Re. An old posting by Glynn Christian seeking info for a book on army cooking.

[rubberguts]

I have been browsing the sites and came across a request posted back in 2008 seeking info on army cooking by a Glynn Christian to include in a book he was/is writing.
 I thought this might be of interest to some out there.
 I was attending a wedding in Bournemouth in the early sixties and got talking to an elderly joker who was the manager of the hotel (The big one on the corner of the main drag and the road in). The conversation drifted to catering. I was in awe of my peer as he proudly reminised of his wartime days informing me he was the Officer in charge of providing mugs of tea at the waterfront at  Dover for the D Day departure.
Evidently he had seven soya boilers on the go. I think he said they were fired by trombone burners. The boilers were continually being replenished, providing a mug of hot tea and a cheese sandwich to each soldier They used hand dippers to dish it out.
He said it was a "Bloody tea factory."

I remember during the war while evacuated, the tanks and vehicles arriving and lining the sides of the road, nose to tail, from Thrapston to Oundle in Northamptonshire.
 For about three weeks before DDay the troops relaxed and lay around waiting. Many of them spent time down by the river fishing. A few made canoe frames covered with barrage balloon fabrique and paddled about, Spirits were high.
Suddenly it changed and the situation became serious. Soldiers were 'Standing To' in allotted transport. Tank Commanders wore helmets and headphones waiting for the order to move. The seriousness of the situation didn't register with us youngsters.
Then, just as swiftly as they had arrived, the next morning the area was desserted. Not one army person to be seen anywhere. The evening before, we kids witnessed the sky black with planes and gliders flying overhread for some three hours. Many of the DC3's towed two or three gliders. The invasion was on.