FAC159/1/95

Letter: from Richard Dillingham at No 21 Kite & Balloon Section RFC Camp, [France] to Christine Dillingham at Kings Road, Flitwick - writer has received a letter from his wife who along with the children is getting on all right; - notes they have had some wet days which has made things miserable; - notes he has been cutting up wood all day for the cookhouse fire and generally clearing up as it was reported that the General officer commanding the R.F.C was coming to inspect the camp "All the washing on the lines had to be taken down as though he had never seen a camp before" - notes that he and a party of men went out to find telephone wire left behind by the advancing troops "We went through some very pretty old villages and country districts but it is a shame to see how some of them are knocked about"; - comments that the trees are coming out in full leaf "They look a treat and reminded me very much of the old country places in England"; - notes he has been busy collecting a fresh supply of tubes from the station and whilst there went to the town and saw the cathedral and the main streets "It must have been a jolly nice town in pre-war days" and that "The cathedral is one mass of ruins"; - comments that they are doing night work with the balloon which goes up every other night and as such are not getting so much time in bed; - is glad everything is going so well in the garden; - "Wont it be a treat to be able to do as I like again and not have to go here and there and be ordered about, like we are out here and be able to sleep in a decent bed again with you"; - hopes it wont be much longer before he is back home; - notes it is 7 months today since he landed in France; - expects Mrs Fowler is cut up a good bit over George leaving, "that's the hardest part leaving home. I shan't forget leaving home that Sunday Morning"; - asks does she want to know how I am getting on? - "So Miss Horn [Parish nurse] was letting Horsler have it about her milk" did he tell you anything about it "He should serve her the same as Charlie Cousins did and not serve her"; - asks how is Old Major Weatherby getting on and is he any better now?; - asks how is George Mason getting on; - asks how are they all getting on down at home? and to remember me to them; - comments to tell Ben he is a good boy to send me "such a nice puffer train" and asks who are the people in it?;

April 1917

From: 1917 To: 1917

item

Dillingham, Richard,
Dillingham, Christine,
Dillingham, Ben,
Mason, George,
Cousins, Charlie,
Horn,
Horsler,
Weatherby,
Fowler, George

Royal Flying Corps, nurses, weather, CHILDREN, military balloons, FLITWICK, France, England