20^th May 1941

My dear Nora,

I got your letter of 11^th March a few days ago and have now had up to Number 9, the latter dated 29^th March. Thank you very much for them. It is so good of you to write so regularly. I was awfully pleased to hear of Claude’s safe arrival and to learn from Heather’s letter of the 23^rd February that you had got one from him. Your letter telling me about his job was most interesting. The Peppe here is Torco and remembers you. The brother you knew was invalided out of the Navy after the last war. Spring has been very late here, but has arrived at last and the country is looking very beautiful. We have no view from our room – we look out on the roof of the orderlies quarters – but some windows look up the valley towards the mountains which are very lovely on a clear day. The garden committee have been getting busy and have built a very fine rock garden which has quite a lot of colour already. A bed of tulips is just out, others have been planting flowers all day, so we should have a good show later on . Unfortunately, we have worn away all the grass from constant walking round and round. We can buy a few odds and ends from the canteen here – beer, razor blades, tooth paste etc, but there is very little to spend ones money on. We have opened a bank now, so that you can deposit your camp works. We used to do a little cooking for our evening meal on the stove in our room, but now spring has come the coal issue has stopped. However twice a week we can get dishes cooked in the cookhouse and have cold supper the remaining evenings. We are all wondering what Hess’s arrival in Britain means.

Love, Reggie

Absender:

Dienstrang, Vor= Und Zuname: Lt. Col. Reginald Goldney

Gefangenennummer: 273 Zimmer=Nr.: 66z

Lager-Bezeichnung: Oflag VII C

Deutschland (Germany)

An:

Mrs. Goldney

6 School Lane

Bishopthorpe, York