Saturday / Sunday, night of 19 December, 1942

G. H. N.

19.12.42  1 a.m.      

My Precious Darling,

It was with “my heart in my mouth” that I opened your telegram at 1.30 a.m. yesterday.  Imagine my surprise when I read the contents !  Darling, it gave me such a thrill.  Isn’t it marvellous?  I can hardly believe that it is true – five more days together.  However did you manage it?  I am expecting a letter from you today or tomorrow telling me all about it.

I received your letter at 6.30 a.m. yesterday.  I should have received it Thursday evening but you know what hospitals are like. 

You said in your letter that you hoped I would not get too good at looking after dead people or I might forget how to look after you (or at least something to that effect).  Darling, do you think that possible?

As a matter of fact we have a girl of twenty-seven who, I am sorry to say is dying.  She has an inoperable brain tumour.

2.45 a.m.

Sorry darling but I had to leave your letter and attend to the girl mentioned above.  She died.

I suppose you will be pleased to know that I have managed to scrape though my exam.  Am I relieved?  Nobody can guess how much.  I knew that I had been far from brilliant in it.  I have managed to come about half way down the list.  That means that I can take my final exam next September.

So you have had a General to see you have you?  After all the work you put in before your last leave I should not have thought there was much left to do, in spite of the fact that a General turned up.

I had better not say much about the matter, knowing so little about these things.  As you once told me – it is folly to talk about matters that one is ignorant upon.

Time is slowly creeping on and I have my “Report” to write so I am afraid that I must stop rambling and get on with my work.

I am looking forward to that nice long letter which you have promised me.

I guess you think that it is time I wrote you one.  Never mind Precious, even though I don’t write you a lot I still think a lot about you.  More than it is possible to put down on paper.

My love as always, Darling.  Yours Grace  xxxxxxx


 

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