Letter from Jack Dwyer to his wife
Title
Letter from Jack Dwyer to his wife
Description
Jack writes about having a bath. He describes treatment of a Czech airman.
Creator
Language
Format
One double sided handwritten sheet
Is Part Of
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
EDwyerJHPDwyerWMXX0916-010001, EDwyerJHPDwyerWMXX0916-010002
Transcription
Ward No2
R.A.F. Hospital
ELY
Tuesday 16 Sept.
My Darling,
I was up in a chair for 3 hours yesterday, 3pm to 6pm, this was through a lucky stroke and speaking up for myself.
Four of the boys, Thomson, Kirkby with the misshapen foot, Mills the New Zealander, and Montgomery a comparatively [sic] new comer, go to burn's ward for special brine baths, but lately three of them have showed signs of a small rash coming out on the skin through going down too often.
Yesterday after Thomson came back [deleted] they [/deleted] the Orderly said next please - there was no next, so I said what about letting me go, the Sister said "certainly old man".
So with the help of the Sister and Orderly I got into a chair.
I have never enjoyed a bath so much.
The water is the same temperature as the blood of the body and is constantly flowing, you have the assistance of two special trained nursing orderlies who lift you in and out of the bath, when you get out they put you under special heating apparatus, you just sit back like a lord, this is certainly a luxury.
It has made the wounds very clean.
Now I have been up I hope to be able to continue, I'm just a little afraid its too early but the sister says it's quite OK, I shall be much more confident when the next X-ray is taken and turns
[page break]
out satisfactory.
Thomson continues to make headway, his father has gone back to Scotland, mother and sister staying for a while yet.
The sister is 21 next month about the same build as yourself, with a perfect set of teeth, Ian says his teeth was even better that's why he is so sorry for himself.
The Czech boy has had his operation to graft skin over the stump of the leg. He has to be in bed three weeks with the stump crossed onto the other leg, I think it is held into position with stiches [sic], he sticks it very well despite the pain.
He says he will be very very happy when its finished with, hospitals no bloody good to Czech's, he wants to get back on his Squadron with all his friends.
Are those two young scamps still playing up?
Does not my words of warning have any effect on them?
Tell them daddy may be home sooner than I dare think then they had better pull their socks up.
Hope little Michael is much better and causes no unnecessary worry.
Keep your fingers crossed for my continued rapid progressing Darling, I do so very much want to come home and make such a big fuss of you.
My fondest love,
Always yours
Jack XXX
R.A.F. Hospital
ELY
Tuesday 16 Sept.
My Darling,
I was up in a chair for 3 hours yesterday, 3pm to 6pm, this was through a lucky stroke and speaking up for myself.
Four of the boys, Thomson, Kirkby with the misshapen foot, Mills the New Zealander, and Montgomery a comparatively [sic] new comer, go to burn's ward for special brine baths, but lately three of them have showed signs of a small rash coming out on the skin through going down too often.
Yesterday after Thomson came back [deleted] they [/deleted] the Orderly said next please - there was no next, so I said what about letting me go, the Sister said "certainly old man".
So with the help of the Sister and Orderly I got into a chair.
I have never enjoyed a bath so much.
The water is the same temperature as the blood of the body and is constantly flowing, you have the assistance of two special trained nursing orderlies who lift you in and out of the bath, when you get out they put you under special heating apparatus, you just sit back like a lord, this is certainly a luxury.
It has made the wounds very clean.
Now I have been up I hope to be able to continue, I'm just a little afraid its too early but the sister says it's quite OK, I shall be much more confident when the next X-ray is taken and turns
[page break]
out satisfactory.
Thomson continues to make headway, his father has gone back to Scotland, mother and sister staying for a while yet.
The sister is 21 next month about the same build as yourself, with a perfect set of teeth, Ian says his teeth was even better that's why he is so sorry for himself.
The Czech boy has had his operation to graft skin over the stump of the leg. He has to be in bed three weeks with the stump crossed onto the other leg, I think it is held into position with stiches [sic], he sticks it very well despite the pain.
He says he will be very very happy when its finished with, hospitals no bloody good to Czech's, he wants to get back on his Squadron with all his friends.
Are those two young scamps still playing up?
Does not my words of warning have any effect on them?
Tell them daddy may be home sooner than I dare think then they had better pull their socks up.
Hope little Michael is much better and causes no unnecessary worry.
Keep your fingers crossed for my continued rapid progressing Darling, I do so very much want to come home and make such a big fuss of you.
My fondest love,
Always yours
Jack XXX
Collection
Citation
Jack Dwyer, “Letter from Jack Dwyer to his wife,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed June 14, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/52044.