438th AAA AW BN
APO 527 % Postmaster, N.Y.
England
January 6, 1944 1415
Dearest darling Wilma –
Unlike some days, when I actually don’t know what to write about, today I just don’t know where to begin. When I got through writing you yesterday, darling, I received about eleven letters in a bunch – easily more than any other officer. Six of them were from you, two from my father, one from my brother-in-law, one from Lillian Z. in Salem, and one from Dr. C. and wife in Salem. And think of it, dear – your last letter was dated December 27 – which is amazing in itself! That’s the best service I’ve had yet – 9 days. Your other letters were for the days preceding the 27th and I’m now missing several letters from the middle of the month. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Air-mail is coming thru way ahead of regular mail and at least equal to V-mail. Getting a letter from you only 9 days after you wrote it is wonderful and I hope my mail to you is beginning to be as good. Incidentally Lillian Z. wrote that everyone that had met you that night in Salem had liked you and that if I were going to marry you it would be very nice and they were all anxious to know you better when we got to Salem. You remember I had written some of the people we had met in Salem and had told them about us.
There are several items in your recent letters I want to write about but I want to tell you about the 2nd day I spent in London. I will say this, though, sweetheart, your letters are wonderful tonic to me and if they could be any sweeter, I don’t know how. You are, in your letters, everything a fellow away from his sweetheart wants, and I don’t know how I can ever make up to you, darling, for the love and faithfulness which you portray in your writing to me. I just want you to know how much I appreciate each and every one of them.
Our second day in London was Tuesday, January 4th. We got up about 0845 and ate breakfast at our own hotel. All hotel room charges, by the way, include the next morning’s meal. We got into a cab and headed for Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate to arrive there in time for the changing of the guard – which occurs at 1030. It was very impressive. We could see the part of the Palace that had been bombed. The place is immense and has 4 main wings – in a rectangular form, connected, with a large square court in between. There was no chance of seeing the King since we learned he was at his country home in Sandringham.
We then walked across the Mall towards Big Ben. We heard it chime at noon hour. It’s tremendous and beautiful – if you can use two such adverbs together. We followed the Thames and came to the Houses of Parliament. I was anxious to see it the way it’s shown in the movies – the side overlooking the river. The buildings are very stately and dignified and carry an air of age. At one side is a statue of Richard the Lionhearted, at another – one of Oliver Cromwell.
From there we proceeded up the street – all this is in easy walking distance – to Westminster Abbey and that, darling, was thrilling. The building is enormous and much like a cathedral. Inside are very ornate pieces of Statue, marble plaques and tombs. You walk along the floor and come to a plaque in the floor that says Charles Darwin etc. and that means he is buried underneath. I had no idea how many of the people or figures important in molding past history – were English and were all entombed at Westminster Abbey. We saw the tombs of so many I can hardly remember them, but some are Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, One of the wives of Henry VIII, all the Kings and Queens of the past, Mary Queen of Scotland, Gladstone, Disraeli, Livingstone, Robert Browning, Kelley, Gray – etc. etc. It was really impressive, dear and well worth visiting.
When we left there we walked some more and came to Whitehall – which is a group of Government buildings. We walked up Downing St. to see No. 10 and just missed seeing Gen. Montgomery who had just left. By this time – we were really hungry – so we got a cab to the Cumberland Hotel and had a fairly decent lunch. None of the menus include anything like steak or red meat and you’re lucky to get fowl.
After lunch we visited two more spots of interest, the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The former, you know, is the place where political prisoners were formerly taken, when Princes were beheaded, etc. The guard has not missed changing every night at 2200 for 600 years; we also saw London Bridge; the Cathedral was beautiful, although at one spot it had received a direct hit thru the roof. That too was the largest Cathedral or church I had ever been in and certainly very impressive.
It was now mid-afternoon and we made our way up Oxford St. to Bond St., Trafalgar Square and to the shopping district – but the stores close at 1600 and we couldn’t look around. You can’t buy anything, anyway – without ration coupons, which aren’t available to us.
In the evening – we went to the Piccadilly Hotel and had roast pheasant, which was pretty good, and a couple of brandies. We got a good night’s sleep this time and left for camp. I neglected to mention that I was also in Cambridge, but didn’t get a chance to see much of its universities – of which it has 18.
So there you have it, sweetheart, an account in detail of my trip. It was better than I expected it to be and I’m glad I visited London. I didn’t get a chance to see the Wax Museum, which is famous, but maybe I’ll see it next time I go.
Darling, that’s all for this sitting, which I hope you didn’t find too tiring; it’s just that I want you to live with me – at least by letters – every minute of every day and this is the only way we can do it now. I hope everything is well at home now and the epidemic gone. My best regards to your family and Mary and for now, dearest, you have all of my love –
Unlike some days, when I actually don’t know what to write about, today I just don’t know where to begin. When I got through writing you yesterday, darling, I received about eleven letters in a bunch – easily more than any other officer. Six of them were from you, two from my father, one from my brother-in-law, one from Lillian Z. in Salem, and one from Dr. C. and wife in Salem. And think of it, dear – your last letter was dated December 27 – which is amazing in itself! That’s the best service I’ve had yet – 9 days. Your other letters were for the days preceding the 27th and I’m now missing several letters from the middle of the month. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Air-mail is coming thru way ahead of regular mail and at least equal to V-mail. Getting a letter from you only 9 days after you wrote it is wonderful and I hope my mail to you is beginning to be as good. Incidentally Lillian Z. wrote that everyone that had met you that night in Salem had liked you and that if I were going to marry you it would be very nice and they were all anxious to know you better when we got to Salem. You remember I had written some of the people we had met in Salem and had told them about us.
There are several items in your recent letters I want to write about but I want to tell you about the 2nd day I spent in London. I will say this, though, sweetheart, your letters are wonderful tonic to me and if they could be any sweeter, I don’t know how. You are, in your letters, everything a fellow away from his sweetheart wants, and I don’t know how I can ever make up to you, darling, for the love and faithfulness which you portray in your writing to me. I just want you to know how much I appreciate each and every one of them.
Our second day in London was Tuesday, January 4th. We got up about 0845 and ate breakfast at our own hotel. All hotel room charges, by the way, include the next morning’s meal. We got into a cab and headed for Buckingham Palace. We were fortunate to arrive there in time for the changing of the guard – which occurs at 1030. It was very impressive. We could see the part of the Palace that had been bombed. The place is immense and has 4 main wings – in a rectangular form, connected, with a large square court in between. There was no chance of seeing the King since we learned he was at his country home in Sandringham.
We then walked across the Mall towards Big Ben. We heard it chime at noon hour. It’s tremendous and beautiful – if you can use two such adverbs together. We followed the Thames and came to the Houses of Parliament. I was anxious to see it the way it’s shown in the movies – the side overlooking the river. The buildings are very stately and dignified and carry an air of age. At one side is a statue of Richard the Lionhearted, at another – one of Oliver Cromwell.
From there we proceeded up the street – all this is in easy walking distance – to Westminster Abbey and that, darling, was thrilling. The building is enormous and much like a cathedral. Inside are very ornate pieces of Statue, marble plaques and tombs. You walk along the floor and come to a plaque in the floor that says Charles Darwin etc. and that means he is buried underneath. I had no idea how many of the people or figures important in molding past history – were English and were all entombed at Westminster Abbey. We saw the tombs of so many I can hardly remember them, but some are Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, One of the wives of Henry VIII, all the Kings and Queens of the past, Mary Queen of Scotland, Gladstone, Disraeli, Livingstone, Robert Browning, Kelley, Gray – etc. etc. It was really impressive, dear and well worth visiting.
When we left there we walked some more and came to Whitehall – which is a group of Government buildings. We walked up Downing St. to see No. 10 and just missed seeing Gen. Montgomery who had just left. By this time – we were really hungry – so we got a cab to the Cumberland Hotel and had a fairly decent lunch. None of the menus include anything like steak or red meat and you’re lucky to get fowl.
After lunch we visited two more spots of interest, the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The former, you know, is the place where political prisoners were formerly taken, when Princes were beheaded, etc. The guard has not missed changing every night at 2200 for 600 years; we also saw London Bridge; the Cathedral was beautiful, although at one spot it had received a direct hit thru the roof. That too was the largest Cathedral or church I had ever been in and certainly very impressive.
It was now mid-afternoon and we made our way up Oxford St. to Bond St., Trafalgar Square and to the shopping district – but the stores close at 1600 and we couldn’t look around. You can’t buy anything, anyway – without ration coupons, which aren’t available to us.
In the evening – we went to the Piccadilly Hotel and had roast pheasant, which was pretty good, and a couple of brandies. We got a good night’s sleep this time and left for camp. I neglected to mention that I was also in Cambridge, but didn’t get a chance to see much of its universities – of which it has 18.
So there you have it, sweetheart, an account in detail of my trip. It was better than I expected it to be and I’m glad I visited London. I didn’t get a chance to see the Wax Museum, which is famous, but maybe I’ll see it next time I go.
Darling, that’s all for this sitting, which I hope you didn’t find too tiring; it’s just that I want you to live with me – at least by letters – every minute of every day and this is the only way we can do it now. I hope everything is well at home now and the epidemic gone. My best regards to your family and Mary and for now, dearest, you have all of my love –
Greg
P.S. I now have a picture of you – but not the one you sent me. It’s a clipping from the Traveler which my father cut out for me.
* TIDBIT *
about the Bombings of Buckingham Palace
Damage by Buckingham Palace, 18 September, 1940
about the Bombings of Buckingham Palace
Damage by Buckingham Palace, 18 September, 1940
Greg mentioned seeing the damage to Buckingham Palace. He didn't know then that the damage was not yet finished. In fact, the Palace was to be bombed again in just a few weeks. The web site "West End at War," which was part of a project put together to mark the 70th anniversary of the Blitz in this part of London, describes the many bombings. Here is what Amy Heaney has to say:
During the Blitz, Buckingham Palace was the target of German air raids on nine occasions, including over half a dozen separate incidents. The building and grounds were subjected to incendiary, high explosive and delayed-action bombs designed to penetrate several stories of the structure before detonation. Despite this, the overall campaign against Buckingham Palace resulted in only limited success: property damage was light and there were no mass casualties.
The Palace was first struck on 9 September 1940. A delayed-action bomb dropped by a Dornier Do17 aircraft fell close to a swimming pool at the north western part of the Palace. It was roped off and later detonated, carving out a large crater, destroying much of the swimming pool, seriously damaging the North Wing of the Palace and blowing out many Palace windows.
The Palace was hit again on 13 September at around 11am, during the second of three daylight raids that day. A single German raider specifically targeted the Palace, hitting the internal quadrangle with two high explosive bombs and dropping a third delayed-action device on the forecourt roadway. The high explosive ordinance ruptured a water main in the courtyard, blew out most of the windows on the southern and western sides of the quadrangle, and caused extensive damage to the Palace’s Royal Chapel. Four workers were injured; one later died. The Chapel interior was badly damaged. Several portraits were damaged in the Palace corridors and the red carpets were lightly covered by dust.
The King and Queen were in residence at the time of the bombing - taking tea - but escaped unscathed. Congratulations on their safety poured in from around the Empire and beyond. After this attack, the Queen was prompted to express her solidarity with fellow Londoners, remarking: "I am glad we have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face".
The incident did not end until 8:40 the following morning, when the delayed-action bomb - which had landed just outside the forecourt gates in front of the Victoria Memorial - finally detonated. Although rescue squads had been given ample time to build six foot-high sandbag walls around the bomb, the explosion destroyed much of the forecourt fencing around the south gate and left a crater 30’ by 20’ and 10’ deep.
On 15 September, German aircraft dropped several delayed-action bombs on the Palace, hitting the lawns and the Regency Bathroom facing the West Terrace. On 15 September 2010, at a ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral, marking the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the start of the Blitz, HRH Prince Charles told the press that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, recalled how a single bomb was carried out of the Palace on a stretcher.
Two days later, on 17 September, a bomb landed shortly before 11am, just inside the Buckingham Garden Gate near the Royal Apartments, smashing a crater in the ground but not detonating upon impact. Investigators quickly confirmed the presence of a delayed-action UXB. Left where it was, the damage was minimal. When it finally detonated around 7pm, this consisted mostly of broken glass littering nearby Grosvenor Place. The Palace faced no further direct attack during the rest of 1940 although in November the adjacent Royal Mews was damaged.
On 8 March 1941, a Luftwaffe bomber flew over the Palace and dropped a single high explosive bomb which hit the North Lodge and demolished it. One policeman was killed. Only a few hours later, another wave of German aircraft again hit the Palace, dropping high explosive bombs over the forecourt. Despite initial confusion as to how many had hit, the second raid was unsuccessful; no harm was inflicted on the structure, utility mains, or residents.
In 1944, the Palace grounds were again damaged, this time by a falling V1 flying bomb.
Because of its symbolic value and the fact that the Royal Family publicly insisted on staying in residence, Buckingham Palace provided a seductive target for Luftwaffe attack during the Blitz. But their efforts did not succeed. Despite the significant number of attempts made on it, the Palace emerged from the Second World War with relatively slight damage.
The Palace was first struck on 9 September 1940. A delayed-action bomb dropped by a Dornier Do17 aircraft fell close to a swimming pool at the north western part of the Palace. It was roped off and later detonated, carving out a large crater, destroying much of the swimming pool, seriously damaging the North Wing of the Palace and blowing out many Palace windows.
The Palace was hit again on 13 September at around 11am, during the second of three daylight raids that day. A single German raider specifically targeted the Palace, hitting the internal quadrangle with two high explosive bombs and dropping a third delayed-action device on the forecourt roadway. The high explosive ordinance ruptured a water main in the courtyard, blew out most of the windows on the southern and western sides of the quadrangle, and caused extensive damage to the Palace’s Royal Chapel. Four workers were injured; one later died. The Chapel interior was badly damaged. Several portraits were damaged in the Palace corridors and the red carpets were lightly covered by dust.
The King and Queen were in residence at the time of the bombing - taking tea - but escaped unscathed. Congratulations on their safety poured in from around the Empire and beyond. After this attack, the Queen was prompted to express her solidarity with fellow Londoners, remarking: "I am glad we have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face".
The incident did not end until 8:40 the following morning, when the delayed-action bomb - which had landed just outside the forecourt gates in front of the Victoria Memorial - finally detonated. Although rescue squads had been given ample time to build six foot-high sandbag walls around the bomb, the explosion destroyed much of the forecourt fencing around the south gate and left a crater 30’ by 20’ and 10’ deep.
On 15 September, German aircraft dropped several delayed-action bombs on the Palace, hitting the lawns and the Regency Bathroom facing the West Terrace. On 15 September 2010, at a ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral, marking the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the start of the Blitz, HRH Prince Charles told the press that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, recalled how a single bomb was carried out of the Palace on a stretcher.
Two days later, on 17 September, a bomb landed shortly before 11am, just inside the Buckingham Garden Gate near the Royal Apartments, smashing a crater in the ground but not detonating upon impact. Investigators quickly confirmed the presence of a delayed-action UXB. Left where it was, the damage was minimal. When it finally detonated around 7pm, this consisted mostly of broken glass littering nearby Grosvenor Place. The Palace faced no further direct attack during the rest of 1940 although in November the adjacent Royal Mews was damaged.
On 8 March 1941, a Luftwaffe bomber flew over the Palace and dropped a single high explosive bomb which hit the North Lodge and demolished it. One policeman was killed. Only a few hours later, another wave of German aircraft again hit the Palace, dropping high explosive bombs over the forecourt. Despite initial confusion as to how many had hit, the second raid was unsuccessful; no harm was inflicted on the structure, utility mains, or residents.
In 1944, the Palace grounds were again damaged, this time by a falling V1 flying bomb.
Because of its symbolic value and the fact that the Royal Family publicly insisted on staying in residence, Buckingham Palace provided a seductive target for Luftwaffe attack during the Blitz. But their efforts did not succeed. Despite the significant number of attempts made on it, the Palace emerged from the Second World War with relatively slight damage.
