Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife

Letter from Harold Gorton to his wife

He expresses how much he misses his wife on their second anniversary. He also writes of a colleague’s impending marriage and another’s arrival of a new baby.

1943-07-16

Four handwritten sheets

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EGortonHGortonLCM430716

OFFICERS’ MESS,
ROYAL AIR FORCE,
CARK,
NORTH LANCASHIRE.
TELEPHONE GRANGE 390.
16/7/43
Dearest,
I’m writing now to try & give you a little idea of how grateful I am that I’ve been married to you for two years. It’s impossible to put into words all I feel. I thought I was in love with you two years ago, but the love I had then is as nothing compared with what I feel now. I am quite certain that no one could have a better wife or a truer companion than I’ve got, & I can’t tell you, darling, how grateful I am.
I’ve been to Lancaster today to try & get you some silk stockings, but I wasn’t able to manage it, I was told
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That there weren’t any left now, certainly not in Lancaster. Apart from stockings there was nothing I could find that was anywhere near good enough for you, so I send you my love instead.
I have been able to save some chocolate from my ration, & I am sending with it this Perspex ring. I haven’t finished the ring, as you can see, but I wanted to check up on the size before I finish it off. Perhaps you could let me know if it’s too small or otherwise, & then I’ll finish it
This anniversary won’t be as good as last time, will it, when we were at Ossington. Still it’s one year nearer to the time when
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we shall be able to be together always. May it come soon; I sometimes feel as though I couldn’t wait.
Yet I’ve no right to grumble. One of our Waaf officers was married for four days before her husband was posted overseas – three years ago.
Social gossip: The C.F.I. has got a son, born a week or two early. The Flying Wing Adj is getting married, in Ireland, to a pilot from Dumfries. It’s been quite funny to see how excited she’s been the last few days.
That’s all for now, but once again, thank you for
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The past two years.
All my love, darling,
Harold.