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Address:-
MRS KENNETH PENMAN.
MAYCOT 12 COMMONSIDE
KESTON KENT

No 3. (1)
Gnr PENMAN 1440280
SEC 4 194/60 HAA
B.E.F.

April 9th 1940.

My poor Darling

I had yours No 2 last night and as I was on guard I haven’t had any opportunity of answering it until to night when I am all alone in the billet the others having gone out to a concert (my name didn’t come out of the hat). I’ve got a nice fire and have just eaten two ducks eggs, I feel a little better since my last letter, you must forgive me for sounding so dispirited but especially since receiving your second letter I know you realise how I felt, although for you darling it must have been much worse, being entirely alone. I do hope you feel better now, and my next leave I hope will not be long coming round even if my turn for training is.

You will remember my telling you about Johnnie and his lecture on the Blue gun, we decided the other night to ask him and his pal Charlie up to supper in our billet, I was downstairs shaving and I was pulling Johnnie’s leg, he was washing and I was telling him to make a good job of it as he was going out to dinner, he didn’t…

…say anything until Charlie remarked, “Soo s’ppose we ought to clean our boots”, “Naow” says our Johnnie “we’ll do that when we get there”.

I have to day, much to the amusement of the boys, made two window boxes and planted the nasturtiums I got at Dells, I had to ask madame for a spade with which to get some earth to fill the boxes all ours being on the G.P., she had to know of course why I wanted it and seemed very tickled at the idea of “gardinette”, she passed upon me some seeds which I think are scarlet runners although she assured me that she grew them for their flowers alone and that they grew on supports to about ten feet. I think perhaps that they correspond to the runner beans as our sweet peas do to green peas, anyway I’m sending you a sample as I know darling you will be intrigued, I shouldn’t pot them in through until the end of the month as I shouldnt think they were very hardy, whilst I’m being Middletonish, you’ll be amused to hear that we have two vases of Prunus Pissardi on the mantelpiece, there being a tree of it in madames garden.

The next paragraph is small but very important, it just to say I love you. Being a Dumas fan you will be…

…amused to hear that we have christened ourselves the “Five musketeers”, Tacho is Porthos, Ted is D’Artagnan, Godfrey (Tony) is Aramis, whilst I am Athos. Mac ought to be another D’Artagnan, but to avoid confusion we address him as Milord or Villiers depending upon whether the occasion is formal or informal, we’ve got six bachelors buttons for the diamond studs, but as yet we’ve not cast anyone for the part of Milady. Its remarkably funny to see the faces of those not in the know when they hear a remark like this, “Oh Aramis old boy, Porthos asked me to tell you he’d borrowed your mug,” – arn’t we infants.

April 11th
Darling I’d meant this to be a really long letter but we’ve been so tremendously busy that I’ve had no time to even write a line, I’m so terribly sorry for the blokes that still haven’t had their leave and terribly relieved dearest that we had ours, you and I. I mean even though it did seem so short, I don’t think I could have carried on without it. I love you so, forgive me for keep telling you; you mustn’t infer because I’ve said we’ve been busy that there has been any change in the status quo with us here as yet. I think the…

…naval news to night is marvellous, dont you? its grand to know that this war might start now, always remember darling not to worry about me. We ack-ack are always in a nice safe position, that is as safe as anyone can be other than Brigaders and people. I’m late my dearest I know you’ll forgive mare.

I’ll write again very soon,
Yours,
Kenneth

P.S Please ask Jill to forgive Daddy for not sending his a letter this time I will with your next its a promise K.