Stan and Grace

G.H.N.                                                                                                                              (127) 13.5.44 My Very Own Darling, Two air-letters arrived from you yesterday, dated May 2 nd and 4 th .   Your letters are arriving very regularly these days and coming in such a short time too.   Of course – that is how I like it. You seem to be doing a lot of reading these days.   I have not done any for a fortnight.   Howeve...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces                                                                            147. 11 May 44 My Very Own Darling, It is getting very late but I thought I would write a few lines to you before I go to sleep. I’ve just finished clearing up one or two odds and ends in the office and have just completed the packing of any bits and pieces ready for my journey to Naples tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to this holiday of mine.   Only two things stop me from being completely happy.   First, I wish that you were coming with...

G.H.N.                                                                                                                              (126) 10-5-44             10 p/m My Very Own Darling, I really wanted to write and post this letter earlier to-day but just as I was about to go off duty Casualty decided to send an acute Appendicitis up.   Not having a senior nurse to leave on I had to stay on duty myself.   Consequently I did not get to my room until 8.30 p/m ...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces                                                                            146. 9 May 44 My Very Own Darling, It is too good to be true!   Another letter from you yesterday which took only six days.   I shall never grumble at the APO again!! I see that like me you are counting the months as they pass. I do so wish the much talked about second front would start.   If we could get cracking in Europe it would be very encouraging wouldn’t it?    I hope that once our troops have landed on the continent it won’t be a l...

2364226                                   Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals                                                                                       144. Cen Med Forces 6 May 44 My Very Own Darling, It has been oppressively hot all today and I am just spending the last hour before turning in on the balcony of the Sergts’ Mess. The sky is as only a Mediterranean sky can be – a deep purple, bejewelled with hundreds of twinkling stars, while up over the whitewashed houses the moon is r...

G.H.N.                                                                                                               (125) 6-5-44 My Very Own Darling, I had just finished writing your letter yesterday when your parcel of almonds and “Yanks” arrived.   Thank you Darling.   They are delicious – especially the sugared almonds. As I shall not be going home for a few weeks I have parcelled half of them up to send to your Mother.   It is so good of you to keep sending me these things.   I ...

G.H.N                                                                       P.S.  Almonds have just arrived.  Will write                                                                                                                    again later. 4-5-44              ...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals                                                                  143. Cen Med Forces 4 May 44 My Very Own Darling, Your letter describing your two days at Grimethorpe arrived last night.   You certainly seemed to have had a really lazy time.   Fancy spending so long in bed!   Good to tell I wasn’t around to drag you out walking or on a trip to Leeds or Barnsley!!   You were never allowed to spend so much time in bed when I was at home – rather it was the other way round; I wouldn’t let you go to bed.   Remember all those heavenly nights & mornings, Darling? Your new cousin...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals                                                                            142. Cen Med Forces 2 May 44. My Own Precious Darling, After two or three days of cold weather when a blustering wind blew lots of dust round and generally made things uncomfortable, I am pleased to say the sun is shining once more and (going back to Sunday School days) “all is calm and bright” as I sit here in my favourite lunchtime haunt amongst the rocks. So you are “having a go at making some Baby clothes”, eh?   You made me go all hot & cold when I read about it!! ...

G.H.N. 1.5.44 My Own Darling, What a climate ours is!   Yesterday was a beautiful day and quite warm but today it is very windy and just like a March day.   However, it is not raining so that is something to be thankful for. I have just seen Nan off on the bus.   This is the first chance I have had of seeing her since she came down to Nottingham a fortnight ago.   We went to the “Granary” for tea – remember the place?   We then decided to go to the pictures and saw Mary Astor and John Bales and several other famous stars in “Thousands Cheer”.   It is an American film and was chiefly about the American Army.   The Colonel’s daughter entertained the troops and fell in love with a private.   It was quite a good show. Kit is on day duty at last, for which she is well and truly thankful, though the   Sister is on holiday and Kit is having to do her duties which she does not like.   She never gets off duty before 9 p/m unless it is h...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces 28 Apr 44                                                                                       141. My Own Precious Darling, Your letter announcing the arrival of the cafe “snaps” turned up yesterday to shed a little brightness onto an otherwise boring day.   So glad you liked them.   I thought they were quite good.   It’s a bit of a change to get a good photograph of myself. So you claim to be one of these people who’s moods are governed by the weather.   Well, ...

G.H.N.                                                                                (122) 27-4-44 My Own Darling, I have just returned from spending a couple of days at home.   You can imagine how thrilled I was to find two air letters and a sea letter waiting for me.   One air letter you had written on the 16 th of April and the other on the 19 th .   Your sea letter you had written on the 2 nd of this month and in it you had enclosed the enlargement of one those snaps you sent me.   Thank you for it Darling.   I liked those snaps better than any you have had ta...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow, Headquarters, 15 L of C Signals                                                                            139. Cen Med Forces 25 Apr 44. My Very Own Darling, Well I arrived back yesterday from my 400 mile trip, very dusty & with a few bruises for a combination of a 3 ton lorry & the Italian roads makes one's ride a bit rough at times. There’s not a lot I can write about regarding the trip.   The countryside looked very beautiful & fresh, the apple, peach & cherry blossom adding a dash of colour to the fresh springlike greenness of the fields.   There were...

G.H.N. Sunday 23-4-44 My Very Own Darling, I was very pleased to receive the photograph you promised me.   I think that it is quite good and it is now sitting in the middle of my dressing table.   I wonder if you have received mine yet.   Yours only took ten days to come.   A sea letter in ten days!   Not bad is it?   I love receiving recent letters from you. Today is my half day.   It is another beautiful day and quite warm.   I would like to go for a nice long walk but I have not got the energy so here I am lazing on my bed and writing to you.   Maybe I will go out this evening as my friend will be off duty at 5 p/m. All being well, I shall be going home this coming Tuesday until Thursday.   You see my week-end is due when Sister is away so I am making sure of it and having my time off before her holidays. I was sorry to hear about Paul*.   I wonder what can have happened to his fiancée?   I can well imagine how...

G.H.N. 20-4-44 My Own Darling, An air letter and a sea letter arrived from you yesterday so I consider it was my lucky day. The sea letter was the one containing the snaps you had taken in the cafe.   I think that they are very good ones.   Have you sent any home?   If not I will take these when I go again. How is it that a fountain pen never lasts long with me?   I have broken this nib and it is really a nightmare trying to make it scratch this letter to you.   Yes, I know that I need not try and put the shame of my bad writing on to this broken pen nib and I also know that it cannot make it much more illegible than it usually is.   (Thought that I would save you the trouble of passing a few sarcastic comments). Vera decided to surprise me yesterday.   She baked me one of her special malt loaves.   My friends here and myself certainly appreciated it. Ah! That is better – a friend has lent me her pen. I may probably be going home n...

2364226 Sergt. S. Bristow, Headquarters, 15 L of C Signals                                                                            137. Cen Med Forces 19 Apr 44. My Very Own Darling, I’ve just finished a very nice lunch of roast pork, baked spuds, onions & apple sauce and am now feeling in a very pleasant mood.   The lunch was helped down too by the fact that just as I was sitting down I was presented with a letter from you, dated 13 Apr. Your mail is coming in very well just now, Darling and it is always much nicer when one gets “fresh” letters.   Six days from England not bad going is it? ...