The task ahead, and one I've tried repeatedly over the past 30 years, is to curate into a meaningful order, David's legacy. This has been made (a bit) easier in the past few years, following the work done by John Henry Phillips on the LCH185, the ship David served on and which was 'lost' in the aftermath of D-Day. Information was scant on it until this time but with the publication of the book The Search it's been possible for me to piece things together at least partially.
David was the youngest of five children, with four older sisters. I have been told various stories over the years, (with none of the sources entirely trustworthy) including that his father (Charles Saunders) was a Russian Jew from Latvia who came over to England around the time of the First Russian Revolution. As regards his mother, I've been told variously that Elisabeth Amelia was a servant in Charles' household, that they married and divorced, that they never married, that Charles had another family, that he was held in internment on Isle of Man during the First World War. And even that both of them were Latvian immigrants. It's impossible for me to find the 'truth' of this situation. What is clear is that by the time David was growing up, his father was not on the scene. Their eldest daughter Phyllis May, born 1910 was my grandmother, some thirteen years older than David who was the youngest (and only boy) born 1923. My grandmother sometimes claimed to have come from Wolverhampton - it's unclear whether her unmarried mother went there to give birth or whether there was a family move. I was also given the impression that she 'worked as a servant' in some capacity before she married my grandfather (1930s). From looking at the family tree drawn (not entirely accurately) by my mother, 'Grandma Saunders' (David's mother) didn't die till 1972. From photographs of David's childhood it seems that he grew up in London. There are 330 days between David Saunders' 100th anniversary (31st July 2023) and the 80th anniversary of his death (25th June 2024) and I commit to posting something each day in memory of him.
David was born on 31st July 1923. So today would have been his 100th birthday. Instead he died just shy of his 21st birthday, drowned onboard LCH-185 off the Normandy Beaches in the aftermath of D-Day. There was no proper memorial for his vessel and the crew of LCH-185 until very recently and the men who died with David were forgotten by all but their families (and as the generations go past, even by them.) In the larger scheme of things was no one 'special' - An Able Seaman, possibly a stoker. Just another young man 'Lost at Sea'. But he lived. And died too soon. There is a significance in that. And he left what we might today call a 'footprint' which I am recording digitally. This website forms a record of part of his short life. It seems the least I can do as holder of his archive, to bear witness to his existence 100 years after his birth and nearly 80 years after his untimely death. A WESTERN UNION telegram on Dec 12th which says ‘I’m ok Letter soon’ The next letter, undated, is from America. David’s crew went over (probably sailing from Greenock in November) to pick up LCI-185 from Newark. It seems they spent the best part of a month in the States, leaving around January 13th 1943. He sent a typewritten letter from H.M.S. Asbury (a shore base in New Jersey) which dates from before Christmas 1942. He was also taking plenty of photographs and one of his albums has ‘New York 1943’ on the inside cover. The letter is particularly interesting as it offers a view of New York in 1942 - with lots of 'domestic' detail re tea bags, advertising etc. This is the first mention of LCI (185 not yet attributed - and which would eventually become LCH 185) John Henry Phillips book says that the crew travelled over on a luxury ocean liner launched as Empress of Japan in 1929. It was later renamed Empress of Scotland. According to Phillips they dock at 35th Street, Brooklyn at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. They are put up at the Monteray Hotel, Asbury Park, New Jersey which has been taken over by the U.S. Navy as an official training HQ. During the stay they go to Staten Island. FX 83787 (LCI)
H.M.S.Asbury Co GPO London Dear Mother, Well here I am over in the U.S.A and boy what a place. We had a good trip over with nothing to do all the time. It was warm too, not as cold as it could have been. I’m living in a swell Hotel [the best in town] and doing my self alright on top of it. The rooms in the Hotel, have a bath room leading of them, with H. and C. laid on. Also a shower. The grub is O.K (eggs and ham) as much as we please. The people here, are very kind too us. I’m going to some ones house for Christmas Day, most of the lads have invitations too. When we first came into this country, we were met by the most smashing sight I have ever seen LIGHTS every were. Loads of them. It was like a dream to see them again after all this time. You can walk into a shop and buy almost anything you want. Somethings they are short of (coffie etc) but there is Soap, Ham, Hats, Eggs, Tea, Buttons, Stockings, Underclothers, almost anything you need, that you can’t get at home. Things cost more over here, but the people get more money. Money runs like water. We get a Dollar or two extra a day, but that goes just as fast. A hair cut, for example, costs about 6/6. This includes a brush down (but I could do that myself). Anyway I’m having a grand time. I have already seen New York. It’s just as its made out to be. Tall buildings, hot dogs, soda fountains, and big Irish cops. If you ask for a cup of tea they dish it up in little bag, that hangs in your cup. Subways (Tube) you can go any distance for 5 cents. (1d) money goes in fives and tens, far simpler than our money. The people over here, are very proud of then selves, if they have any relations in our country. They pop up and say that their grandmother lived in England, and ask all sorts of daft things about Scotland or some other place. The radio to is mucked up. Every five minutes a voice shouts out ‘Do you Suffer from this or that’. ‘Buy a Coat from So and Sos’ or ‘Try our Pills’. Men dress very loud and slinky. They seem to set the fashion out here. Women do not smoke out in the open. It’s a crime to smoke in the pictures too. There is only one price in the Pictures, this is very high, but it obtains a seat any where in the house. Taxis are all couleres. A stranger will turn round and talk too like a long lost brother and think nothing of it. On the whole it’s a grand place to live in, but I miss my own home. What tales I’ll be able to tell you when I get home again. I’m in a small dump just now, for a four or five days, on short leave. It’s 15 below zero. Believe it or not if I put a bucket of water outside the door it would be solid under two minutes. But the funny part about it is, I don’t feel it, as I would in England, as it’s a dry could, not wet like it is home. This does not meen walking about in thin clothes, no. Big couats that you don’t ever see, that cover the hands and head. It’s fun. Trains to me, are like home now. As people think nothing of spending three days in a train or more. And I can tell you I’ve spent some time in them. There’s a picture of me in this letter which I had taken at a local fun fair. They are not much good as I had been out all night and the time was about 12 o clock, when I had them taken. What do you think of my typing. I’m filling in time while on watch, as I have not much of a head for writing to night. This does not mean I do not want to write home, but you know what my writing is like. Has Ding-Dong had any more news, about Jimmy’s leave yet? It would be fine, if she could have him back again. This letter will reach you some time after Christmas no doubt. I’m sorry if I have kept you waiting too long. I know how much you do worry about me. As it’s quite possible I’ll have to shift a lot before I’m home again. They certainly did not waste any time this time. It's about 1.30 am now. The radio keeps going all night so it’s not so bad. The room, which I’m in, is warm too, so everything is cosy. What size stockings do you take? Silk ones are very hard to get, but rayon will do. (I hope) I have already got Betty Boop a pair. I found a girl, who works in the shop from where I got them, who is about her size, so I matched them from here. If I get your size O.K. I will not have to chase some old dame around them !!!?? It’s about time I shook my relief now as my time is up. So I’ll say cheerio for now. Give my love to Jimmy (1) Jimmy (2) Ding-dong, Phil, Rose, Edie, Pop and Mar Westlake, Miss Savage and Cornel? And all the rest, with the cream of it for your self. Hope everyone has had a happy Christmas and wish them all the very best for the New Year. O.K for now David The next letter comes from Ayrshire. David probably travelled there in Oct/Nov 1942 before going off to the States to pick up LHS 195. The departure for States was from Greenock so it seems likely he went to HMS Dundonald – where Combined Ops trained – before leaving. While this letter isn't dated, context suggests its a second trip to Scotland rather than his first. FX 83787
Mess Gym 1 RN Wing HMS Dundonald Troon Ayrshire Dear Mother, Well once again I’m somewhere else. The journey up here about puts the lid on all my woes. The camp looks OK but as I’ve only been in it two hours I can’t tell you much about it. Last night, while in London I scratched out the postcard, which no dought you have had by now. I might get some leave here, if little lady luck’s with me . We get weekends, but they are not much good as by the time I’d get home I would have to start back. I had a date yesterday afternoon over in Portsmouth and just as I was getting ready in the morning, they popped this onto me (nobody seems to have any sense of respectable ways of living in this mob. No sooner we seem to get anywhere, off we go again) so the date was off. As soon as I get this note off I’m getting my head down as I got no sleep last night. We have three nights ashore and one duty night in four. This is better than Calshot as I had to be duty every other night there. I feel right down in the dumps and will for a couple of days yet. Some dirty swine swiped my pay last night, out of my belt in the train while I was asleep, so I’ve five bob to last a fortnight on. Don’t let this worry you, as there’s not much to spend it on. But its just the fact of a fortnight’s work for nought. Some blokes are so low, they would nock your soul of if they could. The dinner to day was alright, as it could be, hot that’s the most important thing, with plenty of good hot soup. Drop me a line if you can when this reaches you as I would like to find out how long it takes to get down to London. It’s rather flat just here, for Scotland, but we saw some super country this morning, on the train. Well cheerio and all my love to you and the family, I must finis now as I’m dropping off to sleep over the pen cheerio David Another letter from Calshot on RAF header, without a date. FX 83787
C 4 Hut RN Unit Eaglehurst Camp RAF Station Calshot Hants Dear Mother, Thanks a lot for you parcel which arrived this morning. Wonder of wonders an ‘Orange’. I slowly ate it in front of every chap in the hut. Boy they looked as if they where going to knock me down. The mag’s too, where very welcome, as I have nothing to read. As for leave, if I do get any I’ll not have much chance to warn you, as its a thing here, which they pop on us sudden like. It’s quite a habit of their’s, to give only two hours notice. You see we don’t know when we will be drafted and that mucks things up a lot. I’m glad to hear that you back at your job and that you are better. I’ve a job here which is the goods. Watch keepers job, fours hours on eight off. It’s all right. I popped over to Lee on Solent last Sunday to see the blond I used to go around with, you rember. Well I was eight hours late getting back as I missed the train, thus ‘Jimmy the one’ (that’s the first leut) gave me three days pay stopped, three days leave stopped and three No 11 (No 11 is 2 hours work each night, half an hours work dinner time and getting up half an hour before the others). This is called ‘three and three’. We get ‘three and three’ for every 3 hours we are adrift. How is Mrs Jones getting on? Is she out of hospital yet. Tell her I hope she is feeling alright. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the cook-house, peeling apples. It was almost like knitting. ‘Peel one, eat one’. You can understand how I felt after two hours of this, my pinny was like a drum. Has Phil still got that cat I brought young Anne. I bet she’s lost it. I’ll aint half be mad if she has, after carting it all that way. Well thanks again once more for that parcel, all the boys at the moment are reading the comic and there’s a waiting list yet to read it. It will have been well in use by the time its finished with. Well cheerio for now All my love David |
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