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From Bill in Wheatley. He thanks Hella for writing to him. He has delayed replying by a day as he has been busy. He agrees with her that it would be a good idea for her to get a job and backs this up with an example of a sergeant who is married to a Finn he met in Hamburg. The wife works in Oxford and they both have bicycles. Bill thinks they should get a bicycle for Hella. Apologises for any wrongdoing in the past, writing that he will never hurt her again. He is glad that she is going to Berlin to see her mother, but sorry that this will delay her arrival in England by a month. He goes on to ask when he should send on the papers for her to travel to England and finishes by telling her how much he loves her and writes if she needs anything he can send it. A postscript emphasises that Bill needs to know as soon as possible about the papers and writes that she needs to come over as his fiancée and then find work because if she comes over on work papers she could be sent anywhere. With envelope.

From Bill in Wheatley. Bill is worried that he has not yet had a letter from Hella. He promises that the bad days of the past are over and he has not done a thing in England he would not tell her about. He cannot explain the past but supposes it may be due to his ex-wife and the frustration of keeping their relationship secret. If Hella comes over as his fiancée, she has two months in which to decide whether to marry him or not. As soon as he can get to London for the papers he will. He has arranged for lodgings for Hella but is finding it embarrassing that he cannot say when she will come over. He asks her if she has had her wedding dress made yet. With envelope.

From Bill in Wheatley. Bill thanks Hella for her letter and wishes her a happy Easter. He went to London for four days and left his washing with his mother. He can easily get an advertisement published for Gerhard but it would be expensive. Hella has asked for tights and Bill writes these are scarce in England but suggests that he send a postal order to her for her to see if she can get a pair from the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute (NAAFI) via an army wife. He asks Hella to look into the possibility of this. He asks how she is planning to come over, by plane and luggage by sea? He asks when she will be coming. He is listening to a German radio station and they are playing ‘Die Fledermaus’. With envelope.

From Bill in Wheatley. Bill asks why Hella does not write so often. Asks her to forget her old fears and writes that he hardly drinks at all now. He has looked into getting the necessary permits for them to go on honeymoon in Germany. His savings for this are growing. He has been to visit his father in hospital. His father’s health is getting worse. He feels like he lives in the lab as he works such odd times. With envelope.

From Bill in Wheatley. Bill is getting worried and asks Hella to forget the [drink-induced] incident in the past and let them start again. He is unhappy and that she is the only one who can make him happy again. He goes to London every weekend, but this is just as dreary. He finishes the letter pleading with Hella to write as the long silences are worrying him. Postscript saying he has used his mother’s notepaper. With envelope.

Christmas card from Bill to Hella with a picture of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Famagusta, Cyprus.

From Bill at Command Military Laboratory (CML), Nicosia. Bill thanks Hella for her letter which she posted from Southampton and hopes that her voyage was a pleasant one. He had a sad Christmas and thought of her. He asks how things were in England. Life in Cyprus is terrible because the towns are out of bounds. If they go out they have to take guns with them. He has spent some time with Tom South and his wife at their house but fears to outstay his welcome. It is their wedding anniversary and Bill asks if she got the flowers he sent and asks her to give the relationship another chance. He got a letter from Gisela which he does not feel like answering at the moment. It had a few lines from Karl which he cannot read. He sends his love to Hella’s mother. Apologises that the letter is written on a torn sheet. He asks if she has had any money yet.

From Bill at CML, Nicosia. Bill was very shocked by Hella’s last letter. He is glad she has got a job which suits her and is comfortable. He refuses to comment on the rest of her letter. He is well in spite of the dangerous conditions. A colleague had a bomb thrown in the flat below his yesterday but no-one was hurt. He thinks Hella will be surprised to learn he has opened a savings account. He will increase his deposits when he gets the pay rise. He has sorted out problems with overpayment for rent in Aldershot but is still working on the ‘wireless affair’. He misses her and loves her. He sends regards to her mother and the Dietrichs but will not write himself as he would not know what to say.

Three black and white pictures of bridges, including the Mozart Bridge in Salzburg with the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the background printed on card; a postcard of the original Neue Elbbrücke Bridge in Hamburg; and a magazine cut-out of the Altstadt Bridge in Meissen with the Cathedral and Albrechtsburg in the background. Originally found with P14/6/1/3.

Press cutting featuring a photograph from the Picture Post of a chimpanzee being scrubbed in a bathtub. The words ‘Bill bathing Hella!!!’ have been added to the top left-hand corner.