Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

ELampreyPGuntonW[date]-07.pdf

Title

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Description

Peter Lamprey writes that he has reached the end of his Royal Air Force training course in Blackpool and has passed his final test. He is awaiting posting and will inform friends as soon as he knows where he will be going.

Creator

Coverage

Language

Format

Three-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.

Identifier

ELampreyPGuntonW[date]-07

Transcription

underlined] Started [/underlined]
Thurs.
[underlined] Fin. [/underlined]

1384535.
A.C.2. Lamprey.
[underlined] 84 Dickson RD. [/underlined]

Dear Bill and [underlined] Co. [/underlined]

I hope this will be the last letter I write to you. [sic] from this address. We are now approaching zero hour and the boys are steeling [sic] their nerves ready to take the final test in the morning. Only men with iron nerves can go and take the final test, knowing as they do, that to fail means spending another month having the time of their lives in Blackpool. Why in h- everybody tried to go by beats me, as station life is reported to mean murder in the first degree. Still, in the morning we will go down – go by – go mad and, with luck, go home. The squad in front of us passed out last Friday and nearly passed out again Tuesday when they were posted without leave. One lucky fellow broke his wrist at P.T. Monday and had his name taken of [sic] the list, so the rest of the squad want P.T morning and afternoon to see if their luck is as good. We don’t like too much of this nonsense as there is the likelyhood [sic] of them drawing on us to make up the posting. If I get leave, or rather if I get more than 5 days I shall be along to see the [underlined] “Cocky Kids” [/underlined], unless

[page break]

their nerve fails and they join the parachute troops to dodge me. There are a few things to discuss with them, and I shall not stand to attention. We have been celebrating in anticipation all this week and when we finally get by the RAF, I am afraid, will have 28 good and proper drunks on their hands for a night. Well gentlemen, since starting this letter I have taken and gone by. I passed my final Morse test this morning and now am waiting for posting and, I hope, leave. This will please some of you I know, but what do I care for the other 20 odd. We also passed out on foot and rifle drill and somehow picked up a good name for it, the boys, I must admit, were dazed and did not know what they were doing and failed to make their usual mistakes. As from tomorrow I leave the Fighting 27th and join Pool Squadron, where if anything the drill etc [sic] is lousier than is really concievable [sic]. Just to break [sic] things easy to us they have already said our 14 days is in the bag. When I am in London, with my papers, I shall believe it as my experience of the RAF stretches back over many a hard week. Strange as it may sound I have had one big h--- of a time in this racket and if I can go on winning the war in a like manner, suits me.

[page break]

Tell, whoever it is, who’s [sic] turn to write me has come, not to write after about Tuesday as there is a big poss. of my not receiving the letter. When and if I get my final orders I shall write immediately and let you know what I am doing. You must [deleted] esc [/deleted] excuse the brevity of this letter with its lack of information but I have to shine and polish and collect two big tins of red paint as the boys are going places tonight. Mr. Hunts [sic] good advice will be ignored for once and I shall visit one more haunt of sin in search of three cheers. Remember me to anyone, why should I worry, thank everyone for their help in getting me along – a long way from home, and hope to see you [sic] smiling faces very soon.
Love from

Pete. X.

P.S. Tell Moloney I’ll give him two addresses for when he starts his career. Thats [sic] providing the corporals [sic] still at Folkestone.

Collection

Citation

Peter Lamprey, “Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 28, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/6243.

Item Relations

This item has no relations.