Letter from Harry Massey to Barbara Massey

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Letter written by Harry Massey to Barbara Massey.

This is a scanned version of the original image in Special Collections and Archives at Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.



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5th Cheshires. Warrenpoint, Co Down, N. Ireland.

Friday.

Sweet darling,

I got your letter today & you can imagine how pleased I was to have it. Our post arrives at about 10-20, & I have been running up into the Mess each morning to see if I was lucky - this morning. And this morning I was. It is always lovely to have a letter from my sweetheart whom I love so much. Your letter was posted on the 14th - & today is the 19th: it does seem a long time for a letter to come from London to near Belfast. Your letter had been opened by the Censor, but there was nothing that had to be cut out. I wonder if any of mine have been opened.

There does not seem to be a great deal of news from here. Life just goes on much the same, though there is always some little thing of some kind happening, & we are kept

Last edit over 2 years ago by Helper21
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2. pretty busy. There is however more free time than before - the reason being that we are billeted in the same place as where we go in the evening anyway. There are quite a number of good pubs where we drink Guinness & "wee Bushes" & discuss this & that. There is also the Golf Club, where we have all been made honorary members - & are also made very welcome. I had a game last Saturday.

The C.O's latest craze is the Choir. The Bn goes to Church on Sundays - the local church - & a choir has been formed from the officers. You will be amazed to that I am in it. That is one place where I never expected to appear. The whole thing is somewhat irreverent, & if the Padre wasn't such a self satisfied, wrong [?] idiot, he would refuse to have anything to do with it.

The Doctor has now given up being P.M.C - having been completely brassed off by the C.O's interference. The job has now

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3. devolved on Leslie, who will probably do it very well - being of a meticulous & petty type of mind.

The question of this transfer is making me feel dissatisfied & discontented. Apparently the C.O. actually signed his letter in England - & then had the whole thing held up, & it is still in that condition. If I see him again, myself he may very easily be bloody minded on account of thinking I am just anxious to get out of the Bn. If I get Muriel to push him - he will probably do the opposite. So I had a talk with Harry Birch today - & we have decided to put the matter in Robert's hands.

Richard Hughes has now taken his company a little way from here - & so I have deserted Leslie, & gone into Richard's room, where I am very comfortable. George has also gone - he was given 20 hours leave to go & see Jean - & spent 13 hours in the train doing it. Wylie(?) seems to get a letter from his wife every day - but is seriously considering - you can

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imagine it - "sending for her."

As I said, darling heart, I am missing you very much. And I have been feeling very unhappy these few days, thinking about how happy we should be. The baby should have been nearly eight months old by now. And looking at my photographs of Lisa, & remembering her, make it still quite impossible to understand. I am sure you must feel [?} & previously as I do, when I think about these things, & of course, Lisa especially, a feeling of complete engulfing helplessness & hopelessness - & there is no explanation & no way out, except to stop thinking. Thank God darling, that we do mean so much to each other. It is this very thing which makes our unhappiness worse - & also makes it possible to bear.

She was the sweetest little darling & I pray that you will have a baby & that it will be akin to Lisa.

I will write tomorrow,

All my love to you, sweet darling. Harry X.

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Warrenpoint

Sunday

My darling -

I have just read your letter for about the twentieth time, as it is all I have. When I wrote to you on Friday I didn't really reply to very well - & I will do so now.

About the gas cooker - the people who took the house wanted electricity - & so the cooker is now our property & is stored at the works - W.H.&Co. If you & Peggy take a place together - you could perhaps get it down but that is tied up with the question of you coming over here, to which I shall refer later. So also is the question of your nursing - & I am glad in any case that you have not tied yourself up to do scivvy's work until further notice.

Now about coming over here, darling. I am taking it for granted that you will want to come over sooner or later, & from my point of view the sooner the better, because I am missing you so

Last edit over 2 years ago by Helper21
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