Thursday
Devonport
Sweetheart,
Well this is just about the last letter I will write you from here and I’m afraid there will be no Saturday letter for you this week. We have at last finished running from place to place today and have completed everything fairly satisfactorily with the exception of pay. As we are birds of passage here nobody takes the slightest interest in us from a financial point of view. The Navy owes me three-and-a-half weeks’ wages but we have not had a sausage from them today. As I have two bob in my pocket I’m hoping we will get something in the morning. I rather think we will and in any case I should be able to borrow a few bob from one of the lads going up with us. If I am short I’ll let you know and you can send me something on to Glasgow, but don’t send anything until I let you know. So far as we can gather at the moment we are likely to be away from here by noon tomorrow so that we can catch the 10 o’clock train, arriving in Glasgow somewhere about 8am. Happy thought! That means we should be finished new entry routine about dinner time and free then until Monday or even Tuesday morning, depending of course on whether or not the Bank Holiday is observed. I still can’t see why we could not have done our draft routine, got our weekend leave and reported to Glasgow on Tuesday morning. But the mere suggestion horrified the naval mind! One grain of comfort from the day is that we have got our tobacco – a great help, although I doubt if the one lot will see me through the month.
I have been hanging on until the last minute hoping to get a letter from you on the last delivery but none came. I was wondering if there was any point you needed answering but if there is, then I’m afraid it will have to wait now for there will be very little time tomorrow for letter-writing. After breakfast we have to parade for final instructions, try to squeeze some cash from an unwilling pay office and I also want to get to the dentist because he is going to rush my teeth for me so that they reach the final fitting stage before I leave here. So you’ll see there won’t be a great deal of spare time, especially as we will probably be going to dinner at 11.15. Anyway, I’ll hope to get a letter from you by the morning post. Remember? I missed your letter at Aberdeen, too. I tell you, there’s a curse on me in this service racket.
Well, love, this is all for now. You’ve no idea how disappointed I am. This draft was like a kick in the face. Damn the Navy and the war.
If you can manage it, I’d like a letter on Monday. The address at the moment is O/Coder AJohnson, D/Jx 342517, c/o C.O.R.N., 41 Rottenrow, Glasgow. I’ll let you know at once if there’s any change in that address.
Rushing for the post now. All my love, angel. I love you such a lot. Bye for now.
Ever your
Arthur X
Jul 301942