Letter to Joan Wareing from Muriel

Letter to Joan Wareing from Muriel

Letter from Muriel to her friend Joan. She writes that she has been in hospital but if feeling much better now. She says that she has been very worried during the past few weeks having heard that fighting had broken out in Saarbrucken causing casualties and subsequently had been bombed by the R.A.F. However she has now had a postcard from her husband, Jimmie, and he had been moved and was now at Stalag Luft 3 for which she is very relieved. She asks if Joan has been able to write to her husband, Bob yet and hopes that she will be able to be in contact with him soon. She mentions another friend who’s husband has been reported missing and hopes she soon has news. She also recounts some news that she had read reporting on a Pilot Officer who had been missing for nine months presumed killed, but he was now safe back in Britain.
She hopes Joan has a good holiday and asks after her Mother and Father. She mentions how family and friends are doing and that they have been under attack from Buzz Bombs. She hopes to see Joan soon when she comes home for a visit.

1944-10-08

Seven page handwritten letter

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E[Author]MWareingJ441008

“St Denis”
Sandringham Road
Laindon
Essex.
Oct 8th/44
My Dear Joan,
Many thanks for your welcome letter. I am very pleased to be able to tell you that I am feeling better again and as you will gather from this letter I am back at Mrs Day’s again. I arrived back yesterday. Actually I was not due to be discharged until Monday but I must have misunderstood the doctor, I thought he meant Saturday, so I promptly sent a P.C to Mrs Day telling her to expect me home Saturday, it was not until later in the afternoon [inserted] on Friday [/inserted] that I found out my mistake when Sister came along and told me arrangements had been made for my discharge on Monday. You can imagine she was none too
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tremendous lot to be thankful for. The past three or four weeks I have been dreadfully worried about Jimmie not having heard for some time, and knowing that things in general were not very healthy at “Saarbrucken”, what with the bombing and fighting etc; Then there was a report in the paper that severe fighting had broken out [deleted] at a l [/deleted] between the prisoners and guards at a hospital and camp at Saarbrucken causing many casualties. Wednesday we had a card from Jimmie stating he head been moved to Stalag Luft. 3. what a relief! And how thankful I am that Mrs Day received that card before the latest news of the fate of Saarbrucken being one mass of flames after being pounded by the R.A.F. you know Joan I felt as though a burden had been lifted from my shoulders since that card arrived I don’t think I realised how much I had been worrying until then.
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apparently the doctors at the new camp say they can improve the condition of Jimmies thigh quite a lot. No more mail has reached him other than the one letter he received from me and two from his people which we wrote at the end of March. However Jimmie says it was marvellous to be amongst English fellows and able to speak English again, after almost six months among Frenchmen. He sounded much more cheerful altogether.
Are you receiving Prisoner of War Magazines from the Red Cross? I do not suppose you are able to write to Bob at all are you Joan? I do hope my dear that you [inserted] soon [/inserted] have word from Bob himself, you would then be able to write to him, and feel that you are really in touch with each other. Keep your fingers crossed and keep smiling.
I do wish your friend Margaret
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could have good news from her fiancé, it must be very hard to keep hearing of other peoples good fortune mustn’t it? and still have to keep hoping and waiting one’s self. I read in the paper yesterday of a Pilot Officer who was reported missing nine months ago, and since presumed killed, now he is back in England, the first news his people had of him for nine months was when he phoned them up to say he was alive and back in Britain. It doesn’t do to give up hoping does it,? although it is terribly difficult for people, but one does read of so many instances where the fellows after being missing for several months, turn up out of the blue sort of thing. I sincerely hope Margaret’s pluck will be rewarded.
Your weeks holiday I am sure would do you a world of good, I hope you feel better for it, pleased the weather was nice for
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you. How is your Mother now Joan? feeling better I hope, your Father too I hope is better, they both looked poorly when I saw them last. The change would do your brother good I am sure, that and the good news of Bobs safety.
Have you started making the blouse for your costume yet? You will want it before long you know, so hurry up and get started if you have not already done so.
During the week I received a very cheery letter from Gerald, no doubt you will already know he is in “New Brunswick” He wants to know what he would do with a sister like me who gets herself tucked away in an out of the way place that he has not even heard of. He says if I have to be ill I might as well do the thing properly and become a patient of Terry’s, Bart’s or St Thomas’s, where bulletins of my progress could be placed on the notice board each
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day. He thinks it would be a good idea if I wrote a book on “Hospitals”, the experience of “Nurse and Patients”, his letter was really very funny and cheered me up a lot. I am pleased he is getting along well, he has really worked hard.
Yes, Cyril is now back with his unit. Poor Cyril I feel sorry for him. Harold is now back in England, I do not think he has called to see Mother yet, but I expect we shall be learning of his experiences in Canada before he returns from his leave.
The past three nights we have had nasty attacks from the wretched Buss Bombs they have been short but sharp, and quite a number have been sent over again.
Well Joan I really must ring off now, I have heaps of letters to write, for the past month I have been let of [sic] lightly [deleted] only [/deleted]
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by scribbling a few lines on a Postcard, now I have to make up for that. I had quite a fan mail whilst in hospital, 67 letters, not all from different people of course, but you can imagine I have some writing to catch up on. I think it would be a good idea to engage a secretary.
When I get home I shall be popping round to see you, I am looking forward to having a good old “Chin wag”.
For the present, - “Cheerio.” Best wishes to your Mother & Father.
Love
Muriel xxx.
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Excuse the paper and envelope, it is the best Mrs Day could get for me yesterday.