Letter to Cathie from Ford Killen

Letter to Cathie from Ford Killen

Writes long complaint about the poor British postal system. Broaches plan for possible meeting in London sometime.

1944-11-30

One-page typewritten letter

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EKillenFReidKM441130

[crest]

ENGLAND, NOVEMBER 30TH -- 1944

MY DEAREST CATHIE:

THIS IS THE THIRD ATTEMPT TO WRITE TO YOU IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND EACH TIME THAT I HAVE SCRIBBLED OFF A FEW LINES, I FELT DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS, AND PROCEEDED TO TEAR UP MANUSCRIPTS, AND BEGIN ANEW. BUT I HOPE THAT THIS ONE MIGHT BE WORTHY OF SUCH A PERSON OF YOUR CALIBRE, EVEN THOUGH IT WON’T BE TOO ELONGATED AS I DON’T HAVE BUT A FEW SCARCE MOMENTS.

LET ME PUT IN A “PLUG” FOR THE BRITISH POSTAL SYSTEM RIGHT NOW BEFORE I GO ANY FARTHER. IT STINKS. NO KIDDING, I HAVEN’T RECEIVED THE TELEGRAM YET, AND I DOUBT IF YOU WILL RECEIVE THIS EPISTLE ERE YOU GO ON LEAVE. THE JOURNALS THAT YOU SO KINDLY COMPOSED FOR ME CAME TO ME BY SPECIAL COURRIER -- REMEMBER THE OLD PONY EXPRESS, OR WELLS-FARGO THAT CARRIED MAIL FROM NEW YORK TO THE WEST COAST A CENTURY AGO -- I THINK EVEN THEY SHOULD HAVE STACKED UP A BETTER RECORD THAN I HAVE BEEN REWARDED WITH. BUT IT ISN’T BRITIAN [sic] ALONE, AS I WAS THE RECIPIENT OF A LETTER FROM MY FRIEND IN FRANCE -- WHICH REACHED ME IN EXACTLY THIRTY DAYS! I COULD HAVE MET YOU IN LONDON ON THE PROPOSED FRIDAY AS I [underlined] WAS [/underlined] IN THE METROPOLIS ON THE AFOREMENTIONED DATE. I WISH I COULD GET TO LEEDS TO SEE YOU WHILE YOU ARE ON LEAVE; HOWEVER IT IS SO FAR TO MAKE IT IN A PASS THAT WOULD BE LIMITED TO NOT MORE THAN FORTY EIGHT HOURS. I WAS THINKING THAT PERHAPS I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE CONNECTIONS VIA LONDON, AND ON NORTH, BUT AFTER VIEWING THE SCALE OF MILES ON THE MAP, AND COMPARING THE DISTANCE FROM WHERE I AM STATIONED TO THE WORLD’S GREATEST (LARGEST) METROPOLIS (AND OF COURSE MENTALLY TAKING NOTE OF THE APPROXIMATE TIME ALLOWED TO REACH SAID DESTINATION), AND THEN NOTING THE DISTANCE FROM LEEDS TO LONDON-TOWN, I ADMITTED TO MYSELF THAT IT WAS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, AND EXTREMELY IMPRACTICAL TO ATTEMPT SUCH A JOURNEY WITHOUT A FIVE OR SIX DAY LEAVE. SO THAT KNOCKS THE WIND OUT OF MY SAILS, I SUPPOSE.

BUT IF YOU WANT TO MEET ME IN LONDON SOMETIMES; PLEASE ALLOW ENOUGH TIME FOR THE LETTER TO REACH ME, OR GIVE ME YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER, SO THAT I MIGHT CALL YOU AT THE BASE; BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY MORE ENGAGEMENTS THROUGH THE ENGLISH MAILS -- IT'S TOO UNCERTAIN, AND CAN NOT BE DEPENDED ON FOR SAFE DELIVERY IN ANY GIVEN NUMBER OF DAYS. IT’S SOMETHING I CAN’T UNDERSTAND -- SMALL AS THE ISLAND IS -- UNLESS IT IS THE SHORTAGE OF ASSISTANTS IN THE POSTAL DEPT.

THANKS A LOT FOR THE NICE LETTERS YOU HAVE BEEN SENDING, AND I’M ONLY SORRY THAT I COULD NOT ANSWER ALL OF THEM, AS MOST OF THEM CAME AT ONE TIME. BUT I WILL WRITE MORE OFTEN, IF YOU, IN YOUR NEXT EPISTLE, WILL KINDLY ENCLOSE YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER, SO I CAN CALL YOU.

Love
Heathcliffe