Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

His course continues and he hopes to get some leave when it finishes. He comments on her work and a local V-1 alert.

1944-10-15

Two double sided handwritten sheets and envelope

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EDarbyCAHWellandJ441015

[postage stamp] [postmark]

[inserted] 16-10-44 [/inserted]

Miss. J. Welland,
7. Queens Drive
Surbiton
Surrey.

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OFFICERS’ MESS
R.A.F. STATION
WINTHORPE
Nr. NEWARK
Notts.

[inserted] 15th October 1944. [/inserted]

My dearest Jean,

Thanks a lot for your letter which I received yesterday, am glad to say I’ve completely recovered from the shock of receiving two letters at once.

Well, we are still pressing on with our flying, we get dressed, into the aircraft, then the detail is scrubbed owing to bad weather, we’ve been up five times to get our bombing off, but no luck until today when we did manage it, however with all these setbacks the end of our exercises is in sight, theres a fifty – fifty chance of leave now. The night before last we had a lousy trip, the heating went U/S and we were flying at

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17,000, feet, it was really cold, -25° I grew some lovely icicles on my oxygen mask, it shook one when I took them off I did’nt know I was as cold as that.

Am glad you are trying to think up some excuses for Eastwoods, perhaps you better have advice from me. I can think up some good excuses at times as you will probably find out.

I had a letter from Aunt Lill yesterday, she mentioned Grandma had put a rolling pin in the bureau she sent up to Mother, I wonder whether this was meant for you? if so I’m calling the whole thing off unless I can bring the rest of the crew home to protect me.

Jack has had a letter from Win, apparently her arm is getting better although slowly, she’s having massage and

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3/

electric treatment for it at the moment.

We have just had some promotion in the crew, Ron the wireless op is now a Flight Lieutenant, it came through about a week ago, of course we shall be celebrating it in the local at the end of the course, we are having a party for the crew as soon as we finish flying.

Well, darling, hows the private war at Eastwoods going? have you been called in for a cosy fireside chat with Mut as you call him? poor man I feel sorry for him having so many females around him all day long

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4

you don’t know how lucky you are in the service!

Have you had many alerts just lately? to the utter surprise and consternation of the local inhabitants we had one the other night, we heard nothing but next evening in the local we heard that a buzz bomb had landed near Grantham, how true this was I can’t say, but it certainly was’nt practice.

Am afraid darling this is all for the moment, I’m longing to see you, you’re always in my thoughts, take care of yourself.

Cheerio for now,

All my love

Jack