Description
Object description
A collection of correspondence from personnel from the Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (REME), and other units, to Eric and Dora Bindon and their daughter Anne, who lived at The Lodge next to a REME training camp at Holme Pierrepoint (HPP), Nottinghamshire. The letters mostly talk of personal matters, and thank Mrs Bindon for the letters and parcels she sent and for their hospitality at HPP. The collection consists of: one ms letter (4pp, July 1946) by Corporal Willems Armand from HQ Signals Service, Belgian Army, in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, describing his service in the Belgian Army until taken prisoner of war, allowed to go home by the Germans where he married a young lady to avoid being sent to forced work in Germany, hiding when told he must still go, volunteering for the 9th US Army until the Belgian Army reformed in England; 19 ms letters, air mail letter cards and airgraphs plus photocopies of a further 4 letters (46pp plus envelopes, October 1942 – January 1946), by Craftsman (Later Corporal) Victor G Becquart from K Camp, No 2 Base Ordnance Workshop (BOD), Middle East Force (MEF), DDME Branch (Eighth Army), MEF, a Light Aid Detachment (LAD) attached to 152nd Infantry Brigade, British North African Forces (BNAF) and British Liberation Army (BLA) (1943 – March 1945), attached to M Section, 51st (Highland) Divisional Signals, BLA (April 1945), and 1002 (West African) Mobile Workshop, WAEME, in India (1946), together with a photocopy of a photograph of Becquart with Eric and Anne Bindon; photocopies of two ms letters (6pp, n.d. and November 1943) by Marcel De Wit, a former Corporal in the Belgian Army, now a Private in the French Army, 36eme Independente, 3 Peleton, writing from Ramsgate Kent and Criccieth, Wales, and discussing operations for shrapnel wounds received during the Battle of Tunisia while fighting with the French Foreign Legion; five ms letters and one RNF Christmas Card plus photocopies of three ms letters (30pp plus envelopes, November 1945 – December 1946), by Fusilier (later Corporal) Jim Dunkley, from 3 Platoon 824th Field Company Royal Engineers based in Hemsby Camp Great Yarmouth (n.d.), 'D' Company, 30th Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Malta Force, Malta, and HQ 2nd Infantry Brigade, MELF, with brief details of his movements and duties, and life in Malta and Egypt, together with photocopies of two photographs of Dunkley; four airgraph letters, including two with printed Christmas messages (4pp, May 1943 – April 1945) by Craftsman E Gates from 504 Workshop Company, REME, MEF, and 9th Armoured Division Group Workshop, REME, CMF; eight ms letters and photocopies of a further 18 ms letters (94pp, plus some envelopes, September 1944 – October 1947), and one REME Christmas Card (2pp, n.d.), by Craftsman W Alex Hancock (aka Hoffnung) from REME Staff, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, No. 2 Camp, REME, Farnley Park, Otley, 3rd Command Workshops, REME, Scorton, Richmond, Yorkshire, LAD REME, HQ Squadron, 1st Armoured Division, MELF (Qassasin, Egypt), No. 3 Convalescent Depot, REME, British Forces in Palestine, and Portstewart, Northern Ireland, with details of movements, billets, leisure time, and post war work, together with a photocopy of a photograph of Hancock; one ms letter (2pp, April 1945), by Bernard Hodgson; one ms letter (11pp, incomplete, August 1944), and photocopies of three ms letters (31pp, September 1944, August and October 1945) by Craftsman Vernon Jacques, from 50th S/L Brigade Workshop, REME, Caswell Bay, Nr Swansea, Wales, and later from Somerset, and then with 557th BOD, RAOC, CMF and 16 Base Workshop REME, CMF, with details of his missing Anne and HPP, and being sent all round the country to units that had moved or weren't expecting him, describing his voyage to Italy via Malta (June 1945) and of life in Italy; one ms letter and a photocopy of a ms letter (5pp plus envelope, December 1944 and June 1945) by Mrs Elizabeth Jacques; nine ms and ts airgraph letters and two air letters plus photocopies of three ms and ts letters (19pp, April 1943 – March 1945), by Captain Geoffrey C Kew, from 9th Non-Divisional Ordnance Field Park, BNAF (April – August 1943), 1st Infantry Troops Workshop, REME, BNAF (September 1943 – April 1944), and 659th Infantry Troops Workshops, REME, CMF (May and September 1944 and March 1945), with descriptions of his locations and duties, and the birth of his daughter; one airgraph and three ms letters plus photocopies of three ms letters (31pp plus some envelopes, April 1943 – August 1944), by Craftsman B 'Jock' McLeod, from Advanced Component, 12th Base Workshops, REME, RNAF, 20th Beach Group, REME, CMF, with details of landing in Sicily, the towns and people, and fruit, and his homesickness, time in North Africa and Sicily, and from 33rd General Hospital CMF (June and August 1944), together with a photocopy of a photograph of McLeod; 12 airgrphs letters, and four airmail letters (21pp, September 1941 – January 1945), by Lance Corporal (later Sergeant) Ron S Swain, from 6th Divisional Ordnance Workshops, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC), in Worksop, 70th Divisional Ordnance Workshops, RAOC (REME from October 1942), in Bombay, India, 14th Indian Brigade Workshops, REME, HQ Telecom Section REME, HQ Special Force Signals, SEAC, with brief details, problems of missing mail, communicating with the locals; one airgraph and one airmail (3pp, December 1943 – January 1944), by Corporal Joseph Tetley, from 66th General Hospital (with pneumonia) and No. 4 VA Workshop, REME, MEF; four airgraph and one airmail letter plus a photocopy of a ms letter (10pp, January 1943 – May 1944), by Corporal (later Sergeant) J Reg Thorpe, from 538th Workshops Company, 533rd Base Workshops, REME, MEF, brief details, entertainment; three ms letters (6pp, plus one envelope, Jun 1944 – August 1945), by Trooper R Turner, from HQ Squadron, 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's 3rd Dragoon Guards), SEAC, with details of lack of entertainment, boredom, education, and his movements in India and Burma; one ms letter plus photocopies of two ms letters (10pp plus envelope, January and December 1944 and August 1945), by Craftsman Cecil E Whittle, from 59th Infantry Workshop, REME, Home Forces, 307th Infantry workshop, REME, British Liberation Army (BLA), in Belgium, and 177th Infantry Brigade Workshop, REME, BLA. Together with 21 First World War photographs, with only a couple annotated and signed, five group photographs of RAF, WAAF, REME and Army units, six photos of an unnamed soldier, four other photographs, Second World War, and a photocopy of a portrait photograph of Mrs Dora Bindon (née Potter).
Content description
A collection of correspondence from personnel from the Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (REME), and other units, to Eric and Dora Bindon and their daughter Anne, who lived at The Lodge next to a REME training camp at Holme Pierrepoint (HPP), Nottinghamshire. The letters mostly talk of personal matters, and thank Mrs Bindon for the letters and parcels she sent and for their hospitality at HPP. The collection consists of: one ms letter (4pp, July 1946) by Corporal Willems Armand from HQ Signals Service, Belgian Army, in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, describing his service in the Belgian Army until taken prisoner of war, allowed to go home by the Germans where he married a young lady to avoid being sent to forced work in Germany, hiding when told he must still go, volunteering for the 9th US Army until the Belgian Army reformed in England; 19 ms letters, air mail letter cards and airgraphs plus photocopies of a further 4 letters (46pp plus envelopes, October 1942 – January 1946), by Craftsman (Later Corporal) Victor G Becquart from K Camp, No 2 Base Ordnance Workshop (BOD), Middle East Force (MEF), DDME Branch (Eighth Army), MEF, a Light Aid Detachment (LAD) attached to 152nd Infantry Brigade, British North African Forces (BNAF) and British Liberation Army (BLA) (1943 – March 1945), attached to M Section, 51st (Highland) Divisional Signals, BLA (April 1945), and 1002 (West African) Mobile Workshop, WAEME, in India (1946), together with a photocopy of a photograph of Becquart with Eric and Anne Bindon; photocopies of two ms letters (6pp, n.d. and November 1943) by Marcel De Wit, a former Corporal in the Belgian Army, now a Private in the French Army, 36eme Independente, 3 Peleton, writing from Ramsgate Kent and Criccieth, Wales, and discussing operations for shrapnel wounds received during the Battle of Tunisia while fighting with the French Foreign Legion; five ms letters and one RNF Christmas Card plus photocopies of three ms letters (30pp plus envelopes, November 1945 – December 1946), by Fusilier (later Corporal) Jim Dunkley, from 3 Platoon 824th Field Company Royal Engineers based in Hemsby Camp Great Yarmouth (n.d.), 'D' Company, 30th Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Malta Force, Malta, and HQ 2nd Infantry Brigade, MELF, with brief details of his movements and duties, and life in Malta and Egypt, together with photocopies of two photographs of Dunkley; four airgraph letters, including two with printed Christmas messages (4pp, May 1943 – April 1945) by Craftsman E Gates from 504 Workshop Company, REME, MEF, and 9th Armoured Division Group Workshop, REME, CMF; eight ms letters and photocopies of a further 18 ms letters (94pp, plus some envelopes, September 1944 – October 1947), and one REME Christmas Card (2pp, n.d.), by Craftsman W Alex Hancock (aka Hoffnung) from REME Staff, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, No. 2 Camp, REME, Farnley Park, Otley, 3rd Command Workshops, REME, Scorton, Richmond, Yorkshire, LAD REME, HQ Squadron, 1st Armoured Division, MELF (Qassasin, Egypt), No. 3 Convalescent Depot, REME, British Forces in Palestine, and Portstewart, Northern Ireland, with details of movements, billets, leisure time, and post war work, together with a photocopy of a photograph of Hancock; one ms letter (2pp, April 1945), by Bernard Hodgson; one ms letter (11pp, incomplete, August 1944), and photocopies of three ms letters (31pp, September 1944, August and October 1945) by Craftsman Vernon Jacques, from 50th S/L Brigade Workshop, REME, Caswell Bay, Nr Swansea, Wales, and later from Somerset, and then with 557th BOD, RAOC, CMF and 16 Base Workshop REME, CMF, with details of his missing Anne and HPP, and being sent all round the country to units that had moved or weren't expecting him, describing his voyage to Italy via Malta (June 1945) and of life in Italy; one ms letter and a photocopy of a ms letter (5pp plus envelope, December 1944 and June 1945) by Mrs Elizabeth Jacques; nine ms and ts airgraph letters and two air letters plus photocopies of three ms and ts letters (19pp, April 1943 – March 1945), by Captain Geoffrey C Kew, from 9th Non-Divisional Ordnance Field Park, BNAF (April – August 1943), 1st Infantry Troops Workshop, REME, BNAF (September 1943 – April 1944), and 659th Infantry Troops Workshops, REME, CMF (May and September 1944 and March 1945), with descriptions of his locations and duties, and the birth of his daughter; one airgraph and three ms letters plus photocopies of three ms letters (31pp plus some envelopes, April 1943 – August 1944), by Craftsman B 'Jock' McLeod, from Advanced Component, 12th Base Workshops, REME, RNAF, 20th Beach Group, REME, CMF, with details of landing in Sicily, the towns and people, and fruit, and his homesickness, time in North Africa and Sicily, and from 33rd General Hospital CMF (June and August 1944), together with a photocopy of a photograph of McLeod; 12 airgrphs letters, and four airmail letters (21pp, September 1941 – January 1945), by Lance Corporal (later Sergeant) Ron S Swain, from 6th Divisional Ordnance Workshops, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC), in Worksop, 70th Divisional Ordnance Workshops, RAOC (REME from October 1942), in Bombay, India, 14th Indian Brigade Workshops, REME, HQ Telecom Section REME, HQ Special Force Signals, SEAC, with brief details, problems of missing mail, communicating with the locals; one airgraph and one airmail (3pp, December 1943 – January 1944), by Corporal Joseph Tetley, from 66th General Hospital (with pneumonia) and No. 4 VA Workshop, REME, MEF; four airgraph and one airmail letter plus a photocopy of a ms letter (10pp, January 1943 – May 1944), by Corporal (later Sergeant) J Reg Thorpe, from 538th Workshops Company, 533rd Base Workshops, REME, MEF, brief details, entertainment; three ms letters (6pp, plus one envelope, Jun 1944 – August 1945), by Trooper R Turner, from HQ Squadron, 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's 3rd Dragoon Guards), SEAC, with details of lack of entertainment, boredom, education, and his movements in India and Burma; one ms letter plus photocopies of two ms letters (10pp plus envelope, January and December 1944 and August 1945), by Craftsman Cecil E Whittle, from 59th Infantry Workshop, REME, Home Forces, 307th Infantry workshop, REME, British Liberation Army (BLA), in Belgium, and 177th Infantry Brigade Workshop, REME, BLA. Together with 21 First World War photographs, with only a couple annotated and signed, five group photographs of RAF, WAAF, REME and Army units, six photos of an unnamed soldier, four other photographs, Second World War, and a photocopy of a portrait photograph of Mrs Dora Bindon (née Potter).
History note
Cataloguer SJO