Stan and Grace

56 Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, Nr. Barnsley                                                                         (155) 22.7.44 My Very Own Darling, I thought that I had an air-letter left and did not realise until after the post office was closed that I had not and so Darling – it will have to be a sea letter. Well – the end of my holiday has arrived.   It is now Saturday night and I return tomorrow.   I am not sorry really – there are too many happy memories here for me.   Also I have more time for reminiscing and I find myself missing you so much Darling that – well – its almost unbearable. I feel that pa...

Grimethorpe                                                                       (154) My Own Darling, I hope there will be enough space to say all that I want to say in this letter.   I came to the end of my letter last night before I realised it. First of all I must give you your Mother’s message.   She has been up this evening with the twins.   She asked me to tell you that a telegram came for your Father this morning to go to Cranwell.   Your Grandfather, I understand, is worse.   Your Mother thought that this letter might arrive before her own. I am sorry Darling about your Grandfather but in his conditio...

Grimethorpe 19.7.44                                                                                (153)   My Very Own Darling, Another letter arrived from you this morning.   Though it is now turned midnight I felt that I would just like to write a few lines to “my man” before I retired. I have been writing to Matron a friendly little letter you know, to tell her that I shall be returning to the G.H.N. next Saturday!   Remember the time when you wrote her, Darling? I have been visiting your old school again to-day.   Connie, the baby, your Mother, John & Janet and mysel...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 19 Jul. 44                                                                             177. My Very Own Darling, No more letters since the two I had on Sunday, but as that’s only three days ago, I suppose I shouldn’t grumble, should I?   We’ve had quite a batch of sea mail in this past few days, however, & that means newspapers and books.   The last two evenings I have been very busy devouring the “Sth. Elmsall Times” & “Doncaster Gazette” & getting all the local scandal – at least the part that’s printable. ...

Grimethorpe 18.7.44                                                                                (152) 12 M.N. My Precious Darling, I was very pleased to receive a letter from you this morning.   I somehow thought that there would be one.   You wrote it eight days ago.   Really the A.P.O. have excelled themselves recently.   Your letters are always very dear to me – especially when they have been written fairly recently. Believe it or not I have been to pay a visit to my sister-in-law at Sunny Bank Farm.   Connie wanted to meet her, so, together with the baby we went this ...

Grimethorpe 17.7.44                                                                                          (151) My Own Darling, Monday morning usually brings a letter from you but the postman decided to pass me by this morning.   However, there will probably be a letter from you tomorrow. Not much has happened here since I last wrote you.   Not that one expects much to happen in Grimethorpe! Yesterday I spent most of my time sewing.   I was making pillowcases.   “Not exciting” you will probably say but I got quite a thrill...

234226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces 16 Jul 44                                                                                        176. My Very Own Darling, Sunday again!   This day has come to mean two things to me, firstly the end of one week and the start of another which will bring you and I nearer together; and secondly mail day. The A.P.O. didn’t disappoint me today, neither, Darling, for besides your letter of 11 Jul there was an absolutely grand sea letter written a month earlier.   It ensured t...

Grimethorpe                                                              (150) 15.7.44 My Precious Darling, A letter arrived from you yesterday.   As it was quite late when I arrived from 19’ last night I decided to postpone my reply until to-day.   You had written it on July 7 th so it had only taken a week to come. Darling, I do look forward to your letters so very much.   I still miss you terribly and how I am longing for your return.   I guess you long to be home as much as I am looking forward to you coming.   When I sit at this kitchen table with the old clock ticking away and everything else very quiet (it is now 11.15 p/m) my mind goes back eighteen m...

234226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces  14 Jul 44                                                                                                                           174.                                                  My Very Own Precious Darling, I haven’t much fresh to write about, but as I have these snaps to send you, I thought I would spend half an hour writing to you.   I always feel happy, Darling when I am putting my thoughts on paper for you. ...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces 13 July 44                                                                            173. My Own Precious Darling, The 13 th of the month has been far from an unlucky day as far as I am concerned, for to-day the postman presented me with two letters from you!   Fancy two in one day!   Its ages since that happened.   So as you can guess, I am right on top of the world today. Your description of your meanderings round the fair city of Edinburgh brought back some pleasant memories of my visit there in May ’39. I was quite...

Edinburgh 11-7-44                                                                                (148) My Own Darling, Have not received any more letters from you since I last wrote you, though I suppose my mail will be waiting for me at home. I wrote you a sea-letter and posted it on the 9 th though I suppose you will not receive it for a couple of months. Yesterday was not a very nice day.   It was cold and wet so we ended up at the pictures.   We saw Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.   I had not seen it before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nan says that I must f...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces 10 Jul 44                                                                                        172. My Very Own Darling, Your first despatch from the “Scottish front” arrived this morning, Darling.   Two letters in two days.   It isn’t necessary to tell you how happy it made me. Yes, I should imagine that travelling in England now has become worse even than it was when I was using the trains.   Your description of the Doncaster-York-Newcastle run recalled a good...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces 9 Jul 44                                                                                         171. My Very Own Precious Darling, Today has been quite an eventful Sunday, for I have had no less than three letters, one from you, one from Vera and one from home.   Not bad going eh?   And just the right sort of thing to start the day off well! In your letter you describe the Sunday atmosphere of Grimethorpe and of No. 56 and it made me long to be there, sitting wit...

56 Brierley Road Grimethorpe Nr Barnsley                                                                                         147. 8.7.44 My Own Darling, I received an air-letter from you this morning dated June 28 th .  It had been forwarded on to me from the G.H.N.  In it you said that I would probably have started my holiday by the time it arrived. Yes – I have been on holiday a week now and it has simply flown by. I was going to write you an air-letter but found that I had run out of them and all the post-offices close for the half-day up here on Saturday. So yo...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters, 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces                                                                  170. 7 Jul 44 My Very Own Darling, I’ve just come in from the cinema after having seen Leslie Howard’s film “Pimpernel Smith”.   It’s 10.30 p.m. but so hot that I know it will take me a long time to get off to sleep, even if I try.   I’m not going to try, however, I’ll write this letter to you and then read a book.   I shall just drop off to sleep then. When I say that today has been a good day you will automatically guess that I have had a letter from you.   At the time you wrote it you were in a flur...