438th AAA AW BN
APO 578 % Postmaster, N.Y.
England
22 March, 1944 1930
Dearest darling –
First and foremost – I received your letter this p.m. of March 9 in which you accept my proposal, sweetheart, and although I knew you would – it made me very happy to read it. I’m surprised your folks hadn’t heard from me by that date – but they certainly must have by this time and I hope to hear from them soon. So they’re going up to 20% tax on jewels, are they? Well, darling – I don’t care as long as I can manage to get a ring you like on the correct finger. I don’t know what’s been happening back in Newton these past few weeks, dear, because the mail has been spotty – but I know I’m going around as if I were already engaged and I just hope everything is going along towards that goal.
I wrote you a V mail earlier today, sweetheart, in which I told you our official APO number is 578 and not 230, although anything you wrote with 230 will get to me – as will the 527’s of course. As I wrote you – it should be obvious that we’ve moved. You’ve probably gathered as much already. Whenever we move – we don’t know what the next set-up will be. In all the moves we’ve made – including those in the States – we have never been more amazed on arrival than we were when we got here. We are occupying a 17,000 acre estate that goes with a Castle. The officers are living in the Castle. Charlie Wright and I are sharing a room together – although the Lord knows there are enough rooms for everybody. There are actually 90 rooms in this Castle and believe it or not – in recent years it was fixed for central heating, although most of the rooms have enormous fireplaces. But let me start at the beginning – and this is all authentic, darling. This castle is one of the finest in this part of England. It is 400 years old – and believe it or not – was built or at least lived in by Sir Walter Raleigh when he was in Queen Elizabeths’ favor. She is supposed to have visited him here. When he was beheaded – the Earl of Bristol took over the Castle. He was the Lord Digby and the present Lord Digby owns the estate. It has been rented to the British gov’t for the duration and how we happened to get here – is beyond me.
There’s a large pond or lake behind the castle. It has courts, towers, a tremendous dining room – just like you’d expect in a Castle. (We have our meals there.) There are supposed to be 200 deer on the grounds and all in all it’s certainly the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived in. All along the corridors and stairways – there are beautiful oil paintings. One wing has all the furniture in it and it’s the most exquisite furniture I’ve ever seen, with gold leaf and fine handwork. The nearby town is extremely old and its Cathedral is 700 years old. I say again – it’s the most amazing set-up you could imagine. The post-card I’m enclosing gives the back view of the castle. I bought it in the town this morning. I’ll try to take some snaps of the place. Incidentally, darling, I tried having some snaps taken some time ago – when I was in London on my first visit and I had trouble getting the roll developed. When I finally did – they told me the roll was spoiled. But I have another plan now and will try again.
Well – Sweetheart – that’s all the raving now – but really it’s all that I say it is. Still I’m more interested in our own Castle that we’re building – darling – and I just am waiting for the day we can start on it. I’ll write tomorrow, dear. Charlie sends his regards. Best to your folks – for now
First and foremost – I received your letter this p.m. of March 9 in which you accept my proposal, sweetheart, and although I knew you would – it made me very happy to read it. I’m surprised your folks hadn’t heard from me by that date – but they certainly must have by this time and I hope to hear from them soon. So they’re going up to 20% tax on jewels, are they? Well, darling – I don’t care as long as I can manage to get a ring you like on the correct finger. I don’t know what’s been happening back in Newton these past few weeks, dear, because the mail has been spotty – but I know I’m going around as if I were already engaged and I just hope everything is going along towards that goal.
I wrote you a V mail earlier today, sweetheart, in which I told you our official APO number is 578 and not 230, although anything you wrote with 230 will get to me – as will the 527’s of course. As I wrote you – it should be obvious that we’ve moved. You’ve probably gathered as much already. Whenever we move – we don’t know what the next set-up will be. In all the moves we’ve made – including those in the States – we have never been more amazed on arrival than we were when we got here. We are occupying a 17,000 acre estate that goes with a Castle. The officers are living in the Castle. Charlie Wright and I are sharing a room together – although the Lord knows there are enough rooms for everybody. There are actually 90 rooms in this Castle and believe it or not – in recent years it was fixed for central heating, although most of the rooms have enormous fireplaces. But let me start at the beginning – and this is all authentic, darling. This castle is one of the finest in this part of England. It is 400 years old – and believe it or not – was built or at least lived in by Sir Walter Raleigh when he was in Queen Elizabeths’ favor. She is supposed to have visited him here. When he was beheaded – the Earl of Bristol took over the Castle. He was the Lord Digby and the present Lord Digby owns the estate. It has been rented to the British gov’t for the duration and how we happened to get here – is beyond me.
There’s a large pond or lake behind the castle. It has courts, towers, a tremendous dining room – just like you’d expect in a Castle. (We have our meals there.) There are supposed to be 200 deer on the grounds and all in all it’s certainly the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived in. All along the corridors and stairways – there are beautiful oil paintings. One wing has all the furniture in it and it’s the most exquisite furniture I’ve ever seen, with gold leaf and fine handwork. The nearby town is extremely old and its Cathedral is 700 years old. I say again – it’s the most amazing set-up you could imagine. The post-card I’m enclosing gives the back view of the castle. I bought it in the town this morning. I’ll try to take some snaps of the place. Incidentally, darling, I tried having some snaps taken some time ago – when I was in London on my first visit and I had trouble getting the roll developed. When I finally did – they told me the roll was spoiled. But I have another plan now and will try again.
Well – Sweetheart – that’s all the raving now – but really it’s all that I say it is. Still I’m more interested in our own Castle that we’re building – darling – and I just am waiting for the day we can start on it. I’ll write tomorrow, dear. Charlie sends his regards. Best to your folks – for now
All my love
Greg
CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE
Postcard of the castle
with "Sherborne" crossed out for censors.
The postcard was sent in an envelope with the letter.
Greg writes, "My room is on the second floor and
overlooks the pond you see in the foreground."
Postcard of the castle
with "Sherborne" crossed out for censors.
The postcard was sent in an envelope with the letter.
Greg writes, "My room is on the second floor and
overlooks the pond you see in the foreground."
* TIDBIT *
about Sherborne Castle
about Sherborne Castle
Sherborne Castle across the "pond" in 2007
The following was copied exactly from the Sherborne Castle web site, maintained by John K. Wingfield Digby, whose family has owned the castle since 1617.
Sherborne has had a castle since the 12th Century. Roger Bishop of Salisbury built a castle to the east of the Town to administer the western part of his large diocese. In early Tudor times the Bishops built a small Hunting Lodge in the deer park attached to the Old Castle from which to observe the chase. Sir Walter Raleigh acquired the Old Castle in 1592. At first he tried to modernize it, but then he built a new house in 1594 in the deer park. It was on the site of the Hunting Lodge which he incorporated into the foundations. His house was rectangular and four stories high, with large square-headed windows filled with diamond pane glass. In 1600 he added hexagonal turrets to the four corners of his house, topped with heraldic beasts. The house was rendered from the outset, in the latest fashion.
In 1617 the diplomat Sir John Digby acquired Sherborne Castle and he added four wings to Raleigh’s building, giving the house its present H-shape. He copied the style adopted by Raleigh, of square-headed windows, and balustraded roofs with heraldic beasts, and added hexagonal turrets at the end of each wing, so the house looks of one piece.
In the Civil War the Digbys fought for the Royalist cause and the Old Castle was garrisoned and suffered two sieges. After the second siege in 1645 Col Fairfax and his Parliamentarian army systematically demolished the Old Castle. Thus the name ‘Sherborne Castle’ came to be applied to the new house in the park. In the 18th century later generations of the Digby family modernized the Tudor house, adding Georgian sash windows, paneled doors and white marble fireplaces and filling the house with fine furniture. In 1787 an extension was added to the west side of the house which provided more bedrooms and improved staff accommodation and kitchens.
The Victorian period saw only one major re-modelling, in the Solarium (Raleigh’s Parlour), reflecting the respect the Wingfield Digby owners held for the antiquity and historical associations of the house. In the First World War the Castle was used as a Red Cross Hospital and it was requisitioned by the Army in the Second World War.
In 1617 the diplomat Sir John Digby acquired Sherborne Castle and he added four wings to Raleigh’s building, giving the house its present H-shape. He copied the style adopted by Raleigh, of square-headed windows, and balustraded roofs with heraldic beasts, and added hexagonal turrets at the end of each wing, so the house looks of one piece.
In the Civil War the Digbys fought for the Royalist cause and the Old Castle was garrisoned and suffered two sieges. After the second siege in 1645 Col Fairfax and his Parliamentarian army systematically demolished the Old Castle. Thus the name ‘Sherborne Castle’ came to be applied to the new house in the park. In the 18th century later generations of the Digby family modernized the Tudor house, adding Georgian sash windows, paneled doors and white marble fireplaces and filling the house with fine furniture. In 1787 an extension was added to the west side of the house which provided more bedrooms and improved staff accommodation and kitchens.
The Victorian period saw only one major re-modelling, in the Solarium (Raleigh’s Parlour), reflecting the respect the Wingfield Digby owners held for the antiquity and historical associations of the house. In the First World War the Castle was used as a Red Cross Hospital and it was requisitioned by the Army in the Second World War.
No comments:
Post a Comment