Stan and Grace

Grimethorpe Monday   12.7.43 My Very Own Darling, Once again I write to you from “mucky Grimy”. I wrote you an ordinary letter this week-end which was posted this morning.   I could not get hold of any Air Letters in Abertillery. The most thrilling part about coming home again was that there were two letters waiting for me from you and the lemons .   The lemons had arrived Wednesday morning.   Mother said that five were in good condition and six had to be used immediately as they were getting soft.   Only two were bad.   The parcel too was in fairly good condition.   I think that we ought to say thank you to the Army Post Office for delivering the goods and you know how I would like to thank you for them don’t you, Darling?   As it is I am afraid that you will have to be satisfied with a thank you on paper and one large extra kiss on the end of my letter. Mother said that Dad has been ill in bed (I did mention it in my ordinary letter)...

  Preceded on 9 July by heavy bombing of strategic targets in Sicily by air, on 10 July the Allied landings began on Sicily, taking troops from North Africa into the European theatre of the war and beginning a 'new front'.   In spite of the positive tone of this newspaper cutting from the Coventry Evening Telegraph, things did not go as planned for the Allied forces.  At this point in the war, this was the largest amphibious landing ever attempted.  Commandos had been landed by glider during the night and few found themselves where they should have been.  The landing craft began to arrive on the beaches in the early morning and in many places this was chaotic.   Many lessons were learned from the Sicily landings which informed plans for the Normandy landings a year later.

ABERTILLERY                                                                                                  39. Friday.   9-7-43 My Own Darling, This morning Kit and I made a special journey to the general post office of the above town, to get some Air Letters.   Believe it or not – they hadn’t any.   Consequently I am having to write you an ordinary letter until I can go home and get some Air Letters. We have not been able to go far to-day as the weather is not too good.   We are going ...

2364226                                                                                                  36. Sergt. S. Bristow Unit Headquarters 15 L of C Signals B.N.A.F. Thursday, 8 July, 43 My Very Own Darling, The Army Post Office certainly excelled itself this week!   I actually got your letter written on 28 June 43 last night.   Nine days isn’t bad going is it?   And as you remark in the letter, these Air letters are much better than airgraphs.   The latter means of correspond...

ABERTILLERY                                                                                        38. 7-7-43        My Own Darling, Here I am trying to write you once again bit it is almost impossible.   These Welsh people – can they talk!   Yes, I know that I can do my share but I cannot get a word in here.   Not that I mind – I like listening to them. This morning we went mountaineering I think that I told you yesterday we were going to.   Don’t ask me how high we climbed I tried to find out but nobody seemed ...

ABERTILLERY                                                                                        (37) WALES          6-7-43 My Own Darling,   As you can see from the above I am writing this from Wales.   I posted an ordinary letter to you last Sunday telling you about the beginning of my holidays. Kit and I caught the 8.51 a.m. train from Doncaster yesterday and arrived at Kings Cross at 12.30 p.m.   We were met by an Aunt of Kits who took us to lunch and showed us a few sights of London. Of course,...