Letter from Harry Massey to Barbara Massey

Letter No. 6. Thursday - 9 April

Major J.H. Massey - 6, Palestinian [Coy?] - The Buffs in [E.T.?]

My sweetest darling -

I wrote & posted [A.J.?] no. 33 today, in which I gave you such latest news as there is about compassionate posting, & I also told you in fairly plain language, how very much I love you & how painfully I miss you. And so I feel a bit flat for beginning another letter. There is, of course, very much about which I can write - & the choice, [?], as it usually does, between my trivial bits of news about my doings - serious matters of politics & what is going to happen to England after the war - & repetition about my love for you - thoughts about you - & Marie. It is indeed fortunate that you do enjoy my ravings & rantings & [?] & so on - because you say you do, my darling. Though I am continually afraid that since I last had your assurances on the subject, I may have gone off, or you may have become suddenly, or even gradually, bored. So please continue to reassure me - or else tell me quickly, & by p.c., how I am going wrong.

Anyway, firstly, I will I will tell you my bits of news. Last night, I went to Tel Aviv & saw the film "Lady Hamilton." Have you seen it? - I found it very good indeed & Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh's acting, very inspiring. It certainly had good propaganda affect on me, as regards doing my duty, in face of opposition & officialdom; & it also gave me a warm & rather sobby feeling about perfect love. On Tuesday night, I worked late, & then went to bed early - this being after Monday, about which I will now tell you.

Monday was the day of the recruiting march - I

2

promised you in my last letter that I would try & make you laugh when I told you about it. It was amusing in parts, & as I have not very much other news, I will tell you all about it - & see what I can make of it. I was in command, & we were due to move off at 10-[?] - & we moved off on the dot (amazing, for a T.A. officer)?. A large police band led - followed by me - followed by Ben, & then my C.S.M. - & then No. 6 Cor - & then the A.T.S. - & then various units. The march was without incident - the streets were well lined & they all cheered & clapped & threw flowers. We marched past the Area Commender - & the District Commissioner, who looked rather silly in morning clothes, & raising his top hat in return to my salute. We then marched into a place called Sir Herbert Samuel Square, down by the sea, & formed up in order to listen to speeches - & where I ahd to rather make an exhibition of myself by bringing the parade to attention & slopiong their arms for the anthems, & by giving a present arms to the Area Commander. The troops then went off for lunch - & the officers went to be entertained to lunch by the Jewish Agency. Burstein played a pretty & Machiavellian trick on me by putting me in between the District Commissioner's ife, & a Senior Commander (equal to major) Pine, who is in charge of the A.T.S. Training Depot. Mrs D.C. was a silly, ordinary, snobbish, rather important, but harmless & not unkind little woman. But it was simple to see in her, in a lesser degree, one failure, which is now coming home to roost, as Colonial Administrators. S. Cmd Pine seemed pretty grim - about 35, & a mousy [?] crop, & very much the efficient woman. But she is

3.

not a bad soul & I will tell you more about her later. After lunch - there was a concert for the 145 troops by the Palestine Orchestra, to which I went. They played lighter music, which they seem to enjoy playing very much, & which was lovely. They played the Blue Danube beautifully - & I also remember the Orpheus Overture, by Offenbach - & especially the second "movement", I think it was, which has a [?] melody & a certain note, which gave me a very pleasant feeling.

Ben & I then came back here, but the day was not over, because the Royal Engineers Officers were giving a party for the [?] officers to which I was bidden & took Ben along too. This was quite a good boozy show, & there was dancing too, - but I escaped this, except to dance once with a young English A[?] with a strong mustache. I spent most of the evening having rather deep & intense conversations with youngish English girls, who had only been in the M.E. for 5 days - informing them about the problems here & how to deal with them. It is rather a strange feeling, tone's own classbly good looking young women, of one's own class (horrible expression) - having them calling you "Sir."

I then had an even deeper & still more intense one with one of the new Jewish AF officers - but she was a Russian & very interesting & intelligent, & so the conversation was not so one sided.

It was no 1.0 a.m. & Ben & I got a lift home from a rather drunken young R.E. [?] - S. Cmd Pine & a rather [?] R.E. boy-friend came too. She had

4

been drinking hard all night, & has been doing a great deal of dancing with & talking to Ben, who was making a brave effort to convert her to a sane & independent outlook on Palestine, & to wean her away from official & regular army clutches. Arrived at my Mess, we had more large whiskies, & unleavened bread & cold Kosher sausages (it has just been Passover) - & we talked on until 3.0 a.m. But I think Ben's task & aim are hopeless - she is quite a decent woman, but I'm sure well under the thumb of the Chitty woman, about whom I told you in a previous letter. But it is worth the attempt - if 10,000 women pass through her hands in the next few months, she can be an influence in one way or the other.

Darling Barbara, it is probably silly of me to say so & so forgive me pelase, if you think so too. But the arrival & general [handiness?] of these A.F.S. girls cannot possibly & will never make any difference to my complete & absolute faithfulness to you. You did say, you know, after you heard about the Hopkins - "is she pretty, & have you fallen for her?" And so that is why I tell you this, my darling. From time to time, there is a bad side of my conscience which whispers to me that perhaps I might just kiss this or that girl. But, I do assure you that my love for you never wavers for one single moment & there is not even a small struggle.

Oh believe me, sweet darling heart, I love you only & with all my mind & body & soul. I am looking at your photographs now, & your

5.

sweet & beautiful face which I love so much, & I am glad & overjoyed & happy that never yet have I done any single small thing about which you could not & should not know. And as I look I am more certain than ever that I never shall.

But darling, I do long for you - hopelessly & endlessly & really unbearably. But I have to bear it - we both have to, until that wonderful day comes. Oh what a wonderful day it will be - & all the years after it. Goodnight xxx H.

Friday - Apr. 10th. A 3 weeks silence was broken today thank God - & I had a letter & a p.c. from you. Darling, are you getting a little idle about writing to me? Because your p.c. was March 19 - the one before was Feb 26th and your letter was full of all the enclosures about I.T. etc & was posted on Feb 19th - & the one before was Feb 3rd. Perhaps something has been delayed or gone missing - but do please send me a letter once a week, darling, even if it is only a short one. I do so love your letters & long & look forward for them - & I even feel a little bit offended if I think you have gone a whole fortnight without writing to me. I gave you a light socket once before, do you remember? - & which you hardly denied. But I was right, no 59 posted on 7 Sep & then no [?] posted on 19 Sep. though, I should admit that you wrote, in Sept, on the 1, 4, 7, 19, 24, & 29.

Your p.c. reported receiving 5 of my letters in one week - what can I do about it? I think I will write to "Gen". which is a new G.H.O magazine out here. They have been going since February, & have