Stan and Grace

 After a flurry of letters in the middle of June, the letters between 26th June and 5th July are missing.  Rather than leave people following the story with nothing to read, I thought that it would be interesting to have a glimpse of what life was like in 1942 from a different voice. The writer, J. B. Priestley, made a series of regular broadcasts on the BBC to the people of Britain during the war.  Between April 1940 and 1943 he also made broadcasts directed at the USA and the Commonwealth, to rally these countries to Britain's cause.  The text of some of these broadcasts has been gathered together in the book "Britain Speaks: J. B. Priestley takes on the Nazi war machine" by Austin Mitchell.   The following is taken from the broadcast of 18 June, 1942.  Priestley is speaking specifically to the USA, trying to explain what daily life is like for the British people during the war, as there appears to be a perception in the USA that things in Britain '...

The Nurses Home General Hospital Nottingham Thursday, 12.30 p.m.    My Darling, I hoped by the time I wrote this letter I would know when my day off would be but as yet I do not.   I will let you know as soon as possible but I am almost certain that it will not be next week.   I am looking forward to it.   I only hope that this good weather holds. The exam results are not out yet.   I think the surgeon must have read my paper first, been too disgusted to read any more and given it up as hopeless. I was so sorry to hear you have been overworking yourself.   Poor boy – it is not good for your tachycardia you know! I had to laugh when I read about “the latest dispatch from the Grimethorpe front”.   I had a letter from Vera this morning but she did not say anything.   Perhaps she is saving it all up to tell me when I get home. Have you had the sirens to disturb your slumbers?   We have had them twice within the last week. ...

The Nurses Home      General Hospital Nottingham 24.6.42    8.15 a.m. Darling Stan, I received your letter this morning, so am wasting no time in replying. It is my day off to-day, you see I have a day off for June as well as one for July.   I decided not to go home as I hope to get at the beginning of next month.   I cannot let you know which day I shall be having as I do not know whether or not I shall be moved when we start spring cleaning, which we start on July 4 th . So your mother decided not to take on her new job after all?   It really is amazing to what extent the mere male can use his powers of persuasion when he wishes to! This silly cold of mine seems to be going and coming at intervals.   It is a nuisance. Did you enjoy “playing at soldiers”.   I guess it was quite a challenge for you.   Variety is the spice of life! You asked if I had the “Florence Nightingale complex”.   Well, at present I do...

The Nurses Home     General Hospital Nottingham 22.6.42 My Darling Stan, I got quite a surprise when I received your first letter yesterday (Sunday).   I thought it rather funny that one did not arrive Saturday but it must have arrived late post Saturday and I got it Sunday morning.   You said you would be writing again Sunday so thought that I would wait until today and answer them both.   I suppose it will be Wednesday before you receive this. How is this terrific heat suiting you?   It is almost too hot to walk about down here and in this uniform too, though I suppose yours is as bad. I was so pleased to hear that your Mother had managed that job.   I hope that it is not too much for her though.   She will have to travel to work and her housework as well. Knowing your mother though, I think she will be able to manage it alright.   Tell her from me that I am glad she has got it and I hope that she likes the work alright. ...

  Home Forces Sunday lunchtime   21.6.42 My Own Darling, I’ve been so busy this morning that there’s only half an hour left for me to write this letter in before the afternoon post goes off.   That’s the reason I am using the typewriter.   I can get things down on paper much quicker when I type and so you will get more news. Well, Angel by the time you get this letter you will have been back at work for nearly a whole fortnight.   That means that in another 14 or so days we shall perhaps be able to arrange to see each other once more.   How I am looking forward to that!   The next couple of weeks or so will not be able to go half fast enough for me. There’s still no news of my photographs materialising from the shop yet, so I am still awaiting them anxiously to see what they are like.   Only Mother has seen them up to now.   I shan’t like them unless they make me look about twenty times better than I really am (but of course that is...

Home Forces, Friday 19 th 7 p.m. My own darling, I can’t promise you a long letter to-night; I will write more at the week-end. I thought I would just let you know how pleased I was to find another photograph in your letter this morning.   Of course it had to be passed round the office.   I won’t let you in on all the comments, but they all agreed that I was a most lucky person, having such a grand girl! I had a surprise on Wed'y.   The Officer i/c Records sent a telegram through to the office to say that I was to be transferred to another unit on Monday next.   Next day it was cancelled, however.   I was a wee bit sorry because the unit to which they were sending me was an A.A. division at York, which meant I could have got home in an hour and a half. When I first heard, however, my first thought was “How I wish it was near Nottingham.” It would really be grand if I was near enough to be able to see you on your days and afternoons off, wouldn’t ...

The Nurses Home     General Hospital Nottingham 11 p.m.    Wed. Darling Stan, I was surprised but very pleased to receive a letter from you last Monday.   I am so sorry that I disappointed you dear by not letting you have a letter for last Saturday but you do understand and now that my exam is over I will let you have them more often – that is until I start with my next exam.   Another thing is that it takes my letters twice as long to reach you as it does for yours to reach me.   Of course, I am glad that it does not take your letters long to reach me.   I look forward to them so much.   However – ‘nuff said about one subject. As regards this exam of mine, I sat it last night.   The paper took one hour.   There were two questions – both compulsory.   The first one was not too bad but the second one was simply terrible.   I am sure that I cannot possibly have passed it. I honestly mean it.   The worst of i...