Tuesday 2nd Feb 1915
Home of Mr & Mrs Ball, Stapleford, Notts.

“Well, open it then.”

“Alright, alright, no need to make fuss Mary.” John Ball picked up the letter from the kitchen table. “Who’s Lt.Pennington?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“Cause his name is on the front of the letter…. With ‘passed’ stamped on it”.

“Get on with it John.” Mary Ball was smiling as news from her only child had finally arrived.
John opened the letter with a knife, revealing a letter on RFC note paper. He started reading, but to himself.
“Well, say something. I need to know how he is”. Mary’s voice sounded a little apprehensive.

“Says here that our Alfred has passed his advanced flying school. Where that was has been blacked out. He writes…. ‘Dear Mom and Dad. The weather has been cold but very clear these weeks, and we are all progressing very well. I’ve been learning to’ …. That’s blacked out as well.”
‘Captain Triggers says I’m doing well and that I should be on my way to France quite soon. Imagine that, me a Lad from Stapleford going abroad to France. I have passed all my exams and am now a full Pilot. I met a nice bloke, Alan Farmer. He’s a smithy but says he learned to fly on his own on account of his father once owning an areoplane himself. In fact I’ve met a lot of decent chaps here, but almost all are officers. I have received word that a few of us will be off to’ …. “Blacked out again.”

‘This is all very exciting, and I hope the war will not be over before I get there. Tell Mom not to worry. They say that our machines are top notch, better than anything the Germans have, and that they (the Hun) turn for home the moment they see us. I’ll write again as soon as I get to my Squadron. Before I forget, could you send me extra socks, long underwear and scarfs? It’s quite cold at 2000ft.’

“Well that’s it Mary. Alfred is doing fine.”
“Yes it sounds like he is.”
“But”
“The thought of Alfred being over there, flying at 2000 ft and such, and with Germans also flying”

“Now don’t you fuss girl, our Alfred can look after himself. If he says things are fine then that’s good enough for me.”





Last edited by lederhosen; 06/04/15 09:16 AM.

make mistakes and learn from them

I5 4440 3.1Ghz, Asrock B85m Pro3, Gtx 1060 3GB