Letter from Herbert Adams to his mother

Letter from Herbert Adams to his mother

Thanks her for parcel with cake and tea. Writes of driving to friends in London and having problems with his car on the return. mentions flying to Germany to view bomb damage. Saw Duren, Dusseldorf, Dortmund-Ems canal, Aachen, Cologne, Essen, Krefeld, Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Hamm, Munster, Wesel and Maastricht as well as French targets.

1945-06-20

One page airmail letter

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EAdamsHGAdamsBHB450620

AIR MAIL
AUSTRALIA.
[postmark]
Mrs B. Adams,
“Springfield,”
Mendooran, N.S.W.
Australia.
FROM:
Aus 424504
P/O HG. Adams.
[inserted] HG
HG. Adams [/inserted]
[page break]
[underlined] NO 57 [/underlined]
P/O H.G. Adams.
AUSPO. Kodak House,
Kingsway, London.
Wed 20/6/45.
Dear Mum,
Thanks ever so much for the parcel I got yesterday. Most of the cake is gone now and it is really lovely. The tea comes in handy even now that we can have [missing word] in the mess until 9 at night because [missing word] in the mornings and afternoons down [missing word] the nav. section we work up a he [missing word] thirst in this hot weather.
Last week end I drove the car down to Arthur Heath’s place via London. The car went very well on the way down & after a nice week-end I set off at one in the morning to come back and everything went wrong. I got lost, broke a wheel & had a puncture & fixed both had a lot of carburetter [sic] trouble I think it was & couldn’t fix that. It stopped once & wouldn’t start for a couple of hours. It wouldn’t pull at all well & chewed a terrific amount of juice. I didn’t get back until tea time that day & so wasn’t too happy.
Yesterday I went on a trip to Germany for a tour of bomb damage. Visited Duren Dusseldorf and Dortmund Ems Canal where we’d been on ops and as well saw Aachen, Cologne, Essen, Krefeld, Duisberg, Gelsenkirken, Dortmund, Hamm, Munster, Wesel & Maastricht as well as quite a lot of French targets. The centre of Duren – a small town of probably about 40 – 50,000 people – was the most spectacular. For about 1/2 mile square there wasn’t anything but rubble, even the bricks were broken into pebbles & dust. Will have some photos of it all I hope to send or bring.
Cheerio for now. Love to all at home. Bert xxxx