A Story of War

I go out and see Peggy’s father at Frewin Road and a friend of his, Bruce, an ARP Warden, comes in and we consume some beer. Next day off down to St Ives where I am now, staying in the Trevessa Hotel. I set to work at once and meet one Vivian Julian who has a flat and an invalid mother, and one Denise Bennett also staying at the hotel. I take Vivian to a dance at the Tregunna Hotel and meet Denise and her American Major (Les Harness) there. It’s terrific and dancing with her puts my blood pressure way up and the bell rings. However the Yank is in and is around all today, Sunday. I spend two awful nights ‘sweating it out’ as the Yanks say, and have a third in prospect. (Too optimistic – the rest of my leave).

St Ives is full of cats, gossip and old Trout. One retired diplomatic service gives me half an hour on the ‘life of the salmon’, after lunch. Ma takes me to tea at Corbis Bay with one Mrs Welch of Malayan days – first cousin of Vivian, and they hate each other like poison.