Monday, 20 March, 1944 - An Understanding Censor

2364226
Sergt. Bristow S,
Headquarters
15 L of C Signals                                                                                     123.
Cen Med Forces

20 Mar 44

My Very Own Darling,

Yesterday was about the most spring-like day we’ve had yet, and at lunchtime I was sitting in the window bottom in the office taking full advantage of the sun, dozing a little and dreaming a little.  All I needed to feel really contented was a letter from you.  I had been sat there for only a few minutes when lo and behold, along came the Post N.C.O. with two letters from you, and so my happiness was doubly complete.

I must admit, however, that the news in one of them caused me a bit of worry.  So there’s another call up of nurses next month, is there?  Personally I think that there should be enough with one half of the “Bristow family to be” messing about in the forces, but then that’s a purely personal view, and I don’t suppose we can get the Government to think on those lines, can we?

You ask me my opinion of the position, Darling, and so I’ll spill the beans.  If it really comes to a choice between (a) TB or fever nursing (b) district nursing or (c) joining one of the Forces Nursing organisations, well I should plumb for (c).  I bet that has surprised you, dear, but I have thought a lot about it since yesterday and I’ll try and explain my reasons for a change of front.

I don’t really like to think if you connected in any way with the forces, but I look upon it as the least of three evils!  As you point out, after five years hard work and accumulation of much knowledge, it would be rather an insult to ask you to do fever nursing, which I gather is not a job that calls for much intelligence.  District nursing would mean more studying and then lots of hard work in not so pleasant surroundings, and so that only leaves one thing.  --- BUT, Darling, while ever there is the chance of stopping at Nottingham, I hope you will be a sensible young lady and stay put!!!

I believe I know what you are thinking.  I suppose you have all sorts of weird ideas in your head about the excitement of glamour of war and life in foreign countries, but believe me Darling, a soldier (or any member of the Forces for that matter) has a hell of a lot to put up with for each moment of pleasure that he experiences in a country ravaged by war.  Life is not at all as it is portrayed in books and films!

The thing I dread most of all about you joining the Forces my dear (and again it is a purely selfish one) is that you might get posted to some corner of the Empire and have to stay there for a long time and in the meantime I get pushed back to England again.  It would be most annoying (to say the least) if I got back to England and found you were in, say India.  But that’s crossing bridges before one gets to them, isn’t it?

Anyway, I should stop at Nottingham until the end of the year if that is possible and then, perhaps (says he hopefully) the war will have got to such a stage that your services will not be required.

To be perfectly honest with you, Darling, there was a time when I was in England when I found the thought of you joining the Forces frightening.  I thought then that you would be whisked away by some dashing major, or something!!  Our love for one another during the past 18 months however has dispelled these fears.  I know now that we love each other so much that that isn’t possible.

Keep me informed of any developments, won’t you Darling.  What does your Mother and Father think about it?  I hope my suggestion that if you have to leave Nottingham you join the Forces doesn’t get me in their bad books.  Do you think it will???

Well, that’s the end of the sermon for this week.  Heading back over the previous page it seems very heavy and serious.  I do hope you don’t mis-interpret any of the remarks.

As I have taken up so much room talking about your immediate future I am going to risk the Army Post Office finding me out - - I am going to break the rules by enclosing an additional sheet in this letter, so here goes

OK Censor  (Handwritten by censor)

Thanks very much for your birthday wishes, Darling.  I only wish that I was near enough for you to give me them personally.  I think that your idea of buying some silver for my birthday is a really first rate one.  I agree with you whole-heartedly that silver is better than any other sort of cutlery.  I think there’s nothing sets a table off more than some really nice silver.  Ah me!  Reading and writing of these things give me such a thrill my dear.  How I wish the day would dawn when we could be together to discuss our home and go out together and buy things for it.

There was one part in your last letter which pleased me greatly and gave me quite a kick.  That was the remark that you didn’t want to commit yourself for another two years by taking midwifery.  I hope that long before then we shall both be free and able to take the one big step which lays between us and the fruition of all our dreams.

I was pleased to hear that you had managed to have a week-end at home again and that everyone was in good health.  You might remember me to everyone at 56 next time you write.

Mother hadn’t told me about the bad luck at Kenyon’s.  Her last letter was so full of the broadcast from Grimethorpe which I unluckily didn’t hear.

Well, my Darling, there’s little room left now, and I feel that I have such a lot to write about, so I think I will say “Goodnight” now, and will write again tomorrow evening.

Remember, dearest, that I am thinking about you always and loving you more than I ever thought it possible to do.

Until that wonderful day when we can be together again, therefore, keep all my love.

Always yours, Stan.   xxxxxxxx

The photograph shows Stan's letter with the offending extra sheet of paper.  You can see the sticker showing it has been opened by the Censor and the Censor's signature at the bottom of the left-hand page, indicating that the letter can be sent on to Grace.

Stan often typed his letters as you could get more text onto an airmail form in type than when hand-written.

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