Stan and Grace

Nurses Home, G.H.N. Tuesday – 9.45 p.m. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Stan,   I got quite a pleasant surprise when I received your letter just after lunch to-day .   One of the nurses collected my post for me at 9 a.m. which consisted of one letter from a friend and your letter was handed to me by another nurse at about 1.15  p.m.   I thought that it might take until Tuesday for my last letter to reach you but  maybe the  sorter has got used to your queer address by now and has not to waste time looking  it up.  I think that the first letter I wrote to you was posted on Friday and did not reach you until Tuesday (not such a bad memory  after all,  have I?)   I was sorry to hear you are feeling lonely .   It is, as you say, a pity there are  100  miles between us but never mind – cheer up – it is not really very long to my hols: and to your home leave.   Sunday  evening  I went to the pictures with a friend and saw a very good film “God gave man a dog”.  You really must see it if ever it visits

The Nurses Home, General Hospital, Nottingham. Sat: 2.30 p.m.   My dear Stan,   I received your letter this morning and thought that I had better answer and post my  reply  this afternoon as it seems to take my letters such an age to reach you.  If it had not been  Saturday  I should not have answered your letter until to-night as I much prefer to – I can think better somehow.   What is the Sergeants’ Mess like, Stan ?   It sounds a very cosy little place according to your letter .   I always imagined them to be  rather dreary  places.  One hears such awful tales of soldiers’ living conditions.   I am writing my letter in the lounge of the new home .   It is a very pleasant room – done in pale green and rust .   There  is  a window runs the whole length of one wall through which the sun is streaming.  I like sitting in here best though in a winters morning when the curtains are drawn, the snow outside but a lovely fire inside, the wireless playing soft music and  a good book  to read.

Usual address Thursday evening ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Grace,   Unlike you, who seems to have had all the members of the Nurses’ Home surging round you when you wrote to me, I am sat in the Sergeants’ Mess all on my lonely  own ! Sprawled out in an  armchair , with the wireless playing some especially dreamy music, I am appreciating the fire much more than usual, as I have been out in the  cold rain  for most of the day.   From that you will gather that I am feeling  rather comfortable !  There’s  just one thing spoils the scene as far as I am concerned, however, and that is that you are not here with me. That would make me feel particularly happy . Although your person is not here, however, I like to imagine your spirit is –  that is to say you  are thinking of me a little.  Am I expecting too much ?  I suppose I am really – but you know the old Bristow spirit “Never say die”!!   The news that you have managed your holidays so that the first week in June is included is grand .  There

Nurses Home, General Hosp. Nottingham. 21/4/42   My dear Stan,   I am writing this letter under great difficulties, they are as follows:- 1.  The wireless with “Music while you work” being played loudly in my right ear. 2.  On my left Kit and another friend having a very loud debate upon some subject or other. 3.  A nurse close behind me who will persist in talking to me so if it is a poor attempt you know the reason why.  I will do my best however and first I must apologise for not giving you father’s verdict in my last letter.  It was pretty good so stop worrying any more about it.   The second piece of good news I have for you is that I have got my holidays from May 19 th  to June 8 th .  I hope you manage your leave the last week of my holidays .   Oh dear!  It is almost hopeless trying to write – nurses keep popping in and out  – all feeling very depressed as they are taking their preliminary state exam.  We have not got our medical results yet.  Sister-Tutor has promised them for

Usual address Sunday afternoon ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Grace,   Last week at this time I was standing at the Institute waiting for you turn up to go up home with me.  (Yes – you were late as usual!).  To-day I am sat in a dreary office, after a hectic morning’s work, trying to forget that about 100 miles lay between us!  Ah me!  What an existence.   Believe me it was simply grand to receive that extremely long and interesting letter (yes the one you were not going to write me) from you on Thursday.  I did not expect one from you so soon, what with examinations, etc., and so it was a grand surprise.  I don’t know why my letter should have taken so long to reach you.  I posted it about 11 a.m. on Monday morning.  I suppose when we remember there’s a war on we must make allowances!   By now you should have completed that examination of yours.  Let me know as soon as possible what the result is, won’t you – and it had better be good.   You make me feel very jealous when you tell me about

  DAY - MONDAY    TIME – 9.45 P.M. PLACE – MY BEDROOM,   MY BED My dear Stan, As I write this my thoughts turn to yesterday morning – out on the common and then again last night when we said goodbye at the station, when I really did not want you to go back.   I don’t suppose you will believe me –ah well – I cannot blame you.   I am so changeable, I wish I wasn’t, I wish my mind always ran in the same track.   Tonight, after we came out of the exam room I wished you were here so that I could talk to you and then maybe go somewhere and forget all about the mouldy exam – but you were not here so I did the next best thing – went out with Kit to a little cafe we know and had a supper of chips and peas.   We talked over the exam paper, went for a short walk, came back here, had a bath and here I am, writing to you.   We were to have taken the second part of our exam tomorrow but when we got back we found that it had been postponed until Friday evening.   It is very annoying as I want

Address as usual Monday   12 a.m.   My dear Grace God!   What a journey I had last night.   I just missed a train at Leeds and had an hour and a half to wait there and then to crown it all, when I eventually got to York I had a couple of hours to wait there.   I eventually arrived back at my billet at 3.30 a.m. on Monday (this) morning.   I sat on my bed feeling rather fed up and wondering if coming home was worth all the bother of travelling. When I thought of you and the happenings of Saturday evening and the pleasantness of Sunday, I knew that it really was.   So I went to sleep, tired but satisfied. I hope that you get this letter before you start the second part of your exam.   Don’t forget what I told you.   You simply have to pass it – or else!!! I can tell you I didn’t feel in too happy a mood today.   With not getting to bed until 4 a.m. I had great difficulty in getting up this morning and was so late that I missed my breakfast – and believe me I feel extremely hun

The Nurses Home, General Hospital ,  Nottingham Ward :  Anderson   Monday evening  11.45 to be precise ​   My dear Stan,   Thanks for the quick reply to my letter which I received this AM.  To start with, my pen nib is quivering slightly but having dropped it three times this morning I am not surprised – therefore – having made apologies for my pen nib I will proceed with my letter.   You asked me to assure you that I can spare the time to see you this weekend.  Well – how does one set about assuring another person?  I will do my best however – I really & truly – most certainly and positively can spare the time to see you this week- end.  Now will that do? If it will not I am afraid that you will have to teach me how it is done during the aforesaid week-end.   You also wanted to know what we are going to do with our time – well – I think that if I meet you at Cudworth and let you go to see your mother for a few minutes – then see you later and we go to Elmsall or somewhere near.  I

  Address as usual Good Friday evening          My dear Grace, You certainly are getting good.   Fancy replying to my letter within 24 hours – and you who told me you only wrote four letters per month! I am told that to reply to a letter immediately is a piece of bad correspondenceship, but believe me, I like it.   Just to show you there’s no ill feeling too, I am writing straight back to you.   That’s three letters in one week.   Do you think we shall be able to keep it up? I am glad to hear that there is a chance of us being together again next week-end but in your next letter I want you to do one thing – that is assure me that you can spare the time from your exam swotting to come out with me on Saturday and Sunday.   I shall be extremely disappointed if you think you can’t spare the time, but remember you simply have to pass this exam! My Officer Commanding has not been in too good a mood to-day, and when I asked him about a spot of leave was not too pleasant. I thi

The Nurses Home, General Hospital , Nottingham 1 st April 1942    12.15 a.m. My dear Stan, I am replying to your letter within 24 hours of receiving it.   Don’t you think that is good for me?   I don’t suppose this will be as long as yours, I am sure that I just could not make my grey matter function enough so as to produce enough material for 10 pages.   Anyway, I will do my little best. Sorry to hear that your journey back was so cold.   I told Kit about your incident on Leeds station.   We both laughed and laughed.   You deserve a medal for that.   Poor girl, she must have felt awfully embarrassed. I suppose you will have received my letter by now.   If you reply by return of post as I am doing yours, our letters will cross again but I will not reply to your next one, I will wait for a reply to this letter.   You will be able to let me know whether you can get your leave or not. I have my nights off from 11 th – 16 th , that is, a week on Saturday.   I have my exam on