19th February, 1940
PASSED BY CENSOR No. 621
Mrs Kenneth Penman
MAYCOT
12 COMMONSIDE
KESTON
KENT
No 29.
Gw Penman 1440 260
Sec 4 194/60 HAA
BEF
February 19th 1940.
Darling.
It’s 3.30 p.m. I’ve just woken up, having slept since 9 this morning after a 24 hour guard on the Gun Position, we have slightly altered our guards, mounting them at eight in the morning instead of in the evenings as hitherto, it was lovely when I got in to receive two letters Nos 22 and 23, the former dated 12/2 and the second postmarked 14/2, it is at times like that, after a long guard without relief, that one of your letters makes all the difference, darling, and to have two, I went to sleep very happy.
About leave dear, its about the most important thing in the world, isn’t it?, we have now got fourteen more names, leaving every third day in parties of two, the last departure date being March 12th. I am naturally disappointed that my name doesn’t appear, but I have every reason to hope that I shall be coming home on the 14th, 16th or 18th party, which would mean I should be home for Easter, which you will agree would be rather lovely, I take the view that I’ve been terribly lucky in being the only one in my section to go back to BHQ about the commission business and that one can’t be lucky all the time. One of the lads in the mouse drama, he was married last July, has been feeling very low, his name being one of those not yet to appear, so we have…
…been giving one another mutual comfort.
A day or so after my last letter, we had the heaviest fall of snow we have experienced so far; about half a metre (very continental), it filled our instrument pits to overflowing and made an abominable lot of work, we hate it, (work I mean, not snow). It has all disappeared now however and mud is much in evidence, we were discussing last night, the question of creating an artificial demand, just like the diamond industry. As you know if all the diamond stocks were released at one time, the price would fall to bead value almost, we are considering cornering the mud market, stocks are ample, the only trouble is how to persuade the public that our mud is not common or garden mud, but has very special qualities and has a remarkable range of uses; I think we shall have to advertise in the Paris Soir, by the way you know how our Evening News, Star etc. issue their 6 o’clock final edition about 3:30? Well! the Paris Soir is much cleverer than that, they edition they print on the 1st for example they date the 3rd.
I had a letter a few days ago from Vic saying that he was much better and that he hoped to be getting up very soon, he seemed to be very pleased with his letter signed by us all, incidentally Teddie has returned from leave, he had such a lot of things to fit in that he wasn’t able to manage a visit to Watford.
I was so glad to hear the news about the reduction in the rent, every little…
…helps; do you assume that the B’s have now been successful in letting Rose Cottage? Have you managed to do anything about the rates as yet?
I am so glad for Wyn that her romance is progressing, you say:- “He has very sincere intentions” surely Wyn’s are too.
Sergeant Donnington was a L/Bdr when we first went abroad, he is of course an old soldier, a fair unit like the London Welsh probably find him very useful. Will you give him my good wishes when you see him again? Sergeant Ascolie by the way is home again, on a Gunnery course lasting three months, he was only back with us three days. We are all very sorry to lose him, wouldn’t you have thought that the War Department could have found some way of relieving him of all the pain of parting from his wife, for as he thought then, six months.
I was so sorry to hear that Dad had been ill, I shall have to write to him and pull his leg about going sick in order to lengthen his leave. To use an army term, that would be considered “very, very dodgy”. What colour is Dad having his Balaclava Helmet made in?
I do love the stories about Jill, isn’t Oliver Goldsmith’s stuff just a trifle advanced? She must have grown up such a lot since I saw her last, I long so much to see you both again. Last Sunday when we had heaps of snow and the sun was simply brilliant I was thinking how lovely it would be to take Jill for a ride in the toboggan.
Thank you so much for the…
…telephone number; I only hope I shall have to use it very soon.
I have been writing this letter with various interruptions since this afternoon, it is now five to ten, and I’ve just got five minutes in which to make my bed before lights out, so good night darling remember always I love you so very very much, God bless you, I kiss you.
Kenneth
xxxx.
Spring is more advanced.
19th February, 1940
- The British War Cabinet considers the defense of Norway in anticipation of possible German action in Scandinavia, specifically to secure crucial Swedish iron ore supplies that pass through Norway during winter.
- Soviet forces continue to press Finnish defenses along the Mannerheim Line during the Winter War. This intensified Soviet offensive coincides with ongoing clashes on Finland’s Karelian Isthmus.
- In the North Atlantic, British forces remain on high alert for German naval activities following the Altmark incident and increasing tension with German surface raiders.