Stan and Grace

  This photograph shows Stan's father, George, on the left and George's father (Stan's Grandfather), also George, on the right. George (senior) was born on 4 November, 1874, in Cranwell, Lincolnshire.  George's older brother, Charles had moved to Essex and married an Essex girl and i n the early 1890's George also moved to Essex.  Here he met Sarah Challis and they were married on 16 September, 1897. George and Sarah went on to have seven children.  George (junior) was the oldest.  George (senior) got a job as a 'chainman' on the railways and lived in several different parts of England, travelling with the job.  At some point before 1911 he left the railways and began working as a labourer at Frickley Colliery, near South Elmsall in the West Riding of Yorkshire. George was known to be very 'close' with his money, but all the time he was saving and in the mid-1920's he was able to buy the village shop and post office in Cranwell and return to live...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 30 Jul. 44                                                                             183. My Very Own Darling The A.P.O. have let me down again.   Sunday’s arrived again, but not the usual letter from you, so Sunday this week is more than a little dull. There’s nothing fresh to write about since I wrote to you a couple of nights ago. I had an invitation out to dinner at a Sergts’ Mess in the local town & had quite a hectic time – too hectic by the feel of my head this morning!!   They had a dance afterwards, but ...

G.H.N.                                                   157 28.7.44 My own Darling, I received a letter from you yesterday which Vera had posted on to me.   Enclosed was another photograph.   Thank you for it Darling.   I think that it is quite good but not as good as the two previous ones. Everything is much the same here as when I last wrote you.   We have had one fresh lot of patients in but it has not made us too busy.   Sister has been in a very good mood since I returned which helps to make life much more pleasant. The weather too has improved I am very pleased to say as it is my week-end.   I have definitely decided not to go home for it. Last night was my evening off so a friend and I went to the...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 27 Jul. 44                                                                             181. My Very Own Darling, I really am on top of the world!   The reason?   I’ve had two more letters from you to-day.   Four in three days is really just what the doctor ordered.   A grand tonic, Darling, especially when administered by such a charming nurse as yourself. I was happy to hear that you had received a couple of the “snaps” OK and that you thought they were OK.   I agree with you when you say that one of them...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 26 Jul. 44                                                                             181. My Very Own Darling, Tonight I thought I would answer the second of the two letters which I received yesterday.   I haven’t any fresh news, but I think I can find enough to fill an air letter with.   Perhaps I shall have to fill up space by telling you how much I love you and how much you mean to me, but I am sure you won’t mind that, Darling, will you? Most of the letter was about your visit to your sister-in-law.   I f...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 25 Jul. 44                                                                                            180. My Very Own Precious Darling, A wonderful thing happened this morning – the postman brought me no less than three letters & much to my delight two of them were from you.   So, as you can guess, I have been in high spirits today. What a difference your letters make to my dreary life, my Angel.   I can’t imagine how I should have carried on without them.   However low my mood is, a letter from you always cheers me up. And of course when it includes such thrilling news as that about your being busy sewing for our home, well it is really exciting...