ON ACTIVE SERVICE

PASSED BY CENSOR No 621

Mrs. Kenneth Penman,
Maycot,
12 Commonside,
KESTON,
KENT,
ENGLAND

Hotel de Centrale S.I.F.

No 7 Nov 9th 1939.

Darling,

I was so very pleased to get a letter from you this evening. It has seemed such a long time since your last, actually twelve days, not very long but it seems ages when one watches every mail.

I have now had four letters rom you dated Oct 11th, 21st, 23rd and today’s dated Nov 2nd. With reference to Wallace and the BBC, I commented on both these matters when I replied to your letter of the 21st Oct. immediately I received it. It is very difficult to remember which letter one mentions which pieces of news as there is a time lag of about 14 days.

Darling I’m not a bit pleased at your coupling Mirabelle’s name with Jacqueline’s, it was rather neat but I think you’re rather a puss, you know how pure I am both in word and deed. Anyway who should go for(?) Mirabelle or Jacqueline?

When I said that we were living with friends of Robert and Helen I inferred more than I said, you must realize that the censorship is extremely strict and it is not at all easy to tell you things that might interest you.

One of Robert’s subordinates is at this moment playing a mouth organ immediately behind me, extremely well too.

I received the parcel by the same mail as your letter. As you see I am using the writing pad, and sweetheart, the gloves are fine they fit me beautifully. You may be sure I shall wear the Balaclava helmet. Was my sketch of any help? I do darling appreciate your knitting for me. Are you sure that there isn’t something that Jill needs first?

I owed Graffaters(?) for some cigs but definitely not the tea rooms. I can’t understand this, has Fodden been in to see you at all since I left?

I was very please that Leslie had managed to join the R.E’s. It was the unit he was keen on, he was amusing about his medical…

…exam was he? If he told you that when asked to drop his trousers and the MD requested him to cough, he fainted under the impression that he said OFF, he’s a liar because it’s an old one.

Jim is at Clapham Common is he? I didn’t realize that he had moved from Woolwich. I did tell you, didn’t I, that I had a telegram of bon chance from him before I left England. I must write to him as soon as I get a moment.

You will notice that I am, as you ask, telling you whom I hear from, from time-to-time. I am of course very touched to hear from as many of the family as care to write. As long as their letters are leavened by a lot from you. From the 23rd to Nov 2nd is ten days, trop long, ma cherie, j’etais un tres mal heureuse garçon.

It is indeed good news about Dad, although it is a pity that he is so far away from mother and that the pay is so small. If you know his address I will write to him. I…

…wonder if Mandy and Alice are still up there, perhaps Dad would like to meet them.

I remember Gwen Jones quite well. Fancy her being Rice’s secretary. I’ve been trying to recollect the song that amused her father so, which she sang in the previous show, was it something about ducks?

I think Tris’s mother is a little narrow minded in objecting to her correspondence with the blokes she knew when she was at Shell-Mex, after all we are living under war conditions and whether a man is in this god-forsaken country or in some equally one eyed show in England, we all appreciate as many letters as we can get.

I am glad you are continuing to write to Ellis, I’ve always thought from his letters that he sounded an awfully nice chap, albeit I hope you arranged for a chaperone on Saturday evening.

It’s very sweet of Tris to offer to look after Jill so that you can get out sometimes, did Jill like Uncle Vic’s letter?

Talking of Vic, he seems much better. The trouble is that he gets this beastly rheumatism in the head after the least exposure, actually I don’t think he should be out here. The only thing we can do is to try and make things as comfortable for him as possible. I shouldn’t however mention anything of this to Tris, as you suggest, he probably told her.

What did you see when you went to the flics last week? I’m so glad Jill was good with Ella and that she doesn’t mind you leaving her now as much as she did.

It’s quite a good idea to include in your letters little bits of news you glean about the other boys. Former, for instance, was very interested to hear that his brother was only to be at Granwell another three weeks, and Sergeant Ascolie was staggered to hear about the lacy condition of his letters on arrival as he has been most careful not to include anything that is censorable.

I think I write more to you if anything Darling than the average, in fact I fear I shall get some…

…rude comment from Mr Chapple at the length that this letter is becoming.

I can find no excuse for 168 Battery being able to write five times in one week, except that they seem to do very much less work than we do. They were in action by the way a few days ago and were, I believe, just over a quarter of a mile off target in their aim. They probably strain their eyes with too much letter writing.

Seriously though darling, we have been working very hard preparing our positions, and I haven’t been able to manage more than two letters a week. Perhaps very shortly I shall be able to manage more, if it were a case of inclination I should write to you every day and, incidentally, Edie knows that. She knows or should know that you are everything in the world to me.

I was lying awake thinking about you and home the night before last when suddenly there was a terrific commotion. Boots flying in all directions. One of the lads had woken to find a large and heavy…

…rat sitting on his feet. It was pitch dark of course. It was the weight that worried him at first. Such a lot of the boys don’t realize that a rat won’t do you any harm unless you attack it and get it cornered, still if I’ve got to have rats I prefer English ones, the French are so immoral.

The hankies were fine darling, could you please send me my scarf? The magenta and white one. The weather for the last week has been very warm, the temperature being in the range of 50º to 55º, however one never knows when it will get really cold.

We were in a Café the other evening when some lads from another unit had an argument about the score. They left owing Madame twelve francs, much to her annoyance. There were eight of us and, being just a wee bit merry we subscribed Fr 1.50 a nob to pay the bill, “pour l’honneur d’Angleterre” as we put it.

Madame refused to accept, “C’est commerce monsieurs” etc, etc. So we left it on the table and wended our homeward was feeling good Britons in a foreign land.

Rather silly…

…I’m afraid, but we didn’t think so at the time. We have been received however since with much graciousness.

It pays we find to stick to the same Café every evening, as Madame gets to know you and generally treats you very well. We were given some delicious pears the other night.

We were issued last night with a sort of imitation leather jerkin lined with blanket material which should prove very useful at night on guard.

A normal day at present consists of reveille at 6 oc, arrival at the Gun Position at between 6.30 and 7 o’clock. We have all our meals in our dugouts except tea, which we have on return to billets at about 6.30 to 7 o’clock in the evening, after which we usually repair to a Café until “neuf heures” which is the equivalent of “Time Gentlemen please” in England. Tattoo is at 10 o’clock and that is our day.

I am afraid it is a very boring war and personally I don’t think we shall see any heavy action until the spring. Hitler might try something if we have a prolonged frost, although he would have to face the possibility…

…of a sudden thaw in the middle of an offensive.

The trouble is mud and then more mud, it is absolutely unbelievable what lovely mud we have, one of our positions is literally knee deep and there’s not very much you can do about it.

You will remember that when we had our typhoid innoculation at Arborfield we were to expect another in 4 to 6 weeks. The M.O. has started on the second lot, we are being done section by section as we go back to the base to rest. I understand that the second one is nothing like so bad as the first, the reason being that the first has begun to make its anti-toxic effect work.

We heard a rumor yesterday that an attempt has been made on Hitler’s life. It seems a move in the right direction although I doubt very much whether his removal would mean the end of the Nazi party as such a lot of people seem to assume. Most French people consider it will be a very long war. They are determined this time to break Germany so that they shall never be bothered…

…again, they are in fact very vindictive.

This letter seems to have attained quite unusual proportion. I started it last night and have finished it off (rather cleverly) on the Gun Position this morning.

Are you having any difficulties with food supplies, rationing etc? The suggestion of 4 oz of butter per person per week I think is positively astounding. It surely shouldn’t be necessary so early on.

I can’t think of any more news that might pass the censor. No more news of leave or anything like that.

Remember always that I adore you and that you are always in my thoughts. I realize how very long and lonely your evenings must be. The only comforting thought is the slightly highfaluting one that we are both doing a little job of work for old England.

Cheery Bye my love,

Yours very, very affectionately,

Kenneth.