Diary extracts for Apr to May 1944
8th Apr 1944:
The coastal ban comes into force tonight. [in anticipation of D-Day preparations]
20th Apr 1944:
RA elections
We spiked Gunn with a Spear!
26th Apr 1944:
2 raids in the night, the 2nd one seemed to be over Portsmouth. Heavy firing and some thuds which shook the house violently, evidently bombs. Fortunately the children slept through it and we did not take them downstairs.
28th Apr 1944:
RA Private View
Went up with Mavis. Spoke to Laura Knight, Kelly, Frank Dobson, LeBas , Gooden etc.
Taxi to catch the last ferry which now goes from the floating bridge.
2nd May 1944:
Crispin to St George’s
except for a short argument at the gate and a few tears I think all was well.
5th May 1944:
The 2 battleships Revenge and Resolution left the new docks this afternoon after having been there several months
19th May 1944:
Still working on the painting of the torpedoing of the Tirpitz
22nd May 1944:
To Selsey with Commanders Kimmins and Moore to see the subject to be painted: Mulberry Harbour for the landings in Normandy.
[unknown date]:
. . . That is the Mulberry harbour being assembled at Southsea Bill, prior to D-Day which took place about a fortnight after I was down there. It was very interesting. They wouldn’t tell me what it was for, but they took me out in a duck. It was most extraordinary. It was like a lot of factories standing up out of the water. I had some pretty plain idea what it was. And it was eventually towed across to Normandy of course, where it became an artificial harbour for our landing craft to go into to land. It was certainly one of the most extraordinary things of the war.