Wednesday, 24 November, 1943

2364226
Sergt S. Bristow                                                                            80.
Headquarters
15 L of C Signals
Cen Med Forces

24 Nov 43       

My Very Own Darling,

Today has been most pleasant.  Yes, you have guessed right – I’ve had lots of letters from you.  Four to be exact, one ordinary letter dated 14 Oct and three air letters covering the period 4 – 13 Nov 43.

I was very sorry to read in the first air letter of your disappointment in not meeting Eric and his wife in Nottingham.  Things apparently turned out O.K., however, for I noted in the other two letters that you had been to Grimethorpe and spent the day with them there, including a visit to 19 in the programme.

I am going to amaze you now and – for once – agree with you on the subject of nursing.  I am sure that you must get a kick out of pulling a bloke from the doorstep of death and then hear him broadcasting to the world a few months later.  But that’s the romantic side of nursing and I am sure that it is far outweighed by all the graft you put in to it.  Don’t you agree?  Anyhow I am very pleased to note that there’s no danger of Miss Nightingale getting hold of you again.  I know there isn’t, but is nice to hear you say it sometimes.

It is about time those so and so exam results were through.  I am “whittling” (as you term it) just as much out here in Africa, as you are in Nottingham!  Glad to get the shades of powder and lipstick from you, but now that I have moved I find myself marooned in a smallish place with no shopping facilities to talk about, so I am afraid you will have to wait now until conditions improve a little.  After being in a town for a few months, I am finding life very quiet just now, as you can guess.

I did something last night* which I feel very proud of.  I created a new record in letter writing as far as you and I are concerned.  In the next day or so I shall be posting an ordinary letter to you describing my journey to Italy (if it all gets past the censor) and guess how many pages ..... 45!  I hope you don’t get tired of reading it.  It is almost a short novel!!  Still I think you will find it of interest.  Did I hear you say that you were going to try and beat the new record?

Your photograph and other things that I lost recently haven’t turned up yet.  I am wild about it, but I don’t suppose that will be of much use.  Are you annoyed with me?  And talking of photographs, I have not had a letter from you (or perhaps it has gone astray) telling me that you received the photograph I posted to you in Sept.  I hope you did, not so much because of the photograph, but because of the letter which was describing a visit to Malta.  It also had a Maltese five bob (or half a crown) note inside too.  Remember when you next write to let me know if you did get it.

Mother tells me John hasn’t been too well again and has got erysipelas (probably not spelled correctly but I can’t be bothered looking up the correct spelling).  He has been doing a spot of fainting too of late.  Have you any ideas what is wrong with him?

Yes, Janet appears to have all the brains of the family, doesn’t she.  I hope she doesn’t develop into a career girl too, so that some bloke or other has to take weeks and weeks to persuade her to throw it over in favour of him! !  Still, I managed it didn’t I?

Only another month to Christmas.  I wonder what sort of a time we shall both have.  Not half as exciting as the last festive season, eh? Darling?  As you remark in one of your letters, I shall always remember the telephone kiosk episode.  I love you very much Darling for doing that.  I think over those little incidents time and time again, you know.

That’s all there’s room for now my Dear, but there is enough space to say that I love you very much and am always thinking of you.

Always yours, Stan xxxxx

* The dates on today's and tomorrow's letters cannot be correct if Stan wrote his 45-page letter "last night".  It is dated 25 November and will be posted on the blog tomorrow.  It is a very long letter and well worth reading.

Note: There is no Maltese 'five bob' note in the collection, but there is this note for one shilling

#lovestory  #lovestoryWWII   #lovestoryworldwar2  #1940slovestory #wartimelovestory  #lovestoryinletters  #loveletters 

 #royalsignalsWWII   #royalsignalsworldwar2   #soldierWWII