27th October, 1939
Passed by R.A.F. Censor No. 149
On Active Service
Mrs. Kenneth Penman,
Maycot,
12 Commonside,
KESTON,
KENT,
ENGLAND
Letter No III
Friday 27.10.39. 6pm
My Darling,
Your letter of last Saturday just received. I was very distressed to hear that you had not yet had a letter from me posted in this country. I can well understand how you must feel. I had felt very lonely until last Tuesday when I got my first from you dear, especially when Vic received, I think it was a toffee paper pinned to his, which Jill had given Tris to send to Uncle Vic.
I have now written to you four times, this being the fifth. Once from England (very irregular and difficult on the 10th), a P/C immediately on arrival because I know you realized that that was probably the most critical part of the journey. As a matter of fact it was exciting and I long to tell you all about it personally. Since, I have written on Tuesday of last week and again on Tuesday of this.
You know Darling I love you terribly and can’t bear that you should infer anything else, it is only with the knowledge of knowing you and Jill (especially you), at home that one is able to put up with the conditions under which we live.
You must not worry darling either that many of my letters could be completely censored. This would never happen, at least not without my knowledge, as the letter would be returned to me. Your letters of course are not censored in any way.
It is rather funny, I am writing this letter in a café (it is nice and warm). Since I started, Thompson…
…and Jackman have come in both armed with writing materials and just now Fermor, the brother of the one you know, has come in with his paper and pencil. We are all rather amused.
I wonder if you are listening to the 7.30 news, the announcer has just said that when writing to men abroad the letters should be no longer addressed c/o the Army Post Office but British Expeditionary Force.
I will now try and plot a little happiness chart (the paper seems suitable). Mirabelle has had a bad attack of diarrhea since the middle of the week, I’ve been very sorry for her but I had to point out that she was making an extremely unpleasant Pong in my bedroom. She said she was very sorry and I understood her to say that she had had rather too much oil-cake the night before. We have two sweet little calves that Jill would adore.
This afternoon I had a most interesting talk with an old Frenchman who was mixing corn with some ink like liquid “pour les oiseau” he said, “beaucoup d’oeufs tres bon”.
Madame has just come up to my table (much to the amusement of the boys) and has given me a large dose of cough mixture, I having been coughing quite nicely for the past few minutes. “Le remedy pour la rheume, je fait ici pendant la guerre quatore le bombardment terrifique.” Or words to that effect dit Madame.
Fermor (the cad) has just wondered whether they sell Mary Ann here.
I discovered last night that he met his wife in Jersey at…
the Portelet Holiday Camp in 1932, I proceeded to tell him about how we were once left behind and felt duly melancholy for about two hours.
“Neuf heures Gentleman please” or words to that effect.
Well good night darling, God bless you both. How I wish I were coming with you!
My love and all my love,
Your own,
Kenneth.
PS. I am writing to Bromley Municipal Buildings tomorrow. K.
October 27th, 1939
Pope Pius XII publishes the encyclical Summi Pontificatus. It preaches that society’s are equal and cannot be presented as superior or inferior to each other, regardless of their state of development.
Without singling out Germany, it also warns of the dangers of totalitarianism. Explicitly critiquing Russia’s pact with Germany and the invasion, and destruction of, Poland.
Background notes:
P/C = Post Card. I have a few of these from later in the war. They are pre-printed with check boxes to complete. Really just an indicator that something has been sent.
- Mirabelle is a cow from the farm Kenneth is billited at mentioned in an earlier letter.
- “pour les oiseau” translates from French as “for the birds”
- “beaucoup d’oeufs tres bon” translates from French as “lots of eggs, very good.”
- “Le remedy pour la rheume, je fait ici pendant la guerre quatore le bombardment terrifique” translates from French as “The remedy for the cold I made here in the war of ’14 during the terrible bombardment”
- “dit” was used as shorthand meaning imitation (or in this case “I am imitating her”) during WW2.
- “Mary Ann” is a beer sold in Jersey. Kenneth and Terry spent many summers in Jersey on holiday before the war and knew it well. The weather in Jersey is warmer than the UK, given its location in the channel close to France. It was occupied by the Nazi’s during WW2 from 1940-1945.