Stan and Grace

Usual address Wed’y evening 28.10.42 My Own Darling, It was grand news which came in your letter yesterday.   It is just about a month to my leave now & so now you are on nights, it appears quite possible that we shall be able to spend four or five days together. That makes this life a little more interesting.   It certainly hasn’t had much of interest lately, but the news in your letter gives me something else to think about now but just work! The weather hasn’t been too good lately has it?   It is extremely cold again to-day.   Up to last night I was using a room for an office which hadn’t a fire place.   The result was that I was absolutely frozen all day.   I did a bit of “flitting” during last evening, however, & have got a grand fire just in front of me now. How are things getting on in Grimethorpe?   Is everyone at “56” (I hope I have the number correct for a change) is keeping well.   Remember me to them when you next...

G. H. N. Tuesday   10.30 p.m.       Darling, Having kept me waiting for a letter from you for goodness knows how many days, I received one just before I came on duty. I was so worried Darling, wondering why I had not heard from you, but I understand – I was pleased to hear that you are getting the work down a bit.   You must be feeling tired out.   I only hope my letters act as a stimulant to you, as yours do to me. I did not get to bed until 12 mid-day and was called again at 5 p.m. for a lecture.   I felt tired out and depressed because I had not heard from you.   I am afraid that the lecture did not penetrate my grey matter.   As soon as lecture was over I saw the maid who delivers night staff letters and sure enough there was one for me. I felt as if I could jump over the moon then!   It’s queer what love does to one, is it not? I am hoping there will be post from you to-morrow, in reply to my last letter.   I am...

Usual address Sunday 10.30 p.m.     My Dear Grace, I am glad to hear that you found your short stay at home such a pleasant break.   I agree with you, it is nice to get home – especially when there’s a good meal waiting for you, too!! I could just do with a visit home now.   I have been putting in 13 hours a day all this week & I can tell you, its no fun.   I don’t know how much longer working at this pressure is to continue, I am sure, but I hope its not for much longer. Yes, Mother appears to have been rather peeved about a letter, or something, but I am sure I wrote to her at the same time as I wrote to you.   The letter must have been delayed, or something. I am glad you had time for a visit to no 19 & that you took your Mother up too.   (By the way, Horticulture is not my strong point, but the spelling of those flowers is: chrysanthemum!!!) Remember me to Vera when you next write.   Its nice to think someone thinks somet...

G. H. N. Saturday 12 M.D.   My Darling, I expected a letter from you this morning but as one has not arrived I expect I shall receive one this afternoon. Now for a bit of good news.  I go on night duty tonight.  Yesterday, Kit went on night duty on Pay-Bed Wing and this morning Laughton was to go on but as she had only been on day duty for two months she went to Matron.  As a result of her interview with Matron I am going on.  I am so thrilled about it.  Not that I like night duty – I don’t – but the fact that I hope to get my nights off to correspond with your leave – just think – four weeks to-day and we shall be together again. I think that I might be going on Pay Bed Wing – I hope so. I went to the flicks yesterday to see “First of the Few”.  I have seen it before but Kit had not, so I decided to go with her as it is a good picture.   I am afraid that I have not much more time left as it is almost time to go back on du...

G. H. N. Wednesday      My Own Darling, I received your letter about half an hour ago.   Your previous one I received Monday afternoon.   I was pleased to note that you were in a much better frame of mind when you wrote the second letter. I was going to write you Sunday, as I promised, but when I got off duty Sunday evening it was too late to catch the post, so I decided I would wait until Monday as I would most likely have one from you. What a letter it was when I did receive it. I can quite understand you being bad tempered though all work and no play is no joke and then my letter to crown it all – well – I suppose I deserved the letter you sent me. I did not think at the time though – I sat down immediately and replied – I read the letter through before I posted it and decided not to post it after all, I would wait until I received a reply to my last letter – so now you know why you did not receive the promised letter. However, I will try and ...

Home Forces Tuesday     My Own Darling, It was nice to receive the letter you wrote to me on Thursday by yesterday's post & find that the competition I had with Florence N. was not as severe as I had imagined it to be.   I can tell you, the previous letter I had had put me in a nasty mood, as the lads in the office will bear out!   Still as I said before, we will talk about the matter next month.   I am beginning to count every day now.   Just about a month to go now. There’s still plenty of work flying about down here, but I managed a night off for a visit to the local cinema last night.   The films they get are pretty ancient, but the one last night, Victor McLaglen in “Broadway Limited” was quite amusing. Walking back to the Mess at 11 p.m. it was brilliantly moonlit.   I wished you had had been with me.   I shouldn’t have gone straight home then! Things were pretty lively here yesterday.   We had six “alerts”.   ...

Usual address 11 p.m.   Sunday evening    My Own Darling, You kept me on tenterhooks last week, waiting for a letter from you!   I suppose I asked for it however, being so nasty tempered last time I wrote to you, and I am sorry.   The trouble has been lately that work has kept piling up & it didn’t matter how long I worked the pile never seemed to get less. At 11 pm tonight however, things look a bit straighter & I can actually see my desk, instead of it being littered with paper! I am looking forward to there being a letter from you in the morning & am more than sorry that I couldn’t manage one to reach you for first post Monday.   Still, the old adage “Better late than never” will have to apply in this case. How’s work going at your end?   Any chance of the night duty coming along?   I hope so, because it will be much nicer if you can get home when I am on leave instead of me having to come to Nottingham. I had a letter...

G. H. N. Thursday night      My Own Darling, I received your letter a few hours ago, so I am replying tonight and posting it by first post in the morning , so you may receive this letter by Saturday afternoon.   I will write again at the week-end so that if you do receive this Saturday there will be post for you on Monday morning. By the way, how long does it take my letters to reach you now, do you get them any quicker? Darling, I am very sorry if my previous letter sounded as if you still had severe competition from Miss Nightingale.   You have not, really.   I suppose that its when I have been in this place a good many weeks I get settled in the hospital routine and then Miss Nightingale does come and give me a slight reminder, but Darling, it is very occasionally and I suppose your letter arrived at one of these moments. You know, Dear, deep down I do really love you and if this Nightingale complex (as you choose to call it) comes upon me i...

Usual address     Wednesday lunchtime     My Darling, I thought if I sat down and answered your letter straight away, you would get a reply in the morning, just as you got back from Grimethorpe.   I hope you had a pleasant couple of days.   I sincerely wish I had been there with you. The news that I still had pretty severe competition from Florence Nightingale was rather a blow to me.   After our last meeting I was quite convinced that even if you had not forgotten her altogether you did not think of her so much!   I suppose it was rather presumptuous of me to think I could kick her out of your make-up in such a short space of time as eight months! However, the situation is one which can be talked about much better than written of, so I’ll try to say no more on the subject until I see you.   The main reason I made the suggestion was, however, that I thought that if I was to go overseas it was the best way of showing my true feelings...

  G. H. N. Monday         My Darling, I did not receive your letter till late Saturday night.   I had been expecting one from you all week and when one did not arrive by tea-time Sat. I gave up hope altogether.   It was a pleasant surprise when I was told there was a letter for me. The news inside the letter was a still greater surprise.   I did not expect it so soon.   I suppose you will think that I ought to know by now whether I want to get engaged or not.   I suppose I ought to really but even yet at times I am not quite sure.   I am being honest with you Darling.   It is only right that I should be.   I am glad that you have given me time to think about it.   I really am a dreadful person, I don’t know whatever you must think of me. I should be on night duty in time for your next leave.    It sounds a bit “fishy” to me, but I think I have gathered what you mean by it being a very important one...

The Nurses Home General Hosp Nottingham Tuesday         Dearest Stan, I suppose that you will be settling down in Norfolk.   In your next letter I hope to have a long account of your journey and of how life is lived in Norfolk.   Are you in the wilds again or are you in town? It is a pity you had to move this week as I hope to go home next.   I would have liked my day-off Tuesday or Wednesday but as I have a lecture Tuesday evening I am afraid it is out of the question. I am going to try and get half day Wednesday, day off Thursday but that may also be improbable as we start “taking in” on Wednesday for a week.   I think that I have explained before that it means admitting to our ward all the female surgical emergencies for that week.   If Sister will not let me have Thursday I shall have to wait till the week-end of the following week. It seems ages since I was home last, so I am looking forward to going.   I only wish y...

 Note: Stan has now been re-posted again – this time to Norfolk. The Nurses Home General Hospital Nottingham Friday, 10.30 a.m.     Dearest Stan, Although I am not writing this in class, I find that my lecture book comes in quite handy (as you can see). To-day, everything is upside down.   The hospital is holding a “Bring and Buy” sale in aid of some more linen for the new wards.   If these hospitals were run under some national scheme there would be no need for such things.   Our recreation room is full of different stalls and our lounge is a cafe – such is life. I had a move last Wednesday to Ward 2A which is a women’s surgical ward.   Laughton and Bunny are on the same ward.   I don’t suppose I shall go on night duty yet for a while.    I shall go home for my day off.   I cannot get Sunday off but might get a Saturday.   Now far away from home is Norfolk and could you get for 48 hours? I went to the flicks ...