Post by Diarist on Jun 23, 2016 4:49:46 GMT 1
Lucy Miller called me shortly after 9 o'clock and I explained that I am Irvine's sponsor and what that entails. I arranged to meet her and her children at my home in 30 minutes. I arrived punctually and the Miller's plus Mum got in the car. The first stop was the local infant school to get Manfred enrolled. They already have an 'international' class so Manfred was no problem. A couple of the other children spoke a little German as well as English so he was partnered with them.
The next stop was the bank and since I am a member of the Board of Directors as well as Edward Mitchell's son I had the undivided attention of the branch manager. I explained that there is a money-transfer coming from Lisbon for RM245,000 - that's about £20,000 - to this account at the Anglo-Portuguese Colonial and Overseas Bank in London. The money belongs to Irvine and Lucy Miller so they need a Reichsmark account and a Pound-Sterling account here in Saffron Walden. Could he please arrange for the money to be transferred here. Then I gave him a cheque for £1,000 to keep them above water until their money arrives. Finally Mrs. Miller would like to withdraw £50. I then explained in German what I'd just arranged and everything was fine.
I then drove to the allotment Sally had mentioned yesterday evening. There is a front gate with a manager(?) and he showed me the plot. It was indeed 50x20 yards. The hut was fine. A small kitchen, a living room with a sofa which could also be used as a bed and an outside toilet. There was also a small shed for garden tools. I told the manager that we'll definitely take it. I signed for keys to the gate and front gate then after he'd left I asked Lucy and Gertrud if they knew anything about gardening. Lucy said that they had a small plot of land in Schwabia. One could say that she is a farmer. I told her that she is hired.
On the way to the Council Office to sign for the allotment she suggested that whe have a few hens and rooster for eggs, a couple of goats for milk and cheese and a couple of dozen rabbits for meat. Rabbits really do breed like rabbits. I made a mental note to ask a couple of sergeants if they know anything about building cages, etc. I'm useless as a handyman.
Everything went smoothly at the Council Hall so the next stop was the estate agent to look for a suitable home. Mrs. Ferguson, the agent, has had many dealings with TRADOC personnel so she was glad to have another customer. I told her that what we are looking for is ideally a 4 bedroom house with a garage, a nice garden and close to the town centre. She had three properties that came in question. I borrowed the files for a moment and took photos to send to Salisbury for Irvine tomorrow morning. I told the agent that Lucy's husband is stationed somewhere else for the next few weeks.
I drove Mum and Gertrud to our home for lunch then asked Lucy if she can drive. She said yes so I took her to the local car salesman. She liked the 4-seat Hillman so we reserved it with a down-payment of £10. I'll introduce Irvine and her to our Legal Affairs officer when the exercise is over. That leaves medical support. I drove Lucy to my local doctor and the Irvine family is now registered there. So, that's my good deeds for the day. Finally I drove Lucy to 3 Raynhams then I walked to the HQ. I'll have lunch there.
The next stop was the bank and since I am a member of the Board of Directors as well as Edward Mitchell's son I had the undivided attention of the branch manager. I explained that there is a money-transfer coming from Lisbon for RM245,000 - that's about £20,000 - to this account at the Anglo-Portuguese Colonial and Overseas Bank in London. The money belongs to Irvine and Lucy Miller so they need a Reichsmark account and a Pound-Sterling account here in Saffron Walden. Could he please arrange for the money to be transferred here. Then I gave him a cheque for £1,000 to keep them above water until their money arrives. Finally Mrs. Miller would like to withdraw £50. I then explained in German what I'd just arranged and everything was fine.
I then drove to the allotment Sally had mentioned yesterday evening. There is a front gate with a manager(?) and he showed me the plot. It was indeed 50x20 yards. The hut was fine. A small kitchen, a living room with a sofa which could also be used as a bed and an outside toilet. There was also a small shed for garden tools. I told the manager that we'll definitely take it. I signed for keys to the gate and front gate then after he'd left I asked Lucy and Gertrud if they knew anything about gardening. Lucy said that they had a small plot of land in Schwabia. One could say that she is a farmer. I told her that she is hired.
On the way to the Council Office to sign for the allotment she suggested that whe have a few hens and rooster for eggs, a couple of goats for milk and cheese and a couple of dozen rabbits for meat. Rabbits really do breed like rabbits. I made a mental note to ask a couple of sergeants if they know anything about building cages, etc. I'm useless as a handyman.
Everything went smoothly at the Council Hall so the next stop was the estate agent to look for a suitable home. Mrs. Ferguson, the agent, has had many dealings with TRADOC personnel so she was glad to have another customer. I told her that what we are looking for is ideally a 4 bedroom house with a garage, a nice garden and close to the town centre. She had three properties that came in question. I borrowed the files for a moment and took photos to send to Salisbury for Irvine tomorrow morning. I told the agent that Lucy's husband is stationed somewhere else for the next few weeks.
I drove Mum and Gertrud to our home for lunch then asked Lucy if she can drive. She said yes so I took her to the local car salesman. She liked the 4-seat Hillman so we reserved it with a down-payment of £10. I'll introduce Irvine and her to our Legal Affairs officer when the exercise is over. That leaves medical support. I drove Lucy to my local doctor and the Irvine family is now registered there. So, that's my good deeds for the day. Finally I drove Lucy to 3 Raynhams then I walked to the HQ. I'll have lunch there.