Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Title
Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton
Description
Peter Lamprey writes that he has now spent eight months in the RAF and is still an AC2. He then includes some banter and asks for news of his friends in the services.
Creator
Date
1941-10-07
Temporal Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Coverage
Language
Format
Envelope and four page handwritten letter
Publisher
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
ELampreyPGuntonW411007
Transcription
Inverness
1.45 PM
7 OCT
1941
[postage stamps]
[inserted] EXAMINER 4,789 [/inserted]
Mr. W Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Rd.
Park Royal.
London. N.W. 10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[inserted] P.C. 90 OPENED BY [/inserted]
[page break]
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
Headquarters. 14. Group.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
[underlined] Second week. [/underlined]
Dear Bill and One and All.
Many thanks for the parcel which arrived this morning, greeted, I might say, with exclamations of joy. Well, here after 8 months service I can be found, unsteady but nevertheless, still on my feet and going in for the third round. I started my career as an A.C.2. and now, by strict application and hard work I find myself still an A.C. 2. Thank the lord I am holding my own. On the last camp we understood the RAF could do anything with you, barring give you a baby. We have since revised that idea. Now evidently they can even do that, but they still can’t make you love it. My one big worry since being posted here is that the whole affair will blow over and I shall know nothing of it. The wilds of darkest Africa have nothing on this place and at any moment one expects an expedition to discover us and reap the plaudits of civilised parts for their intrepid penetration into uncharted areas. This would be a rescue in the fullest sense of the word.
[page break]
Not of course that I am grumbling, I always wanted to see Scotland, but I’ve seen all of it now, all I want to. Mind you, I could be posted south among the perils and pitfalls of civilisation and be worse off. But only if I was broke.
All we can do here is read and write so if you receive more than your fair quota of letters, don’t imagine I think any more of you. It is just something to do. In any case half of you can’t write so I take it you’re short on reading too. This place, one gathers, is laid out to harden us off. By a slight misjudgement it is browning us off instead. The miles to town are as long as my memory and that, I warn all who have cheered at my luck, is of a mighty length.
Mr Hunt will be glad, once again, to hear that I am now definitely a teetotaler [sic]. The nearest beer is 4 or 5 miles away and 400 on a Sunday. The Scottish stuff is reputed to be extremely good but I think I will take words for deeds and stick to water. The stomach can crave but the feet won’t go. The next time I go on the bash I will very likely have three grape-fruit and proceed to take the town apart brick-by-brick. I am certainly joining Harry Beachams [sic] Band of Hope, hope
[inserted] 2. [/inserted]
[page break]
somebody else pays next time.
And the biggest surprise of all in the parcel. Rusty’s P.S. “Any complaints”? Listen. If I really got worked up on complaining I’d need a 72” and about 6 months leave to get it all down. As he was only asking about printing L.C. I can only reply “Is that what you do now? Then what did you call the process while I was there?” Surely I can still see the master-hand underlaying [sic] the cuts? Or am I wrong Mr. Denny?
As to your wants Mr. Gunton. You want a stone from Stonehenge and a side of bacon from Calne, where they cure it. Near Calne, there’s a place where they can cure you of wants. I’ve just left it.
Has any more been heard of Herbert. Is he going on a course. If so what. Where etc? And Bill Smith and F. Batch. How are they doing these days – just keeping the war slightly under way from the army side I suppose? Bill should just about have a few tapes by now shouldn’t he? You said something about his being shifted from Cardiff so he might land up here somewhere – and would it shake him. One idea of mine has certainly come unstuck. The weather here keeps fine and dry – I thought it was always raining and that was why Scotsmen always went to England. To keep dry. In
[inserted] 3. [/inserted]
[page break]
any case, I don’t blame them going south, they’re good judges.
Well my friend – the fount of inspiration having dried – with my usual madam I’ll wish all of you the same as you wish me – and see how you like it. Remember me to the maintenance and any other enquirers. Give my regards to anybody you like – I’m far enough away not to worry. Tell Maloney I often think of what he has to go through – and laugh like mad. How is Charlie’s youngster these days? I’m sorry I forgot to ask when I was there. Remember me to the puller-in-chief and deputy.
Best of luck
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
P.S. Don’t all write at once – the signals room is very small and we have to work there and bags of mail are awkward.
P.P.S. Remember me to Bert Frankham will you? I missed him when there.
[underlined] Cheers [/underlined]
1.45 PM
7 OCT
1941
[postage stamps]
[inserted] EXAMINER 4,789 [/inserted]
Mr. W Gunton.
Machine Room.
Waterlow and Sons. Ltd.
Twyford Abbey Rd.
Park Royal.
London. N.W. 10.
[page break]
[Reverse of envelope]
[inserted] P.C. 90 OPENED BY [/inserted]
[page break]
1384535. A.C.2. Lamprey.
Signals Section.
Headquarters. 14. Group.
RAF. Inverness.
Scotland.
[underlined] Second week. [/underlined]
Dear Bill and One and All.
Many thanks for the parcel which arrived this morning, greeted, I might say, with exclamations of joy. Well, here after 8 months service I can be found, unsteady but nevertheless, still on my feet and going in for the third round. I started my career as an A.C.2. and now, by strict application and hard work I find myself still an A.C. 2. Thank the lord I am holding my own. On the last camp we understood the RAF could do anything with you, barring give you a baby. We have since revised that idea. Now evidently they can even do that, but they still can’t make you love it. My one big worry since being posted here is that the whole affair will blow over and I shall know nothing of it. The wilds of darkest Africa have nothing on this place and at any moment one expects an expedition to discover us and reap the plaudits of civilised parts for their intrepid penetration into uncharted areas. This would be a rescue in the fullest sense of the word.
[page break]
Not of course that I am grumbling, I always wanted to see Scotland, but I’ve seen all of it now, all I want to. Mind you, I could be posted south among the perils and pitfalls of civilisation and be worse off. But only if I was broke.
All we can do here is read and write so if you receive more than your fair quota of letters, don’t imagine I think any more of you. It is just something to do. In any case half of you can’t write so I take it you’re short on reading too. This place, one gathers, is laid out to harden us off. By a slight misjudgement it is browning us off instead. The miles to town are as long as my memory and that, I warn all who have cheered at my luck, is of a mighty length.
Mr Hunt will be glad, once again, to hear that I am now definitely a teetotaler [sic]. The nearest beer is 4 or 5 miles away and 400 on a Sunday. The Scottish stuff is reputed to be extremely good but I think I will take words for deeds and stick to water. The stomach can crave but the feet won’t go. The next time I go on the bash I will very likely have three grape-fruit and proceed to take the town apart brick-by-brick. I am certainly joining Harry Beachams [sic] Band of Hope, hope
[inserted] 2. [/inserted]
[page break]
somebody else pays next time.
And the biggest surprise of all in the parcel. Rusty’s P.S. “Any complaints”? Listen. If I really got worked up on complaining I’d need a 72” and about 6 months leave to get it all down. As he was only asking about printing L.C. I can only reply “Is that what you do now? Then what did you call the process while I was there?” Surely I can still see the master-hand underlaying [sic] the cuts? Or am I wrong Mr. Denny?
As to your wants Mr. Gunton. You want a stone from Stonehenge and a side of bacon from Calne, where they cure it. Near Calne, there’s a place where they can cure you of wants. I’ve just left it.
Has any more been heard of Herbert. Is he going on a course. If so what. Where etc? And Bill Smith and F. Batch. How are they doing these days – just keeping the war slightly under way from the army side I suppose? Bill should just about have a few tapes by now shouldn’t he? You said something about his being shifted from Cardiff so he might land up here somewhere – and would it shake him. One idea of mine has certainly come unstuck. The weather here keeps fine and dry – I thought it was always raining and that was why Scotsmen always went to England. To keep dry. In
[inserted] 3. [/inserted]
[page break]
any case, I don’t blame them going south, they’re good judges.
Well my friend – the fount of inspiration having dried – with my usual madam I’ll wish all of you the same as you wish me – and see how you like it. Remember me to the maintenance and any other enquirers. Give my regards to anybody you like – I’m far enough away not to worry. Tell Maloney I often think of what he has to go through – and laugh like mad. How is Charlie’s youngster these days? I’m sorry I forgot to ask when I was there. Remember me to the puller-in-chief and deputy.
Best of luck
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]
P.S. Don’t all write at once – the signals room is very small and we have to work there and bags of mail are awkward.
P.P.S. Remember me to Bert Frankham will you? I missed him when there.
[underlined] Cheers [/underlined]
Collection
Citation
Peter Lamprey, “Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 27, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/6583.
Item Relations
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