Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

ELampreyPGuntonW420401.pdf

Title

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Description

Peter Lamprey writes complaining that he has had only one letter and that there is no news from his end. He is hoping only to spend 10 days on Tiree and that he was disappointed to miss his leave. He concludes with some light hearted banter.

Creator

Date

1942-04-01

Temporal Coverage

Coverage

Language

Format

Seven 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

ELampreyPGuntonW420401

Transcription

[RAF Crest]

Hut. N3.
RAF. Station. Tiree.
[underlined]Argyllshire[/underlined]

April 1st. [underlined] 42. [/underlined]

Dear Uncle - others.

Why in hell I ever sit down and rack my already overloaded brain in an effort to write to such a lot of unappreciative loafers is a wonder. Since having reached this delectable spot I have received the total of one letter from you. If you really want to know the best way to use your cribbage board, I will be only too pleased to forward it by the next mail - with full instructions.

Having settled down into what, by a stretch of the imagination, can be called

[page break]

semi-comfort, I have at last found time to lash some of my esteemed friends out of their inertia.

As to news - there is none - at least from this end. The weather still stays either fine or wet, according to whether it is raining or not. The boat still leaves on its[sic] voyage of discovery in an attempt to find the mainland. But whether it has succeeded yet is as big a mystery as ever.
Eventually the skipper will find a spot where the bad weather only lasts six days a week and will be so pleased that he will never come back.

Not having heard from Park Royal for a period, I often wonder if my wildest dreams have come true and there has been a spate of funerals lately. If this is so

[page break]

[underlined] 3 [/underlined]

[RAF Crest]

let me know and I will wire congrat-ulations to those left.

As I mentioned in an earlier letter, the length of time we are supposed to spend here is ten days or so. This being another of those fairy tales they are so fond of dishing up to us, we expect to spend most of the summer moaning about being marooned. Not that any of you give a hoot in Hell if I spend the rest of my valuable life fighting your battles for you.

If I should receive a letter from you at any time expressing sorrow at the fact that I have missed my leave, I shall treat it with the contempt. [sic] that all such lying communications, deserve to be treated with.

[page break]

If you think I am disappointed in not having my leave, you don't know the half of it. This delay will however, give a few of you lugs a chance to save a few coppers in readiness for the magnificent celebration in honour of the weary warriors return.

The war, having no effect upon life in your quiet backwater of the world, is, I suppose, taking second place to usual scrounge round for something to plant in garden. With the memories of other days still fresh I can see Harry Straw bargaining for a handful of cabbage plants and Harry Beacham pinching them, as usual. Mr Hunt will, now that petrol has stopped, have to look round for other ways of augmenting his income as soon

[page break]

[underlined]5. [/underlined]

[RAF Crest]

as he withdraws the "Park Royal Passenger Service.". His chief scout and drummer Archie, will be able to work some of his superfluous fat off by walking.

I should think the inventors have invented a pretty marvellous excuse if they are still not in the services. The only reason I can think is, that no single service will take the responsibility of having its system twisted to suit their needs. As for Moloney, he would be of more use to the RAF if he joined the Luftwaffe.

I have still heard nothing from Bill Smith. If he intends writing - and I doubt if half the news I get from you can be really brand new - he had better start quick or they will have him overseas. As usual I

[page break]

have left his address on the mainland.

I could not write a letter without referring to that paragon of truth, Brother George. I should think that by now his plans for the successful winning of the war are complete and if he could only get someone to take notice of him, he would be able to put his hands back in his pockets.

Should Mr. Ashton care to send me a few more of his vile verses I shall be very pleased to burn them unread. If the muse should strike me at any time during my incarceration I shall pass the efforts along for your disapproval.

Remember me to all the others when you write. If I return to the land of hope before hearing from you I will

[page break]

[RAF Crest]

try and drop Bill a line.

Give my regards to anyone you like - I'm pretty generous these days. Remember me to the OPA's - maintenance etc. Kiss Rusty and Dave - give my love to Auntie

All the best.
Pete.

P.S. If the perishers can't read this, its [sic] not their eyes, its [sic] their bloody education.

Collection

Citation

Peter Lamprey, “Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/6593.

Item Relations

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