Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Letter from Peter Lamprey to W Gunton

Pete writes about life during Royal Air Force basic training including marching, physical training, pay parade and the social life. He makes some comments on a training corporal and closes asking to be remembered to friends.

Four page handwritten letter with mismatched envelope

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ELampreyPGuntonW421008-01

[inserted] [underlined] SUNDAY 2ND [/underlined] [/inserted]

1384535.
A.C.2. LAMPREY
NO. 7 WING [deleted] 5 [/deleted]
c/o 42 HAWTHORN RD.
[underlined] BLACKPOOL.N.5.

Dear Bill

Many thanks for letter. Above is no. etc [sic] but A.C.2. Lamprey to the above address will be O.K. as even if I move before I can inform you I can always call here to collect.

Well the RAF are doing [smudged] their best to alter my [/smudged] opinions on the rights of man. We have marched over every square inch of Blackpool and Stanley Park and for an encore we did a hundred mile sprint or thats[sic] how it felt. They inoculated us again on Friday and the undertaker was sitting on the step all day yesterday rubbing his hands but I am pleased to say I f___ him. I think he has gone round to a pal of mine as when I saw my pal last he only wanted a brass plate on his chest. The[sic] give us an hours P.T. every day to loosen us up but I think somethings gone wrong somewhere as about 8 o’clock at night I can hardly get my elbow on the bar. The big event

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pay parade, took place on Friday, but as usual the RAF failed to come up to scratch. We all got half we expected and next pay parade is a fortnight away. The RAF might be able to scrap but thats[sic] the only way they toe the line. I think they need a few new chapel officials. We get lovely quiet nights [deleted] hear [/deleted] here at least we seldom get a warning. They are reported to have dropped a bomb five e miles away one night and it frightened a man out of his wife.

I am glad the canteen is coming along again and shall be glad to hear when “Cherry” gets back. Tell him before he gets called up to [deleted] indecipherable [/deleted] tie a seven pound weight on each foot with barbed wire and trot round the car park it will get him used to RAF boots. Then he had better stand still for about 4 hours a day in the snow and rain, that will get him used to the N.C.O. making his mind up. On second thoughts tell him to put up with it like rest of us.

You have got a fat chance here of getting leave or a pass until you are posted and as there are about 20,000 waiting for that the outlook is distinctly murky. I still cant [sic] get used to working to time Wed. And Thurs. But I realise I have plenty of time to

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get that way.

We started off with a ginger corporal who reminded me of someone but I think he exploded one day as he hasn’t appeared for some while. Now we have a sergeant who does everything by numbers, but he doesn’t strike many lucky ones in our squad. In fact if Fred Karno saw us some mornings he would book us ‘en bloc’. We go on rifle drill next week and if they want the war over quick they should mix the Germany army up with us and I can guarantee that 75% would be brained, if you can go by the danger of getting trampled to death during foot drill. Why in H - an airman has to know all this gets by me but it must add up somewhere and I never was good at figures.

There is plenty of life up here if you keep your eyes off the rookies (they are all half dead), they[sic] beer is good but the women are poisen[sic], there are too many Poles about. I haven’t struck the pub. You mentioned but I am working my passage night by night and should complete the round before many weeks go by and will then let you know. There are a lot of Scotch chaps here so we all buy our own and you never miss a turn that way. Tell Rusty the wife

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received the Waterlow’s money O.K. and if he can spare time to send me down the method of extracting [formula] as I am going to have a gamble on an observers job.

Remember me to everybody in the chapel – the guv’nor [sic] – Fred Cooper and Bert Smith and in about three weeks I should have things under control unless they inoculate me again, in which case I shall sit in the undertakers to save being shaken about. Have you heard from Herbert? There are a lot of B.B. men posted here for WOP Training and he might go in for it. Let me know if you do or if anyone else gets orders for here.

Will close now as my buttons are winking at me and the[sic] want their nightly touch. Blast ‘em

All the best
[underlined] Pete. [/underlined]

P.s. Tell Jack M. not to bother about getting his weight down they do it by numbers up here.
P.

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CALNE
WILTS.
12.30 PM
8 OCT 42

[postage stamp]

MR W. GUNTON.
MACHINE ROOM.
WATERLOW AND SONS. LTD.
TWYFORD ABBEY ROAD
PARK ROYAL. N.W.10.
LONDON.

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Reverse of envelope