Stan and Grace

Nurses Home, G.H.N. Tuesday – 9.45 p.m. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Stan,   I got quite a pleasant surprise when I received your letter just after lunch to-day .   One of the nurses collected my post for me at 9 a.m. which consisted of one letter from a friend and your letter was handed to me by another nurse at about 1.15  p.m.   I thought that it might take until Tuesday for my last letter to reach you but  maybe the  sorter has got used to your queer address by now and has not to waste time looking  it up.  I think that the first letter I wrote to you was posted on Friday and did not reach you until Tuesday (not such a bad memory  after all,  have I?)   I was sorry to hear you are feeling lonely .   It is, as you say, a pity there are  100  miles between us but never mind – cheer up – it is not really very long to my hols: and to your home leave.   Sunday  evening  I went to the pictures with a f...

The Nurses Home, General Hospital, Nottingham. Sat: 2.30 p.m.   My dear Stan,   I received your letter this morning and thought that I had better answer and post my  reply  this afternoon as it seems to take my letters such an age to reach you.  If it had not been  Saturday  I should not have answered your letter until to-night as I much prefer to – I can think better somehow.   What is the Sergeants’ Mess like, Stan ?   It sounds a very cosy little place according to your letter .   I always imagined them to be  rather dreary  places.  One hears such awful tales of soldiers’ living conditions.   I am writing my letter in the lounge of the new home .   It is a very pleasant room – done in pale green and rust .   There  is  a window runs the whole length of one wall through which the sun is streaming.  I like sitting in here best though in a winters morning when the curtains are drawn, the snow...

Usual address Thursday evening ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Grace,   Unlike you, who seems to have had all the members of the Nurses’ Home surging round you when you wrote to me, I am sat in the Sergeants’ Mess all on my lonely  own ! Sprawled out in an  armchair , with the wireless playing some especially dreamy music, I am appreciating the fire much more than usual, as I have been out in the  cold rain  for most of the day.   From that you will gather that I am feeling  rather comfortable !  There’s  just one thing spoils the scene as far as I am concerned, however, and that is that you are not here with me. That would make me feel particularly happy . Although your person is not here, however, I like to imagine your spirit is –  that is to say you  are thinking of me a little.  Am I expecting too much ?  I suppose I am really – but you know the old Bristow spirit “Never say die”!!   The news that you have managed y...

Nurses Home, General Hosp. Nottingham. 21/4/42   My dear Stan,   I am writing this letter under great difficulties, they are as follows:- 1.  The wireless with “Music while you work” being played loudly in my right ear. 2.  On my left Kit and another friend having a very loud debate upon some subject or other. 3.  A nurse close behind me who will persist in talking to me so if it is a poor attempt you know the reason why.  I will do my best however and first I must apologise for not giving you father’s verdict in my last letter.  It was pretty good so stop worrying any more about it.   The second piece of good news I have for you is that I have got my holidays from May 19 th  to June 8 th .  I hope you manage your leave the last week of my holidays .   Oh dear!  It is almost hopeless trying to write – nurses keep popping in and out  – all feeling very depressed as they are taking their preliminary state exam.  We have...

Usual address Sunday afternoon ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​   My dear Grace,   Last week at this time I was standing at the Institute waiting for you turn up to go up home with me.  (Yes – you were late as usual!).  To-day I am sat in a dreary office, after a hectic morning’s work, trying to forget that about 100 miles lay between us!  Ah me!  What an existence.   Believe me it was simply grand to receive that extremely long and interesting letter (yes the one you were not going to write me) from you on Thursday.  I did not expect one from you so soon, what with examinations, etc., and so it was a grand surprise.  I don’t know why my letter should have taken so long to reach you.  I posted it about 11 a.m. on Monday morning.  I suppose when we remember there’s a war on we must make allowances!   By now you should have completed that examination of yours.  Let me know as soon as possible what the result is, won’t you – and it had better...

  DAY - MONDAY    TIME – 9.45 P.M. PLACE – MY BEDROOM,   MY BED My dear Stan, As I write this my thoughts turn to yesterday morning – out on the common and then again last night when we said goodbye at the station, when I really did not want you to go back.   I don’t suppose you will believe me –ah well – I cannot blame you.   I am so changeable, I wish I wasn’t, I wish my mind always ran in the same track.   Tonight, after we came out of the exam room I wished you were here so that I could talk to you and then maybe go somewhere and forget all about the mouldy exam – but you were not here so I did the next best thing – went out with Kit to a little cafe we know and had a supper of chips and peas.   We talked over the exam paper, went for a short walk, came back here, had a bath and here I am, writing to you.   We were to have taken the second part of our exam tomorrow but when we got back we found that it had been postponed until Frid...

Address as usual Monday   12 a.m.   My dear Grace God!   What a journey I had last night.   I just missed a train at Leeds and had an hour and a half to wait there and then to crown it all, when I eventually got to York I had a couple of hours to wait there.   I eventually arrived back at my billet at 3.30 a.m. on Monday (this) morning.   I sat on my bed feeling rather fed up and wondering if coming home was worth all the bother of travelling. When I thought of you and the happenings of Saturday evening and the pleasantness of Sunday, I knew that it really was.   So I went to sleep, tired but satisfied. I hope that you get this letter before you start the second part of your exam.   Don’t forget what I told you.   You simply have to pass it – or else!!! I can tell you I didn’t feel in too happy a mood today.   With not getting to bed until 4 a.m. I had great difficulty in getting up this morning and was so late that I missed m...