8th November, 1939
PASSED BY CENSOR No 621
On Active Service
Mrs. KENNETH PENMAN,
Maycot,
12 COMMONSIDE,
KESTON,
KENT,
ENGLAND
No. VI
S.I.F.
8.11.39.
Darling,
Definitely lowly, it’s silly but one seems to watch every post these days, it’s ten days since I heard from you and although I have had a letter from Auntie Sarah and one from Ethel with 100 cigarettes they were rather without savors as I was expecting all the time one from you.
You will see from the letter, or I should say from the signature at the foot of it, that Chappell is back with us. Owing to censorship difficulties I can of course make no comment on this matter.
Owing, darling, to our…
…intense loneliness the section has secured the services of a mascot, a photograph of which I enclose. You may show Win if you like, tell her I understand now how it was she nearly didn’t marry a Frenchman.
We have since my last letter moved off from rest and are now manning again. The town is much larger than our last which as you will remember was just a village with only two Cafe’s, and our billet is if anything better, I have even more straw than usual.
We have been having quite respectable weather the last few days, it seems to rain hardest just when we are moving out to the GP which is at dawn.
When we were at rest we had to buy candles as the electric light had not yet been laid on.
The only French word I could remember for candles was “chandelle” probably because it sounds similar to the English. Actually the correct would is “bougie”, “chandelle” being an altar candle. We wondered which ours has gold round the bottom and of course they were much more expensive. The joke was that the village came to the conclusion that we all must be frightfully sincere catholics. They should have heard the boys language when they blew out.
How is Jill, is she getting a little more like her old self? I am very interested to hear about this.
There is(sic) rumors flying about to the effect that we may expect to start 14 days leave on Dec 17. 4 at a time, covering 20 weeks, there being about 40 per section. One…
…has to trust, of course, very much to luck of course as to when one will go. I have decided that I must go job hunting very seriously when I get my leave, it is intolerable that you and Jill should continue to manage on so very little, that is if I can bear to spend any time darling away from you.
I try very hard to retain an equable frame of mind when considering this hint of leave. It seems too good to be true. Don’t, darling, set too much store buy it. It’s so easy to be disappointed by this sanguinary army, that I’ve come to believe nothing until it happens. Still ain’t it marvellous.
By the way, sorry about the pencil, my pen ran out of ink.
My love to you both Darling. Cheery bye.
I’ll write again immediately I hear from you,
Your GNR, Flobelle.
8th November, 1939
On the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch, a key event in Hitler’s rise to power, an assassination attempt is made on his life. A bomb is timed to go off beside a stage where Hitler is giving a speech to mark the date. It’s unsuccessful because the schedule for the event is set to run half an hour earlier than it has in previous years.
German carpenter Johann Georg Elser, a communist, is arrested and charged. He is tortured and admits responsibility but is not put on trial.
After a year of detainment and torture by the Gestapo in Berlin he is moved to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and given tools to make furniture and instruments. In 1945, with Germany’s loss looming, plans to make him the centerpiece of a show trial after a victory in the war are abandoned and Elder is executed by firing squad at Dachau concentration camp.
Background notes:
- S.I.F. is shorthand for “Somewhere In France”. An address which eludes the censors pen.
- “savors” means “something to enjoy” in this context.
- G.P. is shorthand for “Gun Position”.
- sanguinary mean “involving or causing much bloodshed”.