This letter is amongst the many letters my father sent to my mother. He was in the Royal Artillary / Royal Engineers in Belgium. He worked on railways and building Bailey bridges. Nan and Gordon wrote most days when he was abroad.
They numbered the letters because they didn’t always arrive in sequence.
This letter was written on VE Day. It displays an interesting view re the victory. Amazing to show empathy with the Germans. He was hoping to come home, but spent another year in Germany repairing the infrastructure.
Transcript:
8/5/45
My Own Dear Wife,
I had your letter 77 today, aren't you keeping up the old production figures? I'm now 9 letters behind you and still seem to be writing to you every day (nearly)
Well it has definitely arrived and, I suppose, at home today, hardly a respectable member of the community of Welwyn Garden City will be sober. Of course we don't know there's a peace on to reverse the good old question ...work as usual is the order of the day..
There is just one difference and that is that the driving force behind our work is no longer to get supplies to the front, but to get us all home on leave or something. So it's the same but different.
If we have to stay out here for long, I should prefer to go back to France to help the Froggies or Belgies to get their shattered railways all mended. Still I half fancy that some of us will be home for good fairly soon, so keep your pretty little fingers crossed.
On Friday evening I have an invitation to go to a Victory party at the Colonels place, with Major Millard Its rather a special invite, I think. Things have been going very well for me this last week or so (touch wood) our section has been doing a remarkably good job and our immediate chiefs have not hesitated to say so. Once more crossed fingers for me.
Old Pettifer has been rushing around like a young V2 and everyone has put his back into the show.
I have now acquired myself a new mansion and will soon be living like Little Lord Fauntleroy. It really is a lovely place in a quiet old world village. It has its own beautiful pleasure grounds crammed full with all kinds of flowers and fruit trees.
Mr Churchill's speech was, I thought, very disappointing I can't bring myself to crow exultantly over our defeated enemies. I know that Nazis were very wicked and have committed the most horrible crimes. I will not and cannot believe that ordinary men and women of any country could be so base as to love and admire their leaders who did such things. After all what would the common people of England have done had Mosley and his black shirt army come into power, like Hitler and his Storm Troopers and SS. After all there were many people in England who encouraged Mosley, and others who were so apathetic that they neither knew nor cared what Fascists would do. Could you imagine your friend, Clare, of Bologna gloating over the crimes of Buchenwald or other concentration camps?
There are many Germans who hate us but that is not all of them I'm sure.
I wish I could tell you about what I see and hear for your folk at home which get a very one sided idea of things after listening to and reading news reports.
Just now we have listened to King George on the radio. His talk was good sympathetic and understanding. I liked his words telling us not to do anything which would not be worthy of those who had died in the cause of our freedom. That to my mind is the spirit which should guide our behaviour to our allies and enemies. We must not lower ourselves to the level of those for whose actions we have had some loathing and contempt.
We must bear ourselves as humane conquerors who are trying to set the world on a safer sounder base for the benefit of all peoples.
Well my dear, how can i tell you out here feel about the end of this war? There is no riotous revelry.
Most of us I think have a feeling of accomplishment also of relief. Just now the BBC is relaying the crowd celebrations outside Buckingham Palace but from here it sounds like something unreal.
Well darling, enough of that.
You have been getting around haven't you with all those trips to London? Anyway I'm glad to know that you are really well and can get around like that. This holiday will do you the world of good the Isle of Wight sunshine will make you brown as a berry.
Our wee Margaret won't know who her daddy is when I come home, having seen so much of old Ron. Tell him I'll sue him for enticement. Now is Margaret's hay fever now? I can picture the poor little girl with a bunged up nose and red eyes feeing very sorry for herself. I think she will grow out of it in time.
9th May
Well, my dear I was saying last night, that things here were very quiet and we hardly knew what VE day was. 5 minutes after that I heard some rockets and fireworks going off, went out to have a look and the unit next door were just starting doing something and I managed to scrounge some wine off them. After that I went and dragged out the sergeants and some of the lads and we started a party in our own billet. We have a piano and some drums and they worked overtime. In fact we made so much noise that quite a lot of officers and men from round about dropped in. Every now and then lads were disappearing and some more wine would be dragged out from god knows where. We finished up in fine state singing and joking all the way. We had 24 bottles of wine and spirits and well and truly celebrated and welcomed the new found peace.
Of course, today we have all been feeling a bit below par but it was worth it. After all it would have been terrible to let VE day go by without some recognition. The Army, Navy and RAF were all represented [...]
Well my darling must pack in now so here's all my love and a big kiss to you and our baby.
I hope Cons operation is going well and is very glad Phil's X-ray has been so satisfactory.
Lots of love to you and may I soon be back with you.
