenly free of household chores as their only existence to being in factories or the forces. They had money and a sort of freedom added to which in the early years the knowledge they could be dead or injured at almost any time.
There were thousands of foreign troops here, in our case Canadians with money to spend and they too knew life could be very short. Put those two elements together and it would have been very strange if nothing had happened.
We all knew it went on and in lots of cases moralistic do-gooders let the Husbands know causing much trouble. The number of couples who parted after the war tells its own story. Many though stayed together and got on with life even at times when there was another mans baby involved, or the wife knew the Husband had not been faithfull whilst away. I did know of several such cases locally and it was never spoken of there after.
As to OMO boxes and signals there were jokes aplenty but as to truth I have no idea.
I danced in all the local halls and being quite adept at dancing got to partner many of the older or married women. being a kid even if a tall husky one they were always polite and I do not remember being hustled at any time. Most of those girls wanted an hour or two away from the gloom of the war and then they went home.
Sorry I cannot give you more than that, but I would think there was a lot less of it than urban myth tells.
regards Frank.

Thanks for that Frank i will use it sparingly as indeed i wish to tell as much of the truth as i can, but i like the Urban Myth idea. It gets me out of the brown stuff so to speak. Thanks again Frank regards Beniton

Dear Frank, as i have always held your comments with great respect, and you have tried to help as many people as you can, that come along to give their for penneth worth, from what i can see from the beginning.

I have always hoped from the day i dropped onto the site that it might change especially where spurious storys are concerned. And the name thing. But to no avail. I honestly cannot see how they will change anything as i have inside information where they have got what they have set out to do in the name of an archive, which it is not in the strictest sense of the word.

There is a collection here of true spurious and someones ideas of what heppened in WW2, and you with first hand knowledge you have pointed them out. To a researcher the WW2 team have made this site a nightmare for researchers. But it has good information for historical stuff, even though a lot is from someones dissitation, from self made historians and researchers trying to leave their mark. Veterans are thin on the ground, because their off-spring are trying to make their names on this site

I thought they might look towards people like you Frank and Harry,and excitible Peter but they are not bothered, as it is keep up the good work mate it was nice knowing you best regards Beniton

"Hi" Beniton,
What can I say, well I could say "never give up on your challenges" you have set yourself a goal keep kicking towards it.
More than once in my life I have thought, well this is it lay down and accept it but that is not my way so I am still around to stir the pot when required.
I hear what you say and agree there are some posturer's around who get their kicks by trying to look good in print. I fail to see the point of that when no one knows who on earth they are. They may as well write stories for paper back novels and at least get paid for it if they were good enough.
I still think this site warts and all is a good thing. At least some time in the future people will read those stories and sort the wheat from the chaff.
The Imperial and War Museums are doing some thing like that on a smaller scale. Local Libraries and Museums are also now into it mainly because the BBC woke them, up to the fact there is living history in their area's.
If nothing else came out of it at least local history is being written down and stored. Some of my stories are now preserved in this way.
Lift your sights and take a broader view of things. look for the obviously spurious stories and blatant mistakes as we do then gently point out those mistakes. I say gently as they may be genuine and with word of mouth things can be misheard which is why I tell people writing stories for others to double check then let the teller read what is written.
It all comes down to being tenacious, you have your misgivings and so do we but that does not mean you have to stop trying to achieve better things does it.
Keep posting Regards Frank.