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5th July 1961

Darling Alan,

Decided to make this a diary type letter because I only wrote Monday evening and it is too soon to send another letter.  I just feel in the mood to write to you.

I’m absolutely dead tired but I daren’t risk going to bed yet.  Time is precisely – she turns her head and consults clock – 11.27 pm and about 10.30 yours truly decided she felt a bit peckish and cooked herself her special spaghetti dish.  Boy, am I regretting it now.  My stomach thinks it’s enjoying a trip on the scenic railway.  Or maybe ‘enjoying’ isn’t the right word.

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3rd July 1961

continued………..

 Michael and I went to that Midsummer Dance on the 25th.  It was good.  everyone was pretty merry and didn’t seem to mind what they did.  Which is quite unusual for that place.  We were sitting on a table with three middle aged couples. And half way through the evening one of the men was giving us a lecture on how he always stuck up for the younger generation because they weren’t as black as they were painted.  It was quite, quite charming.  They had the usual balloons and streamers there but they also had loads confetti which I’ve never seen at a dance before.  We went home smothered in it and I wondered why we were getting funny looks from the few people that were about when we came home.

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3rd July 1961

Hello darling,

Thinks!  About time I wrote but have a good excuse because life is pretty interesting in this area just lately.  Since this Kuwait business started, thousands of soldiers have passed though this camp bound for the trouble spot.  They have been arriving from all parts of the island and seem to be heavily armed.  Some of them even pitched tents on the bondu outside the billet overnight before they went. 

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3rd July 1961

Hi!,

Sorry it has been such a long time since you got a letter.  I’ll explain all the pros and cons later on.  All in all I have been having quite a time to tell you about.

Thanks for your letter (no36).  You don’t half sound energetic matey.  Makes me feel quite exhausted reading about the tennis and the cricket and the squash and the swimming.  Now there’s li’l ole me who doesn’t walk anywhere when there is a bus route or a car around.  And nowadays the nearest I get to tennis is watching it.  ‘Especially over these last two weeks.

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30th June 1961

Dear Diary,

Michael came to the house as arranged but in a worse state than expected. He was cycling to work this morning when a lorry, with a plank overhanging the side, overtook him and knocked him off his bike.  He was taken to Oldchurch Hospital, patched up and sent home.  He still looked pretty shaken up when I saw him.

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28th June 1961

Hi!,

This is that man of yours attempting another masterpiece, says he.  Maureen, did I ever tell you that you are beautiful?  Well, darling, you are.  And after these very original lines I’ll continue. 

You know for a girl who says she hasn’t much to write about, you wade through a hell of a lot of pages, tell me dear, what is your secret?  Perhaps you drink Horlicks with a dash of gin, immediately before retiring for the night/morning or something.

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27th June 1961

Dear Diary,

I don’t think I can reproach myself at all.  I said all I had planned to.  Maybe it was a half-hearted attempt but I was only trying to let him down lightly and make him say the final words.  This gets worse and worse.

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25th June 1961

Darling Maureen,

This the great egg eater reporting from a little ol’ island at the end of the Med on the left hand side.  How are you my pet, looking forward to your holiday I bet (poetry!)

The past week has been pretty fair in many ways.  First and most important was a charming ‘little’ letter plus some very attractive photographs from a certain young lady from Dagenham.

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25th June 1961

Dear Diary

Michael came to tea, then we and the family went to Auntie Elsie’s.  Mike’s classic remark: ‘Does your auntie run your uncle?’  Does she??

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24th June 1961

Dear Diary

We went to a Midsummer’s Dance at Rainham Town although the weather was really baking and much too hot for dancing.  We had a marvellous time.  I enjoyed myself more than I had before.  Since I have been going out with Mike, that is. 

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21st June 1961

Darling Alan,

Don’t really know how to start cos there’s nothing very interesting to write about.  It’s been one of those ‘moody’ evenings when I’ve been thinking about you all the time and getting more and more and more depressed.  So I thought I’d write to you.  Trying out that old remedy of trying to bring you a lot nearer.  I’d like to say something nice at this point but to tell the truth I can’t think of anything new.  It’s all been said many, many times before.  Just remember that I’m thinking nice things about you.  You are a dear.

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18th June 1961

My Dear Maureen

Hello sweetheart.  How’s my favourite girl today?

My conscience tells me to write but the darn thing doesn’t tell me what to write about.  However, we shall see.

Had an entertainments meeting last Friday morning.  It was called mainly to arrange the details for the forthcoming barbeque which will probably be held on the 30th.  it seems this barbeque will be a great success.  Can you imagine it, a warm starry night in June with soft music and dancing going on.

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17th June 1961

Dear Diary

Life seems to be a succession of arguments when I am with Michael.  He started off in a very good mood.  In fact, celebrated by giving me a (friendly) punch in the street.  Then he took offence because I wouldn’t tell him what time I got up this morning.  He even walked away from me at the bus stop.  Think I will surprise him one of these days and instead of the ‘letter from Alan’ way I’ll just walk away from him in the middle of an argument.  Wonder what he would do?

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16th June 1961

Hello darling,

Friday evening again and the end of yet another boring week.  Though, I must admit they are going by pretty quickly. It was Monday when I finished my last letter, was it not?  Therefore, I will procede with a resume of the happenings since.

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14th June 1961

Dear Lena,

Thank you very much for your letter.

As I have promised, I have taken a photo of myself wearing what I will wear when I meet you.  (I only hope it is a warm evening.)  I’ve also sent you a piece of material left over when I made the suit.  I thought this might make it easier for you to find me if there are a lot of people about.  I know I always notice colours before faces.  It really is a terrible photo, I hate it but as I’ll have to wear my glasses I thought I had better put them on for it.  I think I look about thirty and a typical English school mistress in it.  Horrible!  Never mind.  You will be able to judge for yourself soon.

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14th June 1961

Darling Maureen,

Well chico, you’ve certainly been putting in plenty of overtime with that pen of yours and thanks a lot for such first class letters.  I reckon to having to reply to at least thirty five pages but guess you’ll have to make do with the five unless I have a good old brainstorm.

One of my best friends has just returned from UK leave and last night he was almost insistent that he should buy me a drink at the NAAFI.  I knew very well what to expect from him and after a couple he began spouting out his experiences and love affairs during his leave.

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10th June 1961

Darling Alan,

I haven’t got much to write about but I feel like writing, so that’s a warning.

We’ve been to the Rainham Town club tonight.  I do enjoy it there.  It is a members only place and seems terribly elite, more so because there are hardly any teenagers there.

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