Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Title
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Description
Writes that she is sending parcel with socks and cigarettes. Mentions she has received belongings of released internee who will arrive soon. Continues with news of sister, other friends visiting and her plans for other activities. Writes about her domestic activities, baby matters, book she is reading. Mentions bad news from Russia and Ukraine as well as Quentin Reynolds broadcast of which she does not approve. Concludes with lament over if weather will lengthen his flying course and his leave will be too short.
Creator
Date
1941-08-12
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Six page handwritten letter
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
EValentineUMValentineJRM410812
Transcription
No 2 Tuesday August 12
My darling Johnnie, I have sent off your socks today & included a few cigarettes in a tin. If you think of it next time you are posting washing you might return the tin to be refilled. The cigarettes are sure to travel & keep better that way. This morning a large package arrived by post for Mrs Stenzel, evidently some of her own stuff that she is sending on in advance, so it looks as though she may arrive soon. I wonder if you have had any word from her? I haven't yet, but the censorship there does hold letters up interminably. I sent her a cheque for £2 the other day in case she hadn't enough for her fare, & hope she received it safely.
[page break]
2.
Barbara departed yesterday afternoon on her holiday. & I hope she'll have a thorough good rest & plenty of fun. Betty Hughes & her friend Phyllis Rosenberg are coming over this evening to play cards with me & tomorrow I am going over to Hampstead to see Jean Serpell & her baby. It's going to be a fairly long trek, but rather fun for a change. I was thinking of trying to lure somebody else into my parlour to tea on one of the other days, but maybe Mrs Stenzel will be here by then. Life does seem rather aimless on one's own, when there's no one to prepare & look out for, but I think it would be a good idea if I put in a spot of work on the garden since
[page break]
3.
I shan't be bothering much about cooking. I did a large wash yesterday afternoon & got rid of all the urgent washing, so I ought to have time. Still I'm not hoping too much, its amazing how time flies when the day is cut into such short intervals by the demands of Frances' & my own stomach!
I had the baby elephant weighed yesterday & she clocked up 15 lb 11oz which is not such a big gain over last week, still it's a pound in a fortnight & that's plenty. There's no cheating about it because I take her into the chemist & he weighs her on his proper balancing scales, not a spring balance like Mrs Howies. Incidentally my ration books have at last arrived
[page break]
4.
from Ayr, so that's alright at last. I have unearthed our climbing boots today & am going to give them a good Dubbining before putting them up in the loft. There's quite a lot of junk, empty suitcases etc. standing about in the back bedroom so I must get them cleared out for Mrs Stenzel. I finished “Gone with the Wind” in bed this morning after I'd given Frances her 6 am feed. I suppose you have read it have you? It's really a most fascinating book & I feel as tho' I'd known the characters personally & would like to shake them & tell them what they ought to have done. Ashley reminds me rather of Klaus Mugden – I wonder what's become of all those boys now
[page break]
5.
& whether we shall ever see them again. The news from Russia about German's successes in the Ukraine isn't so bright today, but we must hope it won't turn out to be really serious. I do wish we were attacking more vigorously on this side by sea & land as well as in the air. Did you hear Quentin Reynold's postscript on Sunday night. He makes me sick, the big fat slug, altho' he means well. His postscripts seem pretty pointless to me except as a vehicle for his elocution.
There was no letter from you by the first post today but I'm hoping there may be one at 11.20 though maybe the Sunday mails interrupt the even rhythm of your correspondence.
[page break]
6.
It seems such an interminable time since you left & I can't bear to think how long it will be till you get leave, specially if weather holds up flying, & how miserably short your leave will be when you do come. Thank goodness for your letters anyway, they are the bright spot in each day. I love you so much darling, & when I think how lucky I am to have your love too & to be your wife, it gives me a warm glowing happiness & makes me feel that nothing can be too bad while we have each other & our baby. She's such an angel & grows more adorable every day. She makes all sorts of advanced cooing noises now & is getting more vigorous with arms & legs than ever.
With all my love dearest, Ursula.
PS The 11.30 post has just gone past too with nothing from you! P.S.Have you received your braces & flashes which I sent off together last week?
My darling Johnnie, I have sent off your socks today & included a few cigarettes in a tin. If you think of it next time you are posting washing you might return the tin to be refilled. The cigarettes are sure to travel & keep better that way. This morning a large package arrived by post for Mrs Stenzel, evidently some of her own stuff that she is sending on in advance, so it looks as though she may arrive soon. I wonder if you have had any word from her? I haven't yet, but the censorship there does hold letters up interminably. I sent her a cheque for £2 the other day in case she hadn't enough for her fare, & hope she received it safely.
[page break]
2.
Barbara departed yesterday afternoon on her holiday. & I hope she'll have a thorough good rest & plenty of fun. Betty Hughes & her friend Phyllis Rosenberg are coming over this evening to play cards with me & tomorrow I am going over to Hampstead to see Jean Serpell & her baby. It's going to be a fairly long trek, but rather fun for a change. I was thinking of trying to lure somebody else into my parlour to tea on one of the other days, but maybe Mrs Stenzel will be here by then. Life does seem rather aimless on one's own, when there's no one to prepare & look out for, but I think it would be a good idea if I put in a spot of work on the garden since
[page break]
3.
I shan't be bothering much about cooking. I did a large wash yesterday afternoon & got rid of all the urgent washing, so I ought to have time. Still I'm not hoping too much, its amazing how time flies when the day is cut into such short intervals by the demands of Frances' & my own stomach!
I had the baby elephant weighed yesterday & she clocked up 15 lb 11oz which is not such a big gain over last week, still it's a pound in a fortnight & that's plenty. There's no cheating about it because I take her into the chemist & he weighs her on his proper balancing scales, not a spring balance like Mrs Howies. Incidentally my ration books have at last arrived
[page break]
4.
from Ayr, so that's alright at last. I have unearthed our climbing boots today & am going to give them a good Dubbining before putting them up in the loft. There's quite a lot of junk, empty suitcases etc. standing about in the back bedroom so I must get them cleared out for Mrs Stenzel. I finished “Gone with the Wind” in bed this morning after I'd given Frances her 6 am feed. I suppose you have read it have you? It's really a most fascinating book & I feel as tho' I'd known the characters personally & would like to shake them & tell them what they ought to have done. Ashley reminds me rather of Klaus Mugden – I wonder what's become of all those boys now
[page break]
5.
& whether we shall ever see them again. The news from Russia about German's successes in the Ukraine isn't so bright today, but we must hope it won't turn out to be really serious. I do wish we were attacking more vigorously on this side by sea & land as well as in the air. Did you hear Quentin Reynold's postscript on Sunday night. He makes me sick, the big fat slug, altho' he means well. His postscripts seem pretty pointless to me except as a vehicle for his elocution.
There was no letter from you by the first post today but I'm hoping there may be one at 11.20 though maybe the Sunday mails interrupt the even rhythm of your correspondence.
[page break]
6.
It seems such an interminable time since you left & I can't bear to think how long it will be till you get leave, specially if weather holds up flying, & how miserably short your leave will be when you do come. Thank goodness for your letters anyway, they are the bright spot in each day. I love you so much darling, & when I think how lucky I am to have your love too & to be your wife, it gives me a warm glowing happiness & makes me feel that nothing can be too bad while we have each other & our baby. She's such an angel & grows more adorable every day. She makes all sorts of advanced cooing noises now & is getting more vigorous with arms & legs than ever.
With all my love dearest, Ursula.
PS The 11.30 post has just gone past too with nothing from you! P.S.Have you received your braces & flashes which I sent off together last week?
Collection
Citation
Ursula Valentine, “Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/19597.
Item Relations
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