Stan and Grace

  According to Stan's record of wartime service, on 10 November, 1943, he "Entered Italian Theatre of Operations". Stan and his unit are on the move, so it's not a surprise that there will be no letters from Stan for a while.  Grace's letters will keep us going in the meantime. I believe that the town Stan was leaving was Catania.  Here are a couple of postcards of Catania, which are part of the collection but were never posted.  Stan must have brought them home with him.  Presumably the photographs for the postcards would have been taken in the mid 1930's, before the war #lovestory  #lovestoryWWII   #lovestoryworldwar2  #1940slovestory  #wartimelovestory   #lovestoryinletters   #loveletters   #royalsignalsWWII   #royalsignalsworldwar2   #soldierWWII  #sicily1943   

G.H.N. 9-11-43     My Very Own Darling, It is now 9.20 p.m. and I am writing this on duty.   No! do not jump to the conclusion that I am on night duty.   I am still on day duty but the night nurse of this ward wanted to attend a play practice to-night so I offered to relieve her for an hour. Everything is very quiet at the moment, we have just been round and shaken everybody's pillow and tucked them up for the night so I thought that whilst I was waiting for Nurse to come back I would write this letter to you. Your air-letter dated Oct 30 th arrived this morning.   It had only taken 10 days to come.   The A.P.O. seems to be excelling itself once again. Yes, Darling, I did receive that long letter which you sent me about Malta.   I also received the Maltese note and your photograph.   I have written a letter in reply to same so may be you will have received it by now. The photograph most certainly does not do you justice.   I pr...

2364226                                                                                       77. Sergt Bristow S, Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces. 6 Nov 43        My Very Own Darling, I am afraid that I couldn’t manage to keep my promise about writing a long letter last night as a spot of work came on the scene at the last moment. I couldn’t let the sixth of the month pass, however, without writing to you.   I was thinking last night about the last 21 months, Darling.   Time is rolling relentlessly on, is...

  2364226   Sergt Bristow S, UHQ, 15 L of C Signals, CMF 77.                                                                                      4 NOV 43 MY VERY OWN DARLING, I USED MY LAST AIR LETTER CARD LAST NIGHT IN WRITING TO YOUR MOTHER TO SAY HOW SORRY I WAS TO HEAR OF THE DEATH OF YOUR GRANDFATHER, SO THIS AIRGRAPH WILL HAVE TO SATISFY YOU FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, UNTIL THE NEXT ISSUE OF A.N.L.C.’S COMES AROUND! HOW JEALOUS YOU MAKE ME FEEL WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ERIC COMING HOME! !   I WISH I WAS IN A SIMILAR POSITION ALTHOUGH I SUPPOSE I SHOULDN’T...

G.H.N. 4-11-43          My Own Darling, I started writing you an ordinary letter last night but I thought that in the meantime I would write you this as these air-letters do travel quicker. When I started writing you last night I felt on top of the world but as I write this I feel down in the depths.   Yes, there is a good reason for my feeling this way.   I was expecting Eric and Bessie down to see me to-day.   It is my day-off and after waiting at the station for two trains to come in I came back to the hospital to find a telegram waiting for me from Eric, saying that Bessie is ill, so they cannot come. You can imagine my disappointment.   Somehow, I knew they would not come but I think that it is rather a coincidence that Bessie had to be ill the very morning they were coming to see me. Yes, maybe I do sound nasty saying things like that but a similar thing happened once before, before they were married.   However, I suppo...

2364226                                                                                        74 . Sergt Bristow S, Headquarters 15 L of C Signals Cen Med Forces. 31 Oct 43         My Very Own Darling, Have just finished work a few minutes ago & thought I would write the letter I promised in the air letter which I wrote last night. I have just re-read your last air letter for the umpteenth time, it is so thrilling to think that you are bit by bit preparing the home that we have both talked, written & dreamed of this last...

G.H.N. 28-10-43    My Own Darling, I am committing a great crime by starting to write this letter on duty.   The truth is that I have nothing to do for the next ten minutes so I thought I start this.   We are “taking-in” once again so I guess we shall have plenty to do during the coming week.   We are usually quite slack the first day. I have received your letter dated October 14 th .   The mail position has certainly improved this last fortnight.   I was very sorry to read that in future your air letters will have to be curtailed to one a fortnight.   I know that you will make up for then in your ordinary letters.   I look forward to your letters so much, Darling. 30-10-43 My letter writing was interrupted the other day by the telephone ringing and a voice at the other end saying “This is casualty speaking, we are sending you an acute appendix.”   We do not seem to have stopped taking cases for long, ever since.   Howev...