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Letter from Clive Hulme V.C. to Murray Hume (16 May 1942)
SummaryRoly Hume has collected the stories, letters and documents around his relative Lloyd (Jock) Hamilton Hume who was killed in action during the Second World War. Below is a letter from Clive Hulme V.C. written May 16 1942. It is to Murray Hume (brother to Jock) expressing sadness at Jocks death and telling a few stories of him.DescriptionSanatorium, Rotorua
16 May. 1942
Dear Mr. Hume,
Please accept my sincere apologies for this long delay in answering your letter. It was placed by a nurse in a library book & has only just been returned to me today. I can assure you I have spent a lot of time hunting for that letter, & to think I was in Te Aroha last week, & didn't know it was your home town is a tragedy. Many thanks for your kind message of congratulation on the cross.
Yes I met and saw quite a lot of your brother Lt. Jock Hume. He was with the artillery above Maleme 'drome & took great delight in sending shells smashing down there while "Jerry" was trying to make his first landings. I had a small squad of men & holding a position above & on his left. Jerry landed paratroopers behind Jock's guns also in front of him & below but Jock told me later he hadn't seen the 130 land above & on us. After we had killed 126 of these Jerrys I buzzed down to Jock's position to ask for any rifle ammo he might have & at that time Jerry fighterts came in to give the guns & crews one of the worst hours straffing I ever thought possible. Jock & I spent all that time behind an olive tree & whenever an opportunity offered he would scuttle over to his gun& scream out " elevation 1500 yds. give the b-s---ds hell, 5 rounds rapid fire, & go like hell " & he did likewise. When bullets came flying through our trees he would quite cheerfully tell me I was the colour of chalk & I replied that if he thought his face was a rose pink, it was the whitest pink I'd ever seen.
We could both force a laugh anyway. When the straffing was over he casually asked why I wanted more ammo & if we were out what had we wasted it on. I replied " did you not see all those paratroops land up amongst us and behind you? " he replied he hadn't then asked " did they? " so I invited him up for a look-see. We had considerable fun dodging out of a sniper's way on the run up, but the amazement on Jock's face when we got to my 100 yd. long ridge by 30 yds. wide & saw all the dead hun's, was more of a thrill to me than half a dozen VC's. We shook hands heartly and I knew he was thinking the same as I, if we hadn't been on that ridge to deal with that swag, there would not have been any artillery left, I got my ammo.
Later I was again with him, wanting rations for my men, he hadn't left me to see about them & on the way to see a gun crew who had suffered casualties when Jerry turned five Bofors guns, a trench mortar, severe machine gunfire & about a dozen fighters with four guns & one cannon apiece all opened up together, the hell that went on for the next 20 mins is indescribable.
I saw Jock get a packet, whether it was from a Bofor shell or a whole burst from the planes I can't say,but he died what he was, a fighting soldier, & in this war no greater honour or compliment can be paid by any man. My brother went out the same way, went on walking 'till a machine gun tore him to pieces & if my time comes that's how I would wish to go too.
Will you even at this late hour accept my sincere sympathy & please extend it to other members of Jock's family. Your brother's quiet & slow smile will always be a treasure in my war memories.
Yours truly
Clive Hulme.
Please note that articles on Tauranga Memories were often uploaded on behalf of a member of the public, meaning sometimes the author is misattributed to a library staff member. Please contact us if this is the case for an article you authored.
16 May. 1942
Dear Mr. Hume,
Please accept my sincere apologies for this long delay in answering your letter. It was placed by a nurse in a library book & has only just been returned to me today. I can assure you I have spent a lot of time hunting for that letter, & to think I was in Te Aroha last week, & didn't know it was your home town is a tragedy. Many thanks for your kind message of congratulation on the cross.
Yes I met and saw quite a lot of your brother Lt. Jock Hume. He was with the artillery above Maleme 'drome & took great delight in sending shells smashing down there while "Jerry" was trying to make his first landings. I had a small squad of men & holding a position above & on his left. Jerry landed paratroopers behind Jock's guns also in front of him & below but Jock told me later he hadn't seen the 130 land above & on us. After we had killed 126 of these Jerrys I buzzed down to Jock's position to ask for any rifle ammo he might have & at that time Jerry fighterts came in to give the guns & crews one of the worst hours straffing I ever thought possible. Jock & I spent all that time behind an olive tree & whenever an opportunity offered he would scuttle over to his gun& scream out " elevation 1500 yds. give the b-s---ds hell, 5 rounds rapid fire, & go like hell " & he did likewise. When bullets came flying through our trees he would quite cheerfully tell me I was the colour of chalk & I replied that if he thought his face was a rose pink, it was the whitest pink I'd ever seen.
We could both force a laugh anyway. When the straffing was over he casually asked why I wanted more ammo & if we were out what had we wasted it on. I replied " did you not see all those paratroops land up amongst us and behind you? " he replied he hadn't then asked " did they? " so I invited him up for a look-see. We had considerable fun dodging out of a sniper's way on the run up, but the amazement on Jock's face when we got to my 100 yd. long ridge by 30 yds. wide & saw all the dead hun's, was more of a thrill to me than half a dozen VC's. We shook hands heartly and I knew he was thinking the same as I, if we hadn't been on that ridge to deal with that swag, there would not have been any artillery left, I got my ammo.
Later I was again with him, wanting rations for my men, he hadn't left me to see about them & on the way to see a gun crew who had suffered casualties when Jerry turned five Bofors guns, a trench mortar, severe machine gunfire & about a dozen fighters with four guns & one cannon apiece all opened up together, the hell that went on for the next 20 mins is indescribable.
I saw Jock get a packet, whether it was from a Bofor shell or a whole burst from the planes I can't say,but he died what he was, a fighting soldier, & in this war no greater honour or compliment can be paid by any man. My brother went out the same way, went on walking 'till a machine gun tore him to pieces & if my time comes that's how I would wish to go too.
Will you even at this late hour accept my sincere sympathy & please extend it to other members of Jock's family. Your brother's quiet & slow smile will always be a treasure in my war memories.
Yours truly
Clive Hulme.
Please note that articles on Tauranga Memories were often uploaded on behalf of a member of the public, meaning sometimes the author is misattributed to a library staff member. Please contact us if this is the case for an article you authored.
Relates To
EventsTauranga Memories (2011-2021) - EventsKeywordsJock HumeClive Hulme1942War LettersLloyd Hamilton Hume (1918-1941)
Roly Hume, Letter from Clive Hulme V.C. to Murray Hume (16 May 1942). Pae Korokī, accessed 31/03/2023, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/21158
