Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine

Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine

Writes that she was glad to hear of his gunnery course and explaining a mix up over letter to his father. Continues with gossip over daily activities, friends and family. Says she is exited over possible upcoming leave.

1941-09-11

Four page handwritten letter

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EValentineUMValentineJRM410911

Start of transcription
[underlined] No 26 [/underlined]
Lido
Thursday
11th Sept.
Johnny my darling,
I’ve got writer’s cramp from issuing 15 savings certificates, most of them with new books and holder’s cards, so don’t be surprised if this scrawl is more illegible than usual.
I was ever so glad to get your long letter this morning and to hear something of your gunnery course. I should think the practice must be rather fun, tho’ I can imagine that the theory is dreary (if you’ll pardon the rhyme). I thought at first there were two letters from you & opened one to find it
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beginning “Dear Daddy.” My first horrid thought was that you’d put the letters into the wrong envelopes & that your father had received a passionate love-letter from you while I had the weekly whine. However I saw the envelope was addressed to him, only at this address, and my next horrid thought was that he’d told you he was coming to stay here after all & might arrive any moment - & the house full to busting as it is. However I decided on reflection that you’d just addressed it here by mistake. Anyway I dishonestly read it, as I’d started it by mistake, and as the envelope label had fortunately
[page break]
only come unstuck, not torn, I stuck it down again & sent it on. By the way I wonder if you’ve ever mentioned the Savings Group to them. If not, please don’t. It’s such a little thing that I can do & I would rather not have it mentioned.
Today we bottled a couple of pounds of tomatoes, which look rather nice. I hope they’ll store well.
Barbara has gone out for a picnic with the ambulance station, and Peter has gone up to town with Chris to see “Fantasia” so the house is quite peaceful today. What a difference it makes having a man in the house, specially Peter he makes such a clatter with his feet always.
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But it’s awfully nice, in spite of any extra work they may cause, and when the man in question happens to be the dearest one in all the world, why then its just heaven. I do try not to think about your leave, to tell myself its ages away and anyway may never happen, still I can’t help feeling a wee bit excited. I do hope Mrs Stenzel will still be here then. I should like you to meet her. Dorothy too may or may not be here, apparently they’re arranging to take over whole empty houses to billet the WAAFs but she’s hoping that new intakes will go into them & she stay where she is. I hope so too.
Frances is getting ever so strong in the leg. She can easily support her own weight now for several minutes on end, tho’ of course you have to balance her. She’s an absolute darling.
All my love to my other darling
Ursula