Buddy Holly – Everyday
2nd August 1961
Hello darling,
It’s me again with even less days to the great day. Received another masterpiece from you this morning. It certainly put me in a fine mood. xx
Went swimming this afternoon down by the rocks. It was pretty rough there but being a brave, dashing (lying) fool I ventured in. I’ve got courage I haven’t even used yet. By the way, perhaps you ought to widen the door at your house – my head, you know, big, very big!
Maureen
30th July 1961
Darling Alan,
Isn’t life just too wonderful? Three weeks, two days and wow!........
And there are only four days before things begin to move up to that big climax. Honestly I have never been so excited or felt so wonderful in all my life. I’m definitely in a ‘glad to be alive’ mood. I love everybody but one person most of all. Everything has worked out so well, I can’t believe it. If you come home on the 22nd that means I’ll still have three days of my holiday left. I hope you fancy sight-seeing cos as much as I’d like to spend those three days alone with you I still have to think of Lena’s holiday.
30th July 1961
Hello beautiful,
That’s the way to start a letter, with a good honest remark. Another good honest remark is this ‘ere erk will set foot in Essex in just twenty one days time. Am feeling very happy with life just now. All the time I can imagine myself holding you once again. You know Maureen, it’s not my father, friends or relations I am looking forward to, just Maureen Brown, that girl of my dreams. Xx
Alan
M & Dad September ’60
28th July 1961
Hello darling,
Only another twenty-three days before this frustrated airman is let loose on English soil again. I don’t suppose I need to tell you that your buddy is very excited about seeing you again even more so after receiving your latest charming letter.
24th July 1961
Hiya mate!
There’s bedlam upstairs at the moment. Jennifer was still awake when I went up there just now and she started fooling around, The outcome was Jennifer sitting in the middle of a pile of bedclothes on the floor. I did a five second dash downstairs. Now mum’s in there trying to sort out the pieces. Mad this family!
24th July 1961
Hello again,
Here I am as per usual pondering on how to let you know the good news in the most amount of pages. Should reach at least six pages tonight provided I write a load of uninteresting rubbish.
The Kalin Twins – When
Alan
24th July 1961
Dear Diary,
This is becoming a habit. A third letter from Michael arrived this morning. This time apologising for his second letter and asking me to reconsider my abrupt answer.
This is too much. I shall ignore it.
Maureen, 1961
21st July 1961
Hi!,
I’ve got a lovely cigarette burn on my hand. Quite like old times. Well, seven months old times. I was talking (and according to dad I’d be dumb if I didn’t have any hands) and I sorta stabbed myself. Boy, did I yell. They thought a bomb had dropped on the office.
20th July 1961
Dear Diary,
Well, this certainly is quick work. I received a second letter from Michael this morning yet he could only have got mine yesterday. I have never read so much rubbishy trash in all my life and so insulting! I was furious.
19th July 1961
Dear Lena,
Thank you for your letter. I expect this will be the last letter you will receive from me for a while. The next one will probably be all about your holiday. It does not seem possible that when you read this, there will be less than 2 weeks until you fly over.
Gatwick, 1961
18th July 1961
Hi Mate!
D’you know something? I’ve come to the conclusion that I rather like you.
I feel happy. Don’t know why. The days are beginning to whizz by like anything. Five weeks Friday! I think that sounds better than 37 days, don’t you?
I’ve just written to Lena and made the final, final arrangements (and I’ve not seeing double I really do mean that twice). I’m meeting her either outside Customs or by the information desk. I sound pretty knowledgeable in my letter.
18th July 1961
Hello darling,
It’s a hot sunny day. I’ve about 50 days to do in the RAF and I have to reply to about 40 odd pages of your latest letters. That is the general situation at the moment and the only thing worrying in me is what to write about.
17th July 1961
Dear Diary,
This morning, of all things, I got a letter from Michael. It was quite drooly really, considering the writer. He repeated the same old arguments and it annoyed me that I couldn’t answer them as he had put them.
Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You
Ketty Lester – Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
14th July 1961
Hiya Honey!
Outside the wind is howling fit to bust and the rain is pouring down and it’s absolutely freezing. It’s just like a January evening and to prove it you ought to see the fire dad’s built up. It’s making me feel luverly and cosy. I told them I didn’t mind staying up for a while to make sure it burnt down alright. They didn’t think much of my suggestion though. Can’t think why.
Yuri Gagarin, 1961
11th July 1961
Hello darling,
It’s pretty warm here this evening. What with that and the soft romantic music being played over the steam radio, well, it’s a perfect atmosphere for love and all that. Wish you were right here now Maureen. We could pop down to the beach for a midnight swim.
Alan, 1961
10th July 1961
Darling Alan,
I’m afraid I am feeling terribly lonely and unwanted and really frustrated. This staying in nonsense is driving me round the bend. Goodness knows what sort of state I’d have been in if I’d have stayed in for the whole seven months.
I’ve decided, you’ll probably get an awful shock when you come home. I reckon I’ve changed a lot since January.
10th July 1961
Hello again,
Maureen thanks a lot for your most informative, interesting and extremely pleasing letter. It has had me wishing twice as hard that the next forty-five days would soon be just a memory of the past. I must congratulate you on being amazingly frank and to the point at all times – you are quite a girl in my book.
ALAMORE 