From Bothwell, Kent Co.
C.R. Hubbell Tells of Trip to N. Africa October 29, 1943. Chatham Daily News
W.A. Hutton of Tilbury, has received an interesting letter from Sergt. C. R. Hubbell and postmarked from Egypt, in which the writer tells of his trip to North Africa with the Canadian Forces. The letter was written to “the Hornicks and Huttons” and gives an idea of life on a troop ship bound for action. Sergt. “Bob” Hubbell is a former Thamesville boy who was teaching school in the vicinity of Kirkland Lake before he went overseas with the Canadian army, early in the war. It is as follows:
ON THE HIGH SEAS
The Hotnicks and the Huttons –
A few months ago I wrote a letter trying to describe ahead of time a trip by rail and ship to Africa.
Some things have turned out to be different from the forecast. For one thing events leading up to the attack have been more interesting. It may be still more interesting when the day for landing arrives. But, thinking of the reception we will get I am no longer in a hurry. By the writing you can guess I am on a moving ship. I could go on like this forever, but I’m sure we won’t.
In the spring we left the balmy south coast by motor bike, and took several days getting to the Highlands of Scotland. We went through Oxford but picked up no accent, through Shakespeare’s Stratford, where they overcharged us at lunch, over the hills of Derbyshire, around Windermere Lake region, on past Carlisle, Dumfries, over the cold snowy moors, and past a thousand stopping street cars in Glasgow. From there on we wound along a famous lake and up into the sheep country and the stronghold of the Campbell clan.
After a couple of months of commando training, we slipped out over the Atlantic. For some time, we have had no scenery to admire, merely white-caps, swells, and the other bobbing vessels of our convoy. I won’t describe our escort on our own ship or our route, although it would be interesting.
We have had lots of fun sleeping in our swinging hammocks and trying to step over cables and hausers and up and down ladders without going six feet sideways to one step forward.
For some time we were curious as to where we were going. About the second day at sea the admiral sent us a message saying we were going to the Mediterranean on the greatest combined operations ever mounted. The narrowed down the objective to two countries. Before we took to the ships I had a trip we were going to Greece. The majority of [opinion] was Sicily
Today the ship’s captain talked to us over the public address system and told us we were to land in – well, you will be knowing by now.
When I sat on deck studying Italian, I told the boys I was doing it to help my music lessons. Isn’t a tommy gun a “Chicago piano?” Now that we have been told about it they gather round me to look over my shoulder at my Rapido Corso Italiano. We were gratified and proud to know we were part of Montgomery’s 8th Army, and to hear the name of the division to work alongside of us. But we know it is going to be hot work getting our vehicles and ourselves ashore. I think the newspaper correspondents will tell you all the things the censor wouldn’t allow me to say now
This letter may not be mailed for a long time and I don’t know how it will be mailed. If the letter could talk it would possible have quite a tale to tell.
We have had a fairly quiet trip to date. We felt a bit of humping when our destroyers dropped seven depth charges and claimed two submarines, but as it was a few miles away we heard less noise than when practice action stations.
Along the way we have been getting the news by radio and enjoyed the Churchill’s speech to the City of London when he told of our recent successes against U-boats. We received messages today from Gen. Montgomery, Gen. McNaughton and General Simmons, as well as numerous instructions from our lieutenants aboard.
My pal and I received a sealed envelop which our O.C. had previously sent to our ship. We have lots of reading matter in them. We are glad to have some business to read. Our ship is so small and crowded with vehicles about all we can do is read, but there is not much of a supply of reading matter aboard. By books, “Victors in Chains”, about Greek guerillas, “The Chetniks”, about the tough Serbians and Mikhailovich, “Greece Against the Axis”, “All in Fighting”, on unarmed combat, are books that would have been read by very few on land, but this crowd keeps the books busy.
Every other day we go to the M.O. for a pill which is a fair substitute for quinine, and we have a few other parades when we practice “action stations”. The “bosun” (boatswain) sends messages all other the ship by means of the public address system. At 6:15 a.m. double-daylight-saving time from London we hear, “away, heave-oh, lash up and stow”. A little later we hear the port or starboard watch called, or “out pipes” and “bands to breakfast and clean”. Then we get up in a hurry and wash. “Cooks to the gallery” is the order for breakfast.
In harbour we liked to hear “away motorboat” as very often it was called by a Dundee Scot who called: “Awa’ mo’torr-b’t”. We got such a kick out of it, we were all yelling it about the ship
At the next tables the crib and rummy players have just looked up to see me writing what they are calling my report, my last impressions of the world, and a few other suggestive terms.
Their conversation has switched over to where they will spend their next leave. One says Malta, another Rome. The says “See Naples and die!” has brought out “See Sicily and die!”. So on it goes
They are talking about bed now, so I’ll shove the ink bottle.
See you later – much later.
HUBBELL
CURATORS NOTE: In all of the documents that have appeared, this news article is very unique. JRH.
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