{"id":1722,"date":"2012-03-16T18:42:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T18:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trevorgreenwood.co.uk\/tg\/?page_id=1722"},"modified":"2019-09-23T15:41:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T15:41:37","slug":"letter-31-7-45","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/trevorgreenwood.co.uk\/tg\/july-1945\/letter-31-7-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter 31.7.45"},"content":{"rendered":"

No. 7925934. Sgt. Greenwood.
\nBritish Army Exhibition
\nBritish Army Staff
\nB.L.A. Paris<\/p>\n

31.7.45<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

Jessie Mine: I have been thinking so much about leave lately that I believe it is already affecting my ability to write to you. It always happens: I get so worked up… I simply can’t concentrate… And tonight, Jake, my colleague here, has been unburdening his domestic troubles, and now I really ought to be in bed…<\/p>\n

Jake is one of those fellows whose wife has gone astray since he joined up… and I fancy he has been wanting to tell me his story for some time. It all came out tonight… with all the sordid details. When I hear of these things, it makes me wonder how many homes have been similarly broken up through the war: the number must be enormous…<\/p>\n

I haven’t done anything interesting today, dear. I have done a little reading – and have been down to the river – and seen more of those patient fishermen – but still haven’t seen a single catch. Perhaps they don’t really want any fish:- dangling a rod in the water may be just an excuse for sitting quietly by the river… in silent contemplation:- there are many worse occupations, I s’pose.<\/p>\n

I didn’t get up until 9 o\/c this morning so it was too late to go to the exhibition for ‘orders’. But I have been told that there were no orders.. so we are still here… still waiting. And it will no doubt be the same tomorrow. Well – I will write a decent letter during the day to make up for this miserable effort… I really want to talk to you, darling… but that leave business seems to paralyse my mind. I keep wondering… anticipating snags, and disappointments: scheming to circumvent them… Yes, I have the pre-leave jitters… and I know I won’t get rid of them until that exquisite moment when I have you in my arms.<\/p>\n

May it come quickly –
\nGood night, my Darling
\nAlways,
\nYour Trevy.<\/p>\n

\n