Major P.C. Benham

G Branch

HQ I Corps District

B.A.O.R.

Sunday 23^rd September

My dearest Maz,

Thank you so very much for your most interesting letter written from Bournemouth – I was so glad to hear what a real success the holiday was and know it will have done you a power of good – the car really behaved well and I should imagine Pari’s relief on that account was terrific!  I had a letter from Eileen yesterday written just after your return.  I know how pleased she was that you are back and I can well imagine that you have had some terrific and real old fashioned chin-wags!  I shall be going up to the office later on this morning and hope to find a letter from you – I will report later on.

You will be sorry to hear that my trip to Copenhagen is off – there were 109 entries from this Corps alone and we were only given 9 vacancies – two were given to each Division and one left over for the 12 entrants from Corps HQ – I was not the lucky one – but it means that my way is now clear to plan my 72 hours leave and I hope to go down to Brussels on Wednesday coming back the following Monday – it should be great fun and I’m looking forward to the break.  My only exercise this week has been a League hockey match on Tuesday in which we maintained our unbeaten record by winning 5-1 against our Air OP Squadron.  I celebrated my first game complete with rubber handle on stick (it makes a big difference) by scoring 4 goals.  My only entertainment this week has been one film which I went to on Thursday night and thoroughly enjoyed – it was perhaps a little too long but the acting was first class – Henry V was the film the two principal actors being Lawrence Olivier and Leslie Banks – I wonder whether you have seen it.  I had to attend a meeting of the BAOR Hockey Committee on Friday and it made a good day out, only my second day away from the office on duty since mid June!  I met Gordon up there and he was much less Gordonish than usual – he had only been back from leave for a day or two and told me all about Joyce’s party – I gather Ernest spared absolutely no expense and did the thing as only Ernest would.  Apart from these diversions and a game of poker on Wednesday evening at which I finished 1/- down after long spells of good and bad fortune (four Queens was my best hand) I haven’t had a very thrilling week and there is a frightful air of gloom about over demobbing.  You know they invoked the Military necessity clause for retaining most Ordnance and Sapper officers in BAOR only some week or so ago it is now strongly rumoured that the same is going to happen to all officers only in BAOR only over age group 20.  I need hardly add that should this be done there will be such discontent throughout the officers in BAOR that they will get very little work done.  One can put in a plea to Monty personally that one should be released on grounds of hardship and I have already drafted mine!  Just supposing it is done then I could expect to be out in about July next year if lucky I.E. I shouldn’t be able to take my final until March 1947 – it is a frightful thought isn’t it?  At the moment it appears to be very much on the cards and we have had a warning letter about it.  I won’t really start bemoaning my fate until something definite comes in!!

Later.  I went up to the office this am but found that there was no mail today due to the gales.  Instead I played several games of ping-pong, looked at a few files, took action on those that needed it and put into practice that well-known motto ‘never do today what you can put off ‘til tomorrow’ with the others!  Feeling a bit depressed round about lunch time I decided the only thing to do was to play in the tournament and so presented myself at the courts at 2 ocl.  I was given a double handicap this time by being put with a keen but clue-less L/Cpl – they had 4 sections of 5 couples each and we won ours after playing off a tie, won the semi final and then got to the one set final – it was all on handicap (automatic variety) and honestly some of the players aren’t at all bad – in the final, although I say it as shouldn’t I played really well, drop shots, volleys all angles, smashes etc all came off and we won, thanks to some steady play by my partner, 6.3.  I didn’t accept my prize but, amid loud applause, handed it to the ATS girl who had got nearest to winning – oh! how I should like some really good tennis, I believe but for the war I could have got somewhere, now, of course, and there is no question about it and I shouldn’t wish it otherwise.  I’ve well and truly had it.  Eh bien, Maz dear, I must awa’ the noo, please remember Vines(!), my love to Pari and Elli and much love to yourself, God bless you

            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 24 SP 45.  Signed P.C. Benham.   

On front of envelope Written Sept 23^rd 1945 rec Sept 26^th 1945.        (7)

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