Help deciphering a WWII letter.

[Luther Moore]

Hi all,

I have a letter here that was passed down to me and I have no idea who he was but it is addressed to my Great Grandmother or Great Auntie.

I can read most of it but I have a few problems reading some words. I have marked out those words.

Can anyone please help me fill in the gaps?

R Langman 24610
HQ 30 Battery 6 Field Regiment
H.J.E.?
Middle East Forces


Dear Mrs Schollum,


I hope you can read this by the time it gets home but I haven't got a pen just just now and they dont seem to have any in the YMCA. I had a letter last week from yourself........? from for which I thank you very much.You certainly go to a lot of trouble over me..........? were dated in April and May, so you see they have taken a fair while to get here. I'm sorry about my mail being mucked up? but surely? you have had some of my letter cards by now. I'm getting a bit more financial? now and ..................day I drew ten......? and three of us went into Cairo on Sunday and had a pretty good day. We went for a swim after which we were going to .......? .......? at the Cairo Y.M? but arrived a bit late so helped them dish up the afternoon tea which consisted of fruit salad, ice-cream, bread and honey and cake. There was as much as we wanted and it was all free. In the evening we went to church and after the service they turned? ......on and we decided to come home. The past mail from ...? only took twelve days to get here.that's not bad going ..? it. I've changed my ....... from a .... gunner to a signaller it's not ....? an easy job but a .....? has to use his ...... a .......and it's darned? interesting I tell you all about it when we get home after the war.I have not recieved the chocolates that the girls sent yet. I have got all the photos however including one Dad sent of Ruth (my Grandmother) on a ....... ........? They are all very good and I was glad to get them. And now I'll have to go and sow a few buttons on.Good bye, love to all.

Roy

(Next page)


Have decided to try to write another page. I'm laying down on my bed at the moment, it's a bit awkward though. The bed consists of a ground sheet laid out on the ground a ....... .......... on that a blanket spread a great coat a blanket and a pair of boots for a pillow.It's pretty hard but we are well used to that now and can sleep quite comfortably. We had some free pictures the other night turned on by the YMCA,it was an open air show so there was plenty of room for everyone.The screen was fixed up on the side of the YM van? and the projector was fixed up on some boxes. It fell off ...? but went on again all right and it was a darned good show. Dont forget to let me know when ...... ....... and .... out for parts unknown. Jack boon was .. ...... me a few days ago but now I must go sow on those buttons.

Love Roy

I hope you can read this by the time it gets home but I haven't got a pen just just now and they dont seem to have any in the YMCA. I had a letter last week from yourself........? from for wich I thank you very much.You certainly go to a lot of

trouble over me..........? were dated in April and May, so you see they have taken a fair while to get here. I'm sorry about my mail being mucked up? but surely? you have had some of my letter cards by now. I'm getting a bit more financial? now and ..................day I drew ten......? and three of us went into Cairo on Sunday and had a pretty good day. We went for a swim after which we were going to .......? .......? at the Cairo Y.M? but arrived a bit late

so helped them dish up the afternoon tea which consisted of fruit salad, ice-cream, bread and honey and cake. There was as much as we wanted and it was all free. In the evening we went to church and after the service they turned? ......on and we decided to come home. The past mail from ...? only took twelve days to get here.that's not bad going ..? it. I've changed my ....... from a

.... gunner to a signaller it's not ....? an easy job but a .....? has to use his ...... a .......and it's darned? interesting I tell you all about it when we get home after the war.I have not recieved the chocolates that the girls sent yet. I have got all the photos however including one Dad sent of Ruth (my Grandmother) on a ....... ........? They are all very good and I was glad to get them. And now i'll have to go and sow a few buttons on.Good bye, love to all.Roy.

Have decided to try to write another page. I'm laying down on my bed at the moment, it's a bit awkward though. The bed consists of a ground sheet laid out on the ground a ....... .......... on that a blanket spread a great coat a blanket and a pair of boots for a pillow.It's pretty hard but we are well used to that now and can sleep quite comfortably. We had some free pictures the other night turned on by the YMCA,it was an open

air show so there was plenty of room for everyone.The screen was fixed up on the side of the YM van? and the projector was fixed up on some boxes. It fell off ...? but went on again all right and it was a darned good show.Dont forget to let me know when ...... ....... and .... out for parts unknown. Jack boon was .. ...... me a few days ago but now I must go sow on those buttons.

Love Roy





Cheers for any help.

[baronbeeza]

Easy peasy, that is so similar to the way we were taught to write back in the days before biros.
(Ball point pens).
Many here would just read that naturally, - easier that textspeak.


If someone hasn't done it beforehand i may get a chance to look into your missing words overnight.

[McFly]

It appears your man is 'Ernest Roy Langman'.

Auckland War Memorial - Cenotaph Database:
muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/28376.detail?keywords=Langman%20Ernest%20Roy%20World%20War%20II,%201939-1945

His Grave in Libya:
www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/ernest-roy-langman-32699
and
www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2162633/LANGMAN,%20ERNEST%20ROY

And the 'Knightsbridge' Cemetery:
www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2008100/KNIGHTSBRIDGE%20WAR%20CEMETERY,%20ACROMA

A photo from the newspaper announcing his death:
www.digitalnz.org/records/30097656

So I wonder what battle he died in and what his connection to your Great Grandmother was...? (he died 4 months after writing this letter)

[Dave Homewood]

E R Langman 24610
HQ 30 Battery 6 Field Regiment
N.Z.E.F.
Middle East Forces


Dear Mrs Schollum,


I hope you can read this by the time it gets home but I haven't got a pen just just now and they dont seem to have any in the YMCA. I had a letter last week from yourself, also three weeklys for which I thank you very much. You certainly go to a lot of trouble over me. The weeklys were dated in April and May, so you see they have taken a fair while to get here.

I'm sorry about my mail being mucked up but surely you have had some of my letter cards by now. I'm getting a bit more financial now and last pay-day I drew ten shillings and three of us went into Cairo on Sunday and had a pretty good day.

We went for a swim after which we were going to Bible Class at the Cairo Y.M but arrived a bit late so helped them dish up the afternoon tea which consisted of fruit salad, ice-cream, bread and honey and cake. There was as much as we wanted and it was all free.

In the evening we went to church and after the service they turned supper on and we decided to come home. The last mail from N.Z. only took twelve days to get here. That's not bad going, is it?

I've changed my vocation from a Bren gunner to a signaller. It's not such an easy job but a bloke has to use his brains a bit and it's darned interesting. I tell you all about it when we get home after the war. I have not recieved the chocolates that the girls sent yet. I have got all the photos however including one Dad sent of Ruth on a push bike. They are all very good and I was glad to get them. And now i'll have to go and sow a few buttons on. Good bye, love to all.

Roy

(Next page)


Have decided to try to write another page. I'm laying down on my bed at the moment, it's a bit awkward though. The bed consists of a ground sheet laid out on the ground a sheet laid out on that a blanket spread a great coat a blanket and a pair of boots for a pillow.It's pretty hard but we are well used to that now and can sleep quite comfortably. We had some free pictures the other night turned on by the YMCA,it was an open air show so there was plenty of room for everyone.The screen was fixed up on the side of the YM van? and the projector was fixed up on some boxes. It fell off once but went on again all right and it was a darned good show. Don't forget to let me know when Clive Moase leaves and head out for parts unknown. Jack boon was in visiting me a few days ago but now I must go sow on those buttons.

Love Roy

[Luther Moore]

Dave, Thank you so much, Finally I can read it with no gaps!!.

McFly, thanks for the links. I can't believe you found a photo of him,now I can put a face to the letter.I have no idea how he knew my Nan and Great Nan.I can't ask Nan because she can't remember me, let alone who he was. I am going to do some looking into him to see how died and where. Sad to think he dies not long after the letter was written.

Also thanks Baronbeeza for offering.

[Tony]

weeklys would refer to the NZ Weekly News magazine.
I remember them in the '50's with their pink cover sheet

[Dave Homewood]

Yes agreed Macfire. Very popular magazine during the war.

[scrooge]

Cairo Y.M.? would be Cairo YMCA?

Also Luther have you actually asked your Nan? sometimes older people can remember things from their youth better than relatively recent history.

[Luther Moore]

Scrooge, you raise a very good point.Nan can't remember me some days because she suffers from Dementia but I have heard her talk about things that happened when she was younger like it was yesterday.It's a very touchy subject to ask the older generation things, for fear I might bring up bad memories.

What is YMCA?

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, the YMCA was usualy abbrevaited back then to simply the YM.

[Luther Moore]

Gunner E. R. Langman, of Ahuroa, North Auckland, killed in action.

Full Name Ernest Roy Langman

Rank Last Held Gunner

Forename(s) Ernest Roy

Surname Langman

War World War II, 1939-1945

Last Unit Served New Zealand Artillery, 6Field Regiment

Place of Death Western Desert

Date of Death 1 December 1941

Age at Death 23

Year of Death 1941



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Full Name Jack Boon

Rank Last Held Private

Forename(s) Jack

Surname Boon

War World War II, 1939-1945

Serial No. 62492

Next of Kin Mr Boon, Ahuroa, New Zealand

Campaigns Western Desert

Last Unit Served 21Infantry Battalion

Place of Death Western Desert

Date of Death 26 November 1941

Age at Death 22

Year of Death 1941

Memorial Name Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories




Sources Used Auckland Museum. Roll of Honour, Auckland Province, 1939 - 1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/139.

[scrooge]

YMCA- Young Men's Christian Association. Started 6 June 1844 and still going. Google gives more of course.

Yes, my wifes grandmother is like that, can remember what happened as she was growing up, but can't remember telling you the same story twice already in the last 10 minutes. Fortunately seems happy enough to remember and doesn't get upset.

[Luther Moore]

Exactly the same case. I hear how tall I have gotten since the last time I last visited. I will give asking her a go though.

[McFly]

Might suggest that Gunner Langman died in the following action - 1 Dec 1941 and part of Operation Crusader. (30 Battery, 6 Field Regiment)

Wiki here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Crusader and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Division_%28New_Zealand%29

"On 18 November 1941, the New Zealand 2nd Division took part in Operation Crusader. New Zealand troops crossed the Libyan frontier into Cyrenaica. Operation Crusader was an overall success for the British, and New Zealand troops withdrew to Syria to recover. The Operation Crusader campaign was the most costly the New Zealand 2nd Division fought in the Second World War, with 879 men killed, and 1,700 wounded".

The NZ Official History of the battle on that date makes harrowing reading and in the overall operation NZ Forces suffered their heaviest losses of the war.

See: nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Tobr-c24.html

"Losses in 6 Field Regiment on 1 December were the heaviest sustained by any NZA unit in a single day throughout the war: about 14 officers and 170-odd other ranks, to which must be added 60–70 of 47 Battery (5 Field Regiment), which was under Weir's command. Of these, 76 were killed, 150-odd wounded, and over 100 captured. Of 32 field guns, 23 were lost. There were also many casualties in this action in the anti-tank and light anti-aircraft regiments, though the figures cannot be disentangled from losses elsewhere. The battlefield gave ample evidence of the severity of the fighting in terms of bodies, broken guns, and burning lorries".

More here on the 'Crusader Project' - crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/new-zealand-division-on-zaafran-1-dec-1941/ and crusaderproject.wordpress.com/about/

[Luther Moore]

Thanks McFly. I need to do some reading into this battle but it seems he most likely died in the this operation.

[kenb]

My Wife's Uncle was Jack Boon. The Boons were early settlers in the Ahuroa Valley.
Schollum family was one of the families from Bohemia dumped in the bush by a Captain Krippner who sold them the land and abandoned them.

[Luther Moore]

Correct Ken. They came on board the Queen Bee ship in the 1860's. I belong to the Schollum side that built the Puhoi pub.
I have a very very old photo of my Great Grand parents from all the way back then that I plan on donating to the museum, how my family managed to keep everything like old photos I'll never know, but I am very grateful.

So the Boon family was another family who came across to settle there? Will you be attending the re union next year?

[Luther Moore]

Thanks so much for the email explaining the reason why Ernest was writing to my Great Nan. I have replied in case you see this first. Sorry I didn't catch on to the Jack Boon part until now.

[Luther Moore]

Jun 3, 2012 21:59:07 GMT 12 scrooge said:

Cairo Y.M.? would be Cairo YMCA?

Also Luther have you actually asked your Nan? sometimes older people can remember things from their youth better than relatively recent history.

You were right, she knew who he was and she even told me where he lived!