Letter from Mrs Jean Scott to Mr. Peter-Alexander van Teeseling. Early 1980’s.

Dear Peter,

My late husband came to Kibworth with the 11th Battalion, January 1944.

The Camp was on the gardens, the council built houses on for returning mean after the war. One Nissen hut was on my back garden, where I now have a greenhouse.

The 11th battalion had some very lively members among them. They were always in trouble with the local police sergeant, doing things like stealing chickens from people’s back garden, killing them and cooking them.

When they left Kibworth, in the summer, some of them made an effigy of the policeman, and set fire to it on the village square. I think he was glad to see them go. Quite a lot of them still came back to the village.

When they came to the village none of them had any money, until pay day, but all the public houses let them have drinks, and everyone got paid back, when they were paid.

When they went to Arnhem, I was only seventeen, but I remember hearing planes going over for days. When the few that came home, nearly a fortnight later, just a handful of planes returned. My husband was one of the lucky ones.

He was sent away from Melton, a few days after he came back to guard men who had refused to jump at Arnhem, most of them were only young boys. My husband did it for a couple of days, then told his officer he wouldn’t do it [anymore]. So he got sent back to the Royal Artillery, who were in Belgium, for Rundstedt’s push [what became known as the Battle of the Bulge]. So he spent from 4 Dec 1944 under canvas, again in the fighting. They were under canvas and it was a bitterly cold winter. I remember him saying they had corned beef and a dry biscuit on Christmas Day. He went from Belgium right through to Germany, till the war ended.

After fighting in the desert, before he joined the Paras. I think he did his share.

Last year I wrote to my husband’s friend in Coventry to ask him if he could tell me, the numbers from 2-5 on the form details.

When Ivor [1] came back to Kibworth after leave in Jan 44, he was an engineer, so he was sent to another Company, but he phones me at Christmas, told me he’s asking round the men that are still alive from the 11th Battalion to get the details, he also said he had some photo’s, but I haven’t heard from him yet. If I do get details I will send them on. He did tell me the 11th battalion had it pretty hard at Arnhem.

I know my husband did tell me him and a friend [2] were in a slit-trench, very hungry, as they’d had nothing to eat. My husband remembered seeing an orchard with pears and plums in it. My husband went off to get some fruit, when he came back his friend had been killed. When we came to Arnhem in 1980 he looked for his grave, but couldn’t find it.

The Dutch people didn’t have it very good either. It must have been awful after the troops had left.

Well Peter, I hope I have been able to help you. I’m sorry I have taken a long time, but I haven’t been well the last year. But, am going to hospital for treatment, so am hoping to feel better soon.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs. Jean Scott.

NOTES:

[1] 4398300. Pte. Ivor Thomas Jones. HQ-Company. WIA/POW, Stalag 11B.

[2] 6089728. Pte. James Edward O’Dell. B-Company. KIA: 20-21 September 1944.

Researched and transcribed by Robert Hilton.