On 8 September General Eisenhower announced that Italy had surrendered to the Allies. German forces at once began to disarm their Italian counterparts and prepared to resist the coming invasion. On 9 September the Allies landed at Salerno and went on to take Brindisi, Taranto and Bari; on 10 September German troops occupied Rome. Also this week, on 12 September German soldiers dramatically rescued Mussolini from his captivity in a mountaintop hotel. Meanwhile, on the eastern front, Hitler finally allowed his armies to retreat to the Dnieper River to regroup.
In Caithness the harvest was well underway. The John O’Groat Journal reported that in East Mey, “One of Mr Wm. Allan’s harvesting outfits has been at work… It has finished cutting for Mr Bain, Maligoe. The crop was very heavy, but a first-rate job was done.”
The paper also reported a freak rainstorm in Loth a couple of weeks previously. “It lasted for about two hours, in which time much damage was done, especially to the roads. On several parts of the main road the tar macadam was washed away, while the Glen Road had to be closed to traffic. The rain seems to have fallen mostly in this district, as no flooding took place in Brora or Helmsdale.”
In Caithness schools autumn colds were taking their toll. The log book of Barrock Assembly School in Bower records, “Colds are prevalent and attendance is lower than usual. 11.6.43: There are eight openings this week – on Thursday and Friday afternoons school being used for receiving ration cards. Colds still prevalent.”
The John O’Groat Journal reported that Colonel Ian M‘Hardy of the Home Guard, who had relinquished duties 
back in May, was honoured at a ceremony at Wick High School. Colonel M‘Hardy, who was also the county’s Director of Education, had raised the Home Guard and commanded it for three years. He was presented with a gift, which “consisted of a beautiful silver cigar and cigarette box bearing [an] inscription, which was surmounted by the Battalion crest and the facsimile signatures of the Company Commanders”.
Finally this week, Police Constable Green of Lybster contacted Wick Police on 6 September with the following message: “Reference my telephone message this afternoon regarding the object observed floating in Lybster Harbour, I have to inform you that two Wick boys waded out to the object and lifted it and took it up into the Village. I was informed and I examined the object on the roadway and found that it is a smoke float, painted green and yellow. It appears to be intact, and it is now lying in my garden.”
Coming soon! Week 211, 13th – 19th September 1943, will be published on Monday 12th September 2016. To view previous issues please use the menus on the right hand side of the page.
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