Monday, 9 October [1944] HMT, Highland Monarch
Day’s run 321 miles (total 3211.) Bob and I awakened this morning rather early and believe it or not land Ho. Any land would have looked good, but because we now knew that it was England, we were very cheerful. The entire army personnel is in good spirits today. We traveled all day about a half mile off shore. The country which we passed was beautiful. We each received a carton of cigarettes today (free of charge) they were donated by the bigger business concerns at home. Well look here, the boxing matches begin. Germane comes into the ring, he looks good but very small in comparison to his opponent. I hate to describe the farce, which followed. The big guy tried to rough Germane up. Got Jim mad and the third round ended in a technical KO for Germane, Champion of the Highland Monarch.
Tuesday, 10 October [1944] HMT, Highland Monarch
We docked about 0200 at Avonmouth, England, near Bristol. This is a man‐made port and one of the largest in England.1Avonmouth is a suburb of Bristol, England near the Avon River. During the war, it was a bomb target for the German Luftwaffe. It was also an important port for the mobilization of Allied forces in preparation for their transport to France. “The Road to D-Day.” Accessed April 24, 2014. Foreignaffairs.com We had to go through locks to get in. This port was used in the Normandy invasion. We had to remain aboard all day, awaiting transportation. The above should give you some idea of how crowded the U.K. is.
We debarked at 1800. Entrained in an old English train with compartments holding 4 men. We arrived at Newbury at 2300, about 50 miles from London.2Newbury is a town in Berkshire, England. It was bombed on February 10, 1943 by German bombers. As a result of the attack, 15 people were killed with 41 people also sustaining injuries. “WWII Memorial for 1943 Newbury Bomb Attack Victims.” Accessed April 24, 2014. BBC News. Online. We spent the night at a tremendous airport (one from which Holland air‐borne invasion was launched). We saw one F.W. 190 but it was high up and traveling very rapidly.