In mid-June the regiment was moved to a new location away from the Club where Jim had been able to pass the time playing skittles and table tennis, eating dinner costing one mark (sixpence) and enjoying a show put on by the 15th Scottish Division Concert Party, the Tam O'Shanters. They were good value and Jim wrote "It is a long time since I laughed so much..." Interestingly, he also thought them far superior to the official "ENSA people" sent out to entertain the troops and observed that "They know what the squaddy wants and give it, and their shows are a lot cleaner than most ENSA, even though they are all males playing to all males."

Germany 18 June 1945

"Woman Dear, I yam, as Popeye would say, sitting in my new quarters in our new location which is a small village called Lebrade about 13-15 miles S.E. of Kiel and near two walloping and many smallish lakes - roughly half way between Kiel and Lubeck."

There followed a map showing Lebrade and the Baltic Sea.

Jim had heard that they were moved "to provide protection for about 300 Wrens who are reputed to be in the area". He also revealed in a later letter that the area north of Lebrade was "one huge concentration camp for the Wehrmacht, 'fenced off' from the rest of Germany by a band of British forces". However, the map doesn't show that just south of Lubeck was the border with the Russian Zone. Was this another reason for moving a tank regiment to a village between Lubeck and the major Baltic port of Kiel?

Jim went on to describe his new billet:

"Well I'm in what has been in its time a country hotel of the Inn type, reasonably ancient I should say... Fred and I have got beds which aren't too bad in a room, reputedly haunted - or so says the Advance Party who report loud knockings from a large and decrepit wardrobe there. I heard no noise from it last night anyway. We also have the room I'm writing in now as an 'Office' where we pretend to labour during the day. Fred has festooned the walls with useless maps and calls himself Intelligence Clerk, I festoon the table with paper, pamphlets and typewriters and call myself Technical Storeman. I have some real work to do but Fred has none. The 'Office' opens from the bedroom and there is one door to the passage outside. The windowledges are wide and make comfortable seats, we also have an ancient settee with a rickety back, an armchair of the office type and a wondrous cane affair I found in a large junk room covered with cobwebs."

"Our greatest treasure is a Jerry which we found in a box - it's an awful long way to go at night, down the passage (10 yds), down the stairs (10 yds), across a hall (10 yds), through a big hall (25 yds) and in to a place called 'Damentoilette' - where the Herrentoilet is, no one has discovered."

Writing about the German forces to the north of Lebrade:

Lebrade 25 June 1945

"They still maintain their entities as divisions, do their own guards etc. and no Allied troops are in the area at all. They are not even disarmed that I know of. We send in tank patrols now and then - one went today and covered 44 miles. I don't suppose they have any heavy equipment of course - just light arms. Batches of them are released at intervals for essential work, miners, agricultural and transport workers, etc."

"We have twenty-four of them here in the squadron as fatigue men. They arrived a few days ago and promptly ate the cookhouse clean. They were starving and took their meat, potatoes, cabbage, rhubarb and custard all in one dish, mixed it up and ate the lot. Then they ate a whole tin of biscuits. They annoy me intensely by the way they jump to attention, slap their heels and salute if one as much as looks at them - or rather they did at first. The British Soldier must have been a shock to them - obviously they expected to be hounded and kicked around - now they want to go with us as a type of personal slaves."

Much to his annoyance Jim had to resume guard duties ("I wangled off them some weeks ago.")

Lebrade 30 June 1945

"I'm writing this in the Detention Block of Plön Barracks where we mount a 24 hour guard. On the opposite side of the passage are the cells, all empty because it would be unheard of for the 44th to clink anyone. The barracks is a huge estate surrounded by a concrete wall and consists of blocks of buildings with good gardens and open spaces. All very modern it is and has been taken over by the Navy as Base for the Kiel Command. There is only a Naval Advance Party here at present with an Admiral. The admiral insists on a constant permanent guard of six men for his August Person and we also guard the gate."

Plön is shown on Jim's map a few miles south of Lebrade, beside a series of large lakes - the barracks were later to be known as the Five Lakes Barracks.

"The Navy here is ticking because it has to live on Army rations. They always fed much better than we fed, even in Tobruk. I wonder why there should be different ration scales? Ha! Memories of '41. I've just seen a Jerry wagon drive past the window of a type that I have not seen since the desert. I remember well, 'going over' one which was still smouldering and finding, with a feeling almost of awe, two newspapers in the tool locker... both dated for two days before. Two days! Our mail was taking nearly two months then. I treasured them almost, not that I could understand a word, but the date was clear - two days ago! Seemed to bring Home a lot nearer so I tore the dates out and kept them but can't remember what happened to them eventually."

"The guard is enjoying himself here. There are numerous young ladies of comely aspect whose passes of course must be carefully examined in case they are desperate characters, entailing long conversations which often (in fact always) have nothing whatever to do with the passes in question. Carloads of Jerries (males) are waved on in a disinterested fashion because none of them can be dangerous at all. No one will ever change the Tommy - no wonder that the females here think him a most marvelous creature. Their own men treat them as parcels - a Jerry guard is a guard simply and solely, his uniform gives him courage and he barks. Take away his uniform and any organisation behind him and he is nothing at all."

Jim had been worrying that Pip might have plans to be away from Liverpool just as he was given leave. His letters had reported frequent rumours that this was imminent, but in the event he was still writing to her into July and the next letter had to be redirected to Pip when she went to stay with her friend Marjorie at Mathrafal, Meifod, Montgomeryshire in Wales. The letter is the usual mixture of humour, the frustrations of army life, battles with authority and, this time, the very sad.

Lebrade 7 July 1945

"The S.B.I. are here again - they haunt the 44th and the 4th Armoured Brigade in general. They are searching for loot. Last time they appeared suddenly and secretly (they thought) at Uetersen to find 2 Troop billets flying a huge white sheet with a skull and crossbones painted on it together with the words YE OLDE TREASURE CHESTE. The front gardens were liberally staked out with cards on sticks bearing such remarks as 'Dig easy here copper, cameras are fragile', 'Shotguns here', 'Lugers here',..."

"So far they have not appeared from the officers' mess and if I know aught of Benton he has them well oiled by now. Possibly this visit has to do with a lad who shot himself here two or three days ago with a Jerry P.88 pistol. He blew his brains out in the barber's place - why L.O.K. He has been with us ever since we first left Blighty in '41. I knew him reasonably well though he is not in this squadron - outwardly he hadn't a care in the world, but there must have been something to make him do that."

"This firing of guns has become a pastime now and many nights here remind me of the old tales of the western cowtowns. All the windows in the canteen have been shot out and several friendly gun battles have been fought out in the hedges. Authority has at last decided to step in - tomorroiw there is an ammunition count and the canteen will close at 10.30 pm. For every future gun battle half-an-hour will be knocked off closing time! - a typical 44th method of stopping anything. As I see it, there is nothing to prevent anyone buying the canteen out before 10.30, carrying it outside the door and carrying on."

"We are in disgrace again too with the Holy of Holies, viz. 21st Army Group H.Q. and a complete draft of drivers we sent to R.A.S.C. to help in the transport of 'Displaced Persons' as they term refugees, etc. is to be returned pronto to the Unit."

"This bright little bunch has been enjoying itself hugely, organising little dances and using one device or another to spend weekends in Lubeck, Hamburg, etc. One driver has now spoilt it all by taking his lorry into someone's dining room at about 2 a.m. miles from where he should be with a load of living contraband in the back. Exit the 44th from D.P. work in a blaze of glory and probable court martial."

Jim confessed to Pip that his own behaviour had left something to be desired:

"I'm ashamed to say I fell from grace about three days ago - my first since Tel Aviv. Fred fell too - I have been told we were very funny indeed. It was one of those nights I like - it just happened. I do not however recommend vermouth, sherry, beer, lemonade and port as a mixture for a night's entertainment particularly eight bottles of them which I was assured by Benny Buckley was the score. I believe I recited a very long poem that I learned when I was evil-minded, about 20 years ago. I've had several requests for copies of it, one coming from the Officers' Mess but have refused to oblige - it's very long - about half as long again as Gray's Elegy and I can't remember half of it - not when I'm sober anyway because I was, apparently, word perfect that night. I sang a lot of rude songs too - so did Fred. All very disgusting of course... To you, my wife, I apologise for making a perfect ass of myself but I'm not really ashamed. Most of the lads don't get beyond the stage of shooting the ornaments from the mantlepiece and setting fire to the curtains. We were more original. Why do men get drunk? - why do women cry?"

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