No. 7925934. Sgt. Greenwood, R.T.
9th Battn. R.T.R.
B.L.A.
8.9.44
Friday evening.
Jess Darling: Once again I have to apologise for a gap in my writing, but as usual I must ask you to attribute this to the war of ‘movement’ in which we are now engaged… and also the weather… Yes, even the weather has now turned against us. For the last three days we have been living through a series of deluges and one of our principle aims in life has been… and still is!.. to keep dry. For the last two nights, the rain has come down steadily all night… and in the mornings we have emerged like half drowned rats… too miserable for words. It wouldn’t be so bad if our bivvys were watertight, but they are not… especially with this present gale of a wind… and our bedding suffers in consequence. I slept beneath the vehicle last night, but even there I got wet! There are occasional fine spells during the day… but no sooner have we hung out our blankets than the rain starts again:- one has to exercise much patience-! And the mud-! We are literally wallowing in it now. I leave the rest to your imagination.
Our movements deprive us, too, of mail. Yesterday, I received my first letters for three days… the two you wrote at the end of last month. This makes life pretty awful. I am not moaning, my dear. These conditions are inevitable and we simply have to put up with them… but I do hope the mail service improves.
During the last day or two, we have travelled through more liberated towns… one of them a very large town… and the excitement amongst the civilians was intense. Everywhere we go, the local population seems to turn out in its entirety and we are literally showered with flowers and fruit… even tomatoes! Yesterday, a huge ripe juicy tomato came sailing up to us as we passed, but the aim was bad and it struck the open turret hatch… During the next half mile, three of us were too busy wiping tomato juice from our clothes and faces to worry about waving to the crowds! But we had a good laugh.
Thank you, dear, for your news of Barry’s progress. Already I feel intensely proud of him. You seem to have his future feeding arrangements well under control: I only hope I will be permitted to help you with your labours. I dream so much of the time when there will be two of us to look after the little chap.
Since coming out here, I have spent very little money and my credits have consequently been accumulating. I don’t like this state of affairs, so I have today authorised the transfer of £5 from my credits to you… payable at Hazel Grove P.O. I don’t know when you will receive the cash, but it may take as long as a month. Please spend it on yourself, dear Jess. It may buy a couple of pairs of shoes, or something for the winter.
And now the rain is coming again. If I don’t cease, this letter will become sodden, so I will leave you – Please give little Popett a big hug… for me.
Au revoir, my love –
Always – Your Trevy.