Pte Boy Grundlingh
189281
Headquater Company
10 S.A Field Amb
To Army P.O
Durban
1st March 1941
Dearest Mum and Dad,
At last, and after four weeks of activity, we are now having a few days rest. I sent off a note and a Field card some time back. Hope it reached you. I have much to write about.
Ill start with the Thankyou’s. Thanks so much for the two nice parcels, especially the one containing the goods you bought at Gribbles. I’ve been waiting for that for 6 months now and I was quite excited when I opened the parcel. Thanks for the lovely waterbags and the books. I also received your letter and Marie’s. Now you must thank Eileen for hers. Last but not least, the snaps “Ja, Jack en Len lyk soos twee lekker Kérels op die snap, blink knope, blink skoue en als, maar hul sal nie so swakkie lyk as hulle Noord kom nie” At any rate Im glad he was down home to show you what we should look like but Phanie and myself will look very different with our battledress.I’ve lost track of Phanie and their unit altogether. Tommorrow I’m Brigade Orderly and perhaps I can find out where their camp is. It must be in the vicinity.
I can’t give you much war news. We have given the Italians hell, and once we crossed the Juba River we advanced rapidly, taken thousands of prisoners and any amount of war material. The Radio of course gives an accurate account of our activities.
At present we are at our second port of call. At the previous one our camp was situated about 4 miles from the coast. We went down for a swim everyday and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Our next two camps were on the riverbank and again we were able to swim and wash some of our clothes.
Now we are once again some distance from the sea, nevertheless, we went for a swim yesterday morning from 7-10. This morning a fishing party left at about 5 o’clock. Garth Howell went with them and just think that perhaps I’ll have fresh fish for supper tonight. At 7 o’clock another party left for the Tannery and sightseeing. Its not a big town at all. Much smaller than Frenchoek and mostly inhabited by the Arabs and dirty Somali’s.
I started this letter last night, being a bit sleepy I decided to finish it this morning before 10 o’clock, when all letters must be handed in for censoring. I wrote a five-page letter to (Nics?) but tell him unfortunately the entire letter was censored. Perhaps I’ll try again. Thank Marie for her letter as well and next opportunity will answer some.
I cannot imagine what went wrong with that allotment I made 7 months ago. I suppose it will turn up eventually.
Tell Ernest to send me a snap of the Wolseley. Eileen says he traded both the Studebaker and the Mavis. And hows the V8 going Dad? I wonder whether there’ll be enough petrol in Paarl for Phanie and myself once we get back.
About signing on for overseas and when we’re coming home, I can give no opinion. We simply have to wait to see what happens. You can rest assured though that we must come home first before we sign on for overseas. Then we can talk it over.
You needn’t worry much about sending parcels anymore. What I want now are a few more spools now and again.
It was Lilla’s birthday yesterday and I could not even drink her health. Who said I could not stay without bread for a month. When I get back I’ll be like Lourens de Jager not knowing what bread tastes like.
My birthday is a bit too early but perhaps we’ll be able to celebrate Phanies way down home. That’s all. Lots of Love to every body
Your Loving Son,
Boy
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