Letters Home No 4

15th December 1943

By Tricia Leonard

To Mum, This is a view postcard of the pier at Skeggy. It is at the end of Scarborough Ave, where my Billet is. You see the tobbaconist on the left with Players in the window? Well that is our hairdressers now! We do a lot of our drilling on the bit of pavement shown. We will have to do a guard on the pier shortly.

3008677 AC2 G Horrobin
No 2 Squad, No 6 Flight
B Squadron
1 Wing, 11 RC
RAF Skegness
Lincs

Dear everybody,

Well as you see, I've arrived at Skegness.

We got up at 0300hrs this morning and paraded for breakfast with our ration bags at 0415hrs.  Luckily it was moonlight and much lighter than it has been most mornings at 0600hrs.  We had a piece of bread and a piece of cheese, both about 4" square and ½" thick, a meat pie and a cake.  There was a tray of cakes on the table and most of us helped ourselves to them and put them in our bags as well.

We eventually succeeded in climbing in to our webbing in something like the right order.  There is a ceremonial belt, which has to be worn very tight and onto this you fix two buckles in the front and onto these you fit two cross straps, onto the end of which go the water bottle and the haversack. In the middle of the belt hangs the mess tin which bangs about behind you as you walk.  My kit bag was full up to the very top and we had to march to Cardington Station with them.  Was it heavy!!  The train rolled in after about half an hour's wait, and in we got. We took all our harnesses off and most of us went to sleep.  We arrived at Peterborough at about 0900hrs, where we all had a 'cuppertea' (for 2d). We were then allowed to go in to Peterborough for three quarters of an hour.  You couldn't get in the first two or three shops for airmen.  I bought some metal polish, which is unobtainable in the NAAFI's and canteens, a nailbrush, also unobtainable and the brooch which is an advance Christmas present for you, Mum.  We reached Skegness at 2pm and shouldering our kitbags, we marched about 2 miles to our various billets, mostly boarding houses or small hotels, where we hastily dumped our packs and got our eating irons and mugs and, on the way to the dining hall, had an FFI.  The dining hall is on the front just before you come to the switchback scenic railway.  Do you know Skegness at all Dad?

The dinner wasn't up to much and we didn't get it till 3.30.  We were then marched back to fill in some forms, three of them, with almost the same questions on each of them.  Then, it being too late for tea, we went back to our billets; free for the day.

The place I am in is in Scarborough Avenue. There are three storeys, and, of course, we are in the third.  There are four of us in the room, all from the same hut at Cardington, which took a good bit of wrangling, and the walls and ceiling are all damp.  There must only be one fire alight in each billet and there are 15 airmen in this house.  We are going to take it in turns to have one.  I don't know when our turn comes round.  We are a long way from the dining hall and, if we don't want to have to queue behind 3 or 4 hundred others, we have to be there in the morning for breakfast at 6.15.  So we had better get up at about 5.00. There is a special house set aside for recruits, and it contains a library, fires, armchairs and various other nice things.  That is also a good way away!  One thing we are lucky in though is that the NAAFI is just across the road.  It used to be the Queen's Hotel.  I have just been over there for supper; beans, chips, a meat pie and a roll and a cup of tea.  Followed by a slice of tart and another cup.  It was very nice and they are very civil to you.

We have got eight weeks here.  Three weeks square bashing and five on the various ranges, rifle, mills bomb and various others.   I think we get some leave then, I hope.

Have you had many eggs from the chickens?  Think of me eating turkey when you are eating the cockerels won't you?

Are you managing to get up without me calling you, Rosemary?  How is Grandpa, give him my love won't you?

Did you receive my three letters?  Write soon won't you?  And could you get me one of those steel mirrors?  Nobody in the room has got one.

Well I'll sign off now,

Love George

PS. please send me a flannel and a few handkerchieves.