Letters July 1940

3rd. July 1940
To Fus. WA Barter 6472227,
No. 1 Platoon,
Block No. 2,
Somerset Barracks,
Shorncliff,
Kent. From Jessie Barter (older sister).
Pangbourne,
Berks.
Dear Walt,

Thanks for the letter. I’m glad it’s not so bad down there, it’s nice to be able to go swimming. I thought you would have had a lot of air raids being on the coast. We had one alarm last week, but we didn’t hear any guns so we stopped in bed although we have a posh shelter. If I were you I wouldn’t bother to undress at night, it seems to be a waste of time. What do you do in the evenings if you only get out once in five days? Have they got darts and things?

When I was coming back last time, the train was crowded with young fellows, called up. One had a suitcase nearly full of food and fruit. He said they might only give him a couple of dog biscuits in the army, but they nearly finished the lot by the time they got to Reading. There were seven of them in the carriage, I was the only girl. One had a set of darts and others had cards, so they were quite prepared for a siege. We all shook hands with each other when we parted, like old pals.

Which is the nearest town or place they will let the public in? I know Eastbourne is open, perhaps I could meet you there if you can get a Sunday afternoon off. I think lots do that.

I’m going up tomorrow (back to home in London) and see what the garden looks like. I wonder if the lettuce has come to anything? I think I’ll get another apple tree this year, a cooking apple. It will be more sheltered up in that corner.

Have you started to smoke yet? I’ll send you some if you like and some sweets. I’ve nearly finished the socks. I hope your heel is better. Put some tissue paper between the sock and heel.

We heard from Eveson, he is down in Dover somewhere, they haven’t been out of England yet but have been too busy to write or so he says. I must finish now as it is nearly post time. Write soon, I’m enclosing a stamp in case you haven’t got one.

Best Love, Jess

10th. July 1940
To Fus. WA Barter 6472227,
No. 1 Platoon,
Block No. 2,
Somerset Barracks,
Shorncliff,
Kent.

From Gladys Barter (sister),
58 Walterton Road,
Paddington,
London W.9.

Dear Walter,

You seem to be having rather a hectic time down your way according to the newspapers. Have you had any bombs dropped near you? The chapel at Steeple Bumpstead was hit. (Where Walter's mother's relations lived) I’m glad it wasn’t the church aren’t you, it’s such a nice one. Uncle Walt was going along Mill Road when it dropped. He said the ground simply shook, they are all very nervous down there, the planes are over every night, they should come to London, it’s safer.

Did Mum ask you about the scissors? Would you like a pair a little bigger than the ones you have, they are not very strong are they? I can get you a pair a little bigger in a case, so you can carry them in your pocket. Did you get your food, it’s a nice little pot isn’t it, you must keep it, it will do for picnics after the war. Poor old Joe (the dog) had another bad turn but he’s much better now though. It’ll be nice if you do get moved to Hounslow, you might be able to get home now and again mightn’t you.

Lil had a shock the other day, she went to Caterham and was sitting having a nice little jaw when there was an awful crash, she nearly shot out of her skin as well as the house, a bomb had dropped on the airfield about three hundred yards away.

Yours,

Gladys

12th. July 1940
To Fus. WA Barter 6472227,
No. 1 Platoon,
Block No. 2,
Somerset Barracks,
Shorncliff,
Kent. From Jessie Barter.
Pangbourne,
Berks.
Dear Walt,

Many thanks for the letter. You seem to be having a thrilling time down there with the air raids, we haven’t heard a thing down here. Have they done much damage to the town? They seem to have been busy at Bristol and Portsmouth. I suppose they are trying to blockade us by doing damage to the ships and docks. It said on the wireless they had brought down 14 on the East Coast the other day, was it near you?

I hope you got the socks and toffee alright. Let me know how the socks fit because I’ve started another pair. Did they go hard when you washed them? You want to wring them out in a towel and they dry much better, it gets all the water out.

The tomato plants down here have bunches of tomatoes on them already, ours should have them. There were quite a lot of flowers on them last week. Daisy tells me it’s not too late to sow some carrots so I will get some next week and try.

I think I’ll ask Mum to get a settee to match the chairs next week and I’ll make some heavy curtains for the winter. It will look nice when you come on leave. I shouldn’t think you would go to Ireland, they don’t want us over there any more than they want the Germans. Are you in the Artillery? Ern came to see Mum the other day and he said Shorncliffe is where they train the Artillery so we thought you must be. We haven’t heard anything of Ray yet but I think his mother would have been round if she had bad news.

Well Walt I hope you get enough to eat because you will get more hungry as time goes on, out in the open air by the sea.

Best Love,
Jess

18th. July 1940
To Fus. WA Barter 6472227,
No. 1 Platoon,
Block No. 2,
Somerset Barracks,
Shorncliff,
Kent. From Jessie Barter.
Pangbourne,
Berks.
Dear Walt,

Thanks for the letter, I got it this morning. I got the photos on Sat morning, they are quite good. I like the full length one best. Mum showed me the group one, I think that’s good too. The sergeant looks quite a jolly sort, I think that counts a lot.

We went to see about the settee at Kilburn but they don’t sell them on hire purchase now, so we thought we would get one for cash at Ozemanns? or somewhere like that and put it back so much a week. Things are going up in price every week in the furniture line. The garden is looking quite well, the marigolds are nearly as bad as the balsams for spreading but they look very pretty. The tomatoes are not coming on very quickly, there’s just about three as big as pills on the one in the pot but I expect this rain will do some good. The lettuces are going on quite well, I thinned them out today and put some more seeds in with some glass over the top to keep the cats off.

Daisy is going to try and get me some cabbages to plant, only it’s a bit late now. I ought to have thought of it before but if I can get some turnips to plant, we can have turnip top greens in the spring and the turnips later on.

Glad is busy doing your pullover now, it will be ready for the winter I expect. Are the army socks comfortable? Joe has been bothering to go out for ages so I will say goodbye now and take him to the post.

Best Love,
Jess

22nd. July 1940
To Fus. WA Barter 6472227,
No. 1 Platoon,
Block No. 2,
Somerset Barracks,
Shorncliff,
Kent. From HarryBarter (older brother).
58 Walterton Road,
London W.9.

Dear Wal,

I am glad to hear you are still getting on alright. I hear some of the boys got a day off. A day is not very long but it makes a change for them, a few hours in town. Lill came over yesterday and brought her Missus’s dog with her. It is a little poodle, a funny little chap. He seemed to be nervous at first but he soon got friendly when the chocolate came out. Joe did not take much interest in it, he was bad again, but he is alright now.

I have done a little job today at Harvist ? Road, seeing to the roof. I don’t know if the price of paint has gone up any more, and I don’t know if wallpaper is getting scarce, but I don’t suppose there is much done just at present.

I am going to the pictures tonight and am wondering which one to go to. It will probably be the Odeon, Edgware Road. I saw Doug Jun. last week in Safari, it was good on the whole but they spoilt it when they kept on bringing this war into it. Doug was supposed to join up when Germany went for Poland, and all that sort of thing.

I did not go out far yesterday, just for one of my local walks. Last week I went out a bit further, all round Uxbridge and District. Coming home I was waiting at the terminus in the trolley bus and they have got a shelter (to keep off the rain) for the passengers to wait in, and there was a fellow there come out for a day’s fishing. He had a lovely crease to his flannels and a nice sports coat and trilby and everything he did was very methodical. I couldn’t help watching, he put on a lovely pair of sea-boots, tucking in his trousers carefully and very neatly. Hope he didn’t step out too far when he was in the water.

I see Wembley Speedway invite their fans to go up there every Thursday evening to do a bit of training. They might get a few more go if they had a couple of races or so thrown in. I am enclosing 2/6d. on a/c.

Cheerio, Harry

P.S . You have got a cake coming sometime.

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