Whilst thumbing through my WW2 records I came across a diary entry for the 22nd of October 1944 and remember writing about it previously as follows: Sunday 22nd. October 1944 Through Firenzolia, roads murder as it had rained all night & was still raining. Had to evict eyeties out of house for Major Mouland. Carried set up mountain to try & contact Batteries. Near Div cemetery. The entry in my diary brings the scene back immediately to mind. At the time I was still being called upon to act as an unpaid interpreter. We had arrived at this small farmhouse complex and Major Mouland decided it would do nicely as B.H.Q and sleeping accommodation for himself and the other officers. He told me to explain to the very belligerent looking owner of the property that it was being commandeered by the British Army and that he, the owner, would have to leave forthwith. I tried to sugar the pill as nicely as I could by explaining to the farmer that he would be re-compensed in due course but that leave he must. The Italian wasn’t having any of this. “Spara!” he said vehemently, “Shoot me!” ..."Spara! Non posso far' più!" or, in other words “You can’t do any worse to me!” and he demonstrated this by tearing open the front of his shirt and offering his broad chest to Major Mouland. The O.C. turned peevishly to me and said “What’s he bloody talking about Goldstein!” I explained what the farmer had said to which Mouland replied, equally vehemently “ I don’t want to shoot the bloody man! ....tell him not to be such a stupid bloody idiot!”. Somewhere along the way reason must have prevailed and I vaguely remember that the house owner was allowed to stay in his house by keeping two rooms upstairs, from where he was able to keep an eye on his property, while BHQ remained down below. With reference to my use of the word 'eyeties', this was common parlance in the days in which it was written, were I writing it today I would have used a less offensive word. There is a final postscript. As a result of posting this story on the BBC WW2 Archives I was contacted by the late Major Mouland's son who had seen the relevant article. I was immediately concerned that I might have painted his father as being too brusque and offered to add an addendum or tone down my description. "Not at all" was the reply, "that's just how he was" and so my description stays as I originally recorded it ! The coincidence referred to in the thread title is that only yesterday someone popped up on the Forum with the surname of Mouland and I felt obliged to ask (by PM) if there was any relationship involved. None, apparently, but it certainly jogged my memory, hence this posting. Ron
