Sunday, January 30

What a wonderful bed that was last nite - had the first hot bath in 30 days and was it wonderful. Took off at noon for our final base - not going to Scotland after all. Flew over English countryside and over dozens of airfields in 2 hours flying time. Most of squadron landed at the wrong field but I found it O.K. Field is brand new - only 50% completed but we will have nice layout when we get it fixed up. We live in a hut that looks like a huge barrel split end to end and one half of it used as a barracks. However they are quite cozy. It was just like a class reunion meeting all the boys again. Lucas my tail gunner was sure happy - he saw me taxi up and he just jumped up and down waving his arms and hollering. Spent evening discussing trip with those who had to come by boat.

Saturday, January 29

Took off with the dawn over Casablanca, up the coast of Portugal & Spain, past occupied France, over the Guernsey island & to the tip of the Cornish peninsula. Landed at Newquay - a former resort town and is it ever nice. We were expecting to be Jumped enroute by J.U. 88's & had the turrets loaded & manned but no incidents. It was beautiful weather - 100 mile visibility all the way.

It is cold and damp here in England but really beautiful - the quaint old structures of brick & stone look almost like castles overlooking the surf pounding on the rocks below. All of England is surrounded by a cliff about 300 ft. high.

Here we have no Army quarters so we are quartered in a hotel which is really wonderful. Beautiful women for waitresses and good food makes it wonderful. However this British monetary system is driving me crazy.

Stanfield & I went to a movie in the evening - had to elbow our way down the narrow pitch black streets - not a light showing anywhere. Henry Aldrich, & Laurel & Hardy were on.

Friday, January 28

Richard Carl Callison 1 year old.
Into this Universe, and Why not knowing.
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing.


Up at noon again - this sleep is wonderful. Couldn't go to town as there was a French-Arab riot the Arabs are celebrating their independence day so there is apt to be trouble. Played cards and worked on ship. B-24 crashed on take-off last nite & they suspect sabotage. Capt. Loesch saw an Arab climb out of one ship and run - they found the gas turned off. We looked our ship over but no trouble. Leave in the morning so to bed early.

Thursday, January 27

Slept till noon today and then went into town again and just sat in the sun at one of the sidewalk cafes all afternoon just loafing. Went to show in the evening - saw "Return to Paris" a propaganda show but quite good. Early to bed.

Wednesday, January 26

What a day. Garwick got in today and he speaks fluent French. I went to town with him and he had the Arabs & French going around in circles. Later we went down to the part where a bunch of the prostitutes from the Medina came to sell their wares. They would get a customer and spread their blankets in the bushes - there were dozens of the girls there. Garwick later cornered a French Major & Captain over at the officer's Club and he talked them into taking us into the Medina in their car & showing us around. We drove down to the red light district and after dodging M.P.s we finally found the street about 4 blocks long which was one continuous "row of houses." We elbowed our way down thru the droves of girls who would grab onto us and just hang on. Sometimes they would get about 3 of them and drag us into their parlor. There they would rub up against us, try to take our pants off, pull up their dresses, and everything imaginable to try to get us to patronize them. We spent 5 hours there and was in every house there - it was one of the damndest things I have ever seen. Boy, it would have been wonderful not to have to worry about disease - for as low as 50c we could have slept with very attractive women.

Tuesday, January 25

Slept till noon - then went to town in the PM. Back on Flying status now and ship is O.K. Walked around the French quarters and bartered with the Arabs for a cigarette case & billfold - made of camel's leather. They are handmade & really beautiful. Went to a show at the Red Cross in the evening - saw Olson & Johnson in "Crazy House." It was one of the best comedies I have seen for a long time.

Monday, January 24

Got bawled out royally for leaving hospital last nite but don't care much. Slept all day and went into town again tonite. Three of us climbed over the wall and went down into the Medina tonite - it is off limits. It was an experience I shall never forget. We rode for 30 minutes in a horse-drawn cab thru narrow alleys just filled with grime and these black cloaked & hooded Arabs - it gives one the impression of the Ku Klux Klan. Finally wound up at a couple of French prostitute's room - we wanted them to put on a burlesque show for us but they wanted $4 apiece which we wouldn't pay. Our cab took our money & promised to wait but when we left - he was gone and so was the guide. We wandered around for 2 hours before we found our way out of the maize of alleys - we finally found an M.P. who took us back. Stood Nelly up to go into the Medina.

Sunday, January 23

Slept in hospital all day - tooth still hurts like the devil. The rest of the squadron finally caught up so a bunch of us went to town again tonite. We found a bar in the basement of a hotel over in the French quarters that was open and there we picked up a French girl. She was one of the dirtiest talking women I have ever seen she wanted me to sleep with her. I guess she is a prostitute. The Four of us talked her into taking us down into the Medina or native quarters where she lived if we could slip by the M.P.'s as the Medina is off limits. However we couldn't get by so she agreed to meet us tonite with 3 girl friends. We did get her story though. She lived in Paris when the Germans came and they shot two of her sisters, her brother and father for refusing to work for them. They threw her into a concentration camp with her baby which soon died from lack of food. She escaped to unoccupied France & on a destroyer from there to Oran. The Gestapo was close behind her though and chased her clear to Casablanca when we landed there.

Saturday, January 22

Flew across 1000 miles of the Sahara desert - not even a shrub or a rock for 600 miles - just sand dunes. After crossing the desert we had to fly over the Moroccan Mountain range to get to Marrakech. Some of the peaks were 15,000 ft. high and all snow capped. Snow in Africa but it sure was pretty.

The Arabs live in adobe houses - a cluster of them in the most desolate places. They will find a dry river bottom where there are a few shrubs and build a town there - 300 miles from a road and desert all around. There were hundreds of these in the dry rock foothills - and no visible means of support. Marrakech has hundreds of all kinds of planes - even some French fighters and trainers.

Reported right to hospital & they treated my tooth and put me to bed. Tonite I got up, dressed, and went to town. It was all blacked out and
everything closed so just looked around and then went back to hospital and went to bed.

Friday, January 21

Took off from Liberia & flew up to Dakar - the westernmost tip of Africa. Dakar is next to the worst Malaria spot in the World. We had to wear
our pants tucked into our boots, repellent, and everything to keep away the mosquitoes. They have the weirdest looking trees there - they are about 8 ft. in diameter and only about 15 ft. tall with no leaves & very few branches.

Went over to the dispensary with wisdom tooth trouble and they were going to send me to a hospital for 3-4 days but the Major persuaded them to let me go on to Marrakech.

Played hearts in the evening.