To Jessie from Harry Redgrave
Title
To Jessie from Harry Redgrave
Description
A letter and envelope from Harry Redgrave to Jessie. Harry writes about life at RAF Upwood including his intensive training and a trip to RAF Wyton to swing the compass at the Air Officer Commanding’s plane. He also is trying to get his motorcycle brought up to Upwood and asks Jessie to find his driving licence.
Creator
Date
1940-08-06
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Two 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
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0001,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0003
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0002,
ERedgraveHCRedgraveJM400806-0003
Transcription
[postmark]
[postage stamp]
Mrs. H.C Redgrave
“Emorf”
Alice Road
Dorchester
Dorset
[page break]
Sergeants Mess
R.A.F. Station
Upwood
Hunts
6.8.40
My dear Jessie,
After yesterdays [sic] three pages I dont [sic] suppose I shall find much to write this evening but as I may not have time tomorrow I am going to [inserted] do [/inserted] my best tonight. Today has been easy as the result of a fine wangle. I started by reporting in the crew room at half past eight this morning for three and a quarter hours Blenheim flying and as the weather was so misty we had to hang about. In any case our machines were dotted around the county in other aerodromes where they had force landed owing to the poor [deleted] visiball [/deleted] visibility so it was apparent that our trip was off at least until the planes returned. To pass the time we did a bit of abandon aircraft drill – incidently [sic] the observer gets out first - and then a phone call came through for a pilot and observer to go to Wytton [sic] to swing the compass of the Air Officer Commanding’s plane. Well my pilot and I wangled for the job and were taken by tender down to Wytton [sic] about ten miles away and got on with the swinging. All I had to do was supervise a lot of A.C.s who did all the work whilst I made out the Deviation Card and we had the job done by midday. That was much to [sic] early to return to Upwood so we made out a chit for the driver to get dinner in the airmans [sic] mess, and went over for lunch in the Sergeants Mess and had a sleep until two when
[page break]
set off [sic] back to our base. Not getting back until half past was late enough for me miss [sic] the first lecture period and I eventually started again at half three. Yet for all that I fell asleep whilst the Met Officer was rambling away about cumulus but can excuse myself by saying that I could have told him all he told us. Tomorrow I am down for flying at half past one and to start night flying at half past ten. Do you know I have done one hundred and fifty hours now and look like passing the two hundred mark before leaving.
I have written to the Town Clerk and Mr Tickett to arrange for my motor byke [sic] to be sent up here. When your Mum gets the key will you ask her to look for my “Registration Book” which I hope you can tell [deleted] if [/deleted] her where to find and for my “Driving Licence” which I [underlined] think [/underlined] is in my wallet. It is essential that I have these and I would like you to ask her to have a really good look and send them on to my address which you must give her. Both are titled as I have written and the D.L. is bright red about [deleted] 3” x 2” [/deleted] 5” x 3” and R.B. a buff coloured folder about 9” x 3 ½”. When she has found these I would like her to take the key down to Ticketts for them to get the byke [sic] out. As you know I was hoping for a day to go and fetch it myself but I find that is impossible.
Time I went to bed dear and so sweet dreams and a quiet night love.
Always your loving
Harry xxxx
P.S. I wish I was with you to whisper in your ear “I love you darling”
[postage stamp]
Mrs. H.C Redgrave
“Emorf”
Alice Road
Dorchester
Dorset
[page break]
Sergeants Mess
R.A.F. Station
Upwood
Hunts
6.8.40
My dear Jessie,
After yesterdays [sic] three pages I dont [sic] suppose I shall find much to write this evening but as I may not have time tomorrow I am going to [inserted] do [/inserted] my best tonight. Today has been easy as the result of a fine wangle. I started by reporting in the crew room at half past eight this morning for three and a quarter hours Blenheim flying and as the weather was so misty we had to hang about. In any case our machines were dotted around the county in other aerodromes where they had force landed owing to the poor [deleted] visiball [/deleted] visibility so it was apparent that our trip was off at least until the planes returned. To pass the time we did a bit of abandon aircraft drill – incidently [sic] the observer gets out first - and then a phone call came through for a pilot and observer to go to Wytton [sic] to swing the compass of the Air Officer Commanding’s plane. Well my pilot and I wangled for the job and were taken by tender down to Wytton [sic] about ten miles away and got on with the swinging. All I had to do was supervise a lot of A.C.s who did all the work whilst I made out the Deviation Card and we had the job done by midday. That was much to [sic] early to return to Upwood so we made out a chit for the driver to get dinner in the airmans [sic] mess, and went over for lunch in the Sergeants Mess and had a sleep until two when
[page break]
set off [sic] back to our base. Not getting back until half past was late enough for me miss [sic] the first lecture period and I eventually started again at half three. Yet for all that I fell asleep whilst the Met Officer was rambling away about cumulus but can excuse myself by saying that I could have told him all he told us. Tomorrow I am down for flying at half past one and to start night flying at half past ten. Do you know I have done one hundred and fifty hours now and look like passing the two hundred mark before leaving.
I have written to the Town Clerk and Mr Tickett to arrange for my motor byke [sic] to be sent up here. When your Mum gets the key will you ask her to look for my “Registration Book” which I hope you can tell [deleted] if [/deleted] her where to find and for my “Driving Licence” which I [underlined] think [/underlined] is in my wallet. It is essential that I have these and I would like you to ask her to have a really good look and send them on to my address which you must give her. Both are titled as I have written and the D.L. is bright red about [deleted] 3” x 2” [/deleted] 5” x 3” and R.B. a buff coloured folder about 9” x 3 ½”. When she has found these I would like her to take the key down to Ticketts for them to get the byke [sic] out. As you know I was hoping for a day to go and fetch it myself but I find that is impossible.
Time I went to bed dear and so sweet dreams and a quiet night love.
Always your loving
Harry xxxx
P.S. I wish I was with you to whisper in your ear “I love you darling”
Collection
Citation
Harry Redgrave, “To Jessie from Harry Redgrave,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/15913.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.