Letter from Bill Akrill to his mother

Letter from Bill Akrill to his mother

Bill writes that he hasn’t received a letter from her for a while, but did get the one she sent on from a friend. He also writes that he is expecting to be posted to Eastbourne shortly with 120 others but this will mean he has to start work again.

Writes about his social activities, the people he has met at church and giving a talk at the Young People’s Service. Catches up with news and domestic issues. Finishes with story about the Chief Flying Instructor at Theale. Asks her to keep his letters 'as they'll be a kind of diary later on'.

1942-03-04

Four page handwritten letter

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.

EAkrillWEAkrill[Mo]420304

Would YOU PLEASE DELIVER THIS TO [underlined] MUM [/underlined]
I thank you
[page break]
No 1436220 L.A.C. Akrill,
“B” Flight No 1 Squadron.
ACDW.
Hotel Metropole
BRIGHTON
Thursday 4.3.42
Dear Mum,
Been looking out anxiously for a letter all the week but had no luck yet. Suppose you’ve not been able to get to the post or else our Post Office here has lost it which isn’t unlikely. I got the letter of Ron Melton’s you sent on yesterday. He’s still hoping for 7 days. He’s finished [deleted] his [/deleted] the first part of his Wireless Course & is waiting posting.
I think I am being posted to Eastbourne on Saturday but as I’ve not yet been on parade today I don’t know whether or not the list’s been read but but [sic] George was in the Orderly Room last night & saw it being typed & thinks my name was on it. Think about 120 are going so I expect all our crowd (8 in all) will be going. Oh dear that means work again & I don’t feel in the least enthusiastic. I’ve not done any serious work
[page break]
since I took the I.T.W. Exam & I havn’t [sic] the keeness [sic] I had then so it won’t go down very well I believe we have to work very hard – this is quite the hardest course of all. Still, once I get down to it I guess I’ll be quite happy. I’m due for leave but I’ll not get any for at least 6 weeks now, maybe 12 or more.
No sooner do I get used to a place & get to know somebody than I get posted. I’d quite settled down for a month or two here as I realised it was no use worrying about posting. I’ve got to know some of the nicest people at Chapel here. One real fatherly & motherly couple – couple would, I’m sure have found me [deleted] all [/deleted] real home from home. The minister’s a grand young chap & asked me there whenever I like. His wife’s mother is a dear old soul but stone deaf & she’s [deleted] wants [/deleted] itching to get lodgings in Newark as her son is an officer at Ossington. Then there’s Mrs. Case the Young People’s leader, whose really grand. They all think the world of her. She lives some way out of Brighton [deleted] but [/deleted] so I’ve not been able to get over but we had planned a grand party for Saturday week wich [sic] of course will be no good now. There was
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
grand crowd of boys too. Of course Miss Mary knows someone in Brighton – one of the ministers here who preaches at Barnby Gate every Easter. Ah well, I must see what Eastbourne brings forth.
I managed to give something of a talk at the Y.P. Service last Sunday but I wished I was anywhere when the minister announced at the morning service that “At the Young People’s Service tonight the speaker will be Mr. Akrill of the RAF.”
I think you’d better keep Auntie’s pen & pencil for the time being. This pen’s O.K. for the RAF. The soap came in handy as without it I’d have run out before we got our coupons. There’s still most of it left & I’ve 2 coupons in hand now so I shall be O.K for soap. Must write to Auntie when I get to E’bourne. Is she better yet?
When I get to E’bn will you send me a pair of pants as I’ve no clean ones to change into & I’ve had these on ever since I left Aber. (29 Dec 1941 to be correct)
Weather’s been better here for the last few days except for Channel fogs which suddenly spring up. There’s a very heavy sea at the moment as I can
[page break]
see & hear as I sit on my bed writing this. It’s usually very calm here.
Well I must get my Kit-bag mended as there’s a lovely hole in the bottom & then get my dinner as there’s Pay Parade this afternoon which can’t be missed.
I’ll let you Know as soon as I get to E’bn.
Love to all, looking forward to leave when I’ve got on top of the Navigator work.
Bill
Heard a good story from the latest arrival from Theale (they still keep coming) The C.F.I. took a pupil up one day & carried on in his usual manner so the pupil said to him “I’m afraid if you must be blasphemous sir, I’ll have to get out!” Well he got out alright. The C.F.I. straight away slung him out of aircrew altogether.
P.S. Would you keep my letters for me as they’ll be a kind of diary later on.