Sent by:Albert Beadle
Sent to:Audrey Beadle
"It is like nothing on earth out here at times, what with the heat and sandstorms it makes you feel as though you could lay down and fade away for good"
This is a letter from my uncle to his sister-in-law as he did not want his wife to know what was going on over there. He and his wife took me in when I was 7 and I lived with them until I got married.
Transcript:
Dear Enid
Just a few lines to let you know I am well, I bet you think me a nice one not writing to you before now and also not answering your letter, well it took your letter about three months to reach me so I hope this one does not take that long. Anyhow I was very pleased to hear from you it cheers things up a lot when we get a letter or two and it is about all we have to look forward to out here, but we do very well for cigs and chocolate and we are able to get a few tins of fruit a week which is very nice out here. Well we want something you know to brighten life up a little, honestly it is like nothing on earth out here at times, what with the heat and sandstorms it makes you feel as though you could lay down and fade away for good. We have just had two or three awful days I heard it was 104 in the shade one day and sandstorms all day long. Well I suppose we will get over it sometime and we can only make the best of it until it is over but I will have a good time When we all do get back together, so we hope that is soon. I received a parcel yesterday thought I was not going to get it but it turned up, I was very pleased with it as what was in it I just needed, I lost all my kit all spare handkerchiefs and all I had left is what I stood in, but I got all my army kit made up again. What I lost but there is no chance of getting your own personal kit made up, anyhow it was better to lose that than be captured. I got my lorry fast in some marshy land & I was told to leave it, and we had not any time to be messing about so I had to make a dash for it & jump on one of the other lorrys as old jerry was not far away from us, any how we got away OK for a good job. I could tell you a lot but it is not wise for our own sake. I have not mentioned anything to Audrey about this as I thought it best not to as she has enough worries I should say, so I thought it best for her not to know. But we are not so near now to the front line so we are a lot better off. I am not driving now I am not sorry neither there is no pleasure in driving out here you can get machine-gunned any time when you are not expecting it, so I would rather be looking after the lorrys than driving as I am doing now, so I am better off as I am. Well I hope you do not mind me writing in pencil as ink is very scarce out here, and I have to write on both sides as I want this letter to go by air mail and it can only be such a weight. Well remember me to Jack and all the rest and keep little Derrick safe until I come back. Well I will close for now so all the best of luck.
So cheerio for now. Love Albert xxxxxxxx
Give these to Derrick for me xxxxxxxx
Contributed by:David Worsnop
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English (UK)