Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

Letter from Jack Darby to Jean

His VE day was very quiet and they have been dropping food in Holland and collecting POWs from France.

1945-05-11

Three double sided handwritten sheets and envelope (both sides)

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EDarbyCAHWellandJ450511

[postage stamps] [postmark]

[inserted] 11.5.45 [/inserted]

Miss J. Welland
7. Queens Drive
Surbiton
Surrey

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F/O. C. Darby, 154676.
R.A.F. Station
Stradishall
Newmarket
Suffolk.

Thursday.

My darling Jean,

Thanks so much for your last two letters, one with the list of presents in, I’ve studied it and think it was everything at the moment, of course some of it is unobtainable at the moment, I’ve put comments by the side.

Well darling, half the war

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is over, we had a very quiet V Day, were flying very regularly taking food to Holland and now we are collecting P.O.W’s, this means quite a lot of work, its a 2.15AM call and we had landed in France at 0730, we are picking them up from there after American Aircraft have brought them from Bavaria, most of them have been behind barbed wire 5 years or more, all are very excited at coming home, like kids

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on a school treat, theyre clad in a variety of uniforms, and each has his small bundle, one chap having a large German sword which he would not let go of, others souvenirs and odds and ends. The system is working well, we pick up 24 chaps and drop them at a special reception centre in England where [deleted word] lorries take them to a camp nearby, here they are issued with new uniforms, paid and given leave

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warrants.

Am sorry to hear about the pipes, pity they were the wrong size regarding the tap, well, brass has got to be cleaned, but if chrome is unobtainable well, its Hobsons choice. I’ve got my next leave for 4th June so keep your fingers crossed, anything may happen, if you have all the bits and pieces I’ll start on the room.

Did you go out at all on VE day? apparently things were quite

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hectic in parts.

So glad to hear Dads leg is better, perhaps he will be playing cricket again soon, I played the other day, am now so stiff that I can [underlined] hardly [/underlined] lift a pint.

Well, darling, thats about all for the moment, shall be writing soon, take care of yourself, all my love to Mother & Dad.

Hope to be seeing you soon

Yours

Jack