Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

The letter contains gossip and complaints over letter writing shortcomings of his correspondents. Mentions work in signals section at Royal Air Force Inverness and that he is hoping to come south for leave.

Eight page handwritten letter

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.

ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-15

1384535. LAC. Lamprey. P.
Signals Section.
HQ. 14 Group. RAF.
[underlined] Inverness. [/underlined]

Friday [underlined] 6th [/underlined]

Dear Bill – Others.
From the general tone of the three letters just received, in one envelope, it seems that you will be pleased when I get leave. What the hell do you think I will do – bust [sic] into tears? Mr. Harbour in his magnificant [sic] effort closes with “I will leave the news to Bill”. For over a year now I have been waiting for news from that bloke and I still have to get the news when I pay one of my infrequent

[page break]

visits. All that Lug is good for is making dates with other blokes [sic] women. If he keeps on as he is going, it will be more than a front tooth that is broken.

Why in heaven I ever take all the trouble to print my letters to such an unappreciative audience, is one of this wars [sic] miracles. Just because half of you dumb clucks cant [sic] read a decent bit of writing, I have to sit and sweat. The next thing you'll want is the bloody letters illustrated.

Breaking away from my usual custom of keeping things dark – you will notice that I am now an LAC. Any letters addressed to AC2 Lamprey in future, will be treated with the

[page break]

[underlined] 3. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]

contempt they deserve. This is equivalant [sic] to an army rank something below a Major- General and above a Private. Having attained, by dint of hard work etc [sic] this honourable recognition, I am expected to do 25 words a minute on the key. I am also expected to do a lot more things but life seems to be a shade too short for most of them. At any rate, I have at last got a genuine excuse for going on a belt, so if you do not hear from me for a fortnight or so, you will know that a good time was had by all. I usually manage to fall by the wayside just before a spot of leave. The big advantage is, that it

[page break]

enables me to save up a few coppers to go on leave with. However, even if the gods smile and I continue my career without trouble, I think I can make the “Harrow Tavern” for one night.
Life generally - is running on well oiled wheels up here. The visit to Tiree has been postponed for a while until new equipment has been got together. This – I hope – will be a week or so and with a bit of luck I'll be on my well earned vacation when the party goes.

Knowing how you are all interested in my welfare I can say that I am feeling very fit. I can say it, but I have to make an effort to believe it myself. The weather here has definitely

[page break]

[underlined] 5. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]

broken a leg and fallen on its side. If I [sic] keeps like it we will need snow-shoes to go to bed in. It is a good job spring has come to Scotland as were getting browned off with the eternal heatwave. The local inhabitants can always tell when Spring has arrived by the layer of ice that forms on top of the bloody snow.

Thanks very much for the offer to fix me up with a lighter but I [corrected] already [/corrected] posess [sic] one. In any case I have suffered in the past from some of the blasted fixing you perishers do. It is a pity the inventors can't fix one another and give a decent clean living airman a chance to open his mail without finding

[page break]

another dirty bit of work inside.
Having been in the land of the heather for nearly six months, I hope – very shortly – to get down south for a wee while. This is the dream of every southerner, but I should think my posting must be very near now. As I was only supposed to be here for six weeks I should think something must be happening somewhere by now.
Having given you all my hopes, aspirations and disappointments I can now safely turn to enquiries about the health – good and bad of my so called friends. Mr Ashton I presume, still suffers occasionally from poetic rash, while Mr Barnes is still taking steps to see things all right. Archie having gone in for a bit of exercise and lost a couple

[page break]

[underlined] 7. [/underlined]
[RAF Crest]

of pounds has now disappeared entirely. The labour front (Warren and Gilbert) continue with their “I told you so” now that the Russians are coming west. Tell Reggie Smith I saw a lovely picture last night. Four pints (paid for) and a lonely “WAAF”. A real moving picture. The beer I had won and the WAAF didn't need winning. That is one of the reasons this letter is being finished Sunday.

However, having once again disappointed Mr Hunt, I really must close this letter. Remember me to the OPA's and the engineers. Tell Dave to try and keep straight or at least make the circles as large as possible. Thank Charlie for his

[page break]

letter – it was a pleasant surprise as I thought he had lost the use of his arms. If you can find anyone with a really low mind get them to kiss “Old Ivory” for me. Tell Doug that the wife and family are still doing fine and up till the last letter still received the grant. Remember me to all.
Best of luck.
[underlined] Pete [/underlined]

P.S. If you can't bloody well spell yourself don't knock me about mine.

P.P.S. Lay off the women.

See you [underlined] soon. [/underlined]