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