Private Papers of H H Kassman – Telegram and Airgraph from Kassman to Mother, Letter from Kassman to Viviane, May 22, 1941
Date:
22.05.1941
Location:
טוברוק, לונדון
Personality:
H. Henry Kassman
Organization:
הצבא הבריטי
Archive:
Imperial War Museum (IWM)
Folder Number:
Gunner HH Kassman 1-6.1941
Description
Telegram, airgraph, and letter from Gunner H. Henry Kassman to his mother and Viviane Maisel (fiancée), from within a file of his correspondence between 1941-1943 compiled by his daughter in 2010. File’s contents are primarily typed letters and other correspondence, occasionally reproduced (often in addition to the typed version), and also include photographs, diary entries from Kenneth Rankin’s book Top-Hats in Tobruk, some other written materials, and some explanatory material. For further information, please see the folder summary. For all posts about this collection, please click on the “H. Henry Kassman” tag in this post.
Page 22: Telegram from Kassman to his mother at a London address. “Both well thanks card love = Kassman”. Dated May 15, 1941.
Airgraph: Mail has been received – everything seems to be arriving. No cables since March. Mother is doing well and using the flat as a kind of reception room. Mention of a Dr Winter. Their new site has a wireless set, on which they “hear the London propaganda blurb to the U.S.A. every night.” They hear similar material from Berlin. They listen to the non-news programs primarily to stay awake on night duty. They heard descriptions (put together for Americans) of events in London, including the War Armaments week and “pageantry” in Hyde Park. Mother guessed correctly why their mail was delayed in January. This is Kassman’s third Airgraph.
Letter from Kassman to Viviane [his fiancée, later wife, Viviane Maisel]. Overall tone is playful – clear inside jokes between the two of them throughout. This may be his second letter in a month. Kassman and the Commanding Officer don’t always see eye to eye. Viviane met an officer at Christmas who was similarly difficult. Kassman says he has decided the Commanding Officer will be the villain of his War novel (unclear if he was actually writing a novel or simply joking about it, as part of the mention is very obviously a joke). Some discussion of army life and a mention that his mother is still in St John’s Wood [a district in the City of Westminster, London] and “seems to be undisturbed by the surrounding chaos”. Kassman once predicted the war would end on June 26th, 1944, and hopes to be able to see Viviane then and tell her all about his experiences.
One page, typed. Dated May 15, 1941 (telegram) and May 22, 1941 (airgraph to mother and letter to Viviane).
