My Dear Bessie (35 page)

10 October 1945

My Darling,

This is not so good news. Our move from the unit has been postponed until the 16th – 5 days.

You can imagine my rage at hearing the news late this afternoon, after a day of rushing around handing in kit, having a medical and waiting for pay. Most of all I cursed the fact that I had raised in your heart the thought of a very early return. I do feel an ass for telling you as soon as I knew we were to go. Apparently some release men from Greece are to take our places. I hope you are not feeling as damned annoyed as I am. But I hope that, like myself, you will recover quickly.

There is no need to alter any of the arrangements, as it is only a holdup, not a cancellation, this being impossible. But, if you like to carry on at work until the last moment, just please yourself. I thought later that perhaps they wouldn't let you go until you had actually got married.

I could write a terrific lot more, but will leave it for tonight. The extra time here will be in some ways useful for me to do some odd jobs.

Soon I shall be with you. I am sorry for this little further delay. I

love you.

Chris

11 October 1945

My Dearest,

One good thing about not having left today is that I can still get your mail.

MUM AT THE WEDDING. It seems that I have too easily accepted her declining the invitation to be present. In view of what you say I am writing again tonight asking if she will come as a necessary expression of goodwill to us, as you are rather unhappy at her decision. At least, I will write something like that. Maybe she would come to Blackheath if she cannot stand the ordeal of the ceremony, and make tea for us when we return. With her attitude so much savouring of ‘losing' me, it is hard to expect her to come to the affair. Oh for Gretna!

It won't be long now. By the time you get this I should have started on the journey. I am sorry I can't be sure what date I shall arrive. Mark down the jeweller's, and have about £5 in cash handy to pay for ring and licence as I shall arrive without more than 5s. (Stockings, undies.) Don't have more than £5, as Mum will have plenty of my cash in hand.

I love you.

Chris

13 October 1945

My Darling,

Well, for me, half the five days of postponement have now passed, and I am beginning to get a little nervous about further chances of delay! Really, in the blooming Army there's no knowing; but I don't think there will be a second delay from here. Of course, if there are rough seas running in the Channel, they will muck up the sailing schedules. But, really, I feel pretty optimistic and hope your own condition is not too ‘jumpy'. Really and truly we are both in the Army, aren't we!

One thing we must try and avoid is discussion about ‘going back' if it is going to make us unhappy. Already I am cursing the need for it, and crossing the usual bridges. We must certainly not look on the after-leave period, except to think that, as we are man and wife, we can now have our ROWS with the knowledge that we will not go astray as a result of them, as I think you have apprehensively wondered.

If convenient could you buy me a pair of rubber heels for a man's shoes that pattern, not the circular type? I believe that the nails are supplied with them. I could do with a pair on my shoes. Thanks. I hope you have your case part-packed. Warm clothes, scarf, the BR umbrella, your little clock; if you get a little bit prepared it will help a lot.

I want to visit my Dad's resting place
*
before I go home. Would you try and remember to remind me? I may forget in the whirl of events.

I have strangely little else I feel I can say.

I love you.

Chris

*
Towards the end of 1945, a new scheme was introduced named LIAP, short for Leave In Addition to Python. Under LIAP, any person who would have served overseas three years before being demobilised was to be given a short home leave.

*
Chris's father died on 5 June 1945. In a letter to Bessie on 15 June he wrote: ‘Please do not speculate about my reception and treatment of the news. I have taken it, I regard it, as dispassionately as possible. It is the distance which counts, and the fact that tears in a tent are out of place. I am very concerned about my Mother. I am anxious to stop her remembering. I am desirous of comforting her all I can.'

10

Janet or Christopher

SIX WEEKS LATER

26 November 1945

Dearest,

CALAIS

Everything has gone all too smoothly so far. I arrived at Victoria at 9.0, and at 9.30 the train drew out. At 12.15 I was one of eight chaps in a room of the Royal Pavilion Hotel, Folkestone, a very large building, now a transmit camp. I got a few hours' sleep before Reveille at 5 a.m. At 5.30 I was eating breakfast, at 6 I was lining up in the cold dark morning to get a blanket. At 7 we moved off to the cross-Channel boat
Canterbury
. At 8 we left the shore, and at 9.15, after a very quiet serene trip, we touched France again. We are now in a transit camp in Calais (I have a bottom bunk in a large Nissen Hut which holds 120 men) and will be leaving by train at 7.15 tomorrow morning (Reveille 5.30). There was a NAAFI buffet car on the train, and we could buy a bar
of chocolate and ten cigarettes in addition to tea, cakes, etc. Coffee awaited us at Folkestone if we wanted it. This morning about 6, we paid over 7½d. and received five cigarettes and another bar of chocolate. I have eaten both bars already. Scrumptious. Fry's TIFFIN and Rowntree's FUDGE. Like other things, it was good while it lasted.

I felt quite a hero to be able to get into the compartment without having blubbered. (For me it was either very good, or a commonsense appreciation of the fact that it is different this time, and that the next time we meet it will be for good.) You were outwardly FINE, however you may have wibble-wobbled inside.

I expect it will be some weeks before I am able to write connectedly. For the moment I am too close to your goodness, too humbled by your affection and too proud of my having been with you in all ways, to be settled in my thought. Above everything, I love you, I have had the chance to tell you, and I know that you are mine. My thoughts will always be around you, and I hope to be progressively successful in my letter writing, to avoid some of the jarring elements I have previously sometimes introduced.

I have just got another bar of choc, two boxes of matches and 50 cigarettes, free. And bought another 60 cigarettes for 2s. With 110 cigarettes in hand, I feel happy! I have seen
The Three Stooges
and Frank Sinatra in
Step Lively
at the Camp Cinema (free). It is a wet day here, sometimes the rain is very heavy.

Will you please again convey to Wilfred and Dad my thanks for their kindness. Forgive this scrawl.

I love you.

Your grateful husband,

Chris

30 November 1945

Dearest,

I am still at this Transit Camp near Milan, expecting to move off to Naples tonight. It is very cold and misty, and the camp is very crowded. I spent at least an hour and a half lining up in mammoth queues for my meals yesterday. For the NAAFI I had to wait only a quarter of an hour, but when I came out, there were nearly two thousand queuing for the hope of cake and tea.

The cooks here are German prisoners and the servers Italians. There must be a lot of ‘flogging' going on. In the town, which we saw by dark last night, several shops are selling Army medal ribbon, official pattern, sixpence a piece; it is difficult to get from Quartermasters. No wonder! The ride through Switzerland was very good. Passed through Lausanne and ran for five miles or so beside Lake Geneva, bordered by the millionaire's chalets. It is a great sight to see the mountains high in the background. Everything is almost perfectly clean, the chalets and other buildings are freshly painted, railway stations are neat and tidy. Many people waved Union Jacks and Tricolours out of windows, others waved their hands. Whether this is a bit of pre-tourist
traffic beckoning, or genuine appreciation, I cannot say. But at least a dozen troops' trains pass through daily and have been doing so for over four months.

I saw some of those midget umbrellas last night, £2 15s. 0d., but had no money for the purchase. I would like to be stationed around here, but there is no likelihood.

Later. We are definitely leaving tonight. I hope it will be much warmer down South. It's perishing here.

I love you.

Chris

1 December 1945

My Darling,

RIMINI

The journey from Novara to this place has been a disgraceful business. I was lucky enough to be one of eight chaps in a compartment, quite full and no spare room. In each of the coaches, however, there were seven or eight chaps who had no seats, and had to wait huddled at the end, in front of the (frequently used) lavatory. The lads in this state in our coach were all RAF, and I was very sorry for them, they could stretch their legs only by standing up. They must have had a terrible night. Our compartment had
the usual two on the racks, two on the seats, two on the floor, and two had to go in the corridor and get as comfortable as possible. We shall repeat the performance tonight, and perhaps tomorrow night, if the train carries on at its present rate.