1224/5 Ship Working Sections, R.E. C.M.F.
No. 186
Dearest, So good a letter came yesterday, from Cheltenham, with the Dimensions. They are now marked carefully on my bedroom wall. The width of Bust and Tummy was difficult, but I remembered that C=Pi r2 and as C was known and Pi is, roughly 22/7 I got the breadth. He is quite big, isn’t he, considering that when I was there he was nothing. Small as compared to Johnny Feaver’s eldest – on the office wall – but that young man is ten years old, so that may account for it. I love the idea of us having two centimetres of nose in the family. Dimensions do help. You’d be surprised what a kick I get out of them. A Hank of hair would help too. I’ve just marked Dickie on the wall of my office here, below Martin and Russel Feaver. There’s quite a lot of him, now. When do you start calling Nappies Pants?
The whistle at the window sounds pleasant, for him. Did any trains get iwed and get into trouble? One wants to think of others. But they wouldn’t mind, not much perhaps.
A friendly letter on an air letter from Ivy Davidson, saying she liked the Roman Holiday and would use it and have I any more. I don’t know, its difficult. I have a lot, but I’ll have to get a line on them. Anyhow, it will be a Help. You’ll be glad because its your paper sort of. I thought the article rather cataloggy myself, dull, you know. The Colonel quoted it to me the other day;…. “Something I read , I forget what it was, the man said …..” Stoopid.
Two of my naughtier boys, up for Field General Court Martial, refused to come out of the Guard Room yesterday because “they would see only one person; King George and no other”. King couldn’t come, so they had to be satisfied with their Captain. They were at last. Difficult. Wouldn’t eat. I’ll be able to handle the Irishest of wives after this!
That wasn’t my story about the man and the baby he was glad about; it was His! His story and he stuck to it. Loyal I call him. He’s bought the dreadfullest shawl and furry hat, he’s so pleased. Joseph the second. I saw your piccolo joke about the shoes lined with soft white kid. I meantersay.
Mine is a nice motor, mine is. I do like it, we are one now, she and I. You’d like her; she’s so much room in the back and so cosy a cab. A fifteen hundredweight truck, two sizes larger than Marjorie’s would be better, not a car, one can pick up ten people, or put camp beds in the back and caravan with it. Bit petrol-greedy perhaps.
Parcel of Digests and Lilliputs just come from nice D Saddy. Blessings of Allah upon her head. Funny if we pack up and move to Egypt one of these days, no connexion between this sentence and the one before, nor any Hint or Warning. One could though. See Sphinx and all that that way. I don’t know. Please Ivy. How are Guardy and Postie? Cross? Full up? Waiting for Something else? Do you keep a little book? I wouldn’t have. Hope you find the pen, if not I’ll try and bribe an American for one for you.Try anyhow I think.
Yes, I feel that the Jeavons house would be the Thing. We’d have to pay for it all right if we were there and would. You don’t know the revised Edition of David. Prickly with ideas and Things to Say. But I do want to have a month or so with you and That Young twenty eight and a half inches of son. It seems unbelievable that it is possible, like Paradise, needs Faith not Reason to contemplate it at all: Just killed about ninety flies. Ones powers in this job are interesting, one has a nice set to choose from, seven days Detention; 14 days C.B., 28 days Field Punishment (that’s the hottest), 28 days loss of pay, and fines up to five pounds, so one can pick and choose, One can also, of course, send a man for trial by Court Martial when they get anything from imprisonment for life downwards. I usually try to balance the punishment with the man’s deserts by two standards, his own opinion and the needs of discipline. Its all right when you don’t interfere and tell me to let him off. We’d have red riot if I listened to you always. Kings Regulations doesn’t allow you to be in the Orderly Room anyhow.
Gramophone Society you went to; that is somehow very typical of your very nice hostesses. And Dickie has a copy of Mrs. Tiggywinkle. We must have an Uncle Remus, I think Brer Fox, with his low cunning, and Brer Rabbit, with his nice simplicity, are Good Influences. Not Grimm. Not Christopher Robin, too clean to be healthy. Somehow Mid-warrish and Chamberlain. We’ll have three libraries, Bear Libraries, mine yours and his’n. Opera season starts this week; for eight weeks, I go to Butterfly on Friday all alone, the best way really. I like it.
Going off on a three day jaunt with Brer Fox next week, 200 miles to see our particular Staff Officer, responsible for troops of our kind. Niceish drive if the weather is good. Its nice now, was cold for two-three days. What are your Christmas plans? Taking a Little Basket of Comforts to the Jeavons.
Oh dear, it is difficult to realise you and home and him. I’m sending an air letter to our Ivy with cuts to help her if its in time. All my love, all of it, and thankyou for your grand letters… David X