Letter from Kenneth Gill to his girlfriend

SGillK1438901v10012.pdf

Title

Letter from Kenneth Gill to his girlfriend

Description

Describe his life and activities while in London as u/t pilot. Comments on photograph she sent, an upcoming event and visit to a fortune teller. Catches up with news of friends and says photographs are on their way. Continues on with loving statements, mention of marriage and other gossip.

Creator

Date

1941-11-10

Temporal Coverage

Spatial Coverage

Language

Format

Twelve page handwritten letter

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

SGillK1438901v10012

Transcription

1438901 L.A.C. GILL. K. J/T. PILOT.
C/O Y.M.C.A.
8. AVENUE ROAD
LONDON N.W.8
Nov 10th/41

Dear Beloved,

Thanks angel for a lovely letter, you’re wonderful.

Well dear how are you?; I’m pleased to say the situation is a little easier now.

We had a lucky break last Friday and twelve of us have a job to do every day now; from 6-a.m to 12-a.m. & then we’re free for the rest of the day and have no parades or guards to do at all. So far everything

[page break]

2/

has gone fine, but it seems almost too good to be true.

[underlined] Nov. 11th/41 [/underlined]

Hello again darling, I hadn’t time to finish your letter last night; hope you don’t mind.

I called at the Y.M.C.A after dinner & received another letter from you & one from Betty. It seems I should have got the last letter first, but I’ll try & answer them both together.

I like the photograph darling, & I’m glad you like it too. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says so long as you say it’s [deleted] now [/deleted] nice.

I’ll try and listen in on the 18th Nov. sweetheart, I won’t try and guess what the song is if

[page break]

3/

you don’t mind darling; I think I’d rather wait & try and imagine you are singing to me, so if I don’t know beforehand I won’t know what to expect.

You don’t mind me having it that way do you darling?

Dear heart please remember all the fortune-teller told you, I can hardly wait to hear what she said. Did she know about “our secret”? I can’t quite make up my mind as to whom you mean shares our “secret”, but the bias is on the fortune-teller, is that right? What did she tell Dot, anything special, or don’t you know? Tell you what dear;

[page break]

4/

get mum to read your cup, or better still ask her if she’ll take you to see Mrs. G. Gill and have your cards read; and see if they spot “news of a ring”.

Talking of rings, I didn’t know of Connies’ engagement or that her boy was home on leave. Lucky people, I wish them all the best, & hope they will be as happy as we are. Darling do you think you could get me the News Letters for Oct. & Nov. from Dick, I havn’t [sic] got them & I’d like to have them.

The snaps will be on their way now dear arn’t [sic] they? I’d like an enlargement coloured of us both I think it’s a grand snap don’t you. Are you having a

[page break]

5/

special one done for your locket, & if so has it come through yet, hope it’s nice for you dearest.

Betty seems please with her snaps and says in her letter “I hope you don’t think I meant it when I asked V to tell you to put “With Love from Ken” on the back. Don’t I know that all your love is reserved for a certain little lady of whom I am very fond;” perhaps you ought to have read it darling because I must again quote a sentence. “Mother thinks they’re grand (the snaps), she sat gazing at the one of you & Vera for ages, “Don’t they make a lovely couple” she said. There darling that’s what B.H. writes, I’m so glad she feels that way about you dear, you’re a wonderful

[page break]

6/

darling and as Betty says [underlined] all [/underlined] my love [underlined] is [/underlined] reserved for you, my own dear sweetheart, I adore you beloved.

I understand why you didn’t read her letter dear or at least I can think of two reasons, (a) you know you could trust Betty in the things she wrote; and (b) it’s not my angels nature to read other letters not addressed to her. I wonder if I’m right?

Les seems to going on fine now, hope his face heals up well, poor kid. I had an idea who the girl was, & it turned out I was right & as you say dear she’s a nice girl too.

Remember when I was seventeen angel, you sent me a birthday card a month too soon & mum

[page break]

7/

wouldn’t let me see it till the proper time. We’ve had some really wonderful times together since then havn’t [sic] we darling & if we had our lives over again, I wouldn’t have it any different, would you?

I’m ever so glad the girls like the photo dear, but what makes you sure about the competition, darling nobody knows me like you do and nobody [underlined] ever [/underlined] will. I love you with all my heart darling, and there won’t be a happier man living when we are joined together in eternal possession on the “Great Day”. Sweetheart our love will never be placid ever, and the sweet joy of rapturous love will

[page break]

8/

never simmer down to contented companionship for us, we’ll marry for love of each other, & our future will follow the wonderful days of our courtship.

Darling heart I’ll always remember the morning I came home. As I stood in the kitchen I saw you as you came with dad & Ron. Your eyes were tired & full of tears bravely held back, then you saw my kit & my partially eaten breakfast & your eyes opened & shone when you said “where is he”. I remember dad coming in & turning on the light but he didn’t see me, then he went out. Mum gave you a sign & then the next I remember was a flying figure being caught in my arms & an angels

[page break]

9/

voice said “Oh! Ken I do love you.” Beloved it was heavenly holding you in my arms after so long & kissing your dear face & lips. I’m longing for you now darling, & sometimes my heart & my arms ache to hold you tight against my breast, with your head on my shoulders & your lips whispering in my ear. Isn’t love wonderful darling; it changes whole lives & sometimes communities too. It’s Armistice Day today & as I bought a poppy this morning I couldn’t help wishing that the Armistice would cover this war as well. Already 40,000 airmen & airwomen have given their lives for their country

[page break]

10/

and the numbers for the Army & Navy are well above that.

Heaven knows what the full total will be for each country, it must be tremendous even now, & what it will be when it’s finished nobody can tell. I know I’ll get through dear, and when we’ve won, we’ll be able to start our lives anew on the firm foundation of unquenchable love built up day by day, letter by letter, while we are away from each other.

I’m so proud of you my darling. Thanks for sending Mavis a card & a brooch dear, I’d forgotten altogether.

Hope George manages to get home this weekend; I’ll try and get over to see him before I leave London. Glad you enjoyed the picture dearest, I’d have loved to have taken you

[page break]

11/

& held your hand & stolen a kiss now & then. We’ll have to go to the pictures next time I’m on leave won’t we darling?

Will you send the words of the song you sung dear, you forgot to enclose them you know.

The cutting caused much amusement amongst “the boys”, thanks dearest.

I’ve enclosed your photo dear & I mean what I’ve put. The front is for [deleted] everyday [/deleted] everybody to see; the back just for you & those you wish to see it.

I’ve written to Betty in the other envelope & I’ve left it open for you to read it if you wish. My letters seem to get

[page break]

12/

longer don’t they, hope you don’t mind darling, or shouldn’t I have said that. I’m sorry.

Your letters are lovely dear & I can tell by them how much you love me, as if I didn’t know. Each one is a link in the chain of love that binds us together & nothing can ever break us apart.

That’s all for now dearest, give my love to all at home & Lucy & family & Dot, & remember me to the girls & those who ask at church.

Chin up darling it won’t be long.

Good Night & God Bless My Angel,

Yours forever,

Ken xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

I ADORE YOU DARLING 200 just

Collection

Citation

K Gill, “Letter from Kenneth Gill to his girlfriend,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/35555.

Item Relations

This item has no relations.