Thursday 13 September 1945, Marks Hall

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45

 Sweetheart,
                 A less trusting husband might well be suspicious at your belated warning of the possibility of red hair in our offspring! Wasn't there a fortune-teller many years ago who foretold romance for you with a reddish fair man? However, since I'm quite sure there was no blond gentleman in the vicinity during my disembarkation leave, I can accept your explanation in the spirit in which it was offered, and merely express my hope that the genes responsible for great-grandpa Crane's* red whiskers have now lost their potency.

                 Having the divan in your bedroom for me is an excellent idea although if, as Kate thinks, you are punctual in delivering the goods, you'll probably be in the nursing-home as soon as I arrive. What is the position? I'll probably stay on at 155 when you leave - that is if they'll have me.

Africa Star with North Africa 1942-42 clasp

                 I told you about ribbons in my last letter. I've got the '39-45, Africa Star and Italian ribbon but I can't lay my hands on the France and Germany ribbon. I believe it has all been sent over to the B.L.A. If I had known Cliff was coming over, I might have asked him to get me a piece. I don't, of course, qualify for the defence medal. As I tell my friends (who are all wearing it), I was never long enough in a non-operational area to win such a sedentary award.

               As you suggest, the possibility of attending a christening during my December leave never entered my innocent head. I suppose the family will be all in favour of a church ceremony. If so, I'm willing to participate. After all, as at a wedding, the man takes a very small and apologetic part and at some future time, the front pew will be occupied by a test-tube or hypodermic syringe.

             The idea of being 'welcomed home' by Broomhill Church is enough to make one volunteer for further service and I certainly will not attend any celebration for discharged heroes. And talking of further service, quite a surprising number of men are asking for postponement of release at the very last minute. The are all of course people with no jobs to go to, and the prospect of being thrown into a chaotic labour market frightens them.

              I had a letter from Griffiths yesterday. He is rather disgruntled at his environment and finds his former cronies, with their petty worried, narrow outlook and complete lack of interest in the past or future, extremely boring. He hopes to feel better once he starts working.

             It is true enough I think that Service people, who have seen some of the devastation in Europe, take a wider view of the present situation than some civilians for whom the war really ceased when bombs stopped dropping round their ears.

            Dearest, I'm delighted to hear that you are still feeling so astonishingly well and I'm sure it is a good omen both for your future and the child's. It won't be long now till I see you and I'm counting the days.
...

* The Crane family were cousins of MRF.               

Monday 10th Sept. 1945, Marks Hall

Small, very folded note accompanying medals

My darling,

                   Your Thursday letter arrived on Saturday evening and filled me with remorse at the account of your financial difficulties. I am afraid I haven't been paying much attention to the various heavy demands on the joint account, and your description of how you live on charity, and make bootless journeys to the bank looking for remittances from your worthless husband, has wrung my heart. It's true that on the 'phone last night you assured me that you were once again solvent but I am enclosing a small cheque to get you our of your father's debt and when I come on leave I'll arrange to transfer a substantial sum from my Lloyd's account.

                I am delighted to hear that you are still satisfying Kate with your condition and I am looking forward to getting the full clinical details in your next letter. This last month must be rather a trying time for you, but if Kate's forecast is correct and the infant arrives on time, you won't have to bear your burden much longer.

                Thanks for the Penguins which came last Friday. I've enjoyed the Isherwood in spite of its decadent atmosphere, and the Times Fourth Leaders make very pleasant reading. They are essays in the old fashioned style and they maintain a very high average considering the fact that they appear every day. I've read them nearly without fail since coming to Marks Hall, but of course the selection you sent covers the period when I was in the wilderness. That irritating book Ask Me Another will be very useful when I get back to school. It's just the kind of thing that infuriatingly smart little boys delight in.

The box in which the medals arrived

                 I find myself unable to put up my new ribbons because I can't find anywhere a piece of "France and Germany Star" ribbon (that's the red white and blue one). If you family notice any in Glasgow they might please buy it for me. It looks like this ...

               Life continues to be rather dull. The weather is sunless and quite cold: the trees are rapidly yellowing, and altogether a deep autumnal tone is rather prevalent. I am doing a fair amount of history, and living only for my next leave.I'm sorry to hear about Jean's tooth and my sympathy is partly inspired by the fact that sooner or later, the vast mass of new wisdom tooth that is slowly coming out of my gum will have to be removed. It seems quite healthy so far and is growing quite straight but I don't think it will ever attain the stature of a useful member. 

 So far, I've heard of only one teacher in our Group (RAF Group I mean) getting out and he works in a private school. The conclusion some of us have reached is that if you work in a school run by a board of governors, and are asked for individually, you have a chance of getting out. But if one's name appears in the long list of people wanted by a local authority, the machinery of Class B release breaks down. Anyway, I've stopped thinking about it.

              Keep well darling and take great care of yourself. I'm glad to hear that everything is now ready though I should prefer you to perform exactly on time when I'm in the neighbourhood. Give my regards to everybody .....

Monday 13 August 1945, Marks Hall

My darling,

                I must apologise more fully for being so late with my phone call last night. I had gone out with Griffiths intending to be back before ten o'clock but the car broke down and I had to do a great deal of pushing before we managed to get back at 10.40. On top of that, I had some difficulty in getting my call through, and was told twice that there was no reply from Bearsden 0909. I refused to accept this and after another few minutes I heard what I think was your father's voice saying "Hallo". He was immediately cut off, and another few minutes passed before I heard you. I'm sorry I got you out of bed darling, but with my normal luck I would have completed my call before eleven o'clock.

             Your Thursday's letter arrived on Saturday evening and I was pleased to hear that you had bought a satisfactory pram. Are you sure our joint account will stand the strain of such a purchase? If it seems to be getting rather low, please let me know and I'll transfer some money to it.

            The Japanese armistice seems to be pursuing the same uncertain course as the German one and everyone is irritated by the delay and exhausted by abortive or premature rejoicings. As I said before, I don't expect any announcement on general demobilisation for a month or two. The whole situation is bound to be chaotic. But meanwhile, the old scheme has been accelerated and as you can see from today's papers, they intend demobbing up to group 20 in our trade by the end of September. Griffiths, who is group 19, hopes to be out in a few weeks time. I'm not entertaining any extravagant hopes but even at the worst, I should be out by the end of the year.

              I'm very pleased that you are still enjoying marvellous weather and hope that the fresh air and sunshine have done you good. It's a great pity that your distressing heartburn still bothers you: does Milk of Mag. continue to relieve it or have you changed to some other alkali?

Defence Medal

            I have just finished completing a form of application for my ribbons, and though I don't relish the idea of such a garish display on my breast I am quite glad to have more than the humble Defence Medal to put up. I can't qualify for the latter at all since I never spent any length of time in a non-operational area. This is the 'line' I use on Griffiths who gets the Defence Medal because he was more than a year in Egypt after all operations had ceased there.

              I am glad I did not consider the idea of visiting Mary when I hear that her parents are there just now. She'll have her hands full and, for my own part, I would have found Mr. G. rather trying company.

              My darling, I must apologise for a most disjointed letter. I've been writing in the office while on nominal duty and have been subjected to innumerable unusual interruptions and phone calls. This is a better place for correspondence than our dull hut with its unsteady table, and normally we get a quiet spell in the afternoon. But not today.

             Sweetheart, I wish I was beside you these days - not to cheer you up (for I don't suppose you need that for one minute), but to gratify myself by dancing attendance on you both. However I hope to get plenty of opportunity of doing that very soon after you two are leading a separate existence. Meanwhile, all my love ....