Letter to Vernon McNamara from Laurence
Title
Letter to Vernon McNamara from Laurence
Description
Catches up with family news. Complains that he had not been in action yet. Relates tale of his journey from South Africa and subsequent travels in UK.
Creator
Date
1942-01-21
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
EMcNamaraLGLMcNamaraVC420121
Transcription
[postmark]
V. C. McNamara Esq.,
c/o. B.S.A. Police,
P.O. Box. 188,
Umtali.
Southern Rhodesia
[page break]
Metropole Hotel
Bournemouth
21st. January ‘42
My dear Vernon,
Many thanks for your letter of the 25th November which I was glad to receive the other day, re-addressed from Rhodesia House.
Yes, old chap, Judy told me all about her stay with you which she enjoyed very much. The change, she said, did both herself & Jill all the good in the world and she was very glad to be of assistance to you during Peggy’s period of confinement and subsequent convalescence. I was sorry to hear that Peggy had had such a rough time but it is normal, I think and that she pulled through and is now getting stronger you should be extremely thankful for. Congratulations on the ‘daughter’ old chap. I believe things worked out as you wanted them to.
Poor old Judy has all this to go through next month. I do so wish I could be near her
[page break]
2/
but this is impossible and I can but hope & pray that things go well with her and the new infant.
I am glad Jill amused you with her antics whilst in Umtali, she is a great little kid and I miss her terribly. I only hope she remembers me when I get back to Rhodesia (Optimist!?).
With reference to the above bracketed remark I think I now have every reason to be optimistic as I fancy that by the time I get into action the darned war will be over. Things are very slow moving over here and after about 3 1/2 months in this country I have not yet done my Operational Training.
In case Judy has not yet told you of my adventures & experiences since leaving Cape Town I’ll now give you a [underlined] very precise [/underlined] account of what exactly has happened.
Depart Cape Town September 6th 1941.
Arrive Halifax Nova Scotia September 23rd ‘41
First experience with dollars & cents (quarters, dimes nickels & bits) and American life in general.
Depart Halifax, in convoy, October 7th ‘41
[page break]
3/
Arrive Liverpool October 15th & confined to ship for 2 1/2 days.
Disembark Liverpool and leave for Bournemouth.
Arrive Bournemouth 17th.
About the 22nd October arrive in Tonbridge on a fortnights leave and see the folks just in time to turn the tide in Mothers favour when she was at deaths door, and she certainly was old chap.
November 2nd recalled to Bournemouth from leave after 10 days, drew flying kit and proceed to South Cerney to do what they called a ‘Refresher course’
November 3rd to December 16th stooging round in [indecipherable word] at South Cerney. The beer in that part of the country decidedly good but the price extortionate you now pay anything from 1/- to 1/3 for a pint of beer at home these days.
December 17th posted to Upwood in Huntingdonshire on a Blind Flying course and learn how to land a plane in Nil visibility using Lounz Beam.
Christmas & New Year spent quite messily in our neighbouring town of Peterborough
January 2nd proceed on leave to Tonbridge
[page break]
4/
Find Mother much better, Dad more cheerful and Bernard fit and as keen as ever to get into the R.A.F. in spite of his bad hearing. The latest that I have heard is that he is trying to get into the Photographic Section of the R.A.F as an A.C.2. & Can you imagine his [indecipherable word] as an ‘Erk’.
January 7th return[deleted]s[/deleted] to Upwood from leave and posted next day back to Bournemouth pending posting to O.T.U.
January 9th report swelling in neck to M.O. put unfit for posting by him and here I am now waiting for a bed in a Hospital to have the swelling (a cyst) removed.
Well old chap that is the [underlined] not [/underlined] very exciting time I have had in the R.A.F. so far so you have not missed much.
Love to yourself, Peggy and Diana
Lawrence
V. C. McNamara Esq.,
c/o. B.S.A. Police,
P.O. Box. 188,
Umtali.
Southern Rhodesia
[page break]
Metropole Hotel
Bournemouth
21st. January ‘42
My dear Vernon,
Many thanks for your letter of the 25th November which I was glad to receive the other day, re-addressed from Rhodesia House.
Yes, old chap, Judy told me all about her stay with you which she enjoyed very much. The change, she said, did both herself & Jill all the good in the world and she was very glad to be of assistance to you during Peggy’s period of confinement and subsequent convalescence. I was sorry to hear that Peggy had had such a rough time but it is normal, I think and that she pulled through and is now getting stronger you should be extremely thankful for. Congratulations on the ‘daughter’ old chap. I believe things worked out as you wanted them to.
Poor old Judy has all this to go through next month. I do so wish I could be near her
[page break]
2/
but this is impossible and I can but hope & pray that things go well with her and the new infant.
I am glad Jill amused you with her antics whilst in Umtali, she is a great little kid and I miss her terribly. I only hope she remembers me when I get back to Rhodesia (Optimist!?).
With reference to the above bracketed remark I think I now have every reason to be optimistic as I fancy that by the time I get into action the darned war will be over. Things are very slow moving over here and after about 3 1/2 months in this country I have not yet done my Operational Training.
In case Judy has not yet told you of my adventures & experiences since leaving Cape Town I’ll now give you a [underlined] very precise [/underlined] account of what exactly has happened.
Depart Cape Town September 6th 1941.
Arrive Halifax Nova Scotia September 23rd ‘41
First experience with dollars & cents (quarters, dimes nickels & bits) and American life in general.
Depart Halifax, in convoy, October 7th ‘41
[page break]
3/
Arrive Liverpool October 15th & confined to ship for 2 1/2 days.
Disembark Liverpool and leave for Bournemouth.
Arrive Bournemouth 17th.
About the 22nd October arrive in Tonbridge on a fortnights leave and see the folks just in time to turn the tide in Mothers favour when she was at deaths door, and she certainly was old chap.
November 2nd recalled to Bournemouth from leave after 10 days, drew flying kit and proceed to South Cerney to do what they called a ‘Refresher course’
November 3rd to December 16th stooging round in [indecipherable word] at South Cerney. The beer in that part of the country decidedly good but the price extortionate you now pay anything from 1/- to 1/3 for a pint of beer at home these days.
December 17th posted to Upwood in Huntingdonshire on a Blind Flying course and learn how to land a plane in Nil visibility using Lounz Beam.
Christmas & New Year spent quite messily in our neighbouring town of Peterborough
January 2nd proceed on leave to Tonbridge
[page break]
4/
Find Mother much better, Dad more cheerful and Bernard fit and as keen as ever to get into the R.A.F. in spite of his bad hearing. The latest that I have heard is that he is trying to get into the Photographic Section of the R.A.F as an A.C.2. & Can you imagine his [indecipherable word] as an ‘Erk’.
January 7th return[deleted]s[/deleted] to Upwood from leave and posted next day back to Bournemouth pending posting to O.T.U.
January 9th report swelling in neck to M.O. put unfit for posting by him and here I am now waiting for a bed in a Hospital to have the swelling (a cyst) removed.
Well old chap that is the [underlined] not [/underlined] very exciting time I have had in the R.A.F. so far so you have not missed much.
Love to yourself, Peggy and Diana
Lawrence
Collection
Citation
L G L McNamara, “Letter to Vernon McNamara from Laurence,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 16, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/43596.