Thirty-five letters from Leslie Cairns, 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, while at Montrose, and two jeweller receipts, 6 January - 16 March 1941
Scope and Contents
Thirty-five letters, manuscript, 6 January to 16 March 1941, from Leslie G. Cairns, 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, 152nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery, Ayrshire Yeomanry, while at Montrose; the front pages of a book entitled Great Love Scenes from English Literature chosen and edited by Lancelot Oliphant and dated 26 March 1941; and two jeweller receipts/invoices for diamond ring and "gold safety".
In the letters, Leslie describes his daily life and living conditions while at Montrose and frequently thanks Irene J. Young for the letters and gifts such as cigarettes, books and a locket that she sends him. He also expresses concerns on occasion over air raids. Notable letters include:
- Sent on 9 February 1941, Leslie describes an explosion fifty yards away from him at Montrose, which came after four "laddies" were playing with a mine in an outhouse and "it had gone off". He describes the responses and casualties at the scene. In the next letter, sent on 10 February 1941, Leslie states that the news of the explosion reached the papers, and further describes the casualties.
- A decorative Valentines card, enclosed in an envelope, sent on 14 February 1941 with typed verse inside.
- Sent on 8 March 1941, Leslie describes the Regiment at Montrose being visited by a Polish Colonel.
- Sent on 11 March 1941, Leslie describes seeing a "sharp burst of machine gun fire" outside and a "tremendous display of flashes and bangs" about three miles out to see. He also tells Irene that "The King and Queen have been here over the weekend."
Dates
- Creation: 6 January - 16 March 1941
Creator
- Cairns, Leslie George, 1920-1944 (Lieutenant, 1st Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps) (Author, Person)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Some material is restricted due to Data Protection legislation. Please contact the repository in advance.
Full Extent
1 folder
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Originally from accession: SC-Acc-2016-0052
Subject
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Topical
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk