Stan and Grace

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 21 Sep. 44 .                                                                          207. My Very Own Darling, My visit to Rome is fast coming to a close – I return to my unit tomorrow.   The past four days have been very enjoyable, but, oh dear, how footsore and weary I am now!   The weather rather put a damper on things, for it's been raining for the past two days, but it really hasn’t restricted our activities too much for we have been looking at “indoor sights” for the past two days. This morning I confined to looking around the s...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 19 Sep. 44 .                                                                                               206. My Very Own Precious Darling, You must forgive me for not having written to you for such a long time – four days to be precise, but I know that to you waiting in England for a letter, it will seem much longer – but I have been travelling for 2½ days, reaching the “Eternal City” yesterday lunchtime.  Since then I have been busy sightseeing and am so utterly tired that I am havin...

G.H.N. 17.9.44                                                                      179 My Most Precious Darling, The A.P.O. certainly made up for their four days lapse by delivering yet another letter from you yesterday. In your letter Dear you said that you did not think that you would be home for at least another year.   I have tried to look at the situation sensibly and I too realise that.   I agree with you – we have to face up to facts.   Of course, one can always keep on hoping that a miracle may happen and that you might get home before. I have just written a short letter to your Mother telling her that I have changed my...

G.H.N. 15.9.44                                                                      178 My Most Precious Darling, As I thought, the A.P.O. were responsible for the delay with your letters but they have made up for it by delivering two letters from you.   One written Sept 4 th and one on Sept 6 th . Pleased to hear about your meeting with an old H.G.S. boy.   It must give you a grand feeling to meet somebody from your “home-town”. The news these days is almost too good to be true, isn’t it Darling?   As good as it is though I am afraid that I still get impatient for the war to end.   This parting of ours is certainly a test...

 In his letter of 13 September, Stan told Grace that he had received a letter from his sister, Janet, who was writing to let him know that his mother had gone to Cottingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the previous day as their Grandmother was 'very weak'. Stan's Grandmother was Annie Lettice Spink (nee Farr) and, unbeknown at this time to Stan, his Grandmother had died on 12 September.  She was 75 years old and died of kidney failure and heart disease. Annie was born and grew up in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, where her father, John, ran an ironmonger's business.  In the mid-1880's John gave up the business and the family moved to Luton.  Annie and her older sister, Nellie, later moved to become 'Asylum Attendants' at the Hull Borough Lunatic Asylum, which was in  Cottingham.  It was here that Annie met and married Harry Edward Spink, who was also an Asylum Attendant.  They lived in Cottingham for the rest of their lives. The couple had two da...

  G.H.N. 13.9.44                                                                      177 My Most Precious Darling, The A.P.O. is not up to its usual standard this week as it has not delivered as yet, an air-letter from you.   A letter from you my Beloved makes all the difference in the world to my day.   The sun does not shine for me when there is no letter from you.   I do hope that you are keeping well Darling and that there is nothing wrong at all – or that they are not working you too hard. Here I am, getting queer ideas into my head when I am sure that it is negligence on the A.P.O.’s part.   The trouble is that yo...