Friday
Whitchurch
Dearest,
I’m sorry to hear about the table. From what you say it is in a pretty bad state but I’ll have a look at it when I come home. It’s no good grieving about it. The only thing is that it points out the need for a fire insurance of some sort. You’d better ask about it, I think.
I envy you your day on the shore. It seems ages since I was there last and even longer, almost in another existence, since we had a day at the baths together.
As I said yesterday, after seeing the crowds on even small stations any possible trip here on Sunday is definitely off. You know how small Whitchurch station is. Well, it took me a solid five minutes to walk half the length of the platform when carrying the officer’s suitcase. It was solid with people and our officer tells me that many people were left behind at Crewe! That station was in absolute turmoil. If you did come, the day would be spoiled for me because I’d be worrying about how you would get home again and the children would be tired out before the day was half over.
One of the first things Grossett told me when he arrived was that I was here “for a little longer” but that he had been unable, as yet, to persuade Mylward, at Whitehall, to transfer me to the books here. But he added, “I haven’t given up all hope although it looks fairly hopeless at the moment”. Anyway, he’s going to do all he can and has succeeded in avoiding having to send me back to Whitehall this weekend as Mylward wanted him to do. Personally, I have my doubts about him being able to get hold of me permanently.
I’m writing this before dinner and at the moment cannot tell you what that chances for the weekend are likely to be. I may not know even today because we are still hanging on waiting for stores to arrive and are still without beds although mattresses did arrived yesterday.
Later: The beds – two-tier metal bunks which have to be bolted together – have arrived and they hold out the prospect of so much work that I doubt if I’ll be able to get away at the weekend. But failing that I think Grossett will let me away for a couple of days during the week as he mentioned this as an alternative yesterday. That, of course, would do next weekend in completely as the P.O. here wants to get away on a long weekend then. If Grossett can keep me here until then, however, travelling may have eased off a bit and perhaps you could all come over then. If only these damned beds, which have been on the railway since the 20th, had arrived two days earlier I should have been away this afternoon until Tuesday morning! If at the last minute I can get away I will, so when you go out leave a note to say where you are but DON’T stay in for me as I doubt if I can make it. Bye, angel.
All my love,
Arthur X
Jul 301943