Thursday, 8 June, 1944 - Two Letters

2364226
Sergt. S. Bristow,
Headquarters
15 L of C Signals                                                                 159.
Cen Med Forces

8 Jun 44

My Very Own Darling,

So you didn’t go to London after all for your week-end.  Perhaps it was as well as things turned out for I suppose the trains would be very busy with invasion traffic.  As you say in your letter of 3 June which arrived today, however, the rest at home would do you some good - & besides I should imagine your Mother and Father & Vera were pleased you called off your London trip.  How are they all at 56 by the way?  Well, I hope.

And talking about health I was pleased to read in Mother's letter today, too that she thought you looked better again.  Hope you are taking great care of yourself for you are a very valuable person, Dear.

That was a fine trick to do – losing fifty bob the other day.  You certainly were very lucky to have it returned to you.  I like the way, when referring to the wallet of mine Mother has loaned you, you say you get a kick out of having something belonging to me.

Why, Darling, for the last two years you have had something of mine much more valuable than an old wallet – my heart.  That’s the thing I want you to take very great care of.  Don’t ever let that go, will you Dearest?

Getting back to the wallet – were there any incriminating documents inside it?  Hope not.  Any pound notes there might have been inside you can keep!!  Pretty safe saying that, aren’t I?

Just called a halt for a couple of minutes to attack the flies with a spray gun.  They are getting simply terrible and I am sure we shall all have dysentery before long!  Just to give you an idea what it is like; when we spray the office out with “flit” the flies all swarm to the window to die.  This morning when the orderly cleaned the office out I got him to count the flies in the window bottom.  There were 267 corpses.  Not bad for one day’s hunting!!  They breed like wild fire here, though, amongst all the rubbish the Itis fling into the streets.

The French landing seems to be progressing very satisfactorily doesn’t it Darling, whilst here in Italy things are going just fine.  I should begin to feel a bit uncomfortable if I were a German now, what do you say?  They must be beginning to realise that they haven’t any chance of winning.  The sooner they do - & chuck in the sponge the better.

Well Darling I’ve ordered a bath for 8.30 p.m. so I shall have to run.  More again some time later.

By the way, did I ever mention that you’re the most adorable girl in the world & that I love you?  Well – I do!  Always yours, Stan   xxxxxxxx

 

G.H.N.                                                                                (136)

8.6.44

My Very Own Darling,

This morning I received two letters from you.  An air-letter fated 30^th May and a sea letter dated 27^th April.  Like you I really must congratulate the Army Post Office these days.  Your air-letters are only taking six to eight days to come.  The sea letter had not really been very long either – when one considers the distance it had to travel.

I found the description of the Italian people very interesting but rather nauseating.*  I cannot imagine anyone living under such conditions these days.  Whatever the men were like that wanted to marry girls from such homes I cannot imagine.  They say that love is blind!

At the moment I am sitting on a narrow balcony which surrounds the fourth floor of the nurses home.  Yes, it is a long way from the ground but quite safe.  As the sun is shining this afternoon we (my friend and I) thought that we would take advantage of it and try and get sun burnt.  Some hope!

The “second front” seems to be going well and according to plan does it not?  We are still waiting casualties.  Sister said “Nurse, I shall be honoured to nurse any of those men” – and so shall I.  The little that we can do for them will be very little repayment indeed for all they are doing for us.

That of course is one reason why I wanted to join the Q.A.I.M.N.S.  To really feel that I am doing something instead of sitting at home twiddling my thumbs.

In one of your letters you called yourself a “base wallah”.  Well, I guess I feel a “base wallah” myself.

4 hrs later

It is now 9 p/m  I have just returned from paying a visit to the cinema.  It was a fairly old film showing – “The Road to Singapore”, starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Hedy Lamar.  I did not really want to go but Kit did and being weak willed I let myself be dragged out.  I was not particularly impressed by the picture but there are not many really good films showing these days so I suppose we have to be thankful for small mercies.  No more now my Darling, as space is limited.  You have as always all my love my Precious.  Ever yours, Grace  xxxxxxxx

* It seems that the description of the Italians and their way of life was in yet another 'sea letter' that has not been saved.

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

#1940snursinghistory  #1940snurse   #nursing1940s  #nursinghistory