Letter from Geoffrey Beckett to his parents

Letter from Geoffrey Beckett to his parents

Writes of his last morning in London and returning to Wittering. Catches up with family news and gossip. Writes of activities on recent visit to London.

1940

Seven page handwritten letter

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SBeckettG622136v10025

622136. A.C. Beckett. G.
Block 3. Room 3.
RAF. Wittering,
Peterboro’, Northants.

Monday. 25th. 1940.

Dear Mom & Daddy,

Well its a nice day here anyway. We came back to this perishing joint yesterday. From 9.50 – 12.10 – we both strolled in the morning sunshine through Hyde Park, down [deleted] b [/deleted] past rotten row & by the Serpentine!!

Thanks for your card Mom; I’m afraid the Easter this year will not be quite as good as

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it might be though. I wish now it were peace time as I should be home on leave, and having a jolly good time. I suppose you and Daddy will be out “somewhere” this morning as you usually do [deleted] in [/deleted] at these holiday times.

I was unable to get down to Clacton this week end of course, though I suppose Andrew & Joan will be down there now. I had visions

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She still seems like the school-girl – Barbara though. Jim says she is a bally fine cook. And how they eat. Streuth! On the Saturday night about 9.45 we decided to cook eggs & chips. Then the Sunday dinner was terrific, but it all went. We went a walk before dinner to Croydon Airport & round the heath – part

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on the opposite side of the road. I tried to get to Bert Browns one night, but could not get there. I [deleted] h [/deleted] got off a bus at Harrow-on-the-hill, but a bus bloke told me to get a No. 18. I found that they went towards Uxbridge & [underlined] not [/underlined] towards Greenford. So after a lot of trouble & walking I got the buses back. It is rather difficult to get

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there from Hendon, and I could not get away before 7 pm. from the camp. You need a good few hours to do it properly.

We have been to all Londons [sic] best shows & seen all the best & latest pictures!!

On Saturday afternoon we finished up with Vic Oliver in “Black Velvet” at the London Hippodrome! Jolly great it was.

Then we also saw

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The Little Dog Laughed at the Palladium, The Prince of Wales Revue, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at the Haymarket Gaumont, “The Wizard of Oz” at the Metropolitan near Victoria “Ninotcka” with Garbo at the Empire Leicester Sq. Dominion Theatre – “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. That is a film I think Pop might like, about a young chap fighting his way up through the American Senate in

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Washington.

I had a Horlicks & an American Hamburger one night at Daly’s in Leicester Sq.

On duty again at 12.30 to-day!!

Well cheerio for a while Mom & Pop.

Will be seeing you soon.

All my Love

Hope you’re improving Pop.

Love – [underlined] Geoff. [/underlined]