LONGMOOR AMONG THE HEATHER
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August 13th. 1942 (Grouse look out!)
Dearest Heart,
No letter from Auntie and Uncle Southgate, and my hopes mount higher they may be away on holiday and we can then conscientiously stay at an hotel, which is so delightfully private and ussish and not nearly so respectable. They may write tomorrow, if not I’ll telephone and hope there’s no reply. I’ll have to telephone in case their letter has strayed. But it looks hopeful. However, leave it to me, I’ll find a bed for us two and food, we ask no more, the food can be done without if necessary.
Your nice letter about the Spencers Bridge and one thing and another came this afternoon. Yes, Yunwins might do, and I expect it is Shove Halfpenny. But whatever it is I won two straight matches after dinner this evening, and had three crackerjack ones with Peter after pints of Shandy last night after the pictures which were dreadful, Gary Cooper indeed got the V.C. as a nice surprise with all the regiment paraded for him, and he killed dozens of Jap machine-gunners with, four grenades, thrown at a range of about a hundred yards and he even forgot to pull out the pins, and it was so hot round the neck-making and Peter and I just suffered but the men simply roared with glee at the V.C. parts and made Gary Cooper look a fool, if it was Gary Cooper which perhaps it wasn’t, an ugly faced American actor anyhow but we liked the outing and still no news of the Peteret or the Peterette, we are dining out directly we hear at the Anchor at Liphook which is a place of great repute and drinking to Roger or Anne or whoever it is and that’s my duty as Peter’s keeper, and Peter’s child’s honorary Uncle. Yet another.
A lovely day today. Round Transportation Stores first, looking at Docks gear, and the piles and piles of first class stuff, all grand and lashings of it waiting to be used and all the chains oiled and the blocks greased and thousands of barrows, hand trucks and movable cranes. Then to the Apple Pie and a three ton crane was laid on and we stepped the Jumbo Mast for the derricks, a great job, ticklish and neat deft in the end. A massive 18 cwt. spar to go in vertically and the crane was only just big enough. Then after a handsome luncheon we went to the new cutting and I dashed about for an hour in a caterpillar tractor, 45 horse power, bright yellow, with tankish tracks. Climbed banks, into craters, over tree trunks and so on. Very droll and fascinating, and then to a Ruston Bucyrus movable Diesel crane which I operated for an hour, heaving loads into trucks and generally enjoying myself. Home for tea, a game of billiards with Jock, back for bath and dress, worked a little on the Queen and Mr Shakespeare, and then a handsome dinner, a good soup, thick, assorted cold meats, salad, potatoes, tomatoes, beetroot etc., then a Welsh Rarebit and then a fine English apple, and then coffee, after biscuits and cheese. Disgusting goings on.
And over all my actions, through all my thoughts, behind all my speech and thinking, underlying my very breathing was the knowledge of you, and the prospect, dazzling prospect, of twenty four hours of your company with a few days. My dear, I am excited. And …but let it remain to be seen…
Nice Mr. Fuller sent the play for a few modestly suggested editorial things to be done, Some I agree with, others not, about Elizabethan metaphor, only twiddly things. The book is to come out in October and to be called TEN ONE ACT PLAYS OF 1942. He hopes to have another, edition following it and will use my Cook one he thinks.
Now I must go. Oh, the dream of the kippers in cellophane, you poor dear. And thankyou for Gwenny’s letter. Oh Transportation Sappers think nothing at all of Movement Control, which is a General List job, a safe job usually in home stations, a two pips at once job, and a sit on your bottom job. All the twerps from 143 are in Movement Control, especially all the Yorkshire ones. The things M.C. does. Docks operating and Ry. Ops hate them. M.C stands for Movement Control or Muddle and Confusion. I think they are paid by the German Government. They just make all movement so controlled that it sticks. Movement Constipation would be better. I must have that discussed.
Dear you, dear Candy dear everyone.
Bless you…
David