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

I thought you might be interested in the fact that 4 May was the 60th anniversary of my being called up to the army. I had to report to Perth as I described in one of my messages. I was 19 and it was not the first time I had been away from home. There had been holidays without parents and my being evacuated at the start of the war. But it was the first time I had really been away from the London area or southern England in general. My family knew that part of Essex which was within reach of where we lived in Leytonstone, including fairly rural parts which have now been built up.
Especially we used to got to Southend-on-Sea which by car was about an hour or so from our house. So going to Scotland was a great adventure.

Best wishes

Harold

Hello Harold,
Well done, I was four years younger than you and sweating bricks in case the war was over before I got into it. The thing was it had been on so long by then we all thought it would go on for ever.
I did of course miss the main conflict and ended up a couple of years later in a situation that had no winners and still goes on today.
I changed radically in that time why can't others.
Your war or I should say our war was justified, it was only when we found out about the millions that were killed I doubt even that.
Let us hope Harold that people learn from the experiences we put on these pages but again I have my doubt's.
I thank those men and women who gave all for our future which overall has been a good one. We can sit here and talk to each other at the age we are because of them. Our children and Grandchildren have no concept of those times so drop their guard, it scares me when I see the same mistakes being made, I do not want them to know what we knew.
Keep posting Harold and let us start getting those pictures on here fast. I have rejected the one with the flared trousers zoot suit kipper tie and two tone dancing shoes as too dull, I better go through them again.
Regards Frank.

Dear Frank

I'm a bit slow on the uptake. What's this about pictures? Are they placed on the WW2 website? Or have I misunderstood you? Did I mention that my married daughter is arranging an 80th birthday party for me in July? I have a feeling that she wants me to sing one or more of the songs I used to sing at the end-of-term concerts for the students at the college where I used to teach. My wife used to walk out when I started to sing. One of the songs was 'The miner's dream of home' and the other was 'Mother was bathing the baby.'
I expect you know them.
I could never remember all the words of the song we used to sing about the regiment I served in, The Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment. It went to the tune of the regimental march called 'Braganza', named after the wife of Charles II who came from Portugal. The regiment (2nd of foot) was formed in 1663, in Charles II's reign. The only words I remember of the unofficial song are: 'Here they come, here they come, bullshitting bastards every one.' You may remember that blanco was made by Pickering's. Pickering was the Colonel of the regiment as I understand and it was no doubt because of that connection that bullshit was actively pursued in the regiment.

Harold

Hello Harold,
The good news is that as from yesterday one Photo per story can be sent in and pasted onto that story even if it is already on the site.
The bad news is Penelope has just told me they are sitting there twiddling their thumbs waiting for the uploading machine to arrive.
They are going to tell us how to send photo's in the "Contribute" slot on the left side of the page "I think" but we have to wait for it all being in place.
Ron Goldstein was the guinea pig and if you go to his personal page will see him standing there with a Bazooka in his mouth, he said it was a pipe.

I was in a dialogue some while back about the song "A miners dream of home" as I did play it a lot many years back only it was Soldiers, Sailors, Airmans, and any one who wanted it Dream of Home with altered words. I do not know your Regimental song though may have played it when playing the mess piano many sheets to the wind, I could never remember what I had played next morning. Not much else to to in a Desert Garrison. I have the words for Miners Dream of Home somewhere in my files "Ha Ha" OK then my heaps of folders stuffed with papers of all kinds in which I can find nothing quickly.
My Grandkids often ask me to "play some of those old fashioned songs" and then stomp around when I hit Glen Millers "In the Mood" they "Pogo" to everything these days.
My voice went out the door giving orders on the square and teaching young officers how to project their squeaky voices two miles under the loud bangs conditions. My wife was surprised when a pal once told her I was a fair Tenor at one time, the look of doubt on her face said it all.
If I see the new program before you I will send a runner. I will now look for a Colonel B#######'s Blancoed bull photo to send in, the ones of me stripped in the desert may send the Staffers wild. I am too old for them to descend on me in a group, two's and threes these days.
Do your own thing Harold you earned the right.
Regards Frank.