At the beginning of October Dick had his 7 days leave at home in Parkstone (Poole, Dorset) and met up with Chotie. On the 3rd October he’d been appointed a Full Corporal and he was already angling for a commission.
Parkstone was seeing plenty of action - enemy planes would have been frequent by day and by night, heading inland over the Dorset coast or occasionally bombing Dorset ports and towns. The Battle of Britain was also frequently fought in Dorset skies and many German and British planes crashed into Dorset’s land and sea in autumn 1940. (See David R. Privett’s account of a wartime childhood in Poole on the BBC People's War website .)
Back in Bemerton Dick was still with his Dorset friends, Eric Kessler and Pete (despite rumours of a move to Basingstoke and even joining up with the Hampshire Regiment!) but since they were privates and Dick was an NCO (non-commissioned officer) this friendship was not encouraged:
Tuesday 22nd October 1940
Bemerton
Tuesday evening
My Darling Cho,
Thanks for the letter which I got this morning.
Well Darling to get down to business, I find that with reasonable luck I’ll be able to get home on Sunday. The point is Honey, that if I can get a pass all day in Salisbury I may just as well come home, and it will save you a look of trouble & expense. Also I don’t like the idea of your travelling back all that way in the dark.
There is some truth in what Mummy warns you about, even if you don’t believe it… Mind you, I’m not saying you can’ take care of yourself, but after all you’re only a lickle baby although you’re the most adorable chubby baby that ever lived. I tremble to think what could happen to you, Sweetheart, and I hate taking those kind of risks.
I was doing Battalion Orderly Sergeant all day last Sunday which is some job, & I don’t mean maybe. It means being on all day from réveillé until about 11pm, with one worry after another – but for all that, it’s good experience.
Incidentally, I was choked off the other day, pretty severely. I bet you wouldn’t guess what for? (No, Precious, it wasn’t women!) It was for associating with private soldiers vis. Eric & Pete. I’m no longer able to go out with them, and should I meet them in the N.A.A.F.I. or anywhere, they have to address me as Corporal and not the now familiar ‘Dicker’. What a life!
The latest news as regards moving is back to Dinton which suits me admirably – that is, it’s b…..y awful but much preferable to Basingstoke.
We had a dance here last Monday. I’d had nine pints at the Conservative Club before I got there, so had a pretty good time on the whole. The women were a little better than usual but have no fears, Darling, as there isn’t a woman living who could take me away from you, (and that includes Bergman*…)
Well, Chubby, I must close now, loving you more than ever.
Je suis à toi pour la Vie,**
Your adoring,
Dicker
P.S. I terrible sorry about you’re cold. It’s just like me to forget all about it until the end. I hope you’ll forgive me Darling and get better soon.
all yours
Dicker
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All for you! (when I come home)
* Ingrid Bergman, the Swedish film star.
** “I am yours for life.”
© Chotie Darling, 2010
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