World War II Letters Home August 20, 1939 - Estelles Wickenkamp

                                                                                                 Officer's Mess
                                                                                                 Royal Air Force Station
                                                                                                 Stradishall, Newmarket
                                                                                                 August 20, 1939


Dear: Dad and Richard:

I guess it is about time that I wrote again.  I am glad to hear that the crops are still o.k. and didn't get hailed out or burned up.  You must be getting to be quite a cook - canning fruit and peas, etc. How does the garden look - has it been alright or was it too dry?  I suppose during this hot weather the lake is quite a favorite sport. especially on Sundays.  We have been having terribly hot and close weather here for the last couple weeks.  There is a bit of a breeze today, so it isn't too bad.

I am Orderly Officer this week-end so I have to stay in camp, otherwise I would be at the bathing pool at Newmarket or the river at Burlwell.

WEDNESDAY 23RD

Sorry I didn't get this finished the other day but as I have been so busy lately, I couldn't.

I was Aerodrome Control Pilot for night-flying on Monday night until 3 o'clock Tuesday.  Then I had to get up at 8 o'clock and go to Honington to attend a court martial.  A sergeant who was N.C.O. 1/c messing was charged with fraudulent misapplication of air men's rations.  As there was insufficient evidence and lack of proof, he was let off "not guilty".

I have been kept busy all this morning in the Navigation Office issuing equipment (sextants, calculators, maps, etc., to some Observer Sergeants who have just arrived here on a Navigational course.  So I was filling out loan cards for all of them.  After that I gave a couple officers some instructions on using and sighting with the bubble sextant, then after lunch some more sighting and I relieved the Squadron Adjutant in his office until 4:30.  In case of mobilization I will be posted to Thornaby - somewhere in Yorkshire as a Navigational Instructor and probably get in some time as Instructional Pilot.  There is another "flap" on just now.  This is the 3rd crisis I have been through since I have been over here.  All our leave has been cancelled and we are not (for the present) allowed to leave the station.  Also we have to be ready upon and hours notice to move out of here to where ever we are posted.  Upon notice of mobilization the whole squadron must be ready to completely evacuate in 6 hours - that means, ground staff, aircraft, repairs, equipment, stores and munitions.  My 1st war posting was to Harwell, near Oxford, but now that is changed.  Otherwise life in the R.A.F. is proceeding quite normally.

We had a couple of days of heavy rain here.  Some of it was a regular cloud-burst.  Some parts of the country are suffering from floods.  When the sun has been out it was terribly hot.  It has been hot today again so I supposed it will rain tomorrow.

The crops that I have seen over here look quite good.  Some wheat crops will be good for about 50 bushel to the acre.  They call wheat 'corn' here; I haven't actually seen any real corn.

There should be a lot more news to write about but I can't think of it right now.  I am sending some magazines with photos in them for you to keep for me.  I am going to have supper now, so I'll try to write more after I finish.  I will try to send some England newspapers to you so you can read the local news about Europe today.  I will write again this week-end and see if I can do.

Best Wishes and Love,

Estelles

P.S. The enclosed is just a sample of some sort of seaweed that grows on the rocks.

World War Letters Home July, 1939 - Estelles Wickenkamp

                                                                                                      Royal Air Force
                                                                                                      Officer's Mess
                                                                                                      Stradishall, Newmarket
                                                                                                      Suffolk
                                                                                                      July, 1939
Dear Dad and Richard:

I got a letter from Mama at Crete.  It was a surprise to me.  I hope it isn't going to be too hard on her staying with Grandma.  If Grandma happens to go I think Mom should stay down for about a month so she can take things easy for once and be able to visit some of here old friends.  It would do here a lot of good.  It means you will have to get someone to do the house work but that wouldn't hurt you for a month or 2.

I am in 75 squadron and have just moved from Honington to Stradishall - the whole squadron moved - aeroplanes, men, equipment, everything.  I am Officer in charge of the photographic section and equipment and I also have 2 air men's barrack blocks on my charge, that includes all furniture, beds, etc., and I have been busy for the last 2 days checking inventories - what a job!

We have been kicked out on leave while the squadron officers etc. get settled down. I've only had a fortnight leave yet and we are supposed to get 2 months each year so I don't think a week and a half will hurt me.  Doug and I are going in the car to a place near Norwich where an elderly couple live.   They ha a nice cabin cruiser on the river and Doug and I are going to sleep in it.  The cruiser has a small (really small) kitchen, toilet and wash basin, storage room, a room with 2 single beds, table and radio.  It has a marine 4 cylinder motor and does about 10 m.p.h.  I'll send you a picture of it.

I have in quite a few hours as 2nd pilot in Harrows while we were taking them away and bringing back Wellingtons.  As soon as I get back from leave I will be taking dual on Wellingtons.  They are a very fine machine;  they cruise at 215 m.p.h  Cruising them at 180 m.p.h they have a range of 3,200 miles.

We will be doing long range exercises after a while, going over to Egypt, etc. and back.  Probably we may start flying to Canada and back sometime.  I'd do anything to be able to fly to Canada in a Wellington.

I'll be sending some more aeroplane magazines from time to time - We have a new brick mess here but about half a dozen of us are living in a new wooden hut.  We have new furniture and bedding in our rooms so they are quite alright.  The big drawback is this part of the country is drinking water.  The water here has to be bottled before we can drink it.  It is so hard and full of iron the glasses  and water jugs yellow.

This place is about 60 miles NE of London and about 25 miles E of Cambridge (the college town).  Otherwise the villages are about the size of Tadmore and Hassan, but they are plenty numerous if that means anything.  The crops that are, look quite good here.

What do things look like around Stenen?  Don't you have any friends?  You never say boo about anyone - how about getting down to it and writing be a decent letter for once?  I want you to write about everything and if you don't send me a 6 page letter when your answer this - well I'm going to quit writing too - that should be a good bargain.

The siren has just finished wailing - so that means it's diner time, so here goes.

Take care of yourselves.


                                                                    Love,

                                                                    Estelles