13th November, 1940
Mrs Kenneth Penman.
Maycot.
12 Commonside
Keston
Kent
[Postmark: DESPATCHED (?) WARWICK – Stamp partially unclear]
Wixford
Nov 13th
My Darling,
I’m afraid Ive been rather neglectful, please forgive me. Conditions here have been rather below par during the last week, what with the rain and some trouble we have had lately with our instruments. Technical hitches are I believe the usual term, albeit we had the opportunity to use some of the knowledge we gained at Fernbank. The only snag was most of the work had to be done under very moist conditions not at all good for anything electrical.
These several little mishaps have made it impossible for us to have our usual short leave, so I have been unable to get anywhere civilised for the last week. You will remember I promised to send you darling a wee present this week and as I have had no opportunity to do so as yet I’ll bring it with me when I see you (I hope you’re glad) on Sunday! I trust about lunch time. I’m so longing to be with you again, I hope you have not been having too worrying a time and that Jerry has been behaving himself with regard to Keston. You may have seen in the paper yesterday (Tuesday) that a Dornier was brought down by rifle fire over a Midland town on Monday. You will be amused to know that we gave…
…the necessary directional information making this possible.
This site seems pretty permanent at the moment and I have been building castles in the air with the idea of your coming down for Christmas. Do you think we could possibly manage it, we’ll discuss it this weekend.
As you know there are seven of us on this job and as the leave business was in a very unsatisfactory state (we have to get our passes from an HQ 30miles away) I decided to make a rota. Well we all thought to keep it simple it was best to each take 48 hours. Having one away at a time thus means we get away once a fortnight. Well to cut a long story short my rota was a very smart affair with columns…
…going up to the middle of January.
Yesterday afternoon Shepherd was writing a letter and he looked up and, with a queer expression on his face, he said ‘I don’t think much of your leave list Penny’ I was a bit staggered since every one else had congratulated me on it, and then I realised with leave every fourteen days, that is twice in 28. Do you follow? The awful truth, both Shep and another of our men were going to be a bit howly every other leave for the duration and Darling!!! I believe it affects us too.
Until Sunday then my darling, and a big kiss for you a little one for Jill and a huge hug for both of you
Yours
Kenneth.
World War II events between Sunday 3rd November, 1940 and Wednesday 13th November, 1940:
- Sunday 3rd November, 1940—Greek forces halt the Italian advance in the rugged Pindus region, stabilizing their defensive lines.
- Monday 4th November, 1940—The Greeks initiate limited counterattacks against Italian positions, testing the invaders’ resolve.
- Tuesday 5th November, 1940—Franklin D. Roosevelt is re-elected as President of the United States, influencing future Allied support.
- Wednesday 6th November, 1940—The Luftwaffe maintains incessant nighttime raids on London, straining British air defenses and civil morale.
- Thursday 7th November, 1940—Continued bombing campaigns ravage British ports and industrial centers, though no decisive breakthrough emerges.
- Friday 8th November, 1940—The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas concludes with a Greek victory, underscoring the Italians’ faltering invasion.
- Saturday 9th November, 1940—Free French forces secure Gabon, diminishing Vichy France’s African foothold.
- Sunday 10th November, 1940—London endures intensifying air raids, yet British anti-aircraft units slightly improve interception rates.
- Monday 11th November, 1940—The Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm attacks Taranto, crippling Italian battleships and altering naval warfare’s strategic calculus.
- Tuesday 12th November, 1940—In the aftermath of Taranto, Axis maritime strategies undergo reassessment as Italy grapples with reduced naval strength.
- Wednesday 13th November, 1940—British convoys enhance defensive measures against persistent U-boat threats in the Atlantic, signaling evolving maritime countermeasures.