1224/5   Shipworking Sections  R.E.    C.M.F.
No. 242

Dearest, Your letter of 11-14 Apr has come and delighted me. At the end of it you were anxious about my men*- you can imagine how anxious I was in Rome when I read the report. But by good fortune we had no gangs out and no casualties at all.        Allan and Co. are all unharmed, and as usual reports were very much exaggerated. So that’s alright. And by the same post came the sweet little picture of you and Dickie, he standing up and staring hard at the camera- ucellino there? And it is much admired and everyone says how nice you are and he is. It seems too good to be true. He is an attractive person. Been visiting, all on his own, at Simon and John next door. Gets about now indeed.

And you went on about the silk, I’m glad its all right. I certainly love the idea of the rose buds, – here and there. But why only two? Why not here and there and elsewhere? But do as you wish. You do look a nice person, if you’re too nice I’ll be all shy and awed. Have to start courting all over again. So Spinky rang up, he was a good man, a good orderly sergeant. You have had some odd telephonists these past two years

We have a very severe attack of Cricketitis. It started with a net practise and we’ve all caught alight. We had another practise yesterday and tomorrow at nine in the morning if you please we have a practise game, No.1 v No.2 and on Monday a real match and again on Thursday. We are fitting up nets in the garden here out of camouflage nets and matting, and we have fielding practise before and after every meal. Derek who is very tall, promises to be a really good fast bowler and a hard bat, Channon is the captain and is Lancashire and dour and nerveless and stolid and hard bowling and safe colourful batting, Johnny is a good spin bowler and a fairly good bat and Barry is a left handed bowler and bats reasonably. I’ve developed in the nets into lively batting but don’t know how I’ll be in the game. There are four good sergeants and a dozen who want to play. It’s very exciting, and we are all happy and build teams, talk matches and tease a lot. Cricketitis with a vengeance.

This afternoon I was out and called on the Adjutant for three quarters of an hour legal talk, and then the Army Law experts and then the police and then, on an idea, popped into the house where some of the Yugoslav family live, Rosa with her two boys, Michelino aged 8 and Leonardo aged 5. It was most successful, Leonardo was in bed with a very small chill so we played and talked and romped and drank coffee and had a fine old domestic time. Pleasant.

Last night Allan and I went out to another branch of the family to a fish and wine supper, they had been fishing, and we had herrings cooked in wine and eel in little pieces of this and that and good white wine and salad and much fun, and ending all singing opera round the table. Odd Life.

Dickie looks nice and substantial in the picture, and I see from that what you mean when you said that the miniature was like him. Its nearer to that last picture than the polyphotos. Is this the W.H.Smith one? His is a smart suit and a jolly collar and bow. Rather JGLish, too.

Peter is sending some brushes I bought for you. I hope they are the right sort. They are said to be a reasonable selection. They are getting rare even in Florence. The palette knives were put in as an idea. The inference of such a parcel is obvious, paint! You are really a better painter than I am a writer and we mustn’t have all the spot light on my side of the business. But if you don’t want to paint, then paint not. Be happy.

Yes Johnny Fawcett is still here, he’s a bit lost. He wasn’t very good with 1021, I did the admin and he floated about. Not vicious or bad, just not very clever, and the army hasn’t much answer to that- its my one quarrel with the army, promotion on time even if a man is incompetent. However we got rid of him and he was promoted Major long ago and was made Group Sports Officer and Camp Commandant, and he does very little magnificently. He’s harmless but gentle. Harry Reed also failed, I am told he was court-martialled and dismissed the service for telling the date of D day last year. So our two Bromborough Captains have been accounted for. Harry was a major with a company. People like Peter and Allan have ten times the brains. But there are sound arguments for promotion on service and no delay except for gross incompetence. That doesn’t apply to higher commands of course. One is side-tracked like Johnny has been.

We had another swagger inspection this morning, a Lt. General this time. Our men were all on parade and did their job magnificently. He was very embarrassingly complimentary afterwards. A real Big Shot he was. It’s always our troops who parade for inspections now. A whole drove of red hats came around. This is the highest we’ve had, we had a Major General once, and three Brigs., but this was a real Lt. Gen. A charmingly gentlemanly bloke he was too. Nice soldiers. mine Oh Dear, the end…
I do love the little picture. You are a precious pair.
All my love. Ever- David

A thought. Don’t forget to develop in Richard the qualities of tolerance, justice, patience & charity, – to fit him for the important role of elder brother, – or even eldest brother. This is important! D.

* On 9th April 1945 The Liberty ship Charles Henderson, loaded with aircraft bombs, blew up in Bari harbour in Italy, killing 360 and injuring 1,730.