Stan and Grace

  Letter No. 2                                                                          G.H. Annexe                                                                                               26.2.43      My Own Darling, I really must tell you my bit of good news – or at least – its good news to me – Kit is out at Selston! Isn’t it grand.   Kit says that she is quite w...

General Hospital Annexe                                                                         No. 1 Selston Notts 25.2.43      My Own Darling, Your last letter arrived Tuesday morning. I am afraid that the contents were a bit upsetting at first but like you Darling I am looking upon each day that passes as being one day nearer “the day when we shall meet again”. I often think of you Dear and wonder where you are and what you are doing.   I wondered too whether or not you received my last letter or whether it will arrive with this one.   I hope you did. Spring has certainly been with us this ...

Sgt. S. Bristow                                                                                                   (1) 2364226 Headquarters 9 Corps Signals      APO 4660 My Own Darling, Such a lot of interesting things have happened recently & I am sure you would be interested to read of them.   There’s just one fly in the ointment, however, that is the Censorship Regulations.   I have just been to a lecture on them & have come away with the impression that there are not m...

A line in  Stan’s service record reads:  "21 February, 1943 – proceeded to Port of Embarkation" This letter was written the night before the unit left for the port. New address Saturday evening        My Very Own Darling, The time for the real parting has come, my Dear, & so if this letter proves to be the last for some weeks, you won’t worry & begin to think that I have forgotten about you, will you.   That will be far from the truth, Darling, as I am sure you know.   While I am away my one thought will be of the day when I shall return to you &, as they say in the fairy stories, “live happily ever after”.   What a day that will be!! I am a bit disappointed that I have not had a letter from you since Tuesday, but it will not be your fault, I know, but the so-and-so post office to blame again.   Now, goodness knows when I shall hear from you again.   I know, however, that you will be thinking of me, Angel, ...

General Hospital Annexe                                                     Friday, 19 th Feb Selston Notts. My Own Darling, What a queer week it has been with only one letter from you.   It will be grand though if I receive several together.   I would like to make this letter a really long one but nothing fresh has happened since I wrote you last. However, here are my latest “doings”. I went to the party given by Kit.   I believe I mentioned it in my last letter.   Everybody enjoyed themselves and no-body got drunk!   Not that there was a chance of that as we had nothing stronger than cider. I had a letter and a parcel from Vera yesterday.   The doctor will not let her get up yet. I...

APO 4660 Tuesday evening     My Own Darling, Well here I am again, much sooner than I expected!   There’s no change to report at the moment.   (“Thank Goodness” I can hear you saying). Last week at this time my dear I was counting the hours to the time when I should once more be with you to enjoy the thrill of being near you & able to hold you in my arms. Looking back on that simply exotic night of last week it seems to be but a grand dream which happened ages ago.   How the days have dragged since I left you at the station on Thursday!   How I hope that the months that are before us don’t seem so long that they are almost interminable. The only bright spots this week have been the two letters I have received from you – both of them to-day.   Funnily enough, too, I received the one you wrote on Sunday this morning and the one you wrote on Friday, this evening.   What a post office the Army has got!   I hope it functions a bit ...

 I hope you will excuse me dipping out of the letters for one day to say "Welcome" to new readers.  I don't know who you are - I can only see the number of views and the number of readers in different countries.  It would be nice if you could click the 'Follow' button and then I can see your names. To readers fro m the USA, please do get in touch either via making a 'Comment' or via the Contact form if there is anything you don't understand.  We are indeed "two peoples divided by a common language" as Winston Churchill said and the language you are reading is English as spoken by two Yorkshire people over 80 years ago, so sometimes it might be puzzling. I always say to people that the letters are a love story in real time, so sometimes you might find the letters a bit mundane and the story slow to unfold, but now is a good time to join as Stan is about to go abroad - like most soldiers at this time, it will be the first time he has left the U...