1946 (Continued)

I disliked the latter so much ,that, as volunteers were urgently required to serve in the Army of Occupation in Austria.  I volunteered, because it meant a shorter period of cook house duties in order to make ready for Austria.

01 August 46 (which was the 187th anniversary of the Battle of Minden in which the 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers took part,)
I said Good Bye to Miss E. Greaves in Hartford Bridge

2nd August 46 at 04.30 am, 121 men spent the night in temporary barracks underneath Dover Castle.
On 3 August embarked via Medlock route for Austria via France, Germany and then on to Villach Transit camp.
Slept on the luggage rack for 2 nights of the 36 hour journey.

3rd August 46 Embarked for Austria through France and Germany. The green fields of France giving way to absolute devastation seen at Rastadt, Cologne, Ulm, crossing the Rhine, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, and Munich. Throughout the train journey at stops - black marketers approached on the other side of the train bargaining for cigarettes with German or Austrian currency.  This was followed by a complete transformation of scenery when entering Austria with its mountains and lakes. When stopping at Salzburg during Mozart Festival welcomed by an American brass Band. In Austria with menfolk wearing short leather trousers, hats decorated with brushes and the women with dirndl skirts.
Arrived Villach  316 transit camp – under canvas for week. Violent thunder storm first night. All under canvas - some tents flooded and blown away.  Many thousands of Displaced persons from all over Europe behind barbed wire enclosures begging for cigs.
Swam in River Drau.

Short spell at Klagenfurt for urgent guard duties with visits to the Lido taken over as a NAAFI Club on the side of Lake Worthersee. Guided by an Austrian student Climbed up Mt Gerlitzen and the Kanzelbahn ski lifts to the 6000ft top were there was a Hotel used by mainly youngsters. It was a custom that everyone could sleep there in a communal bed.  Part of it was 50 separated into age groups.  Bed & blankets hired out for 5 schilling (About 2s & 6p.) The theory was that after climbing the mountain climbers would be too tired to use the bed other than for sleeping. Perhaps a naïve conclusion.

Posted to St Paul monastery taken over and partly occupied by the British. Duties included guarding the border with Yugoslavia under Tito dictatorship; guarding a prisoner of War Camp for captured German soldiers. Orders were shoot to kill if anyone seen escaping. I didn’t shoot anyone but I did exchange cigarettes with the prisoners for Austrian money.