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.