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September/ October brought news that Betty had married someone else. Sgt Stephenson played it down in his letters home, but it must have been a hard knock.
" So Betty is Mrs. So & So now, it came damn close to being Stephenson (note my ego). It's Sunday today and raining like hell. the weather suits my spirits..........."
A letter to a friend dated Sept 7/42 talked of his cheating death. "
For one horrible moment when I bailed out in my chute, I didn't think it would open as it took longer than usual and when it did I almost landed on top of a farm house. Boy the German farmer was surprised to see me drop out of the blue. I bailed out at 800 ft which doesn't give you much margin for landing in one piece, my landing place was a bunch of vegetables".......
Sgt Stephenson's jump that night gave him entrance into the "Caterpillar" club. This club has been discussed in this form before. Jim tells me his fathers medal has the Ruby eyes denoting a jump from a burning aircraft.
June 21/43 brought this letter;
"I am all settled in my new abode Stalag Luft 6; there are only fifty to a room here which gives considerable more privacy than my previous three camps (Dulag Luft-- Stalag VlllB -- Stalag Luft lll), also all Red Cross parcels are cooked by the cook house staff, which saves us messing about like a lot of old hens, although it did give us something to occupy our time. The sports field when utilized will be a welcome improvement, this one being a grass field, where the other was very fine dust..... Betty was my only matrimonial aim, so such thoughts of marriage will be put in moth balls and put away for a few years....."
Sgt Stephenson's diary picks up again in July of 44. The letters up to this point are mainly of a personal nature and do not give much information.
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