Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-51.pdf

Title

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Description

Peter Lamprey writes that he is preparing for his final boards. He talks about poor weather and that new course member were punished for arriving back late. He mentions a incident of negligent discharge of a rifle.

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Format

Four page handwritten letter

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Identifier

ELampreyPGuntonW[Date]-51

Transcription

1384535. A.C.2.Lamprey.
Hut Z31. 3 Wing.
Yatesbury.
Nr. Calne. Wilts.

[underlined] Panic Week. [/underlined]

Dear Bill etc.

Thank Charlie – Jack and all concerned for the very welcome and timely gift, and for the letters with their most remarkable information. Things must be getting desperate when men are willing to trust their lives on the roof with a man of Mr. Evans pugnacious nature. The most dangerous years of my life were spent hanging my clothes next to his.

Things still keep quiet here. Excitement, for the moment, being entirely absent. There will be enough next week to last me for quite a few days. We bind night after night in preparation, for out final boards. The hut is one large loony bin. What with blokes yapping about super-

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sonic – hets. [sic] Other squaking [sic] about generators it gets you down. Theres [sic] nobody to listen to me talking about carbon pile resistances.

Still, NAAFI still sells some very good stuff and sorrows can soon be drowned. They nearly were last night. I was out over the flying field, late night, and down came the rain. How in hell I shall be able to find a Jerry in the dark I dont [sic] know. Talk about lost we finished up on the road two miles from camp. Wet, weary and late for L.O. If it hadn’t been our Sergeant on guard I’d [corrected] have [/corrected] finished my course working out a few more jankers. “WAAFI” was due on duty at 10.30 so she’s on the rug for a nice rub down. Still she can take it. And how.

They are getting very hot on the new boys. Two came in last Friday. Beat it for a week-end and came back to 14 days on the hook. Thank the Lord they can’t check up on the times we have shot the
[inserted] 2. [/inserted]

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wire. They’d have to sign us on for about five years to get the jankers in.

Since we’ve been here the rain has hardly stopped. One Canadian said “that over here it was nine months winter and three months bad weather”. This is an understatement for this part of England.
I forgot to tell you about one small piece of “Blitzkrieg”. The duty W.O. asked one of the herbs taking up rifle duty whether he could load his weapon. Said “irk” stuffed one up the spout and then finished up a nice performance with putting a bullet through the guard-house roof. Consternation the W.O. nearly had black twins. So now the Guard carry their “ammo” in their pocket in case anyone thinks a bit to [sic] deeply on how certain W.O.s [sic] rub you down.

We have had no P.T. for a week and I am afraid the boys are getting a bit soft. Twice this week we have failed to be first in the YM. for tea in
[inserted] 3 [/inserted]

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the morning. A course of intensive training is sorely needed to harden us up, so that we can form our human panzer into its origional [sic] bone-crushing, counter reaching form. Either that or we shall sink to the level of those who line up.

Well I’m afraid this is my lot until I know the results of my boards. I’ll write as soon as I know, which should be next Friday. Get your barricades up. I shall be along to shake the hands of my friends and just to shake the others.
Keep at it.
Pete.

P.S. I suppose Harry Lentle is at Compton Basset?

P.P.S. Let me know where Rusty’s grave is, I want to do [underlined] something. [/underlined]

Collection

Citation

Peter Lamprey, “Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 19, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/6561.

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