Letter to Ernest Probyn from Arthur E Turner
Title
Letter to Ernest Probyn from Arthur E Turner
Description
The letter accompanies a gift and mentions friends from his village. Arthur wishes him well. It is captioned 'Letter written to me by Mr Turner, the Lay Preacher at the Little Chapel, Longwick, October 1943.'
Creator
Date
1943-10-22
Temporal Coverage
Coverage
Language
Format
Two typewritten sheets on an album page
Conforms To
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.
Contributor
Identifier
PProbynEA17010018, PProbynEA17010019
Transcription
[inserted] 22.10.43 LONGWICK. [/inserted]
Dear Ernest, Here’s hoping that you are finding life cheerful and interesting, and that in your new surriundings [sic] you have found pals who are really good companions.
The enclosed little gift comes to you with every good wish of many folk of Longwick, through the medium of The Little Chapel committee and we hope that you will find it useful and acceptable, and that in the busy round of life and the exacting ties of training that you will make good use of them, especially in not forgetting that on Earth there is no one like Mum, and write often to her, for we are all sure that both her and Dad are missing you terribly although we do not often meet them to know just how they are feeling. So dont [sic] forget boy write often and keep a cheerful tone and your pecker up. We in our little circle shall continue to remember you with all the other lads at the place where burdens are lifted, Gods Throne in Prayer. There is much speculation just now as to who might be on those boats coming over, we are expecting that Mary Webbs Brother in law, I mean Ethel Webbs husband is one among them, whilst we have also heard news that one of Haddenham boys, Topper Hopkins is likely too, he used to much for us at Chapel with his trombone. also [sic] Wally Goodchild from Monks Risborough is reported to be among them, What [sic] a home coming for them all, may God temper all the excitement so that they may be fully able to recover, for it must surely be a shock to their nerves after all this time. I expect you think I have a lot to jaw a out, [sic] well you see Ernie once I went, left Mum and Dad and others who I loved and after the excitement had died down I knew what it was like to look for a letter, and so I take this excuse, (the sending of the enclosed) to add a few
[inserted] Letter written to me by Mr Turner, the Lay Preacher at the Little Chapel, Longwick. October 1943. [/inserted]
[page break]
lines with the hope that something I say may be of interest to you, as it is to so many of my friends the service people. If you would like a line now and then, just say and when opportunity affords, or when I have something of interest I will send along a few words.
Its [sic] a dirty night here tonight, dark, stormy and rough, I should have been out popping around to some of the folks, but the weather stopped me after I had called at one place, the Search light station, with their mending. so [sic] here I am doing a job which I ought to have done several days ago, but which for various reasons got put off. Any way better late than never although it would have been better never late, I grant you.
Well the boys, Jack and Fred and new ones I dont [sic] know are still riding up and down so I suppose the old place is still going along. Let me see did you know Reg Hawkins? I beleive [sic] you did, had a letter from him and his wife yesterday they are well, and still at the job he left Walkers to go to.
Well old fellow the Household are in bed so perhaps I had better dry up, or I shall get the bird with this tapping going on.
Wherever you are, or whatever life holds for you, we here shall be thinking of you often, God Bless you, and if I might add these few lines as one who went through the mill, Keep A Cool mind, a Stout Heart, a Firm Hand, and whatever happens, do nothing that would not bring sorrow to Mother. My Dad said those words to me long long [sic] ago, they are a good guide for the strange life which many get up against. God Bless you, Sincerely,
Arthur E Turner
Dear Ernest, Here’s hoping that you are finding life cheerful and interesting, and that in your new surriundings [sic] you have found pals who are really good companions.
The enclosed little gift comes to you with every good wish of many folk of Longwick, through the medium of The Little Chapel committee and we hope that you will find it useful and acceptable, and that in the busy round of life and the exacting ties of training that you will make good use of them, especially in not forgetting that on Earth there is no one like Mum, and write often to her, for we are all sure that both her and Dad are missing you terribly although we do not often meet them to know just how they are feeling. So dont [sic] forget boy write often and keep a cheerful tone and your pecker up. We in our little circle shall continue to remember you with all the other lads at the place where burdens are lifted, Gods Throne in Prayer. There is much speculation just now as to who might be on those boats coming over, we are expecting that Mary Webbs Brother in law, I mean Ethel Webbs husband is one among them, whilst we have also heard news that one of Haddenham boys, Topper Hopkins is likely too, he used to much for us at Chapel with his trombone. also [sic] Wally Goodchild from Monks Risborough is reported to be among them, What [sic] a home coming for them all, may God temper all the excitement so that they may be fully able to recover, for it must surely be a shock to their nerves after all this time. I expect you think I have a lot to jaw a out, [sic] well you see Ernie once I went, left Mum and Dad and others who I loved and after the excitement had died down I knew what it was like to look for a letter, and so I take this excuse, (the sending of the enclosed) to add a few
[inserted] Letter written to me by Mr Turner, the Lay Preacher at the Little Chapel, Longwick. October 1943. [/inserted]
[page break]
lines with the hope that something I say may be of interest to you, as it is to so many of my friends the service people. If you would like a line now and then, just say and when opportunity affords, or when I have something of interest I will send along a few words.
Its [sic] a dirty night here tonight, dark, stormy and rough, I should have been out popping around to some of the folks, but the weather stopped me after I had called at one place, the Search light station, with their mending. so [sic] here I am doing a job which I ought to have done several days ago, but which for various reasons got put off. Any way better late than never although it would have been better never late, I grant you.
Well the boys, Jack and Fred and new ones I dont [sic] know are still riding up and down so I suppose the old place is still going along. Let me see did you know Reg Hawkins? I beleive [sic] you did, had a letter from him and his wife yesterday they are well, and still at the job he left Walkers to go to.
Well old fellow the Household are in bed so perhaps I had better dry up, or I shall get the bird with this tapping going on.
Wherever you are, or whatever life holds for you, we here shall be thinking of you often, God Bless you, and if I might add these few lines as one who went through the mill, Keep A Cool mind, a Stout Heart, a Firm Hand, and whatever happens, do nothing that would not bring sorrow to Mother. My Dad said those words to me long long [sic] ago, they are a good guide for the strange life which many get up against. God Bless you, Sincerely,
Arthur E Turner
Collection
Citation
Arthur E Turner, “Letter to Ernest Probyn from Arthur E Turner,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed May 14, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/33129.
Item Relations
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