To Jessie from Harry Redgrave
Title
To Jessie from Harry Redgrave
Description
Letter from Harry Redgrave to his wife Jessie. He is looking forward to his leave and mentions learning Morse, how smart they have to be for inspection and advises Jessie on how to repair the electric fire.
Creator
Date
1939-11-15
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Four handwritten sheets and an envelope
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.
Identifier
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0001,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0003,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0004,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0005,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0006
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0003,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0004,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0005,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM391115-0006
Transcription
[envelope]
BEXHILL ON SEA
16 NOV
1939
SUSSEX
[postage stamp]
Mrs H. L. Redgrave
“Redwood”
Oaken Grange Drive
Prittlewell.
Essex
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[page break]
Bexhill on Sea
Wednesday
15.11.39
Dear Jessie,
Another nine days and I hope to start my long week end leave. The thought of that makes things much easier here I don’t know for certain that I shall get it but I shall certainly try hard.
Work has been much harder this week and we seem to be hard at it from after breakfast till tea time. The Training Wing has taken over another big house here and we do Morse and Navigation there. The house is about ten minutes walk away and that means an extra fourty [sic] minutes marching a day It is at the bottom of the main street and all the people turn out to watch us. We seem to be the star attraction here and more people each day come along to see us drilling and marching. The Morse came quite a surprise and we have got to be able to receive and transmit six words a minute before we leave here and twelve words before
[page break]
[inserted] 2 [/inserted]
before we finish our course. It’s a pity I did not know before as I find it rather hard to memorise the code. But still I shall soon master it.
We had a real “big noise” here today Sir somebody Barnet. He came to inspect the school and our rooms had to be spick and span and we had to show off our best parade manner.
I understand we have another inoculation tomorrow though I don’t think it will be as bad as the last. My vaccination is feeling a lot better now. we don’t get time to feel queer
You mention Income Tax, would you send the letter on to me or if it has got to be returned in a few days send it back with my address here telling the Income Tax people I have been called up.
Pamela will look very neat when she has had her hair cut. See that they do it nice.
If you turn the [underlined] main [/underlined] switch off for the fires and [deleted] th [/deleted] take the grille off you will find that the heater element is held in by two screws one at the top and one at the bottom. Whats [sic] happened is that the element wire has [deleted] broek [/deleted] broken near the terminal
[page break]
[inserted] 3 [/inserted]
and if you unscrew the terminal and [deleted] it [/deleted] take off the small broken piece of wire you can re-connect it screw everything up again switch on and Bobs your Uncle
I suggest you look up in the dictionary for reconnaissance and at the same time can check how I’ve spelt it. Its nearer than yours I bet.
You should have seen me sewing the metal eye in the top of my greatcoat this evening You would have laughed. Mind you I did it very well the only trouble I had was that in the housewife they issue us with the thread was in a skein and I got it all in a tangle and had to throw most of it away. I used the darning needle for the job. Was that right?
They spring a surprise on us this morning. In our inspections up to now we have always had our coats on and this morning the officers came along and inspected us whilst we were drilling with greatcoats off fortuneately [sic] I was well polished but one or two were caught out. I intend to behave myself as the punishments are having leave stopped or losing late night passes.
[page break]
[inserted] 4 [/inserted]
I had a letter from Tom on Monday and he seems to be doing plenty of fatigue duties and says that they are up to there [sic] eyes in mud.
Oh I nearly forgot to tell you we had a six mile route march yesterday afternoon and my feet were O.K. Its just as well they are as we are marching most of the time
Your letters all sound very homely so write as often as you can. I think you get more time than I do now. Here the whole thing boils down to either you stop in and write letters and clean boots and buttons or you go out and have time for neither
Still apart from missing you all and one or two comforts I am quite happy and feeling very fit
Well goodnight Dear and looking forward to when you can hug and kiss me
Always you loving Sweetheart
Harry
P.S. Thanks for the stamps and kisses for all xxxxxxx
BEXHILL ON SEA
16 NOV
1939
SUSSEX
[postage stamp]
Mrs H. L. Redgrave
“Redwood”
Oaken Grange Drive
Prittlewell.
Essex
[page break]
[reverse of envelope]
[page break]
Bexhill on Sea
Wednesday
15.11.39
Dear Jessie,
Another nine days and I hope to start my long week end leave. The thought of that makes things much easier here I don’t know for certain that I shall get it but I shall certainly try hard.
Work has been much harder this week and we seem to be hard at it from after breakfast till tea time. The Training Wing has taken over another big house here and we do Morse and Navigation there. The house is about ten minutes walk away and that means an extra fourty [sic] minutes marching a day It is at the bottom of the main street and all the people turn out to watch us. We seem to be the star attraction here and more people each day come along to see us drilling and marching. The Morse came quite a surprise and we have got to be able to receive and transmit six words a minute before we leave here and twelve words before
[page break]
[inserted] 2 [/inserted]
before we finish our course. It’s a pity I did not know before as I find it rather hard to memorise the code. But still I shall soon master it.
We had a real “big noise” here today Sir somebody Barnet. He came to inspect the school and our rooms had to be spick and span and we had to show off our best parade manner.
I understand we have another inoculation tomorrow though I don’t think it will be as bad as the last. My vaccination is feeling a lot better now. we don’t get time to feel queer
You mention Income Tax, would you send the letter on to me or if it has got to be returned in a few days send it back with my address here telling the Income Tax people I have been called up.
Pamela will look very neat when she has had her hair cut. See that they do it nice.
If you turn the [underlined] main [/underlined] switch off for the fires and [deleted] th [/deleted] take the grille off you will find that the heater element is held in by two screws one at the top and one at the bottom. Whats [sic] happened is that the element wire has [deleted] broek [/deleted] broken near the terminal
[page break]
[inserted] 3 [/inserted]
and if you unscrew the terminal and [deleted] it [/deleted] take off the small broken piece of wire you can re-connect it screw everything up again switch on and Bobs your Uncle
I suggest you look up in the dictionary for reconnaissance and at the same time can check how I’ve spelt it. Its nearer than yours I bet.
You should have seen me sewing the metal eye in the top of my greatcoat this evening You would have laughed. Mind you I did it very well the only trouble I had was that in the housewife they issue us with the thread was in a skein and I got it all in a tangle and had to throw most of it away. I used the darning needle for the job. Was that right?
They spring a surprise on us this morning. In our inspections up to now we have always had our coats on and this morning the officers came along and inspected us whilst we were drilling with greatcoats off fortuneately [sic] I was well polished but one or two were caught out. I intend to behave myself as the punishments are having leave stopped or losing late night passes.
[page break]
[inserted] 4 [/inserted]
I had a letter from Tom on Monday and he seems to be doing plenty of fatigue duties and says that they are up to there [sic] eyes in mud.
Oh I nearly forgot to tell you we had a six mile route march yesterday afternoon and my feet were O.K. Its just as well they are as we are marching most of the time
Your letters all sound very homely so write as often as you can. I think you get more time than I do now. Here the whole thing boils down to either you stop in and write letters and clean boots and buttons or you go out and have time for neither
Still apart from missing you all and one or two comforts I am quite happy and feeling very fit
Well goodnight Dear and looking forward to when you can hug and kiss me
Always you loving Sweetheart
Harry
P.S. Thanks for the stamps and kisses for all xxxxxxx
Collection
Citation
Harry Redgrave, “To Jessie from Harry Redgrave,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 20, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/15778.
Item Relations
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