Letters from World War II : J.H. Massey

4 the money which I haven't spent which you thought I had spent you must be in an alcoholic flat spin about money The bank statement must be looking pretty good by now + we shall be very popular with Martins I imagine this new piece of commission must be a bonus on the Associations profits + its payment will have been decided at a Board meeting I must say that it again gives me the feeling of having my efforts appreciated + also that I have left some good friends behind who are sticking up for me I am still spending very little money though it is remarkable to me that I spend as much as I do as I very seldom go anywhere at all I shall probably have to hang in another L30 about June 20 + then that should see me through until the end of August There is really no need to be particularly stingy with myself an longer but I still feel that way + all this commission + advance in pay is not making a bean of difference to my way of living or general outlook Partly because there is nothing + nobody to spend any money on here - or at least that I dont want to meet any body I just want this bloody war to end so as I can come home to you + until it does end I will just work + write to you + think about you + read a bit which is all tied up with you + I having as much money as possible after the war is over It is going to be wonderful to find a house as I sincerely hope we shall be able to + then to decorate it + have altercations made as we want them + find furniture + carpets + everything + at the same time to know that we have the money to pay for all of it At the end of the month will sit down at my desk + we will check the bills together + then I shall just write out + sign the cheques + that will be that -- I feel that our home is going to be so important when we begin again After so long apart + so much miserable unhappiness + loneliness I know that I shall never want to leave you again

5/ And your letter bless you my darling - say the same And there love we must have as lovely + as comfortable + as happy a home as possible Moorfield Cottage was never a permanent affair - Not have the same though it was comfortable + convenient + served its purpose - + we shall never forget either of them because of Lisa + because of all the love + happiness the three of us had there But next time we must make sure even if we have to take a temporary place while we are looking It must be a pleasant house with some character + some possibilities; it must have a good garden with good soil + there should be some well established trees + hedges; the surroundings must be attractive; I think it must be fairly well in the country + it must be near a village for food etc, + it must be reasonably easy for you to get into Leeds + Bradford If we can have a good measure of all these things we can be next door to Heaven can't we darling? And really settle down to a gloriously happy contented interesting exciting + secure life- + be largely independent of any body or anything else + pick + choose our friends Its all lovely to think about isn't it darling? It will be even more so when the time comes to put our plans into action There is another thing about all this wealth of ours what to do with it now- it cannot just sit in the Bank doing nobody any good I should think that the best thing to do would be to buy War Savingd Certificates- perhaps you have already done so As you probably realise it is an entirely new problem for us to have money + to have to make a decision what to do with it The only similar decision we have had to make before now it which bill to pay + which ones we dare leave for another month or two War Savings should be safe + will bring us some return + will be helping the war effort the other alternative would be to buy B.C. + W.D. shares But then I have no idea what their price is

6/ nowadays nor whether such dealings are controlled nowadays or what sort of trend there is going to be after the war But I shall eventually have to have my quota if I am ever going to be invited onto that blasted Board The one trouble about buying their shares would be that Peter + Co might think I was seeing too much money + do something with my 1/2 salary -though surely they should feel gratified that I am getting on in the Army- + in any case it is our business if we wish to be thrifty + keep the money for afterwards rather than splash through it now On the other hand Peter + Co might also take the view that having paid me about L300 extra I should jolly well buy up some of their shares I think I will write to Tony + perhaps Gorson as well + ask their advice + ask them to write to you And of course we have to remember Income Tax - it is going to be a really horrible sum this year And if the Pay master had been slow with my back pay we shall have to pay on that next year I think you said inone of your letters that you had written Gordon about relief on your ma's allowance Now darling - you must not be too stingy with yourself - you simply must make your life as comfortable + pleasant + interesting as possible You are very sweet + thrifty about money + even more careful than me I think - but you must not overdo it - + you do deserve a little ease + luxury now, such as you may be able to obtain in these days I went round to see Jack Perrott on Friday evening- he is only five minutes walk from here We sat + drank some whiskies + sodas + talked hard for two hours nearly all about our Prep School - Oriel House at St Asaph It is really amazing what an impression that school has

7 left on both of us - we were able to talk on quite easily + remembering scores of people + happenings which was most interesting + amazing He is very amusing + pleasant but has a slight leaning to snobbishness + prigishness which does not matter too much He was doing well as a railway engineer in civil life + then joined the Army in 1936 in the Royal Engineers He also has a girl at home - she was going to be married to somebody else on 16 Dec 39 -he managed to stop that she promised --------- on 28 Dec 41 to mary Jack - + on 29 Dec 41 he sailed for the Middle East- + they are still engaged Last Saturday I went + had dinner with the Chap Hopkins of the Navy + his wife He had asked me two or three times + I had always made an excuse But on this day I wanted to go out somewhere + not stay in + so I rang him up + went along they have a lovely top floor flat on the side of a hill + overlooking the sea + it was a very pleasant evening Nice gins + tonics + champagne for dinner + some good old Brandy afterwards there was one other man there from the Navy + we managed to talk + play opera + Hutch + Caruso + many others on the gramaphone until 12.30 they have a daughter- 2 years old I have promised to go along + see her one afternoon- but I would not have the heart to do this until I hear your news + know that you are alright Monday 2nd June I had guests last night Jack Perrott came for supper + before that Colonel Lloyd Williams + a Major Bottom of the Hospital ship came in to see me they stayed for supper too The doctors left at 9.30 + then Jack + I went to my room + went on gassing until 1.30 all about school days + chestine life + about the present + the future too What with one thing + another I don't think to have told you very much about this second in command

8/ business which has now been fixed up for more than three weeks If I have already told you please forgive me As you know I had already recommended Jim Heasley + this was in the process of being confirmed Jim was 5 years older than Tony Burnett but far + away junior in service But I began to feel more + more worried about my choice because Jim did not improve or come on at all + did not seem to be making any effort + was generally rather [wet?]. So I had him down to my room one night + over a bottle of beer gave him lots of good advice about guts + effort + personality + initiative + what he would need to do + be to satisfy me as my second i/c. He hadn't even the blasted wit not to disagree with what I was sayinggot rid of a great deal of nonsense about knowing his own limitations + a man being what he is + that's that + having to go carefully + he even put limits on the amount of work he considered himself to be capable of so I finally cut him short + told him he was ^a spineless rabbit + ought to be ashamed of himself + he could darned well go on being junior subaltern. He was a bit hurt at first - but eventually proved me to perfectly right by admitting that he was perhaps relieved on the whole as it all might have been too much for him What dear Jim was wanting apparently was the rank + pay of a Captain but without the hard work or responsibility + fine spirit with which to win the war I must say So I quickly wrote a letter + also demanded quick action as I was fed up with being seriously overworked - Tony was appointed within a week or so He is not so darned good but he knows his stuff up to a point + has the advantage of

9/ being Sandhurst + Army + he has some guts Did I tell you that I came by another British officer in March name of Pillatt + also of the Sherwood Foresters Ste is about 22 from Nottingham + a very pleasant young man + a good officer But they are none of them any good to me as friends or even to spend much time with - except Ben - Arzi whom I continue to like very much + I talk with him a great deal He is the one person here who knows that you were going to have a baby + he has been very sympathetic + kind + he will be delighted too when your news comes through I wonder ^if are you getting worried about the war heading this way to a certain extent Crete evacuated + now talk of gangs on in Syria I suppose there must be a bust up in this direction sooner or later but I don't think you need to worry much about me darling We are unlikely to see any lighting - which in a way I do not like but nothing is so important as that you must not be worried + that I want to return to you that is the one thing which takes precedence above all others + as I told you before I shall be very careful darling + will never go decoration hunting But I will not enlarge on that subject now I must fnish this on the other side + post it Two posts in today my darling + I drew a blank in both of them And so now I am certain it will be tomorrow Thank God for hope An absolute wave of melancholia is approaching darling - which means that I cannot possibly write

& a piano. The concert people went on entertaining us - and my two Naval Commander friends brought along a Surgeon Commander called Gay French who used to know Noel Coward - and was first class on the piano himself, & had a number of Coward's unpublished and unpublishable songs. It all went on until 3.0 am & everybody got a bit tight & enjoyed themselves. One man who came - he has been living in the Mess, the week before - was called Dan Christie & comes from Coleraine, where my pa went to school. He said himself that the war is "atrocious". Can remember Frank [Hanican?] of Warrenpoint. Anyway - this man gave a house warming party in his new mess yesterday to which I was bidden - & this was also a pleasant, amusing drinking party. It seems I distinguished myself by dropping an amusing brick. There were two women there - one of them I know quite well, the other one I had never seen before, the latter was rather remarkable - middle aged & very blond, & full of pep & she was wearing a sort of blue fluffy coatee. So I asked the woman I knew, who the funny old girl was, with the bright blue rabbit round her neck. This remark was greeted with howls & screams of laughter - & it turned out that she was this woman's oldest & dearest friend, & rather a famous person in these parts - a Lady Helen Ibrahim - the wife of the Rajah of Johore. Well, well - how was I to know.

9. with my letter writing. I think, with this, sweetheart, the best thing is for me to write one of those long letters every five to seven days. And also, every week, I will send my ration of one letter card & also 1 or 2 Airgraphs. According to figures published in General Orders, these two services are getting home in 10 -14 days. Will I be doing well if I keep that up, darling? And I will do my best to make the letter as long as I possibly can. with things popping as they are now, it is impossible to sit down & write for 4-5 hours as I used to do, & write a complete letter of 8 - 10 - or 12 pages if I want for such conditions, & shall never have a letter written - & so it is far better for me to just write when I can, & slowly but surely build up into a reasonable letter. And I am in troubles with my fanny again! Isn't that awful darling? I told you in a letter Card I think that I had [dhobi] rash & how irritating is was. The M.O. treated it, but it just became more irritating. So Iwent to a new & better M.O. yesterday & he says it is not [dhobi] rash at all, but a sort of infection.& he knew how painful & foul it was, because he had had it himself. So I am now on new treatment & I hope to goodness it will be better soon. Apparently it is mainly bad luck - but if anything, it is caused by perspiration & chafing & the M.O. suggested that it was also to some extent, a penalty of purity. So I told him that I was not going to cable my wife for permissio to do anything about that and was quite sure it would be indiquantly refused in any case. I hope it would & I'm sure it would & I should hate it to be otherwise.

Letter No 49 Tuesday 10June Major J. H. Massey 6 Palestinian Cay, The Buffs Middle East Force.

My own lovely darling - I was just going to bed but I have a feeling of busy days ahead & so I am writing this now. Im a lot sleepy having gone to bed about 1-0 this morning having been finishing a letter to you then was up again at 1-15! [?] [?] [?] which lasted until 5-30. So I had 2 1/2 hours sleep in two instalments. 11 is the most [?] I have been in complete with [?] up A.A. [?] since we were together at Stauntan in September. But this time, I only had Peter to comfort - he was very frightened, poor little chap & held tight on to me & put his face in my bosom, very like you, my darling.

Sweetest - Noss Mayo, Plymouth - how far from Plymouth is the cottage? I was reading in a magazine this evening that Plymouth is the worst bombed place in Gt. Britain. If it is near, it is not safe for you - & if it is somewhere near, it is going to be worrying & noisy. Maybe that is the reason why you were able to get a house there. But you must have considered all these things - but I hope it is alright. Please let me know darling - by post card - don't forget please. I have not received the

[page break] linen watch strap you said you had sent me. And the very day before your letter came, I bought a stainless steel expanding one, for 10/-- very extravagant. But I had had two linen ones here & they became so sweaty & dirty when washed a time or two, became worn out. But yours will probably be a better one - & I will take off the steel one & wear yours, because it is yours & you have sent it to me. This Syrian business, my darling, I hope you are not feeling worried about me as I'm sure all will go well, it will have the effect of taking the war further away, keeping it from this country. So please think of me as being quite safe.

There is no further word from you yet my sweetheart, about yourself or the baby - & I am longing to have more news & am thinking of you all the time. One thing darling, I mentioned in my last letter, but this will reach you first - please have him circumcised, as I am sure that this is better. But you have probably done this already. I am dying to hear from you my darling - how you are how you

feel - & how the baby is & looks & behaves. There is so much I want to know - & I suppose it will be 5-6 weeks until I have your first letter. But p.c.s. will be welcomed just the same. I am in the throw of a busy occupied, but dull & uneventful life - not a life at all really - just waiting for when I come back to you. I think I tell you all that happens to me & all I do - except what is not worth repeating - & what would upset the censor & hope you do not think I am not making enough of being out here - but really, I am so vary tied to work. Every day there is osmething important happening or about to happen, & it seems impossible to ever to be away. But I must have another week end soon - & so relax & see some more of the country. But it is hopeless at the present time. Please be sure & send me two pcs a week & one long letter all about you. Word & news from you is the center & the whole surroundings of my life - all my thoughts are directly & indirectly of & about you. All my dearest love always - Your Harry XXXXXXX

[page break] [address] Air Mail Letter Card Mrs. H. Massey Carseland Pillary Hill Ness Mayho Plymouth GT. Britain