Transcription
Cark. 30.10.43
Dearest,
It’s Saturday afternoon, & I’ll start this letter now. I don’t want to be long, as I intend to have a bath before tea, but I’ll finish this later this evening when I shall probably remember other things I want to say. There may even be a letter from you by the afternoon’s post if I’m lucky! Actually, I don’t quite know whether I want one or not. If I get one today, it will help me over the week-end, but it means I shall almost certainly not get one on Monday, whereas if there isn’t one today, I can be thinking all through the week-end that I shall get a letter on Monday. Like most things in this war, it’s a choice of two evils, but all the same, I hope there’s a letter for me this afternoon.
You seem to think it would be an inconvenience to me to have you at Kent’s Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth! I shall have no night
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flying to do after I’ve finished this fortnight – i.e., after next Saturday night, & shall be able [deleted] f [/deleted] to finish work fairly early as the nights are getting shorter. I shall get permission to live out of camp, but shall keep my room here & most of the stuff in it, taking very little gear to the hotel. If you can manage to come, it will be pure unadulterated pleasure for me. Is that clear?
I think I miss you most at present when I’m lying awake in bed, thinking of how you ought to be with me but aren’t. When I’m up & about, I can find things to do that take my mind off you, but in bed, it’s very unpleasant. Still, it should only be a week tomorrow before I see you again – I wish the next week was over!
My torch is now serviceable again. Four of us went into Grange yesterday afternoon, & had a very good tea at the Cookery Nook. I bought a battery & some shoe laces. I ran into Mrs. Banks, who
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asked how you were, & I told her you were coming [deleted] he [/deleted] up here next week-end.
If I didn’t tell you what ops I put in for, here is my list:
1. Night fighters & intruders (Mosquitos)
2. Day fighter – bombers (Mosquitos)
3. Low level attack bombers (Mosquitos or Bostons)
As you’ll gather from the above list, I want to fly Mosquitos.
Unless it will fill your case too much, you don’t need to send the shirt & socks on; they will do when we meet. You’d better bring your sewing kit, as I’m afraid I shall have a lot of jobs for you.
We’ve had Thursday & Friday free, & I’m hoping there’ll be no flying tonight either. If we can get a few more clamps we shall be able to make our night flying last the necessary fortnight. Then there’ll be no question about my 48.
Sunday 4.30 p.m.
I should have finished this letter yesterday, but in any case it wouldn’t
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have reached you before Tuesday, so I thought I might as well finish it at leisure.
I was thrilled yesterday afternoon to get your letter & parcel. Thank you very much for doing the mending, darling. I do appreciate it & am very grateful.
I think the letter was one of the best you’ve ever sent, because it seemed to bring our meeting so much nearer. Although I know you are as keen to seem me as I am to see you, yet it gives me no end of a thrill when you say so.
I’ll write to Mother & let her know you are travelling on Saturday, but aren’t certain of the time of arrival. I think it would be best if you could catch the 8.7, as you would then reach Manchester while it’s light. If you are at London Road Station when it’s dark, [underlined] please [/underlined] get a taxi to the bus station, because it isn’t too easy finding your way about a strange city in the black-out. Remember the last bus is 8.40 p.m., so if you are later than that, go to Victoria Station for the 9.25 train.
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[underlined] MAP OF MANCHESTER. [/underlined]
[street map drawing]
If you catch a tram at London Rd., get one marked Exchange, & get off at the terminus.
If you reach Crewe at 12.45, there is a 1.40 to Manchester (Mayfield) arriving 2.30,
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or a 2.45 to London Road, arriving 3.55. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about Mayfield station, but one of the Waaf Met officers comes from Manchester, & I’ll ask her. It would pay you to get that if possible, as the second train stops at every station.
If you reach Crewe at 5.35, there is a 5.40 arriving London Road at 6.39, & a 5.53 stopping train arriving 7.18. I should imagine the 5.40 waits for the Welsh train, so you will probably be able to make the connection.
Your furniture sale sounds fun. I wish I could have gone with you. How did you bid? Did you wink at the auctioneer, or what? £6..10..0 does seem a lot for a coffee table, but it will be very useful to go to these sales, as you’ll get a good idea of prices etc.
You ask how long I [underlined] want [/underlined] you to stay at Kent’s Bank. I should have thought the answer to that was obvious – as long as possible. I’ve never yet had too much
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of you, darling, & I don’t suppose I’ll have had too much when we celebrate our golden wedding. On the other hand, I should imagine you’d better come prepared to stay for a fortnight, & if you get fed up with the hotel or if it’s too expensive, you can go home whenever you want. Anyway, I expect to be posted at the end of the fortnight.
I think you’ve chosen the right stuff to get with our utility coupons. We shall be pretty well fixed up when we’ve got all that, shan’t we, though as you say, I don’t expect it will come through for months.
We are having a splendid weather! The past three nights it has been misty, & tonight we’ve got a real Cark soaker – pouring down all day, & likely to continue all night. All we need now is a clamp on Monday & Tuesday, & we shall have enough work to last us until Saturday. There is a possibility that I shall finish on [deleted] Saturday [/deleted] [inserted] Friday [/inserted], which is what the others
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want, so that they can have Saturday evening free. In that case I shall go to Manchester to meet you & take you to Farnworth. That would be good, wouldn’t it, but it would mean I should have to start work on Tuesday instead of Wednesday.
I’ve just realised that a week today we shall be together again. Almost too good to be true, isn’t it?
All my love,
Harold.
P.S. Thanks again for the parcel.
[calculations]