A Letter Home
Apr. 25th, 2006 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seandcI'd like to share some views of the Second World War from my Great-uncle Jack, the pilot I mentioned in my previous post. I found his letter to my grandparents interesting to read, not just from what he got up to and what's foremost in his mind, but also just the way his thoughts were constructed on the page, when I read I can't help thinking "if that was me writing how would I have put it?"
Anyway, on with the show. The letter is undated, but probably sent around late October-November 1941.
AUS. 406374
Sergt. Stubbs, J. H.
R.A.F.
c/o Records Office,
Gloucester
England
Dear Berwick and Dorrie,
By this time I trust that you both are happy parents of a more or less beautiful infant. As yet I haven’t received any letters at all from home; I’m sure they have been written but the only one I received was from Dulcie, and of course a couple from a lassie in Geraldton of my acquaintance. Anyway let me know about you’re the addition to the Australian population.
I suppose you have seen the family letters so I won’t bother about discussing too many of the places I’ve seen. I’ve just quite a bit of England at this stage, Scotland too, I have to see Wales and Devon to complete the tour. Gosh I’ve seen a terrific amount since I left the old burg. I might see more in the new year, I fancy we go out where Bill is situated, in fact, I’m rather hoping to see him within the first three months of the New Year, all going well.
The flying we do now is great, in a light bomber as the Blenheim, of course you can do aerobatics, and throw them around. Low flying is the berries, tearing along at 200 mph about six foot above the deck, and jumping over obstructions as they occur, or often, just tilting up one wing to clear it. We do low flying formation too, a little higher, about ten to twenty foot, but we enjoy it. Our crews go with us now; I have a Yorkshire chap as observer, and a Welsh gunner, and both of them are pretty good scouts, and pretty efficient.
Some of the news we got is rather amusing; various incidents in which R.A.F. chaps have figured. One particular case where some chaps were lost over southern England, and the radio was conk, and the observer had a rather harebrained scheme. The plane was a Blenheim, and carried three, and as it was getting dark, the observer decided to jump out by parachute, and get another plane to lead his pilot home; some scheme. Anyway, he bailed out, landed in a river, darned near drowned, finally got to a drome, looking like a half-drowned rate, and found his pilot there, already landed.
I’ve had a photo taken at Oxford, so as soon as they have been developed I’ll send it along to grace the family mantel, your family of course. I’ve also enclosed a few postcards of Oxford too, just for good measure, I can send more any time you want any, of any place in England, so don’t be shy of asking. Personally, I want some postcards of Perth, a few of each, some views from King’s Park, and of the University; like a mug I omitted to get any whilst in Perth. If Dorrie didn’t take hold of those Edinburgh postcards with both hands she should have, they were meant for her; I’ll send another quota later on, because they are rather nice.
Speaking of England, Blitzes etc., we don’t think the places are as badly hit as the papers in Australia give out. We’ve seen most of the badly blitzed towns, and life seems to go on just the same, Coventry, the notorious case, is knocked around in spots, a few shops and buildings, but nothing like we had visualized; in fact we reckoned it was just a waste of bombs, only one small ammunition annexe was hit at all, there were big casualties amongst the civilians, about 2000, but that won’t win the war. London is comparatively untouched, in the West End at least, and although the east end suffered, business still goes on. The worst feature of London we thought, were the people still sleeping in the tubes, even though no bombs have been dropped for six months; the people even sleep on the stairs, not across, but down; the existence of an animal. Why the government hasn’t done anything about it, I just can’t comprehend; after two years of war this should be non-existent. Really, the whole war effort is appallingly mismanaged, waste, inefficiency is rampant, in fact, even while I write the English papers are full of this, and are attacking the inefficient handling of the war by sundry politicians, and are asking for definite action. Churchill, of course, is still their god but unless he bestirs himself, he’ll be heading for loads of trouble. What a contrast to Russia, no chaos there; I think what this country is in need of is a big shock, things such as lauding Dunkirk as a brilliant retreat, almost a victory, when they should realise that after all, it was a hurried departure of practically unarmed troops after an inglorious campaign in which they were chased out of Europe; these give me a pain in the neck. The situation could be reorganised to assume a healthy aspect again, but it had better be soon; after all we had heard home of Britain’s vaunted war effort, we were very disappointed in it. The brightest spot in it as far as I can see, is the design of their planes, some of their models are magnificent, and better are being brought into manufacture every day; the Spitfires are great, as are the Beaufighters, and a few of the others, Whirlwind, etc.
Well, all the best for the new year, this will probably be late for Christmas; regards to Mr. & Mrs. Hanton senior. I’ll drop you a line occasionally, about once every five or six weeks, that is in addition to the family epistle, which you probably read.
Your affectionate brother,
Jack
Anyway, on with the show. The letter is undated, but probably sent around late October-November 1941.
AUS. 406374
Sergt. Stubbs, J. H.
R.A.F.
c/o Records Office,
Gloucester
England
Dear Berwick and Dorrie,
By this time I trust that you both are happy parents of a more or less beautiful infant. As yet I haven’t received any letters at all from home; I’m sure they have been written but the only one I received was from Dulcie, and of course a couple from a lassie in Geraldton of my acquaintance. Anyway let me know about you’re the addition to the Australian population.
I suppose you have seen the family letters so I won’t bother about discussing too many of the places I’ve seen. I’ve just quite a bit of England at this stage, Scotland too, I have to see Wales and Devon to complete the tour. Gosh I’ve seen a terrific amount since I left the old burg. I might see more in the new year, I fancy we go out where Bill is situated, in fact, I’m rather hoping to see him within the first three months of the New Year, all going well.
The flying we do now is great, in a light bomber as the Blenheim, of course you can do aerobatics, and throw them around. Low flying is the berries, tearing along at 200 mph about six foot above the deck, and jumping over obstructions as they occur, or often, just tilting up one wing to clear it. We do low flying formation too, a little higher, about ten to twenty foot, but we enjoy it. Our crews go with us now; I have a Yorkshire chap as observer, and a Welsh gunner, and both of them are pretty good scouts, and pretty efficient.
Some of the news we got is rather amusing; various incidents in which R.A.F. chaps have figured. One particular case where some chaps were lost over southern England, and the radio was conk, and the observer had a rather harebrained scheme. The plane was a Blenheim, and carried three, and as it was getting dark, the observer decided to jump out by parachute, and get another plane to lead his pilot home; some scheme. Anyway, he bailed out, landed in a river, darned near drowned, finally got to a drome, looking like a half-drowned rate, and found his pilot there, already landed.
I’ve had a photo taken at Oxford, so as soon as they have been developed I’ll send it along to grace the family mantel, your family of course. I’ve also enclosed a few postcards of Oxford too, just for good measure, I can send more any time you want any, of any place in England, so don’t be shy of asking. Personally, I want some postcards of Perth, a few of each, some views from King’s Park, and of the University; like a mug I omitted to get any whilst in Perth. If Dorrie didn’t take hold of those Edinburgh postcards with both hands she should have, they were meant for her; I’ll send another quota later on, because they are rather nice.
Speaking of England, Blitzes etc., we don’t think the places are as badly hit as the papers in Australia give out. We’ve seen most of the badly blitzed towns, and life seems to go on just the same, Coventry, the notorious case, is knocked around in spots, a few shops and buildings, but nothing like we had visualized; in fact we reckoned it was just a waste of bombs, only one small ammunition annexe was hit at all, there were big casualties amongst the civilians, about 2000, but that won’t win the war. London is comparatively untouched, in the West End at least, and although the east end suffered, business still goes on. The worst feature of London we thought, were the people still sleeping in the tubes, even though no bombs have been dropped for six months; the people even sleep on the stairs, not across, but down; the existence of an animal. Why the government hasn’t done anything about it, I just can’t comprehend; after two years of war this should be non-existent. Really, the whole war effort is appallingly mismanaged, waste, inefficiency is rampant, in fact, even while I write the English papers are full of this, and are attacking the inefficient handling of the war by sundry politicians, and are asking for definite action. Churchill, of course, is still their god but unless he bestirs himself, he’ll be heading for loads of trouble. What a contrast to Russia, no chaos there; I think what this country is in need of is a big shock, things such as lauding Dunkirk as a brilliant retreat, almost a victory, when they should realise that after all, it was a hurried departure of practically unarmed troops after an inglorious campaign in which they were chased out of Europe; these give me a pain in the neck. The situation could be reorganised to assume a healthy aspect again, but it had better be soon; after all we had heard home of Britain’s vaunted war effort, we were very disappointed in it. The brightest spot in it as far as I can see, is the design of their planes, some of their models are magnificent, and better are being brought into manufacture every day; the Spitfires are great, as are the Beaufighters, and a few of the others, Whirlwind, etc.
Well, all the best for the new year, this will probably be late for Christmas; regards to Mr. & Mrs. Hanton senior. I’ll drop you a line occasionally, about once every five or six weeks, that is in addition to the family epistle, which you probably read.
Your affectionate brother,
Jack
