No. 7925934. L/Sgt. Greenwood.
‘C’ Sqdn. 9th Battn. R.T.R.
A.P.O. England.
8.6.44
Thurs. evening.
Jess dear, A few more words before I go to bed won’t do any harm. It is fairly late, but I do not know whether I will have much time for writing tomorrow. I feel that I must warn you of the possibility of a gap in my letters (a few words erased by the censor’s crayon). You can rest assured that I will do my damnedest to write regularly, but I can foresee postal delays, and I want to implore you not to attach any undue significance to them. And don’t worry about me, darling. I shall be well looked after… and always thinking about you and little B.
Later. Fri. evening.
I was ever so glad of the opportunity to speak to you today. To hear your voice once again has meant a lot to me, dear – more than I can tell you. It was quite obvious that you are still suffering from a cold, and I sincerely hope that the worst is now over. It seems to me that the neuralgia you complained about earlier may have been a prelude to your present condition:- and I think it is possible that you will now feel much better in a few days time.
I am always a bit hazy when I try to recall the substance of our ‘phone conversations… perhaps because I cannot control my excitement… but this time I remember you saying that your book-token was being exchanged for “Wide is the Gate”. At the time it flashed across my mind that we already had a copy, and that it was the first and fourth books which we required… but I have since realised that I must be a bit mixed up. “Wide is the Gate” is the fourth book, is it not? In which case we do want it. We also want No.1 (World’s End)… but we already have Nos.2 and 3: is that right? I do hope you can find No.1 somewhere, Jess. You must read it before starting the others. I haven’t yet read No.4. That is a pleasure in store for me. I can’t imagine that you will yet have much time for reading,… but maybe a few more weeks will make a difference to your daily routine. By then, you may have found a copy of World’s End, in which case you will be able to settle down to a really interesting story.
I hope you will not worry about my finances. I think it is possible that I will actually be better off as an ‘active’ soldier, in spite of my reduced income. This is because my money will go much further, particularly with cigs., and they are by far my greatest expense.
I will have to leave you now, darling. Our letters are now censored in the evenings, and so I cannot ramble on indefinitely.
You can expect another letter tomorrow.
Good night, my dear.
Yours always.
Trevy.