WAC Staff Sergeant Hildegarde Molnar, from California, was a court-martial stenographer with IX BC's Judge Advocate General's team -which could sentence US servicemen to two years' detention for simply being found asleep on duty. Her wartime diary, edited as "Dear Sergeant Honey" by daughter Ceil Stetson, is probably the best published account of the Americans' time at Marks Hall. It also chronicles her romance with 'Scotty' (later her husband), including their seaside trysts at a Clacton guesthouse, and records trips with colleagues to favourite hostelries in Colchester and, 'over the hill', Coggeshall ('Coggie' to those at Marks Hall).



'Hildie', who won the Bronze Star for her work, describes sleeping in a hut in woods close to the mansion and being woken by air-raids - noting on February 19th 1944, after an attack the previous night: Almost fell into a bomb crater near infirmary.



April was quieter, Hildie depicting a peaceful bike ride: We watched a beautiful long

sunset as we rode along. It was lovely springy weather and daylight until after nine.