Letters between Robert Stott's wife, Agnes and Mr Blandford

Letters between Robert Stott's wife, Agnes and Mr Blandford

Five letters from Agnes Stott to Mr Blandford, a fellow crew member's father, and one to Mr Blandford from a fellow crew member (Pilot Officer G G Whittle) who did not fly with them on their last operation.

1944-01-14

1944-02-11

1944-05-04

1943-12-19

1944-01-07

1944-01-28

Photocopies of six handwritten letters

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.

EStottAEBlandfordJVarious-0001

EStottAEBlandfordJVarious-0003

EStottAEBlandfordJVarious

EStottAEBlandfordJVarious
This letter is a repeat of EStottAEBlandfordJ440504.
194 High Street
Musselburgh
Mid. Lothian
4:5:44

Dear Mr. Blandford,
Im [sic] thanking you for your letter received here 25/4/44 and I am more than delighted that your prayers have been answered and your son returned to you. Two days later I received word that my husband was killed on the 26th Nov. 1943 and three days later buried in grave No.355 in the cemetery of St. Frond, Belgium.
Four other members of the crew are buried in neighbouring graves.
This news reached me unawares as I always believed my husband would return to my son and I. However we must carry on in the best way we can. Thanking you again for writing me. Trusting you and your son are reunited very soon.
Yours most sincerely,
Agnes E. Stott

The second is a letter of sympathy for Mr Blandford from Agnes Stott.
194 High Street
Musselburgh
Mid. Lothian
Scotland
11:2:44

Dear Mr. Blandford,
Im thanking you for your kind letter received here on the 3rd[?] Feb. 1944. I did not know how to take the news of my husbands [sic] death as the Air Ministry had not by then confirmed their letter arrived the following morning & they did tell me is that Bob is a “missing believed [inserted] killed [/inserted] Casualty” and that any further news received they will let me know.
The wireless operators [sic] wife & the bomb aimer’s father sent me the same news as you did.
And [?] I can say at this awful [?] time of waiting is God to give you strength to carry on. I know he will not let us suffer unnecessary[sic]. My Baby is my great comfort in this time.
I wonder if you would let me know/what [sic]
2)
news you received of your loss. I will let you know if I receive any more news.
I am
Yours very sincerely
Agnes. E. Stott

The third letter is from P/O Whittle to Mr Blandford trying to reassure him about his missing son.

[Ends of some words missing from right hand side of letter due to incorrect scanning]

P/O. G.G. Whittle D.F.M.,
Officer’s [sic] Ward
R.A.F. Hospital
Rauceby
Lincs.
14-1-44

Dear Mr. Blandford,
Many thanks for your letter received yesterday. I can appreciate how Mrs Bland [letters missing]
and yourself feel under the circumstances. So far I have not written to any of the relat [letters missing] of the crew. I do not think that I ought to until we get information as to their where abouts [sic].
At the time the crew were reported missing I was in hospital with a perforated ear-drum. I am once again in hospital with [letters missing]
[page break]

EWhittleGGBlandfordJ[Date]

same trouble.
When I arrived back a [missing letter]
the squadron I made enquiries but I am afraid I wasn’t very lucky. It seems that except for one spot – Frankfu [missing letters]
the trip was very quite [sic].
I am sorry that I can’t help you very much, [missing letters]
am right thinking one never can [missing letters?]
recognising the other aircraft. Any day now we should get some news though. I am confident that it will be good news - Bill Wallace was one of the be [letters missing]
pilots on the squadron. From my own experience I can assure [letters missing?]
that there would not be any panic – a big factor when a crew is baling out. If I should [letters missing]
hear anything. I have connections at the Red Cross – I will telegr [letters missing]
you straight away.
Yours sincerely
G.G.Whittle
P.S. My station address is on the envelope.