D -26

Major P.C. Benham,

G Branch

HQ 1 Corps District

BAOR

Saturday 16^th February

10.30 pm.

My own most precious darling,

These last two days have been very bad ones in the mail department and there has been no mail from the UK at all, but, I’m told on fairly reliable authority that there should be 3 days worth in tomorrow, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I shall be up to the Barracks tomorrow morning like a young rocket to collect!  I see in camp orders tonight that the release of officers Age & Service Gp 25 is now due to commence on 6 Mar, and if this is true it couldn’t be better news, but before celebrating, I am getting further details, the key date being the actual day which we leave here for Tournai and home – you can rest assured that I will keep you posted with all the up to date gen on this all important subject.  After I had written to you on Thursday evening I went down to the Club where some 8 of us had dinner to bid farewell to Henry Podmore, not on release, but he has been posted to Rhine Army HQ.  I had to leave directly after dinner and go up to the Barracks where G were battling against the Defence Coy in the Branch T.T. League.  I lost one of my two games but we did what we set out to do, namely to retain our position at the top of the League – we won 7.3.  I had a hectic day yesterday.  I had to be over at Dortmund after lunch to do a spot of work, and I watched the second half of the 49^th Division trial in which 5 of our chaps were performing.  Afterwards I had tea with them and got back here just before 6.  I had to see the Chief of Staff and tell him the results of my trip (not the hockey part of it! and didn’t leave his office til 6.45 – after a real shift on I was at Z Mess, washed and changed at 7.10 and Leonard and I came up for more ping pong at 8 ocl – we were both playing for the Corps HQ team and we beat our opponents 6-0, but Leonard and I stayed on after the match and had a few games.  This afternoon I think we set up a record – we played a local Sapper unit in the League, our last match in the hockey league – and we won 20-0!  We had really too strong a team out and at half-time, leading 12-0 we changed everyone round (I played left back) but even then we scored 8 more goals.  Our new G2 RA is a first class player, a regular he played for the Army before the war and played 2 games for Ireland.  One of our team came round here for dinner tonight and we’ve just got back from the Cinema where we saw ‘Nob (not knob!) Hill’, an old bowery type film ‘starring’ George Raft, in techinocolor, and very good entertainment.  So, my sweetheart, here I am – sorry to have given you such a long catalogue of my doings, but you’ll realise that I’ve been a ‘little man you’ve had a couple of busy days, and shall not repeat not be up at my usual early (8 am) time in the morning – late breakfast – then a brisk walk up to the office.  Tomorrow afternoon we have what promises to be a very good game of hockey – HQ 1 Corps v The Rest of the League – I don’t mind telling you I shall very early to bed tomorrow night, especially as I am on duty on Monday.  I’m so longing to hear from you, and to hear that you really are 100% well again, and that my letters have arrived – I will be back with you after tea, and until then will say ‘goodnight, my love’ and tell you how terribly, terribly much I’m longing to be able to say ‘and now my dream is here beside me’, beside me for always. God bless you, dearest heart, not much longer now til ‘der tag’ – I love you, darling, oh! so very very much and think of you always, be good and roll on March, yours with ALL my love

            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 18 FE 46.  Signed P.C. Benham.   

On front of envelope 16 Feb.