Letters from World War II : J.H. Massey

12.

darling, & you always will be - every thing I do will be for you. And you must know that this is not just a sentimental idea, caused by loneliness & not being too happy. And as you suggested in a letter, I am not over idealizing you. Darling, dearest Barbara - how could I? And you, sweeheart, must allow me to occupy your whole life - share it - Oh! but I do want to talk to you.

What news have I? I have been President of two more Courts Martial. Over a Jewish deserter who I found guilty & gave 1 years detention. And the other a young Arab, who had been creating watches & fountain pens etc from his comrades, & who I gave 6 months imprisonment with hard labour.

Carsenty becomes more & more hopeless, in spite of my clear warnings - & on Monday I take him in front of Col L. for an interview. The point is that I have to initiate the adverse confidential report, & the superior authority has to have seen him before the report reaches him. The B.F. deserves no sympathy at all - he is base lazy & hopeless.

If I cannot get promotion - & cannot get home - I wish somebody would initiate an adverse report on me & so get me home that way.

I have just finished "Childhood, Boyhood & Youth" - it is a fine book. Does he carry on? - the end is so abrupt.

All my love to you, my own darling Barbara forever - with all my heart, love & kisses to Maxie - xxxxx Harry.

[postmark] BEACONSFIELD BUCKS 5. 15 IM 3 MAY 42

[written] 1[circled] May 3rd

[stamped] MAY 42

[written] Mrs. Barbara Massey c/o Mrs Paul. c/o Mrs. Jenkins Lyn-wood- 6 Bulstrade Gardens Candlemas hare - Maddingly Road Beaconsfield - Cambridge Bucks

[stamped] PASSED BY CENSOR No. 514

[page turned, written] JH Massey

[postmarks] BEACONSFIELD BUCKS 830 AM 22 MY 42 2

FIELD POST OFFICE * 20 MR 42

[written] 3[circled] [month?] Mrs Barbara Massey. c/o Mrs. Jenkins c/o Mrs Paul 6 Bulstrode Gardens Lynwood. Maddingley Road Candlemas Lane. Cambridge. Beaconsfield. Bucks.

[stamp] PASSED BY CENSOR No. 514

[page turned] JH Massey

Letter No. 5. Wednesday - April 1st Friday - April 3rd Major J.H. Massey. 6, Palestinian Coy. The Buffs M.E.F.

My darling dearest Barbara -

I'm afraid I'm in a bad state of mind for writing. This is not for any particular reason because nothing has happened - it never does. But, the war news is so very depressing; I am feeling so hopelessly bogged down here; I have had no letter from you for more than two weeks - I had a [p.e.?] from you this week in which you were feeling pretty low & miserable. It seems that you had arranged to do part time munition work, that this had come to nothing because you had been able to make no arrangements about Maxie. I wish some more news would come along - I do so want to hear more about you, & why you went to Cambridge & how things are for you there.

There is just one constant piece of good news. thank God, & that is your usual reports about Max, that he is fine & getting stronger & more handsome every day. Bless him - he must be a wonderful little boy & an untold comfort & joy to you. I long to see him.

As you see, I made a pass to begin this letter on Wednesday, but it was of no use. It was the first day of Passover & I had promised to go & have dinner with Ben and his family; but in the afternoon I decided not to go. - I had been present at such a dinner in Haifa last year, & it only annoys & saddens me to see husbands & wives & children together. So I had settled down with the 1937 Royal Commission's Report on Palestine, which is a weighty & very interesting document of nearly 400 pages.

Last night I just sat & talked to Ben & Levantin, &

2. went to bed at 10-30 + read a short essay by Plutarch about Marcus Cato; this is contained in a book called The Knapsack, which was given to me by [Bastien?] + is an anthology of prose + verse edited by Herbert Read. I remember [Jon?] possessing an art book by him - is he an authority? - Because I have recently read a small book by him, called To Hell with Culture, which is one in a series called The Democratic Order + which struck me as being reasonably sensible, but pretty facile, an account of slipping over the surface of things, + not making one practical suggestion about how to bring about what he thinks to be the better state of affairs.

I think there is an awful amount of rubbish + dope being written just now, about after the war. I bought these books today, which will not be rubbish + which I hope to find interesting + hopeful. A Penguin by Beatrice Webb called My Apprenticeship; another Penguin by Josiah Wedgwood called The Economics of Inheritance - which I think is a highly important subject - it was well reviewed in the New Statesman + so stands to be good; + a small book, Russia + Ourselves by Victor Gallancz. But books are such an awful price here - 6d Penguins are 1-- + the Gallancz book at 2/0 in England, cost me 4/3. Sunday. April 5th. And now I must + will get on with this letter. I glanced at the Gallancz book yesterday, + finished up by settling down to it + finishing it off at midnight. It is quite good + sound, but does not contain any thing very new, + I found it mainly interesting as it expressed the views of another section of opinion. But before

3.

I immerse myself into more politics, I must catch up with such odd bits of news as I have to tell you. I told you in my last letter that I had had three late nights in a row. One of them was the R.A.F. dance - when I more or less complied with one resolution by coming away at 12.0 instead of at 1.0; but broke other by having to dance - it was pretty impossible not to. They had invited a crowd of nursing sisters from the local military hospitals, there they were all sitting round the room, the plainest looking bunch you could imagine. And they have precisely nothing to talk about - you try this & that & the other subject & they say yes & no & no more. But I met a couple of chaps from the Regt. & what with them & Ben & a very chripy little Greek Squadron Leader, we got through a good deal of free booze & had a fair evening.

On the following evening, Ben, & Katz & I went into Sarafand & had some drinks at the Naaf. until 12-o clock; not very exciting, but it was quite pleasant to sit up at a counter & chat & drink local brandy & ginger ale. And on the Sunday, Ben & I went ionto Tel Aviv & had dinner with Burstein & his wife at their house, & then went to the Palestine Orchestra - it was a lovely concert, including a Brahms symphony which I enjoyed very much. And, those are my three late nights, darling, not exactly wild debauchery but still quite an achievement for me nowadays.

This morning was a funny morning, & I think tomorrow will be a funnier day. Tomorrow being

4.

Jewish Soldiers Day - last year I led the march in Haifa, & tomorrow I am leading it in Tel Aviv! Last year, I had about 400 soldiers behind me - this year, I shall have 500 soldiers & 500 A.T.S. women. This morning I met all the platoon commanders 10 men & 10 women & explained to them what they will have to do - the girls were frightfully keen & took copious & furious notes & asked endless questions. Aftr tomorrow, I shall be able to tell you all about the march etc. And I hope I shall be able to make you laugh again - its time I did. I should imagine you have had a slight giggle already at the picture of me striding through the biggest town in Palestine at the back of a bloody great brass band & in front of 1000 Jews & Jewesses.

The weather is gorgeous, my darling - brilliant sunny days & pleasantly warm, & fresh breezes, & every thing is green & fresh. Spring is very much in the air & all around - & it is very much in my blood & in & about me too. It is painful, my sweetheart, & I wonder have you been feeling it too. You should have been, the amount & the way I have been thinking about you & the things I have been thinking about you - even if you were not reaching on your own account.

It is cruel & it is torture - & there is nothing at all to be done about it. My faithfulness to you is never for one moment in question, Barbara darling - for all the reasons which you know well, & which I have told you about before. And for the additional reason, that if ever I did spoil my record, I should never forgive myself, & should

[partial postmark] POST OFFICE

[written] [illegible]

Mrs Barbara Massey. c/o Mrs. Jenkins c/o Mrs Paul. 6 Bulstrode Gardens Lynwood. Maddingley Road Candlemas Lane. Cambridge Beaconsfield. Bucks.

[stamp] PASSED BY CENSOR No. 514

[page turned] JH Massey

6[circled] April [9?]

[postmark] FIELD POST OFFICE 11 APR 42

[written] Mrs Barbara Massey. c/o Mrs. Jenkins c/o Mrs Paul. 6 Bulstrode Gardens Lynwood. Maddingly Road Candlemas Lane. Cambridge Beaconsfield. Bucks.

[stamp] PASSED BY CENSOR No. 514

[page turned] JH Massey.

7.

you a running commentary on how I feel - but this morning my cold is terrific + so I have confined myself to my room. And now at 10.30 on a rather lovely morning I am sitting down at my table to carry on with this letter. And now about last week end. Ben + I set off at 12-30 on Saturday accompanied as the result of a last minute decision by Senior Commander Pine of the A.T.S. - who will henceforward be known as Helen; + by one of her new Jewish subalterns. Ruth Berman who is the one I had the long talk with last week at the R.E. dance The [?] reason for taking Helen was in order that she might do some recruiting propaganda too- but the main + instrinsic reason was the education + instruction of a woman in a very important position + who pretty well classes the Jews + Arabs together as Palestinians + natives + certainly as inferior people to ourselves. I think we opened her eyes + woke up quite a good deal but it was not too easy, & I'm afraid that when she gets into the hands of more Regular Army officers & Government officials & so on, she will not have the strength of mind to resist, & our good work will be undone. And Ben & I were pretty sorry that we asked them to come with us. At the dance, & as a result of a few drinks, Helen seemed rather a good sort if you know what I mean, & also fairly intelligent & with a mind of her own. On further acquaintence she has those qualities, but only in a limited way. & she turned out to be rather dull & boring & infernally English & narrow; & also not a little