1st Air Landing Sqdn
Recce Corps, Home Forces
Friday
My Darling Chotie,
Many thanks for your letter, received a couple of days ago. I was pleased to read about your meeting Norman - quite the little man now, isn't he? You didn't say what he is doing here, ie. is he on leave, stationed in England or what? Don't forget to let me know. After all - I should like to see him again. Is he very “different”? It's hard to think of Norman as a hardened boozer - but believe me, Honey, the Services will drive you to “anythink” - in next to no time.
Well, so much for Norman. For my part at the moment, - I'm on the sick list - sore throat. I've had it ever since I came back from leave, and it's got worse every day.
I've now got to the stage when I have to gargle three times per diem*! However I hope to get rid of it in a few days.
It's my day off tomorrow, but being sick, of course, I can't get a pass - although of course it won't have been any use to me, as you would have been working Sat morning. I understand that in future there will be no more of these day passes - though I don't yet know what the new system will be.
There are transfers right and left at the moment, so I may get mine soon**, which will be a relief to mother, I'm thinking.
Have you thought of a name for our horseshoe yet? I'm relying on you, Darling.. Think hard, LuluBelle ...
I suppose Brinner's home now. I haven't heard from home since I got back, so I hope everything’s all right.
I went out last night to the first time in days and saw a very good show at the Garrison Theatre. I never go out here, as there is nothing to go out for, and it's quite a long way to the theatre.
Well, Darling, I must close here, as there's little news.
Please write soon, Precious - your letters mean a hell of a lot out here in the wilds.
Bye, bye, Darling - and remember I love you very, very much.
God bless you, Chotie,
Dicker
*per day.
**According to family memories Dick was transferred out of the Airborne because they found ‘sugar in his blood’ but he wasn’t diabetic. Although temporary hyperglycemia is often benign and asymptomatic the Airborne medical was very rigorous and any possible problems to the eyesight (damage to the retina is one of the possible symptoms) meant you were out.
© Chotie Darling
27th June 1942 – 1st Air Landing Squadron saw the film ‘Next of Kin’ (a WW2 propaganda film used to promote the government message that “Careless talk costs lives”). (From the War Diary of 1st Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, National Archives, Kew)
27th June 1942 – PQ-17, an Allied convoy of 40 ships, set sail from Iceland to supply Russia. By 15th July it had lost 24 ships and a cargo including 210 aircraft, 430 tanks and 3,350 lorries in attacks by the Luftwaffe and U-boats. The Germans lost only 5 planes and no U-boats in the attacks. (From WW2-net Timelines )
28th June 1942 – in the opening moves of Operation Blau, Germany’s offensive towards Stalingrad, Voronezh (500 km south of Moscow) is attacked but successfully and ferociously defended by the Soviets. (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)
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