Mrs Kenneth Penman
Maycot, 12 Commonside
Keston Kent

No 32.
Gnr Penman 1440280
Section 4 19/2/60 HAA
BEF.

4.3.40
Darling One,

I’m writing this in the semi-publicity of our N.A.F.I. hut to the tune of sizzling bacon. Grateful thanks for your No. 28. I liked very much your story about Jill’s visit to Woolworths, she must be getting mighty, was the hearth brush intended for gardening too, she’ll certainly have to have a little piece of her own this year.

Last night we all went to an ENSA concert given by the Welsh National Choral Society, apparently some bright person had realised that two hours of part singing in Welsh language and costume would not go down not too well with an audience of troops, so each choral item had something snappy-ish following it. The first of the items were two step dancers, man and girl, both very young, in their ‘teens I should say, the girl was a very neat little blonde with very nicely made up legs, our familiar “Rachel” wet white, the music was provided by a national becostumed Welsh lady at the piano. You would have been amused to see the dancers lips framing the words “faster, faster,” at the pianist during his dance. Then after some more pudding “Drink to me only”, I think it was, we had some gravy in the shape of a red nosed comedian. He sang a song to the effect that he belonged to “the army of no occupation”, he had two medals, one a jubilee medal, awarded…

…after twenty five years, out of work, and ‘totter from Worthington, for services rendered. He had also amongst his patter rather a nice limerick, it ran thus (I’ll put this in a green envelope darling)

There once was a girl of Bahamas,
She made her boy friend some pyjamas,
The coat was alright,
But the trousers, at night,
Were tight round his Hunter & Palmers.

The only remaining members of the party were a man and a girl who did that astounding thought reading stuff, you know, the bloke comes down into the audience and gets a bank note etc given him in the auditorium and the girl (blindfolded) on the stage tells the audience the number in his wallet, at the start of his turn, he said “Farouka will tell you what any object you care to give me, or anything you may have in your pockets or hand-bags”, at the word “hand-bags” there was a terrific roar of protest from about 500 throats.

‘Scuse me I’m just going to eat a piece of bacon — somebody has just said that I shouldn’t be writing letters, we’re manning, I have retorted that the pen is mightier than the sword, I hope you approve.

I’m not sure whether Jill should be allowed to associate with “licentious soldiery” even with a fence in between. I’m quite sure her mother shouldn’t, with one exception perhaps.

As the days lengthen we are spending more and more time in the G.P., we get up here now at…

…seven in the morning and leave about seven at night, it makes quite a long day but we manage to break it up by having cups of tea at eleven and three and we play quite a lot of football. The other day half a dozen of us insisted on playing rugger with the soccer ball, much to the annoyance of the soccer fans.

You would have laughed the other day, I discovered a rag-and-bone man proceeding along the main road in his little donkey cart, piled high on the cart were three sets of chairs, lounge-cane affairs, enamelled light green, and I thought they would look very dodgey in our billets. I got him to take one off and tested it by sitting on it in the road, much to the amusement of the donkey who hee-hawed violently, I offered him “deux francs” but he said they came from a “grand maison” and were “très cher”. After a little conversation on the beauties of his donkey and what small tummies they had, and how they manage’d a little and often, we reached a conclusion at “sept francs” for one, having gone up in easy rushes of 50 centimes. He seemed quite pleased and I was definitely lucked with such 10½p bargain, so we parted with mutual goodwill.

I’m going to stop now sweetheart as I’ve got a lot of work to do. Keep happy darling and remember always that I love you; love you terribly and want you always.

your very own
Kenneth

xxxx (its remarkable how the weather’s improving).