Letter No. 113
22/1/44
Dear Mum,
It is about a month since I sent you a letter by surface mail but that is only because there is so little news. I have my work cut out trying to fill an airgraph. This is just to let you know what I did on leave.
We expected to be away for two weeks but the army took over our hotel at Amalfi & so the leave was cut down to eight days so that everyone could get away.
We had a very quiet time indeed because Naples was out of bounds owing to a typhus epidemic amongst the civilian population & so we spent most of our time at the hotel.
In peace times the hotel was a sanitarium for people suffering from gout, lumbago & similar ailments & in each room was a bath into which flowed hot mineral water straight from the hot springs on Mt. Vesuvius. It was good to be able to hop into a steaming hot bath anytime during the day or night.
The hotel was at a place called Pozzoli, about ten miles from Naples & we spent our days just wandering around the town. We just used to walk down the street & buy a couple of pounds of walnuts or almonds & then sit on the sea-wall & eat them.
I only went on two trips while I was there. They were to the top of Mt. Vesuvius & Sorento. It took us an hour & a half to walk to the top of Mt Vesuvius & about ten minutes to come down again. I wouldn’t like to see you try & walk it. It was almost too much for me.
That is all I did for the eight days I was away. The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there & it has been pretty good since we returned.
I spent the day to-day putting up a hut for our mess. It is about 15 ft wide & 30 ft long & stands about 10 ft high. It is made from galvanised iron & angle iron & just fell together.
Well, Mum, that’s all for now but I will write again soon.
Much love to all at home
Lovingly Yours
Frank
No comments:
Post a Comment