Monday 7 September 2009

The Scraper's Diary, Oldenburg, Thursday March 20th, 1947


Arrived here after a three-hour solo session, in which I lost fourpence.

Went into the town, it's practically unbombed, and rather like any English country town, lovely; good Naafi, YMCA and black market.

We went to the flix and saw 'The Captive Heart' and cried at it's poignancy, then came out into the same German streets and bought marks with cigarettes.

Last night was a scream. We played in the Officers' Mess, and having been given Guinness, the B.M., the B.S.M., the Sergeant and the Q. went home, leaving eight gunners and one lance-jack to finish the champagne-cocktails.

Shortly after, one of the officers asked for more music. We held a council of war and agreed to play for half an hour, if they kept us supplied with drinks. I conducted!

Luckily, I was completely sober, having learned my lesson last Saturday, but the cellist and the flautist were hardly capable of playing, while the double bass was capable of anything.

We played a few selections and waltzes and finished up with the R.A. Slow March. I was then introduced to the Colonel and he thanked us most cordially and woozily for our little contribution.

And so to bed. Several other blokes in the block were drunk, and it took me ten minutes to persuade Downs that his bed was in another room.

Heigh-ho.


16 comments:

  1. What an intriguing snapshot of 1947 vintage. Who is/was the Scraper?

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  2. wow friko - i feel as if i've been bodily flung into another time - i'm looking 'round me trying to get my bearings, get a sense of balance . . . listening, hearing, smelling, thinking as quickly as i can. i hope you share more like this. steven

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  3. I feel as if I have just been looking over someone's shoulder whilst he/she was writing on their diary on the tube. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  4. Friko, that was great. You are a great narrator. I felt like I was there. And I want to thank you for your kind words. Nothing can take me down quicker than my alcoholic neighbors. Thanks again.

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  5. I like being zapped back in time like this - you have the ability to bring on the time immediatly. You even have the cadence of the language of the soldier/musician.

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  6. Great narrative and imagery. Succinct, but says what it wants to. Who is or was the Scrapper? Maybe I missed soemthing as I am new to your blog (and blogging)

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  7. Very interesting bit of history here, reading someone else's diary. Who was Scraper? And was his diary turned into a book? Or are his papers found in a library?
    As for Sei Shonagon, yes, there is a 1996 film by Greenaway, "The Pillow Book", which was inspired in her work.

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  8. It has always been my contention that there is nothing worse than an inebriated flautist.

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  9. Nice evocative extract from The Scraper's Diary Friko. I am also intrigued and would like to know who 'The Scraper' was.

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  10. Ok, for everybody who has asked. this is now the 14th instalment of the Scraper's diary. all reproduced in this blog. The scraper is a former orchestral musician, well known in this country, who did a tour of BAOR as a young conscript. He gave me permission to edit and publish his diary of the six week tour.

    There is plenty more to come, he always did go on a bit.
    Thank you all for your interest.

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  11. Thanks Friko - a lovely bit of time travel for me. What a find - and you get to edit and publish his diary. So is this post, part of your editing work?

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  12. Friko, this is an amazing blog, I have just read your apple yard adventure as well. It must have been a time from hell to grow up after or during the war. My mum was only born in 1945 but her elder brother occasionally tells stories like these... watching out for more of your, and the scaper's stories.
    Ivy

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  13. I was in a small band overseas in Okinawa in 1964. That whole scenario sounds quite familiar. Like the old adage says....some things never change.

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  14. You write fantastic !! I loved this post..Thanks for sharing..Great post..Unseen Rajasthan

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  15. So glad to find out about the Scraper. I have been reading along and wondering, but thought I should know, or that everyone else knew, who he was, so I stupidly didn't ask. Now I know. I love these tid-bits, and this one is especially good. Looking forward to more.

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  16. To the Scraper: That's great that you're able to double as the conductor just like that! And congrats for having pulled it off!

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