Stan and Grace

  Stan often wrote quite long descriptive letters to his parents which they passed on to their friend Arthur Moseley, who ran the South Elmsall office of the 'South Yorkshire Times' where Stan had trained as a journalist.  In this way his experiences found their way into the newspaper a couple of weeks later. You may remember from an earlier letter that Stan was telling Grace about an Italian football match.  Below is the full description written for the South Yorkshire Times, date unknown: FOOTBALL IN ITALY Former "Times" Reporter's Impressions The humour and excitement of football in Italy are described in an amusing letter from Sergt. Stanley Bristow, a former "South Yorkshire Times" junior reporter at South Elmsall. Mentioning that football matches have become quite an integral part of his Sunday evenings, he continues:  "During the nine months we have been in this township quite a number of the lads have become keen supporters of th...

G.H.N. 29.8.44                                                                      171 My Own Precious Darling, An air letter arrived from you yesterday dated 20 th Aug. In your letter Darling you remark upon how well the war was going.   It certainly is, and now that Bulgaria has followed Rumania out of it all – well – it makes one very optimistic does it not? Oh Darling, as I have told you dozens of times before, it cannot end too quickly for me.   I long so much to have you home again. You certainly seem to have enjoyed yourself at the football match.   I only hope Dear that you never want to drag me to a football match a...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 29 Aug. 44 .                                                                                              196. My Most Precious Darling, I was so glad to get your letter today & to learn that in all probability the Ministry of Labour were not going to “muck you about” too much. Thank you so much my Darling for deciding to stay near at home.   I was most pleased because if things continue at their present rate it will perhaps not be too long before I come home. It’s no good t...

G.H.N. 27-8-44                                                                                     170 My Precious Darling, It is Sunday evening and once more I am back at the G.H.N. after a rather quiet but pleasant week-end.   A week-end crowded with happy memories of the days we spent together in Grimethorpe, as all my days spent at home are. When I arrived in Doncaster Friday evening I found my Father waiting in the bus station for me.   He was on holiday last week and Friday afternoon Mother had sent him into Doncaster to see if he could get some fruit for bottling.   Being a mere...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 26 Aug. 44 .                                                                          195. My Very Own Darling, Since writing to you last night, two things have happened which make it necessary for me to write to you again this evening. Firstly, I had a very nice epistle from you by this morning's mail, which assured me of being in excellent spirits for the rest of the day (yes, dear, your letters are the best tonic I can ever have) and secondly I managed to get the snap I’ve been promising you for the past couple of weeks.* I am enclosing it ...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 25 Aug. 44 .                                                                                         194. My Very Own Precious Darling, I received an extra thrilling letter from you today which made me very happy.   It was a sea letter which you wrote on the last day of your holiday in which you recalled all the happy memories which Grimethorpe holds for you. I suppose that I didn’t ought to be glad that you are unhappy when you are at home without me, but I am Darling, for it tells me just how ...

G.H.N.                                                                      169 24-8-44 My Very Own Darling, An air letter arrived from you yesterday dated Aug 16 th and another one arrived this morning dated Aug 14 th , so where the latter one had been hiding I do not know. Well Darling, the news these last two days has certainly been excellent has it not?   Paris being freed and Bulgaria capitulating.   If things continue to progress at this pace I think that Christmas 1945 may mean quite a lot to us which is what you were hoping in one of your letters. The last eighteen months have also seemed a long, long, time to me Darlin...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 23 Aug. 44 .                                                                          193. My Most Precious Darling, Something or other cropped up to prevent me from writing last night, so I’m afraid that this letter will be a day later than usual.   Still, I’ve got plenty to write about to-day. What do you think of the fall of Paris, Darling?   Simply marvellous, isn’t it?   And now the Yanks are only 200 miles from the German border.   I feel sure it can’t last much longer in Europe. Such good news always makes me so exci...

G.H.N.                                                                                168 22-8-44 My Very Own Darling, Yesterday I went for my interview with the Ministry of Labour or at least with the representative of same.   I was asked which field of Nursing I wished to enter so told her none, that I preferred general nursing.   I was also told that no Nurse that took her “Finals” last September was being deferred and that we all had to leave our training hospitals and take up another branch of nursing. However, in the end the interviewer told me that I could chose one of two posts which require...

 The tone of Stan and Grace's letters over the last couple of weeks has been extremely positive in terms of the progress of the war, so let's take this opportunity to read the Daily Record for 21 August and see what is happening in France. A new front was started in the South of France and the Daily record reports that the American Army is now 16 miles north of Marseilles. In the north, following D-Day on 6 June, the Allied Armies have continued to drive across northern France.  As can be seen from the map they have now reached Versailles and will soon enter Paris.  In response, there has been an uprising by the population of Paris and even the Germans are now admitting this.  The 'German Military Commander' in Paris is quoted as saying on the radio that "irresponsible elements have taken up arms against the occupation authorities". In other news, Rumania has surrendered to Russian troops. You can see why Stan and Grace keep thinking that the German authoritie...

G.H.N.                                                                                                167 20-8-44 My Very Precious Darling, I thought that the good weather could not last for long.   As I write this the rain is pouring down outside.   It does not make much difference to me though as it is Sister’s week-end off and I am “on call” when I am off duty.   That means that I cannot go out even if I wished to. The Ministry of Labour and I seem to be corresponding quite frequently these days!   Another letter arrived from them yesterday tel...

G.H.N.                                                                                166 18.8.44 My Precious Darling, Yesterday should have been my half-day and I did intend writing you yesterday but we unexpectedly admitted some patients so my half-day was cancelled and I was on duty until nearly ten o’clock. However, it is my half-day today and here I am Darling writing to you. Your letter enclosing the snap arrived this morning.   It is a lovely snap and very good of you.   Thank you for it my Dear.   Wish you were near enough for me to thank you in the proper way and th...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 17 Aug. 44 .                                                                          191. My Very Own Precious Darling, Your letter of the 11 th which arrived this morning gave me a double thrill.   Firstly, because, I had a letter yesterday & wasn’t therefore expecting one this morning, & secondly because of the way you had signed yourself.   “Your future wife”.   Oh, Darling, that gave me a real kick.   It’s the first time you’ve called yourself that.   It made me feel really proud, but I shan’t be satisfied until I’ve...

  This very worn small photograph (2.75" x 2.25") is not part of the Stan and Grace correspondence.  It shows a man with a boy aged maybe 8  or 9 years.  It has clearly been pinned to a board several times, with torn holes in the corners.  On the back it says: "A Stan con affetto.  Franco,  Mola, 11.8.44" I was puzzled by 'Mola', but having looked it up, Mola is a town within the Metropolitan City of Bari, where we know Stan was stationed, so this makes sense. Clearly this photo meant a lot to Stan, as he kept it long after the war was over, and I wonder what the relationship was between him and Franco.   Maybe Franco was one of the Italian interpreters or a civilian employed in the office?  We will never know.  

G.H.N.                                                                                          165 15.8.44 Dearest, Darling Stan, I was so sorry to read in the letter which you wrote me on our anniversary that you were in bed with a cold.   I do hope that it is much better by now and that you are feeling more like yourself.   I hope that you are being looked after properly Darling – you know you are very precious to me.   How I wish that I could hop on a ‘plane and come out there to look after you. I am afraid that if once I got out there they wo...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen. Med. Forces 14 Aug. 44 .                                                                          189. My Very Own Darling, I didn’t manage to get a letter written to you yesterday as, for a change, I was busy.   I was very pleased to get your Sunday letter & to know that things were going OK at the Hospital etc. & more important, that you still loved me! Yes, Sweetheart, I too have often wondered where our re-union will take place, as you say, wherever it is, it will be so thrilling, but I hope it isn’t on a crowded station, or anywhere like t...

G.H.N.                                                                                                    164 13-8-44 My Very Own Darling, Today is Sunday and my half-day so I thought that I would occupy the first part of it by writing to you. I have just been re-reading your last two letters.   Nothing gives me greater pleasure Darling, than reading your letters.   I am afraid that I filled the greater part of my last letter to you with grouses so consequently did not answer your letters properly. However, I promise you that there will no...