Mrs. Kenneth Penman
Maycot
12 Commonside
Keston
Kent

GNR. PENMAN 1440280
SEC 4 194/60 HAA
c/o GPO
Castle Bromwich
Birmingham

July 21st 1940.

Dearest,

Thank you so much for your letter of the 19th. I expect you will be as sorry as we are to hear that we have not yet got any guns and instruments. We have however been helping to build the G.P.’s of the other two batteries. I got back this evening, having spent four days on a position some miles out and it was nice to have a letter from you waiting for me.

It appears that we are not to get any leave just at…

…present, with the exception of 24 hours every ten days or so, I personally think we are very lucky to get this even. My name is down for Friday, we leave here at 10 a.m. and have to be back by midday Saturday.

Most of us are going home even though it is only for one night. I personally am going to try and get on a lorry going to Hendon, and if I am successful, darling, I will be with you some time during the afternoon.

I was in two minds to tell you about this because I know you will be disappointed if I don’t make it. On the other hand, it would be a very bad show if you had…

…in all innocence decided to go over and see Mother or something like that.

I note what you say about Jill and the Reads, and I don’t think there is any doubt that this Read kiddy is making a difference to the way in which Jill speaks, isn’t it amazing how much easier it is to get into adversary ways in speech than it is to talk correctly?

It is a most difficult situation. I don’t know that I am very impressed by the idea of the red-headed lady who was, when I was there, very fond of hanging round the vacancy of the camp. Jill is at a very impressionable age, there is no chance that Miss Bailey’s maid…

…might have her. I realize that when the solution was first discussed Jill was very much smaller and more tractable than she is now.

This billet we are now occupying is in a large mansion, many hundreds of years old, the property of the Earl of Bradford. We are told that Edward, when Prince of Wales, stayed here, although it has undoubtedly been empty for several years; some of the rooms are really fine and it is a shame to let troops live in such a house.

In the grounds is a maze, not very large, but quite difficult as it is of holly and somewhat overgrown. Pinkee is still at Kassocks, it is some…

…dozen miles inland, you know. Is Wyn still keeping Pam at Bournemouth?

I was so sorry to hear you had been so much alone lately with Wyn at Beckenham. Is Mrs. Clayton intending to live there indefinitely? Might this not mean that Wyn would leave us and live there too? I do hope that this is not so.

I am very thrilled at the prospect of having a picture of you both, and I can imagine Jill’s pleasure at the idea of having a puppy of her very own. I hope she doesn’t over-love him. I have visions of…

…him getting squashed. I assume from the name Chase that he is to be a big puppy. I think this is very wise from my old lodge experience.

Well, my dear, I hope to see you and little Jill on Friday. My love to you both.

Yours,
Kenneth
(xx These two are just to keep you going until I am with you or until, if I don’t make it, my next letter to you, darling)