Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

His course has become easier due to the weather. It has been cold. His food is still good. He is not impressed with Irish girls and thinks they are very impoverished.

1944-05-21

Two double sided handwritten sheets and envelope

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EDarbyCAHWellandJ440521

[postage stamp] [post mark]

[inserted] 22-5-44 [/inserted]

Miss J. Welland.
7. Queens Drive,
Surbiton
Surrey.
England

[rubber stamp]

[inserted] J Darby [/inserted]

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P/o.. J. Darby 154676
Officers Mess,
R.A.F. Station
Bishopscourt
Co. Down.
N. Ireland

21.5.44

Dear Jean.

Thanks a lot for your letter dated 15th which reached me yesterday, I’ve heard once from home, expect there will be a letter for me tomorrow.

Well, at the moment we are having a little more time to spare, weather is the cause, am glad in a way as all of us were beginning to feel the effects of the pace.

At home you seem to have several identities, the first thing you

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can do is have a small notice board, camouflaged with leaves or perhaps [underlined] feathers [/underlined] which you could carry around and light up when you see a person advancing with the ‘hows the family expression Mrs Talbot’ on her face, can tell you you’ll have to be careful, you’ll be ‘married’ like me.

From your letter I gather it has been rather cold, its the same here, in fact could almost do with an overcoat, today has been bright but a cold wind is blowing off the sea, more like March than May.

So the snaps have actually come out, what a tough job for the

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people who developed the films, I bet even the developing tank started shaking when it saw what was being produced, by the way have you seen my photo yet? I don’t know if Mother has received them yet.

I’m writing this in the mess, having just got up and had evening meal, there is quite a good programme on the radio and there are quite a few in here, waiting for the bar to open at 8pm, I suppose I shall start my Guinness session in a few minutes. The food is still very good, plenty of variety, in a way shall be sorry to leave here although it is more or less cut off from home, the one disadvantage is lack of

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recreational facilities, although in our case it does’nt worry Us.

Talking about ‘laughing Irish eyes’ well, I think its a myth, the [deleted] of [/deleted] only Irish girls I’ve seen are pretty scruffy and look as though a good bath would be in order, perhaps its because things are primitive round here, the average Irishmans standard of living seems much lower than ours.

Well, must pack up now, look after yourself and don’t mow all Fathers lettuces down.

All the best

Yours

Jack

[inserted] J Darby [/inserted]