D -66

Major P.C. Benham,

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

Monday 7^th January

8.45 pm.

My own most precious darling,

Back again on night duty, which has only one thing to commend it, that I can get down to a spot of letter writing in earnest.  I reckon DV that I have only 1 more Sunday duty to do and 5 more night duties, possibly only 4!  I was thrilled this morning when your Thursday letter was put on my table – I, too, have suffered the worst-ever bouts of 9 Vint Crescent sickness since Monday night, fortified though by the great thought that were I not being demobbed in March we could say ‘half way to our next leave’ – that is a most comforting thought, but it was your sweetness when I was back and the 1001 joys of living with you in the flat that have produced my present feeling of acute desire to be with you.  I just can’t start to tell you how desperately much I miss you and all the little things we do together and enjoy together which go to making up our ‘modus vivandi’.

I’m sorry the Wicked Lady was disappointing – we did well to see the Seventh Veil and I honestly think it was one of the best films I’ve seen.  Many thanks for paying the electric light bill and t’other items have been noted in my new red book – your green ‘un will be ‘on its way’ shortly.  Whilst on the sordid subject of money could you complete the following transactions (noted only in pencil in the aforesaid red book!)

(a) take £25 out of my Barclay’s a/c and pay same you’re your own ‘gratuity’ PO a/c

(b) take £25 out of my Barclay’s a/c and pay same into your own Barclay’s a/c

The proceeds of the sale of the piano will then be properly regularised.

Not having taken any very violent exercise for some 3 weeks I’ve been feeling a bit stiff today after yesterday’s exertions and have now got my snout well and truly back to the grindstone again – today has been a non-stop one and I can’t honestly see it abating much until my successor puts in an appearance – that won’t be for some time though I’m afraid.

I’ve got a very busy week ahead of me and most of my evenings are taken up with one thing or another – tomorrow night sees me playing my first table tennis match for the Corps HQ team – it is a very ‘needle’ game v 1 Corps Sigs as both teams are undefeated in the League and the last encounter ended in a draw 3-3.  Each player plays one best-of-5 games match and I sincerely hope I play no 6 in our team!  On Wednesday night Freddie Self is coming in to have dinner with me – the purpose being to discuss the meeting at BAOR HQ which he attended in my absence.  Thursday is a free evening and on Friday there is another Table Tennis match in the inter branch League.  Still the busier one can be, the quicker the time goes and that is all that matters between now and March.  It is now 9.15 and a week ago today we were just arriving at the Club and one of the best-ever dances was about to begin.  You will have to give me some lessons when I get back, I should like at least to be able to dance passably well.  Dearest heart, though I could go on writing to you until ‘les vaches marchant chez elles’ there is little of interest left to write about – Don’t be surprised if a Colonel Bright-Holmes rings up to find out Jean Stevens phone number – I gave him Jean’s message, he is Peter’s God Father, and he returned today to take up a job as a Brigadier in Eastern Command and is very anxious to see Jean and John, not knowing their number or address I said that if you were asked you would give him the necessary information – the number is in the front of the local phone directory.  He is an extremely charming man – At 10 ocl Ted Worsdell is coming in for a cupper and a chat, since he came back with me from leave he has had to work ‘til all hours of the night and is even more browned off than I am, if that’s possible!  What about your week-end in Town with Joan or a visit by her to the flat, it would do you a power of good to get away for a few days or to have her down?  Well, darling, I must say goodnight to you – it won’t be long now, wonderful girl, before you ever will have to occupy our home alone again.  God bless you, and keep you always – my love, every little bit of it, is yours and only yours, and it will be

            for ever and always

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O A S’ addressed to Mrs Peter C Benham, 9 Vint Crescent Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated 8 JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.     

On front of envelope 7 Jan.

Major P.C. Benham

G Branch

HQ I Corps District

B.A.O.R.

Sunday 6 Jan 46

My dearest Maz,

Back to the ‘daily round and common task’ once again and I’m finding it extremely difficult to raise any enthusiasm for work – I only hope the next two months go by reasonably quickly – I see in the papers yesterday that officers in Age Group 25 are due to start being demobilised on March 14^th – so, working on that basis it gives me only 67 more days out here then HOME!!

This time last week to the minute we were waiting for you and Pari to pick us up at the flat prior to the King’s party – it honestly might have been yesterday in some ways.  I haven’t done much in the work line since I’ve been back but have had to attend 2 special ‘parties’ – one on Friday for Jack Bechanell, one of our mess chaps, and one of our leave trio who got back to fine himself posted to another unit prior to his being demobbed in a fortnight’s time.  None of our chaps appear in the New Year’s Honours List and I’m told there is to be a special list shortly for services in NW Europe, but whether or not I shall touch gold remains to be seen and I’m certainly not banking on it.

The other party I had to go to was one run by the Defence Company last night but I didn’t stay very late and then slept in until 9.15 this a.m.  I spent quite a bit of this morning up at the office and this afternoon I played in a friendly hockey match v the local hospital who beat us 2-1, the ground was very bad and the frost which we’ve had here since I got back thawed out and it was like playing on a ground covered in glue, still it was excellent exercise and great fun – we are beginning to feel the effect of demob etc and we didn’t have a strong side out.  This morning I had my first letter from Eileen who seemed very lonely though your kindness in asking her in after I had gone and again for tea and supper on Wednesday had cheered her up no end – she really has done a good job of work at the flat hasn’t she?  I had never expected anything nearly so nice or so cosy – quite ideal.  An awful thought struck me the other day – I have never written to Aunt Beth – it is very high on my list of priorities but not knowing her address I am writing to her at Oxford Road and will be very grateful if you will forward it on to her.  There really is very little news from this end and the demob complex is at its height with most people going about saying ‘only 8 more weeks etc’ a society which I’ve now joined!  Oh! it really was grand to have seen you again on my leave, would that we could have had longer together though we made the most of everything, didn’t we?  Now it is only 2 months before I shall be home for good and all and though my first 6 or 7 months at home won’t be easy ‘this time next year’ exams will be a thing of the past and life will once more be normal.  I’m so looking forward to hearing from you, you are a wonderful correspondent, please continue writing twice a week, your letters are always filled with interesting items.  Much love to you, Maz dear and God bless you.  My love to Pari and Elli.

            Yours as ever

very affectionately

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O. A.S.’ addressed to Mrs Gerald C Benham, 5 Oxford Road Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated 7 JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.

On back Major P.C. Benham, G Branch, HQ 1 Corps District, B.A.O.R.      

On front of envelope Written Jan 6^th 1945 [46] rec Jan 9^th 1945 [46].            (2)

D -67

Chad image plus Wot! only

Major P.C. Benham,

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

6.15 pm.  Sunday 6^th January 46

My own most dearly beloved,

I got a colossal thrill this morning when I went up to the office and found 2 letters waiting for me on my table.  I read them and re-read them very greedily – you are an angel to have written on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Yes I’m afraid the flat with only the smell of its male occupant will be rather a lonely place these next two months, but your books and a trip or two up to Town and the search for a bureau and for desk will help to pass the time.  I see in yesterday’s paper that officers in Group 25 are due to start being demobbed on 14^th March which is my new target date for D day as I have reason to believe, as I told you on Friday, that it may be a week or so earlier.  Only 67 days, darling!  Demob is, needless to say, the main topic of conversation here, but I have also investigated in a very minor way the Honours List and I’m told that no-one out here will be appearing in it and that our list which is due to be issued shortly will be an entirely separate one for ‘services in New Europe’.  I had quite a busy day yesterday in the office though I’m finding it very difficult to work up any real enthusiasm for work and I’m only one of many who are in a similar frame of mind.  Much against my will I felt rather obliged to go to a Defence Company party last night, but I felt I had to as the new OC had made a special point of asking me.  I found several chaps leaving at 11.30 so I tagged along with them as I was feeling a bit weary.  I stayed in bed until 9.15 this a.m. and before going up to the office wrote to Fenn Wright’s about the garage, Dick Porter about our subs and the Law Society giving notice of my intention to take the Final in November.  So that got several useful letters away.  I went up to the office at 11.15 and frigged about until lunch-time.  This afternoon I had arranged a friendly match against the local hospital but owing to demob and leave etc I couldn’t  get a very good team together – we lost 2-1, on a very slippery ground.  It was rock hard yesterday but today has been  degrees milder and has seen a good thaw out.

Yes darling I did bring the pyjamas back with me; as a matter of a fact I didn’t really realise it until I got to Dover that night, I think I must have put them in the spare room after making (?) the bed that morning with a view to my packing them – I had everything on the bed ready to pack in the morning.  I can’t remember anything other than the writing paper which you were going to send me – writing paper is a bit on the necessary side as this is literally the last ¼ of my last block.  I shall be most interested to hear how the children’s party went off, I hope John wasn’t too absent minded and didn’t ask the boys if theirs was beer a gin.  The dance at the Club really was an excellent show, wasn’t it?  I loved every second of it and reckon we must make it into an annual event.  In that Paul Jones, when I came opposite you I got just the thrill out of it that I got 10 or 11 years ago and I reckon its not every husband who could say the same thing in all honesty – but with you it couldn’t be otherwise, it will NEVER be anyhow else.  One thing I’m afraid which is rather on my conscience is the very stupid thing I told you on our way round to Oxford Road on Christmas morning about my wishing I hadn’t come back for Christmas – it was honestly NOT meant and I just can’t think why I ever said it.  I loved our Christmas and the New Year.  I could have wished and did wish that we could have got out of certain things, but the ‘pull’ was too great and one can’t suddenly drop things which one has done all ones life in that sort of line, but next year we will certainly cut out the tea party for a start, if not some of the others.  I wonder if the old so and so has appealed yet, I’m afraid it probably has but, talking slightly in riddles, if the start had been like the end, I would very much have had me doots, that is why, darling, I am certain when we are living our normal life things really will happen in a big way – this leave business is no good for that sort of thing unless cries etc are just right and they never have been since 1 April 44.  Oh! darling it won’t be long now before  March is with us, the most memorable month we will ever know.  I just can’t get over the flat, and what you have made of it, I shan’t get over it until I’m back again and even then it will be a fascination to me for always.  To think of living there with you, without thoughts of leaves or listening for ‘extra’ days, there with just you always, our ‘tray’ meals and the countless blessings of one’s own home, fills me with ecstasies of delight – how 100% worth while to forfeit pro tem the luxury of cheap cigarettes etc and a large wage, for the joys of no separation with you to help and encourage and make happy – bash on March.  Dearest Eileen, I adore you, love you and live only for you, and think of no-one, nothing, but you.  God bless you, my own sweet heart, and keep you always.  It won’t be long now,

            Yours, only yours,

            For ever and always,

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O A S’ addressed to Mrs Peter C Benham, 9 Vint Crescent Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated 7 JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.     

On front of envelope 6 Jan

On the back of the envelope Major P.C. Benham, G Branch, HQ 1 Corps District, BAOR.

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

Friday 4 Jan 46

My dearest Maz

This must I’m afraid be only a very short letter just to announce my safe arrival in the early hours of today after a very unpleasant journey, and more important to thank you for everything you did for me when I was home – I’m afraid I never thanked you nearly enough for so many things – your wonderful Christmas present, the meals I had with you and above all for the way you have looked after Eileen when I’m away, no one has/does appreciate it more than she, and yet my thanks were so very inadequate I’m afraid – it was a wonderful leave and I loved seeing you all again, and look forward to March a whole lot.

To Calais the journey went smoothly, I met my two mess mates at Victoria and we reached Dover at 1.30 am were up again at 6 am and, after a smoothish journey were at Calais at lunch time on Wednesday, but it was the train journey which was the unpleasant part – fortunately we got a carriage to ourselves and we left Calais at 6.30 pm, arrived 4 hours late at Brussels for the tea halt and 9 hours late at Wezel, (on the Rhine) for our first square meal since the previous day – it was 6 pm Thursday when we reached Wezel, and we finally got to Munster at 10 pm! and we didn’t reach the mess til 1 am today – some journey – thank goodness its my last return-from-leave trip ever I hope.  I will be writing more fully on Sunday – I’m so looking forward to hearing from you, your cigarettes, the oranges, and the mags were absolute Godsend during the journey.  Yes, it was grand to see you again and the next and final stop now is March, roll on March.  Much love to you, Maz dear, and to Pari and Elli.

            Yours as ever

very affectionately

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O A S’ addressed to Mrs Gerald C Benham, 5 Oxford Road Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated * JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.      

On front of envelope Written Jan 4^th 1945 [46] rec Jan 7^th 1945 [46] (1)

On back of envelope Major P.C. Benham, G Branch, HQ 1 Corps District, BAOR.

Major P.C. Benham,

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

Friday 4 Jan 46

10.15 pm.

My own most precious darling,

One whole working day has been and come and gone and has left me flatter than any pancake – I just could not take any sort of interest though towards the evening I was beginning to pick up the threads and I’ve no doubt that before long I shall get back into the swing of things.  I need hardly say that my one and only interest today has been centred on the question of demob and the latest gen, but during my absence very little has come in that I didn’t know before, but on my own very secret ‘net’ I have heard things which make it quite clear that my date of the 20^th was a fairly pessimistic one and all being well I should be out within the first fortnight in March but you know what these things are and I think we should be unwise to bank on it – one encouraging thing is that I gather my replacement has been asked for on the grounds that ‘training’ will go on forever and someone, a regular, who is staying on must be trained in air matters, I am definitely NOT going on the Air Support Course!!  Otherwise nothing much has happened so far as I can make out.  I didn’t hurry up to the office this am and arrived there at about 9.45!  it’s been a bitterly cold day and I’m not sorry to be back in my own room which is beautifully warm, but this evening, much against my will, I was dragged along to a farewell party though I didn’t stay very long, slipping off early on the pretence that my long journey had completely exhausted me, and I must be early to bed!

There are a couple of things which I would be most grateful if you could do for me, the first is to let Nora King know, only if you see her, that the letters she gave me will be on their way to Hamburg tomorrow, a friend of mine is taking them up, the second is to tell Eric Brough that the 2 books I am anxious to get are WILSHERE’S COMMON LAW and RIVINGTON’S LAW OF PROPERTY – if you could let him know I would be most grateful, I ought to write to him but have a whole host of letters to write these next few days, several of my ex – 1 Corps pals wrote to me at Christmas including my old friend Charles Woodford who asked after you.

Darling I just can’t tell you how much I miss being with you at the flat but every nook, every cranny, is so engraven on my mind that I have only to close my eyes and I’m right there with you, it makes me a hundred times keener to get home, knowing what a heavenly place you have made of it.  You could never have been more wrong when you said to me one day ‘I’m afraid this isn’t what you expected when you came home’ – every second of our time I loved, never, never think I mind doing a few odd chores – I got a real kick out of the small things I did, even polishing the silver!  The things we did together which were complete heaven are far too numerous to mention but outstanding were our evenings by the old fireside, our parties in the flat and that wonderful dance at which I felt so very proud of my sweet wiz, you looked and were, so terribly sweet – if I had never seen you before I should have fallen in love with you all over again.  I’m just longing to hear from you, and know that you are being kept going as I am by the marvellous thought that in 10 weeks time, maybe less, our D day will be here, it seems almost too marvellous to be true, but there it is and roll on March.  Now dearest heart, I must leave you, I love you, darling – more, far more, than ever – thank you again for such a heavenly leave.  God bless and keep you always.  Yours and yours alone.  With all my love

                        for ever

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O A S’ addressed to Mrs Peter C Benham, 9 Vint Crescent Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated 4 JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.     

On front of envelope 4 Jan.

On the back of the envelope Major P.C. Benham, G Branch, HQ 1 Corps District, BAOR

In the Train

Note carefully!  Thursday 7.30 pm.

My own most precious darling,

This really has been (is being, I should say) one hell of a journey and it looks as though we shan’t get back to the mess until midnight at the earliest.  I’m feeling pretty bloody at the moment and, but for the fact that we four from the mess have been together since DOVER I would be sunk into the depths of depression.  I didn’t reach LONDON until 9.45 after quite a comfortable journey and was at Victoria at 10.15 when I put the call through to you – thoughts of our next phone conversation have consoled me a whole lot during the journey.  After our chat I went along to the RTO’s office where I found Jack Behanell and Ted Worsdel turned up very shortly after.  The train left at 11.15 and we reached DOVER round about 1.15 – lorries took us up to the transit camp where we had a cupper and were taking over to our billets, and heard the glad news that reveille was at 05.30 hrs!  The 3 of us shared a room and I slept like the proverbial log until 6 ocl when we had to go over to the mess for a very unappetizing breakfast.  Finding there was a half hour after breakfast before we had a go down to the docks I had a wash and shave etc.  There were the usual long waits by the quayside but at 10 ocl the boat sailed and the sea was on the roughish side though nothing like so bad as when we came the other way.  On the boat we were joined by Henry Podmore another of the C Mess fraternity – he had gone on leave two days before us but had been well and truly mucked about since his return to Victoria on Sunday evening – the answer appears to be that one or two boats didn’t sail on Monday or Tuesday owing to fog and they have been trying to run extra boats on Wednesday to make up the balance of those still left in transit camps – very unfair of the likes of Henry who haven’t been allowed out of camp for 2 days just in case they could be squeezed onto a later ship – We got to Calais at 11.30 and put our watches on to 12.30 had lunch at 1 ocl and afterwards went to see a film which I had seen before called ‘Hangover Square’ fair.  We were told that owing to a pile-up of officers in CALAIS we should have to spend the night there and get a train the following evening.  Ted went to the Movement Control people and ‘bounced’ them into giving him 4 tickets for the MUNSTER train due to leave at 6 ocl yesterday evening but couldn’t get himself made OC Train which didn’t make any difference as the four of us have a very comfortable and warm carriage to ourselves!  I got off to sleep at 9 ocl and was woken at 03.00 hrs this morning with the announcement (a) that we were 4 hours late and (b) we were to have a hot meal – not a very good one as it turned out though we were very wise to have it as our next food was to come 13 hours later!  I was soon asleep again and next woke at 9.30 much to everyone’s amusement, so I had nearly 12 hours sleep and boy! did I need it?

The next delaying factor was at a place called SPYCK where the railway crosses the Rhine – they had ‘broken’ the bridge to let some large funnelled ship through and we sat there for 3 solid hours before we could cross, eventually arriving at WESEL just after 6 ocl for a hot meal – exactly 10 hours late and 24 hours after we had got into the train at CALAIS – we shan’t get to MUNSTER ‘til 10 ocl at the earliest and it will take at least 2 hours to get back to the Mess from there.  We are not very far from MUNSTER now and the train has pulled up for one of its inevitable stops and the time is 9.15 – I have read ¾ of Sava’s book and it is first-class, isn’t it?  Better, I think than the Healing Knife.  I just can’t tell you how simply wonderful the sandwiches and the coffee were.  I ate most of the sandwiches, one cheese biscuit and one piece of cake on the way from Victoria to DOVER last night (sorry, the night before last I should say) and they were marvellous and the coffee too.  As for the oranges and apples they saved my life completely and were used on many occasions when, due to the fug in the carriage etc, my thirst became uncontrollable – but, darling, I felt terrible when I thought of the hole it must have made in our joint and that it was your ration for some time.  We’ve just started up again and it’s no easy matter writing when the train is on the move so I will say au revoir until the time when I’m back in my own room when the atmosphere will be more conducive to the writing of the most important part of this letter, so ‘til then, my darling, TTFN.

1.15 am.  Back at last and in bed!  I got back at 12.30 and after a few sandwiches and some whisky feel much better – I’ve just unpacked and had a good wash and it won’t be long before I’m off to sleep.

Darling girl the more I think of the last 15 days the more certain am I that it really was the best ever leave – you just have no idea how much I love the flat – for our present wants it is absolutely ideal, and I can’t even start to thank you for the super work you have put in on it and for the million and one things you did for me when I was back – super food, wizard drink, and evenings alone with you which I wouldn’t miss for the world – you were quite perfect all the time – Oh darling girl, I love you more than ever and this last leave has brought it home to me once again what a wonderful wife I have – I’m sorry this letter is so scrappy but the circumstances aren’t what I would wish – I will write tonight (!) on better paper, in ink and more coherently – now I must bid you goodnight and may I dream of you – (I hate being in bed alone again) – God bless and keep you and again so very many thanks for being so wonderful to me.

Yours, with ALL my love for ever and ever, and already LONGING for the D day which is fast approaching,

                        Peter

In envelope headed ‘O A S’ addressed to Mrs Peter C Benham, 9 Vint Crescent Colchester Essex.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 734 dated 5 JA 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.     

On front of envelope 3 Jan.

On the back of the envelope Major P.C. Benham, G Branch, HQ 1 Corps District, BAOR