From Simon Meeds, 28 February 2012 A short while ago I promised to post some extracts from my mother's cousin's letters, sent while he was serving in the RAF during the first part of the Second World War. His name was William "Bill" Aubrey SEYMOUR and his family lived in Amber Hill, near Boston. He was an Air Gunner/Radio Operator in the RAF. The letters are from his training and operational service to my grandparents (Joseph and Katherine HUGGINS) and my uncle (Herbert HUGGINS). Bill died on 30 April 1940 during mission, I believe over Norway. Because letters were delivered so quickly in those days, they aren't dated as we would today, but rather say such things as "Sunday morning" or "Thursday Dinner-time"; quaint but not much help with exact dating. We have envelopes, some of which have postmarks but there are fewer envelopes than letters with several letters in each envelope and a virtual guarantee that they have been shuffled at some point. A few years ago I started trying to trace a lot of the references in the letter, some of which help with placement, others with dating, my cousin, who is also ex-RAF, did some work on them too. Maybe some day I will spend some real time on them, and maybe even publish them in their entirety, and with full annotation, so I won't post the full text but I will dig out some Lincolnshire references. -------------------------------------- (Monday Night, RAF Feltwell, Norfolk) I get bags of flying now, when the weather is O.K. in fact I think I shall soon want a new Log Book to keep my flying times in. We have been over to Berner's Heath two or three times for shooting practice, I bet there must be a lot of dead rabbits there now. On the Saturday after I got back, we went up to Catfoss, near Scarboro' in Yorkshire to do some practice bombing and air firing. We flew just over the outskirts of Boston, dead over Hubbert's Bridge, Amber Hill and South Kyme. I saw our house very plainly (we were only about 1,000 feet up) and I could even see the postman going down the fen. We ran into a lot of fog over North Lincolnshire, somewhere around Scunthorpe Way and we went up to 4,000 feet to get above it, and it wasn't very hot up there on that particular morning, I can tell you. We didn't land at Catfoss, we just did our bombing and firing and then returned home, the whole trip taking 3 hours. I was perched in my "nest" the whole of the time, and only once did the pilot call me up on the inter-comm. I sang to myself to pass the time away coming back. I had a good mind to switch the microphone on, I bet somebody would have had something to say to me then. I think we are going to Catfoss again next Saturday, so look out for us about 9 or 10 o'clock time. We were coming up Boston way today to do some air firing over the Wash but visibility was rather bad this morning so the programme was postponed until tomorrow. However, we had a little "flip" over to Mildenhall and Newmarket this morning to practise "ZZ" landings, which is a method by which a 'plane can be brought right over the aerodrome by wireless, when visibility is practically zero. -------------------------------------- (Wednesday Afternoon, Cardington, Bedfordshire) Many thanks for Uncle Joe's letter. I have time to write this to-day because it is snowing like mad outside, and we never do anything when it rains or snows. I have written two letters this morning, one to my pal and one to the Wheelers Secretary. The Wheelers prize-giving is next Monday night. [The "Wheelers" would be "Boston Wheelers" cycling club (http://bostonwheelerscc.org.uk/).] -------------------------------------- (Thursday Night, Feltwell, Norfolk) I shall soon be well rigged out for clothes when I get your scarf. I had a pull-over sent me and a young lady friend of mine in Cambridge said she would knit me a pair of gloves, I don't know whether she will or not. The pull-over was sent by a Miss G.I. Hooper of 48, Argyle Street, and she was very careful to put "Miss" in her letter and she also sent a stamped addressed envelope to make sure I wrote back. I wondered if it was a gag to get me to write to her or not, because Mother gave my name to a schoolteacher I know, and I've been wondering why this teacher couldn't have sent the pull-over herself. When I was going to write to her I was trying to make up my mind whether "Miss" Hooper was a young lady of about 18 or an old maid of ? about, shall we say 50. (Just imagine the poor old dear, with her crinoline and cat.) I finally decided (from my own conclusions) that Miss Hooper is about 17 or 18 because her letter was printed and rather heavily scented and you don't usually find old maids of 50 printing their letters, even if they use scented notepaper. Perhaps you can get your Detective Agency on the job and get some information for me. (I thank you.) [Argyle Street is in Boston. I'd better let you know what happened about Miss Hooper since I don't want you biting your nails; though it's a bit disappointing] -------------------------------------- (Wednesday Night, Feltwell, Norfolk) It's a pity you didn't get any information about Miss Hooper, you know I shall want somebody to run around if I get home for Xmas. I have been making a list of "possibles" and I have got them narrowed down a lot. How about "Ginger" across the road from you? Do you think she will be attracted by the Air Gunner's badge. As a last resort I might try "Coe", although I hope she thinks different of me, than she did that Sunday night she stopped us in Emery Lane and told me off for ringing her up. Do you remember that night? Poor old Betty, I often think about that "do". I was hoping that they might have "The Lion Has Wings" at the Odeon for Xmas, but I see from the forthcoming attractions that there isn't anything outstanding on. We have had a deuce of a lot of rain here lately. I had a pair of gloves and a Balaclava helmet sent to me last week by a woman at Amber Hill. I told Mother to bang my name and address into the "Standard" troops fund, I may as well get as much out of this war as I can. [OK, so he's very keen on his posse of ladies. He mentions "Coe" elsewhere though she might be more of a long-term friend than a girlfriend. Emery Lane is a narrow pedestrian street (almost an alley) in Boston, with shops. The Odeon was one of Boston's cinemas (those around my age may remember it as the Classic and it was later the Haven). It was on South Square and has been demolished. The Standard is the Boston Standard, which is still one of Boston's local newspapers (http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/)] --------------------------------------