Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Peter Lamprey writes about life in the at Royal Air Force Hixon including Women's Auxiliary Air Force personnel and the terrible camp conditions.

Four page handwritten letter

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ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-14

1384535. Sgt. Lamprey.
c/o. Sergeants [sic] Mess.
RAF. Hixon.
Stafford.

Dear Uncle [underlined] Etc. [/underlined]

I have just received your most welcome parcel. Very – very funny – I am laughing my bleeding head off. If Bert Smith hasn't anything else to do, I'll nip along and bust up the chapel and he can amuse himself putting it together again. This should help him keep his finger out of his rectum.

Strange though it must seem to people who live in the backwaters, life has been too full lately to allow for any literary efforts. What with this and that, it is taking me all my time to keep the spark of life burning in my mortal frame. The fact that I am writing shows that even us warriors must have time out for a blow.

Generally however things are not too

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grim. They feed us on the fat of the land and even if they don't exactly treat us like the favourite son we are near enough reckoned as one of the family. What with W.A.A.F.S. waiting on us by day and for us by night, everything is served up on a plate. Given the health and strength I confidently expect to be a physical wreck early in the New Year. If only the town was a bit nearer I could do it by Christmas.

The camp generally is one of the RAF's worst efforts however and if it didn't have its compensations I am afraid we should all be in the loony bin in double time. If you don't hear from me for a few weeks it will be because I am marooned in my hut. The fine weather weather [sic] we had one night last week only put a thin crust on top of the mud. [sic] As the weather has been back to normal since the mud is back to flood level.

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I hope the three stooges are making the most of their holiday at the publics' [sic] expense and enjoying their last hours in England. Let me know when they get their orders so that I can send them my congratulations. I should like to run into them one of these days and tell them my experiences to keep their morale up – especially “Old Ivory”.

There is a rumour drifting round that we are getting a few days leave but I am a bit sceptical at present as they never give anything away here. However if I do strike I shall try and move over again.

Things I take it are still much the same at Park Royal and you are all looking forward to a rest from your arduous labours and hope to give your elbows a good rest. Mr. Hunt is supplying the turkeys again at his usual competitive prices I suppose? Now his transport arrangements have been upset I imagine

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the war has at last begun to take toll of his stacks of cash?

The boys here are bloody nigh all balmy [sic] and think it good fun to chase off the deck and clip the trees at the end of the lift. Its [sic] all right when there is [sic] only dummy's [sic] on the hooks but it gets a bit exciting when there is a war load on. Not that I see anything of it, all I know is there is a shower of shit going to fall on Mrs. Lamprey's son if somebody don't [sic] kill my bloody pilot while he is on leave.

Well my friends be good and all the usual bull about the seasons [sic] greetings.

Yours Pete.