Saturday, 23 September, 1944 - Two Letters

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

23 Sep. 44.                                                                                     208.

My Own Most Precious Darling,

Well, my holiday is all over bar the shouting – and talking!  I arrived back about a couple of hours ago feeling extremely dirty and tired.  A bath soon put the former right, but I thought I’d write to you before I went to sleep & so here I am, sitting up in bed, writing to the best girl in the whole world.

It was so thrilling to get back and find no less than four letters waiting for me from you, Darling, letters all of which were filled with the most thrilling words possible.  I got a great kick out of sitting down and reading them all, as you can very well guess.

I was most surprised to read that the novel had reached you already.  Its amazing what the APO can do when it really tries!  You may like the book, but you may on the other hand find it boring.

Thank your friend Ivy for her wishes conveyed in one of your letters, Dear, and tell her that I am waiting the pleasure of making her acquaintance.  The end of the war will bring a lot of pleasures such as that, won’t it Darling, in addition to all the happiness it will bring to just the two of us.

We’ve done a lot of talking about the end of the war this week, as you can guess, for we’ve discussed the Government release scheme very thoroughly.  Although of course we don’t know the full implication of the scheme & shan’t do until the war with Germany is over, it has given us all new heart and made us feel that perhaps “Civvy Street” and all it will mean to us, is not as far away as we have thought.

And of course the new pay increases have put us all in a good mood!  In my case they give me 13/- per week with one hand and take half of it back in Income Tax with the other*, but its better than a kick in the pants, and in our case every little helps, doesn’t it?

I’ll try and write a long letter to you to-morrow Darling if work isn’t too heavy telling you all about the past eight days.  It’s been a grand experience, but the days have been long and tiring and now I feel as though I could do with three days complete rest.  Never satisfied, am I?!!

I’ve missed you and your letters so much during the past week Darling, but to come back and find four letters waiting for me was the next best thing to your being here to welcome me properly in the old manner.

Must shut up now, Angel.  Night night and all my love, your own Stan xxxxxxxxxx

* Income Tax was charged at 50%, and there was a 'surtax' of a further 42% on people who earned more than £20,000 per year (roughly worth around £800,000 today).  In 1944 the PAYE (Pay as You Earn) system was introduced where Income Tax was deducted by employers from weekly or monthly earnings, as opposed to it being due to the Inland Revenue in one or two payments per year.

G. H. N.

23.9.44                                                                                     182

My Most Precious Darling,

The postman delivered my usual Saturday morning letter this morning.  In it Darling you said that you were going to Rome for a week.  That means that as I write this you will be “somewhere in Rome”.

I hope that you are enjoying you week's vacation but how I wish that I could be with you.  However, as you said in your letter, perhaps one day you will be able to show me all the sights which you are seeing now and have seen in the past.  (I am taking it for granted that God and the Army authorities are willing that you should take your leave).

At the moment the wireless is playing “We want a little white room, with a window by the sea”.  Do you know it? Would like a little white room myself – shared with you Darling – but I do not mind whether it has a window by the sea or not do you?

Yes Dear – it is grand now that the black-out regulations have been lifted.  It is almost like pre-war days to walk through the city and see the street lights on.

I went to the pictures last night and saw Frederick March in “The Adventures of Mark Twain”.  It was a very good film.

I am writing this quite late at night.  It has been a miserable evening – wet and cold, so Ivy and I made our usual hot beverage, tea, and I have just had a nice not bath, filled my hot-water bottle and am now cosy and warm in bed – care to join me?

What was the you said “do not tempt you”?  All right Darling – I won’t.

When I have finished this letter I shall read a few more pages of “The West Wind of Love” – that is if the lights do not go out on me.

Sunday.  24.9.44

As usually happens when I write or read late at night – the lights go out on me.  Usually they do not go out before 11.45 p/m but they were out before 11.30 p/m last night.

It is only about 7 p/m as I write this but it is getting quite dark outside.  Winter is coming!

Well my Darling, this letter is not very interesting but with it comes all my love – every little bit of it.  You mean everything to me and I am only living for the day when you will return to me.  Always your own, Grace xxxxx