Training completed - waiting draft - another letter home

Petty Officers’ Mess,
Royal Naval Barracks,
Devonport, Plymouth,

Saturday 27th April, 1940
3-30 pm
Dear Mum + Dad,
I received a letter from you Mum, dated the 17th April, last Monday (22nd). It arrived after the other one from Dad and you which was sent after it. I’m still here as you see, and will most likely be here till I go to sea. In the meantime, I go down to the dockyard every day + up to the present, having been having lectures on the Yarrow Boiler, which is on all the battle-ships. There is an old dismantled boiler here, and we are having it described to us thoroughly + taking notes on it. As the C.P.O., told us, “We might go away to sea any day, + we don’t want to go away ‘green’”. The boiler is on an old “Monitor” ship, which is always anchored here. The interior + deck of the ship is made to make a series of workshops.
I don’t know if it will go or not, I should imagine it would have to be towed.
I’m find [sic] out advantages every day now, one being, that we now have a choice of tea or coffee, and another, that we have a choice of hammocks or beds. I think I will stick to hammocks though, they are really very comfortable. We have our own bar here in the PO’s Mess, but don’t get worried as I haven’t touched it yet. Lemonade is cheaper and nicer. The cider is 3d a pint. The food is definitely cooked better in this mess than in the Training Division, it is really lovely food + the plates are heated now, which, I think you will agree, is a great help to having a hot meal.
The time here is always by the 24 hr. clock, one soon gets used to it. When ever anything is announced, the time given is always like 0700, or 1915 etc.,.
The baths we had before were all right; but they hadn’t any doors on, and besides being slightly draughty was not exactly private. In some ways it was very handy, for if you wanted to have your back scrubbed, all you had to do was call anybody who was passing, + they would willingly oblige.
Now however, we have real solid doors + cleaner baths, which is also a great asset, as before, instead of cleaning yourself, you were really cleaning the bath.
We were asked the names of the sports we were interested in, so I put my name down for Running, rugby, tennis + cricket. I will add swimming I think, as you don’t have to be good at them. We were told that we will be trained in all the sports we put down.
I hope Jack is getting on all right with his bike, + it is all fixed up by now. I’m very glad to hear he has got me a cig. lighter, it’s the very thing I need now. I hope the links are mended in time for me before I go away. I wrapped them up in a piece of paper in the envelope, I thought that would be enough. I didn’t think any parcels or heavy objects came in contact with the letter post. I’m sorry to hear they were squashed a bit, I hope they can be straightened out all right.
I went to see “French without tears” + enjoyed it very much. It was a first class comedy. The girl reminded me very much of Joan Sweetland, in her manner; half a dozen boys at once.
How is the cat’s head? It tells you all about the care of cats in one of my hobby books. I think there is a card-board collar you put around his neck to stop him from scratching, in a case like that.
The wristwatch is doing fine. It is losing about 1 ½ mins. a day, but it will probably catch up in time.
I may come home next weekend on my free pass. It may be my last chance of seeing you before I go, as I don’t think there will be any Whitsun leave; I’ll let you know later on in the week if I am coming home.
The weather here the last couple of weeks has been very hot, it’s lovely. I hope it is the same in Crosby.
Nothing of importance has happened here really, nothing I’m allowed to tell you anyway, except that the men from the H.M.S. Hardy arrived in the barracks a few days ago. We all turned out to cheer them, the whole Barracks, officers, Commanders, Commodore, old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all. It was quite interesting.
The chap that is calling (I hope) for the mandoline [sic] is the chap Dad saw on the train last time. He is quite a nice chap really, but bery common and liable to drink. Of course his father I a dockhand + drinks a lot himself, so you can’t really blame him.
How is the hospital going? Just as well as ever I hope, or better if that is possible. I hope, Dad, you’ve pulled up your writing a bit, you’ll want to start pulling up a bit before your holidays won’t you?
Well I think that is all now Mum + Dad, so I will take my leave of you till, I hope next weekend, so
Cheerio &
Love from
Bill.

P.S. I hope you don’t mind my writing, but you see I’ve got nobody to check over my letters down here.
P.P.S: Please excuse the dirty envelope, they’ve run out of them in the writing room, so I’ve had to use one of my own, it’s a bit dirty, but I think it will last till it gets home.
If anything urgent comes up + you would rather ‘phone me, the number is on front page. I think the charge is 1/8 d, but I am not always in.
Then there is a sketch of what must be a boat at the quay side labelled “shops fitted up for us and MONITOR (for shallow rivers, very flat bottomed)”

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