Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

He has moved to Tuddenham , Suffolk. On the journey they rushed to a pub while waiting for a train. He writes that he cannot discuss what he is doing at his new base.

1944-12-03

Two double sided handwritten sheets and envelope

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EDarbyCAHWellandJ441203

[postage stamp] [postmark]

Miss. J. Welland,
7 Queens Drive
Surbiton
Surrey

[inserted] 3-12-44 [/inserted]

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F/o. C. Darby 154676
R.A.F. Station
Tuddenham
Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk.

Saturday.

Dearest Jean,

Have just arrived here, expect you will be surprised to see I’m in Suffolk, we all thought we should stay in Nottinghamshire or Lincoln, however this is much nearer home! We had a rotten journey down, it took us about 10 hours to travel 95 miles, we changed about four times and each time had some considerable time to wait, it was funny at one place, a tiny junction miles from anywhere we had an hour and half wait, we found out that the local was about a mile away so the whole crowd, about 20 of us set course for there, imagine the locals surprise when half the Air Force poured in, the poor old man behind the bar could’nt have been so

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2/

busy for years. To [indecipherable word] it, one of the other chaps gunner deciding to have a last quick one cut it a bit too fine, after chasing the train the whole length of the platform he’d had it and spent the night in the waiting room! We arrived here at 11 o/c and found we were’nt expected, so we did’nt have a proper place to sleep, we finally slept in the crew diversion hut.

The station as far as we have seen is very dispersed, we’re living in Nissen Huts which are pretty old however I’ve slept in worse, its pretty isolated, about six miles from the nearest village although we hear there is a local about two miles away.

Please excuse the scrawl, I’m writing this on my knee, in the mess, we have a big log fire and it looks quite comfortable.

Am afraid darling you won’t get any mention of what I am

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doing [deleted] I [/deleted] in my letters, don’t worry its not half so bad as it sounds, security is very strict here.

How are you getting on? still pressing on at Eastwoods? how’s the ring now? still bags of sparkle?

Well must pack up now, cheerio for the time being my dear, I miss you terribly, still I shall be receiving a letter from you in [inserted] a [/inserted] day or so.

Take care of yourself darling

All my love

Jack