D -42.

Chad picture with “Wot! 6 more weeks?”

Major P.C. Benham,

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

Thursday 31^st January

10.15 pm.

My own most precious darling,

I’m writing this in the lounge of the Officers Hotel, The Hague, after a long but pleasant journey here.  In all we covered about 240 miles through Herford, Osnabruck, Euschede, Zutphen, Apeldoorn, Utrecht.  5 of the BAOR Humbers brought us here and we came in convoy – average speed about 35 mph even with a half hour break for coffee and doughnuts in the YMCA place at Rheine.  We left at 10 ocl and were here at 5.30.  The team is about 15 strong and we shall probably all play in two out of the three matches.  Just for your interest I enclose a copy of the arrangements made for the tour.  Coulson, an Irish International for many years had to cry off at the last moment and I’ve been ‘appointed’ captain of the team, rather a sweat as any speech-making which has to be done will fall on me!  Tomorrow morning we are going to have a run around on the local field, followed by a conducted tour round the City by one of the Dutch Under Secretaries!

Did my letter to you last night sound the most awful piffle?  I’m afraid it probably did as I was feeling anything but sober – we all went along to the Rhine Army HQ Club after dinner where I had several gins followed by two champagne cocktails!  I might say that the concentration put in on that letter was something terrific!  After dinner tonight several of us decided to go to see a film (‘Waterloo Road’ was on) but when we got there we found that you had to have purchased a ticket well beforehand and the place was packed out.  Instead we walked up the main street and back and I’ve just come up from the bar where I smoked my last cigarette of the day and had one glass of beer.  I’m afraid the evenings are going to be a trifle hectic so my letter writing programme is to write to you on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and when I get back to Iserlohn on Monday night.  I’m just longing to see your letters waiting for me, it makes getting back really worth while.  Darling one, I would have given anything to have had you with me today, and every other day too, the country we came through (it was a very similar one to your journey to Germany, wasn’t it?) was very varied, from the comparatively hilliness round Osnabruck to the absolute pancakishness of Holland, especially the stretch between Utrecht and here.  The whole tour seems to be extremely well organised and our rooms are ‘de luxe’ – I am sharing one with Freddie Self who goes straight from the Hook to Harwich on leave on Sunday night, would that I was coming too, but 6 weeks isn’t long to wait, just 42 days and all being well we shall be shall be together for always – as the times gets really near, so does my impatience and longing for it increase correspondingly.  Dearest heart and must away to bed for an early night (while I can!).  God bless and keep you – I love you oh! so terribly much and you are never out of my thoughts.  ALL my love is 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 376 dated 3 FE 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.     

On front of envelope 31 Jan.