H. Salmon WWII Letters - Part 3

Bert is still writing home regularly about his adventures in Rhodesia. He wrote an airgraph home on the 2^nd November 1942:

“ Dear Mum, Dad and Kids, Well I expect by now, you are wearing all your winter clothes, and that the weather, to put it quite bluntly, is b—dy awful – if my memory of a British November serves me correctly. It does seem strange to be in the midst of summer, and yet know that in less than a couple of months, it will be Christmas. I shall, I hope, get a few days leave over Christmas, it would be nice if I could spend the holiday with Uncle Will wouldn’t it. I haven’t received his address yet, in fact we haven’t had any mail for over a week. However, it is I hope, on the way out here.

I trust that my letters and airgraphs are arriving pretty regularly. I write as often as is possible, but I’m doing an awful lot of studying now, as our exams are only a few weeks away. I hope to be sending you a parcel of minced fruit and other things shortly, but I don’t suppose you’ll get it until the new year – you know what the mail service is like – must close now, your ever loving son, Bert “

Bert finally received some mail from home on the 7^th of November 1942 and wrote an airgraph home to let them know:

“ Dear Mum, Dad, Kids, Have just received your very welcome letter in reply to mine from the ship. We managed to get those posted at Freetown, and I wrote some more at Durban, I’m wondering if you have received those yet, anyhow they’ll turn up in time.  I received a letter from Aunt Beat – she’s had some rather hard luck lately hasn’t she, what with Derek in hospital and her laid up herself, still I hope they’re both recovered now.

I’ve just spent 7/6 in sending off Christmas cards – two dozen of them, I don’t know when they’ll arrive – after Christmas I expect, but anyhow, better late than never. Well I haven’t much space left and I want to write you a letter so I’ll be saying cheerio, Lots of love from Bert “

He wrote the letter he mentioned on the same day:

“ Dear Mum, Dad and Kids, I have just finished at airgraph to you, and am taking the opportunity of a few spare moments before ‘lights out’ to drop you a line or so. So you received my two letters from Freetown about a month after they were posted, what a marvellous post service. So Rusty wants a ‘flying fish’ does he, that’s going to be a tall order, they move at about 60 mph, so its going to be a bit of a job getting near enough, however, I’ll do my best. As for the horse and cart, I’m afraid the shipping authorities might not like that, although I’ve no doubt that if I told them it was for Rusty Salmon, they’d let me send it, however, I’m only a Leading Aircraftsman, and not a Squadron Leader yet anyhow.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but our pay out here amounts to £3/10/0 a fortnight, and it’ll be about £4/5/0 when we start flying, which I hope won’t be very long now. It sounds a lot, but it’s quite easily spent out here. There’s always things to be bought, another pair of shorts, a ‘bush’ tunic which is a lovely jacket, with pockets cut like an officers and epaulettes on the shoulders, they look very smart with a decent pair of shorts. I had to pay 35/- for mine, but it’s a lovely thing and will be jolly useful when I come home. I’ve had some photographs taken in it but they’re being developed at the moment. I’ll send them off as soon as possible. I hope but now you’ve received the other photos, don’t destroy them will you mum, I want to hang on to them as souvenirs.

I’ve just remembered that I want to write to Aunt Mill and also Aunt Beat, I’ve only sent her an airgraph, so I’ll make this a short letter, cheerio for now to all of you, from your ever loving son, Bert”

Next is one of the very few airgraphs I have from Bert's Mum, it is dated the 11^th November 1942:

“Dear Bert, Dad has just done the local up so am sending this with it. Hope you are well also, soon that you are all together having a good time. We are well and all send love. I shall be sending a letter by air mail this weekend, haven’t had any mail from you since 29^th Oct. I expect it will all come shortly in a lump.

The weather is very cold here, send a bit of your sunshine. Haven’t much news this time, Percy is home for 7 days. Isn’t the news cheering, you will soon be back in Blighty. Dad has just gone to work. I am waiting for Les to come home from the club, he is sticking it well. Everyone sends love, hope to hear from you soon, hurry up with those snaps. Love and best xmas wishes from all at home, Mum”

The address for Mrs Salmon (Berts mum) is 24 Addison Rd, Bromley, Kent, by chance I also have the war letters of another young lad from Kent who served on the bomber aircraft during WWII, could they have known each other, maybe gone to the same school? I will never know.

Bert wrote again on the 14^th November 1942:

“Dear Mum, Dad and Kids, I’m just taking this opportunity of scribbling a few lines to you, in order to enclose those maps I was talking about. I hope this reaches you all right, because I want you to keep these photo’s particularly – you see it might be the last ones I get of all the boys.

The two groups I should like if possible to be enlarged. You can send them to Gratispool Mum, and they will take a negative from them for 1/ and print as many postcards as you like for 3d a time, so I think it would be worth while getting a few done – don’t you, and distributing them around.

Well, I broke off this letter to go and see if there was any mail and I have just received two letters from you Mum, and one from Aunt Nell. Your letters were dated 16^th and 21^st September, and the first one contained the photo of all five of you (inc. Lindy) Thanks a lot Mum, and will you thank Dorothy for me too – I have written to her, and I shall do again now that I have received the photo. I haven’t yet got the letter with the other photos in but I expect it will turn up in time, they’re apt to get a bit delayed at times.

So Aunt Annie has some relations out here, has she, well, send their addresses along, and I’ll go and visit them if it’s at all possible. By the way give my best regards to everyone at Widmore will you Mum, I haven’t any of their addresses so I can’t write to them, in any case, I haven’t much time these days.

I had a letter from Aunt Doll yesterday, she tells me Les has quite settled down to his ‘barmans’ job, I should think it would be a good idea for him to keep it, but it must be telling on him a bit if he’s still doing his paper round. If he has to give one of them up, I should think that the club is the best business. Get him in good training, because someone’s got to be able to pour the beer straight when I come home, and you can bet your life that it won’t be you or Dad or me, I’ll see to that personally.

Aunt Doll also tells me that she hasn’t got one of those photographs of me that I had taken at Catford. Get some more taken off that will you Mum, Gratispool’s will do it for you – you can take the money out of my bank if you like, but I should like her to have one.

Well I must close this letter now, I have about 4 or 5 more to write, and I’m also feeling very dry, so I think I’ll nip up to the wet canteen. It’s 8 o clock now Saturday, so I guess Pop will be having one about now. Good health Pop!! Cheerio for now, from your ever loving son, Bert. P.s how do you like our new fighter – it’s only one of the boys”

It is interesting that Bert talks mainly about people at home and his letters and photos, he must be terribly homesick. He wrote again on the 18^th November 1942:

“Dear Mum and Dad, Just a few more lines – I haven’t much news, but I have a few spare moments before lights out so thought I’d fill them in by writing to you.

I have been pretty busy tonight – three haircuts. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I am the official flight barber. The six boys, which includes me, all put 1/3d and bought a pair of clippers for 7/6, and with these, and a pair of rather large mail scissors, I manage to get a pretty good bit of hair cutting in. I was doing one of the boys the other night, and a pal of Eric Scott’s, who has just come down from the Middle East (the pal) came in looking for Eric. He saw me doing the other bloke, and asked me if I would do him, so I did, and thus got my first wages as a hairdresser – a pint of beer. You see, he was a sergeant, and, well you can’t disobey a senior n.c.o. if he orders you to have a drink can you?

Norm and I are going to have a really good photograph taken this Saturday, I think. It’s pay day on Friday, so I think we shall have it done all right, of course, something may turn up to stop it, something usually does, whether I’m on duty, or he is, but anyway, we are going to get it done at the very first opportunity.

I had a couple of local rags yesterday, together with the second photograph of the family. By the way, do you put Les on a rack and stretch him out every night, he is getting a long streaky devil isn’t he, he makes Dad look small now. It’s pretty good of Lindy isn’t it, all the boys think she’s an absolute beauty, and they also say that they can quite appreciate the fact that Rusty’s a little b----r, he looks it, from the photo.

I think Rusty’s going to be disappointed for his flying fish, you see they don’t fly quite so far inland as this – but you can tell him that I’ll bring him back the finest pair of wings in the world. In fact, I hope to be the flying fish that comes back home.

I see there’s some pretty good films on in Bromley, at the time you see the locals. Last week I went to see the ‘Blue’s in the Night’ at the Palace, Bulawayo, which I saw for the first time at the Regal, Marble Arch, two days before we moved from St Johns Wood to Brighton, so I expect we’ll be seeing the ‘First of the Few’ about this time next year.

Well I must close now Mum, so until I write again, I’ll be saying cheerio, good luck and keep smiling, from your ever loving son Bert”

When Bert next wrote a letter home on the 22^nd November 1942, The Red army had secured the vital bridge over the Don river west of Stalingrad during Operation Uranus. The next day, Operation Uranus ended in a decisive Soviet victory with the German 6^th army completely encircled at Stalingrad.

“Dear Mum, Dad and Kids, Have just received your first airgraph addressed to the camp here. Thanks very much, I was greatly relieved to know that my letters and airgraphs had got home. Actually it’s Sunday night now and I received your airgraph yesterday.

I have just come back from a days swimming, we went to the baths at 10 o clock this morning and came away again at 5.30 this evening, having had lunch at the Services Club. I had two eggs, sausages, chips and tomatoes, coffee and ice cream for 1/7d, not bad was it. I’ve just come back from a couple of games of snooker, in the billiard room, really I am getting absolutely expert at swimming, diving and playing snooker. That’s all we do in our spare time out here except for the few occasions when we eat. You’ll notice a dickens of a change in any photographs I send home Mum, I’ve put on about 10lbs since I’ve been out here I think. What with all the swimming and huge appetite you can’t help getting fat.

I’m still waiting for that address of Uncle Will’s because if it’s at all possible, I want to try and get some leave at Christmas and go and spend it with him, and all his daughters. Really, I’m  beginning to feel quite lonely without a girl to go dancing with. I haven’t been to a dance since I went to that one at West Kirby, I think I told you, where I met that girl the Friday before we embarked on the Sunday. By the way, I had a letter from her the other day, she’s in the Women’s Land Army now, in Cheshire somewhere, but she hopes to be moving south soon. If she comes anywhere near home, I’ll write and ask her to call in sometime shall I Mum. You’d probably like to have a talk with her, as she saw me so near to my embarkation, she’s a very nice girl anyway, and from her letter she rather likes me, so I might be seeing something of her when I come home.

I’m quite surprised at one item in the local rag I received last week. I don’t know if you recall it, but it was about a chap called Dan Dennhart, or some such name, who has been reported missing in the artillery at Libya. It said at the bottom that any information about him would be gratefully received by his fiancée Miss Kathleen Hux, of 33 Cooper Road, well, she’s the girl I used to take home from the Billet most nights, she used to go to school with Violet Weeks. That’s how I got to know her.

Well Mum, I see from your airgraph that Gordon has gone into the Navy, they’ll make a man of him in that racket, still it will probably do him a hell of a lot of good. And old Bill Woodword’s got eight months deferred service – I bet he’s feeling pretty lonely now that all the boys have gone. If you see him at all get him to drop Norm and I a line will you Mum, we’d be ever so interested to hear how he’s getting on, and give him my kind regards will you.

I suppose you’ve no idea where George Le Fevre has gone have you Mum, could you send me his address when Mrs Le Fevre gets it, I’ll have to drop him a line. I’d also like the addresses of any of the other boys if you can get hold of them.

Well I haven’t much more to say now Mum, and I’m feeling pretty tired so I guess I’ll be closing, give my kindest regards to everyone will you, and if this letter is in time, a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all of you, from your ever loving son, Bert”

The last letter for November is dated 26^th November 1942 and is Bert writing home after receiving some news:

“Dear Mum, Dad and Kids, I have just received your airgraph telling me about Violet – my God! What a dreadful surprise I was absolutely thunderstruck when I received it. It made me feel worse because a few weeks ago I sent a Xmas card to all of them at Queens road wishing them good luck, including the baby, however it can’t be helped, I never dreamt that anything like that would happen. I am writing to Aunt Gert as soon as I’ve finished this, just to express my sympathy.

You remember some weeks ago we went on a Guard of Honour parade, and that we had some photos taken beforehand, we’ve had them developed now, and I’m enclosing a couple of them. My ‘present arms’ isn’t very good, my shoulders are too sloping, but anyway you can see it’s me alright, I hope. The bloke on my left is Gordon Peterson who I told you before comes from Lockerby in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. On my right is Dicky Gregory who comes from Uppingham. We three are half of the six boys who were together at Hall road, and we’re still together. The other photos are of a native ‘Rraal’ that we passed on our 15 mile bundu trek, that we did some weeks ago. By the way, you will keep all these photos that I’m sending home won’t you Mum, they are the only ones I’ve got, and I want to put them all in an album when I come home.

Well I’m afraid I haven’t much news for you, I’m still waiting for that address of Uncle Will’s, but I’m hoping to receive it any day now, I do so want to get in touch with him. We’re just about at the height of summer out here now, and what a summer it is. I thought we had some hot days in England, but they are cold compared with these days out here. I have on an average, about 6 cold showers a day, eat about 4 ice creams, and drink absolutely gallons of water, milk, lemonade or beer.

I have just this minute received another photograph of myself taken outside the huts in which we live. This is the sort of dress we walk about Bulawayo in. Wouldn’t it cause a riot if I walked down Bromley Broadway like it. I think tan legs are worthy of a chorus girl, don’t you. That is the bush jacket I was telling you about – it cost me 35/- but it’s really lovely material. We wear just the shorts and jacket, with nothing at all on underneath it, but they look really smart don’t they.

Well that’s all for now folks, so I’ll be saying cheerio again till my next letter, from your ever loving Bert”

I think this might be the photo he is referring to in his letter.

To be continued...