Sunday
Aberdeen
Dearest,
I think I answered all the points from your letter which I received on Friday in my last letter so now to deal with the one I received on Saturday. Thanks for the note about the airgraphs. I have written one to Jane today and will send it off tomorrow when, by the way, I don’t have to go to school. Whoopee! So there is just a chance that I may be able to get some of my arrears of letters wiped out.
Many thanks for the underpants, which arrived on Friday morning. My leg is very much better now and I hoped that the doctor would discharge me on Friday but he didn’t. About the globe beet. Would you like me to get some for you here and, if so, is there anything else you want in the gardening line? There seems to be no shortage of stuff here and I should imagine the Scotch seed would do very well in our warmer part of the world. Anyway, let me know. There’s plenty of chemical fertiliser here, too. Glad to hear that you are going to be kept well supplied with lettuce. Don’t forget Dick was the donor of those very big ones we had last year. About the tomatoes: would they be alright on the left-hand side of the path, just a little nearer Littlewoods than the blackcurrants? They should get plenty of light there and that is what they need.
By now you will have had the little parcel of sweets and a letter to the children, which shows I received the letter containing insurance cards and elephant. I think Wendy did remarkably well. She did do it all by herself, I take it? I didn’t think she had got anywhere near that stage yet. Yes, I did get two letters last Monday. I’ll let you off this time, but don’t let it happen again!
I do hope you will have a nice day for the visit of the Rosses if they do come – really that should be in the past tense, seeing it is now Sunday afternoon. I’m glad, too, to hear that Bill is back safely. How long is he home for, and what was the ship he came home on and which is, apparently, now sunk? Does that mean they were bombed on the way out and torpedoed on the way back? Can you find out if his base is Devonport – I think it will be – and also if there is any indication as to what size ships we are likely to go to. He might be able to tell you a few things if you ask him.
Last week’s exam – in future known as an S.B.X. – didn’t go too well at all. We had a new fellow marking the papers and he is very very keen which, in one way, is all to the good, but it is tough when you are not expecting it. Everyone in the class dropped down as compared with the previous week. All this preamble is just to introduce the fact that I got only 45%, which is by far the worst I have ever done. I was worried, as you can imagine, but feel better about it now. I’m afraid I will not get anything like 85% for some weeks to come, but think I’ll be able to catch up by the end of the course. I think the great fault is that our instructor has been rushing us along far too fast. A fortnight ago he was sending to us at 14–16 wpm and our official speed this week is only 12. The result is that he has had to come down to earth a bit and send stuff much more slowly in the last day or so. Since he has been doing that I have been much more confident and I think confidence in an S.B.X. is worth quite a few marks. Anyway, we will have to see what I can do on Tuesday. So long as I improve pretty substantially on that 45% I don’t mind. I’m not worried about going back four nights a week so long as I can pick the stuff up. On top of this set back, Jimmy the One – that’s our name for the C.P.O. – came in on Tuesday and gave the whole school a lecture. He said, in effect, that My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were not satisfied with the standard being attained by telegraphists generally and that trainees would have to get down to it more. Therefore he is going to withdraw the privilege granted the top six men in each class of going home on leave on the Monday. Conditions governing leave are going to be tightened up all round. In future only men getting 90% and over will be allowed to begin their leave on the Wednesday. Those just under 90% go on Friday, and those with a poor mark stay on for an extra week’s instruction and then go straight to Scotia for the rest of the course! As you can imagine, that was a bombshell. So far the new arrangement has not been put into practice because there has not been a class passing out since the new rules came into operation, but there is a crowd going this week so we will see exactly what happens. At first we took the Admiralty criticism as being directed at us at Torry, but apparently this school compares more than favourably with others and the complaints are directed more at places like Glasgow, Manchester and Chatham. From what we can hear, the Aberdeen lads are regarded very favourably at Scotia, for instance, where they meet with fellows from several different schools. Anyway, after all this business I had a chat with Sim, our instructor, and asked him point blank what he thought my prospects were. He said there were three fellows in the class who had no hope and he was going to have them moved. Apart from them he thought we would all get through the course alright, although some might have to go down a class. I told him I wasn’t keen on that idea and he said he thought I would get through with our own class because I was prepared to work. He thinks I have just struck a bad patch which will pass. As a result of that conversation I felt a good deal cheered. Since then the three fellows have left Torry for good and have gone back to their bases. Two of them will get a real tanning when they arrive there for they are given very bad reports from Torry and are likely to get the glasshouse for a few days. The other fellow, you will be sorry to hear, is Edgar Taylor, who was one of our weekend crowd. He never has been very interested in Morse, but has tried and has gone back to his base with quite a good report as to behaviour etc, but is described as being unsuitable for this particular course. I’m sorry he has gone because we used to get quite a lot of fun together. Don Gibson will miss him because they used to go about together a lot and had much in common as they came from the same part of the country. Well that, I think, is just about all the news of school. I’ll let you know how it goes this week. There was a time when I began to get worried about it, but that stage has passed now and I’m glad to say I’m cheerful as ever about it. I’m certainly not worrying now.
Today we have been out at Nigg Bay, this time on official duties. There is an invasion exercise next week and our platoon has been given the doubtful privilege of holding the extreme flank. We were shown our positions today in readiness for next week. I’m sorry for both Percy and Ralph because this business cancelled all leave and, as you know, they were both going away today, Percy just for the day and Ralph for a long weekend. I think Ralph must have managed to get away pretty early this afternoon, but that is not quite the same. Next week we will be tied up all Sunday, which is by no means a happy thought. I only hope it is a decent day; if it is, it may be quite good fun mowing down the “invaders”.
Did the kippers arrive safely? Hope you liked them. I went and picked up Mr Grant last night and we had a couple of drinks with the lads. Mrs Grant, by the way, seemed quite pleased with her funny little animals. They’re quite cute, aren’t they? Mr Grant says if you want a half box of kippers – bigger ones than those I sent – he can get them for 4/6. Will you let me know if you want to split a box with the neighbours? If you do, will you send the “dough”. Sorry to have to ask for the money, but I’m afraid I can’t afford 5/6 (that’s including freightage) out of my week’s wages. Don’t mistake this as a plea for a few bob! It isn’t. When I do need a bit I’ll let you know, but now I’m trying to get down to living on service pay as I’ve got to do now. An interesting experiment!
If I can remember I’ll enclose some snaps Percy took which I would be glad if you will put away for me. One of those of me in the bedroom you might send to Jane by airmail if you have not already written. I’m also returning the insurance cards which I will not need until after the war. By the way, what do you think of the scheme to discharge people from the forces in the order in which they entered? That is going to shock a few people and it is going to mean, incidentally, that I won’t be out until at least two years after the war finishes! Still, once hostilities ARE over that won’t be quite so bad, will it?
I’m going to get this in the post by 8pm and then go for a short stroll as I have been in all afternoon and am feeling a bit “doped”. We have not made any plans for tomorrow as the weather is rather broken just now. I’ll tell you in a later letter where we get to.
Bye for now, darling. If vapours have begun I hope they are not too bad. You will be wise not to do too much heavy work in the garden while they are on. Whatever else you do, don’t get run down again. I’m so glad you are sleeping better. You will do if you try to forget me physically for the next few weeks. I’m TRYING to do that! All my love, angel, for I do love you still.
Ever your
Arthur X
May 241942