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14th September 2021, 10:11 PM
#1
Letter Writing
As i sit here like many others , things of the past flow back in one's mind, and this brings me to Letter Writing at Sea!
So how many of you wrote letters to your Family and lovers that you had!
For me , well i can recall writing so many that i suppose cannot put an actual number on it, But for sure wrote to my dear Mother, Sister as well quite a lot, but funnily never seemed to write to Dad , but then he was such a hard Man to follow at the time as he seemed to jump around a lot , as my Parents were Divorced! Like so many others too i guess!
As for the Girls (Lovers) i had, well they did honestly number quite a few, and that in itself kept me very busy in the Writing Line! LOL
At one stage i do somehow recall having to write to some 8 Girls at the same time, this was rather confusing at times, and i had to watch myself in case i wrote the wrong thing to the Girl in Question, what a Palava!
But it was good too, as i seemed to always have Mail to read which as you know was a good thing at Sea, kept one sane to a point ! LOL
It was nice when one got back to a Port where your Girl was waiting at the Quayside, waving to you if you got chance to get on Deck, otherwise She just had to stand and wait for you! But the actual meeting again was great!
Only thing is once i had Two Girls on the go in Southampton at the same time, and it landed up that both were one day there to meet me. Oh Boy!!
A big commotion that was and i had to talk real smoothly, but i did manage to sort things out, and although in the end i lost one of them, it was not a Cat Fight! LOL So all was well and i was happy and Sad!
So wonder if you too had lots of Girls to Write to, and what were your experiences ??
Cheers
Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website
R697530
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15th September 2021, 04:06 AM
#2
Re: Letter Writing
Those Blue airmail letters saved me a few bob, I wrote to my Mum from every port, or before we got there, I had two sisters I wrote to, now this may seem strange but I never wrote to a girl until i met my future wife. Not that I didn't have any, but when I met a girl on leave we had a good time, she asked me to write I said Ok but I never did, I never had any intention of being tied down, that is why I was 27 when i decided that my wife was the one and only. 64 years ago, and I still have all her letters, and she has mine.
R510868
Lest We Forget
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15th September 2021, 06:31 AM
#3
Re: Letter Writing
Blue air mail letters, do they still exist?
Wrote to mum fairly regularly and some girls I knew.
Used to get replies from mum asking when I would be home, then when I did she would say hello son, when you going back?
Used to get letters from the girls as well 'Dear John'..........
Still do write the occasional letter, mainly to authorities who do not get it right, local council, local poli and a few others.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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15th September 2021, 10:16 AM
#4
Re: Letter Writing
I think most of us had a special effection with our mams and as we all no it was although addressed to the family it was to put your mam at ease,
Once wrote home and put a little letter inside the envelope For Dad only read alone just a few lines.
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{terry scouse}
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15th September 2021, 11:01 AM
#5
Re: Letter Writing
I had two regular Girl Friends who didnt know about each other.
I always wrote to them while I was away
One trip I put the wrong letters in the others envelope, ... Dear Betty to Dear Gwen and reverse.
I never saw them both again.
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15th September 2021, 01:53 PM
#6
Re: Letter Writing
Victoria 4, we were the same as yourself, my wife kept all our letters in a cardboard box in the wardrobe, but came home from her work in a school one day, to find my two sons, aged about 8-10 reading those letters in our bedroom, she was really put out by that, they both got a rollicking, and as she thought that these letters were really private, she burned them, kt
R689823
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15th September 2021, 07:27 PM
#7
Re: Letter Writing
Well well, not a dear John among you unless you are John. I remember a few of those pinned to the notice board for comment. I hadn't written to mother for a few months and received a letter from my father it was like a summons asking why!
Never he girlfriends to write to early on I was still in love with the sea. When home on study leave I meet a local girl who happened to be going on holiday to Italy the next day I asked her if she would send me a postcard which she did. When she returned we went out together till I had to rejoin the company, coasting before I got a deep sea ship again. We exchanged letters on a regular basis and I sent postcards from ports we called at. I didn't know it then but my deep sea days were numbered. We were married eighteen months later and like some still have the letters. Fifty one years on where did it go.
Bill
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15th September 2021, 10:57 PM
#8
Re: Letter Writing
Reading this thread reminded me of one trip , where a letter from home was not always a good thing.
We were in New Zealand and one of the lads a "Scot", (We were working in the Engine Room Department). He was about early to mid 20;s. and he was, I recall a very happy sort of bloke. He had a letter from his "best friend' in which he told him that he had seen his wife with another man and felt he should know. After receiving this letter he was almost suicidal and depressed for the rest of the trip.
His friend would have done better to keep the the information to himself until we were back home rather than suggest something like that to someone who is half way around the world and months from home.
Frank.
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16th September 2021, 05:54 AM
#9
Re: Letter Writing
Before we were married and at times after my wife had to go back to Ireland for a variety of reasons.
No long distance phone calls from there so she would write.
I still have all those letters in a box at the bottom of the safe.
One day when I can summons the courage I will read them again.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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24th September 2021, 06:23 AM
#10
Re: Letter Writing
Victoria, looking back I often think that fate plays such a big part in our lives.
The circumstances on how we met is nothing different to many others, at a party, but how I managed to be there and how things progressed at a rate of knots makes me understand more of it.
We were engaged after just six weeks.
Married a year later and moved into our first house a year after that.
I have a small book, the title is 'My Best friend'.
Two versions available, male or female and says my best friend is my husband/ wife.
So very true.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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