Evacuee Boys (12 page)

21
November
1940
– a postcard

Dear Mum and Dad,

I am sorry I am writing with pencil today, but my fountain pen is in need of repair & it is a nuisance having to dip in the ink after every other word. I am afraid I am broke again & I should like you to send a little more this time, because I shall have to pay laundry, fountain pen, John’s present, haircut, 6
d
I owe for John’s haircut which he lost & my weekly expenditure. The total will come to nearly 9/-. Please send trousers urgently for both of us, because the ones we are wearing have big holes in the rear. John wants same size as last time & mine must be at least 40 inches from the hip to the shoes. Please send them quickly as we need them, & I want the money too! Please write, I have had no news from you for over a week. I must stop now, lots of love

from Andrew

29
November
1940

Dear Mum & Dad,

I got a bit fed up with swotting, having been at it for the last 2½ hours to-night, & so I am going to take a few minutes writing a nice & juicy letter to you at last.

We have had a very nice time at Mrs. Robbins’s birthday, because she was nice enough to invite me for tea for John’s birthday. We had white & brown bread, lots of jelly (two kinds) some small cakes & your birthday cake which was the best of all. Did Mummy make it herself?

Mrs. Kelly made an extra effort this time too, because apart from Rosemary giving John a little home-made leather purse, Mrs. Kelly gave me 1/- to buy something for John in Rosemary’s name. First I bought him a Trix gear-set but on closer inspection with John I found that it was no use unless you had a decent size Trix construction set. We thought it would have been nice to have bought that on part of the 10/- but going back to the shop we found that they did not have any of those, so we gave the gear all back, & instead we told Mrs. Kelly’s shilling as a contribution towards a 2/6 sheath knife. Mrs. Robbins also gave John a shilling for which he bought a bottle of haircream & a tube of toothpaste, & he also bought a 3
d
packet of 25 birthday candles (12 for this year & 13 for the next).

Please don’t be cross with me for spending a lot of money, I am really doing my best, but the after the main expenditure, the laundry is paid & I gave something to John & buy the periodicals there is not much left out of 4/-. This time I had also to buy a ‘Hotspur Book’ got 3/- (I took that out of the savings) & from the first 4/- that you sent I gave quite a lot to John, bought periodical but although I have not been able to pay for my laundry (owing to lots of little expenditures such as haircuts & others I cannot remember) had 9
d
left when you sent John’s money. To-day I spent 2/2 on my fountain pen & owe still another 2/2 for it, because they had to put a new nib in. John only gave me 2/- so I have 6
d
left after buying 1
d
worth of sweets. I say all this not to complain but to give you an idea, what a lot I spend & what a little I get for it & practically no pleasure out of my money. I dare say you yourself have experienced that money, especially in wartime. Still, after Xmas I intend to resume my paper-round & that will help to straighten matters out. How are you getting on financially now? I should like to know something in that respect.

I am terribly busy nowadays, & for example on Sunday I have been working ALL DAY & have not been out at all. I wish I could see you, for I miss you a lot. I shall be delighted to come down for a few days at Xmas & my birthday. I promise to stay down in the shelter during raids, & really it will be quite an experience. Besides we shall have plenty of things to talk about & discuss together. The only difficulty is what John will say & I should like you to explain to him by letter that it is not for him to go back.

My examinations are starting next Monday & will continue until Wed. Dec. 11th. In the meanwhile pray for my success – it will be hard going.

I hope that Mummy has recovered from the bad shock on that Friday night when 6 bombs were dropped round you. Still, I hope that you have a safe shelter to go to, & that you are getting a little sleep at night in spite of the rat. Cheer up & chin up!

Well, I cannot think anything more to write about so lots & lots of love & kisses from Andrew

P.S. I have not yet received the trousers, socks handkerchiefs & ties.

… continued by John

Dear Mum and Dad,

I thank you with all my heart for the 10/- and the cake. I bought a sheath knife and I’ve got 5/- in the savings, and a few other things I have not received the trousers etc. yet nor has Andrew. Mrs. Robbins invited Andrew to tea on Tuesday and she made two jellies and some fancy cakes. Are you all right? Have there been many raids? We are fine.

Lots of love from

John

5
December
1940
– in best copperplate handwriting

Dearest Mother,

Let me, first of all, wish you a long and very happy life for your birthday. May the God Almighty grant you very much better years in the future than the last few have been, and may we all live together in happiness for the rest of our lives. May you have nothing but pleasure from your children, who will always do their best to give it to you, and may sorrow and worry be kept far from you, and it is my earnest prayer that we may all live together happily, without worry and in health as long as it please the Almighty.

I am afraid I cannot buy you any presents, not even the seven stalks of red roses, that you so like. But as a mark of my love, I am sending you my birthday greetings in my best manuscript writing. (If I can so as well to-morrow for the manuscript writing examination then I shall not worry.)

I have a little good news for you, because up to the present I have done quite well in the examinations, and should get a credit in most subjects. Up to now we had or Book-keeping, English, Literature and Mathematics.

I am sorry to mention that there is bad news too. John’s middle left fingernail had to be taken off yesterday morning, because it turned sceptic [sic] underneath. It turned rather bad during Tuesday night, and when, on Wednesday morning he went too the hospital about it, Dr. Spence & Dr. Woodhouse gave him gas and took his fingernail off. He was well enough to-day to go to school, but he does not look too well, and he could do with some tonic.

Well, lots of good luck and many, many happy returns from your loving

Andrew

… continued by John – also in best copperplate writing

Dear Mum and Dad,

I wish Mum many happy returns of the day. Let God let you have 100 years and more in happiness, health and comfort. I am sorry I have no mony to buy you anything this year and I hope that you will forgive me.

If Andrew comes home for Christmas and the air-raids are not too bad will you please let me go with him.

We received the trousers etc. on Friday the 29 tell Uncle Eugene that I thank him for the socks. And I thank you for the trousers they are warm.

I had to go up to the hospital yesterday as I have a septic finger. I was laid down on a bed and had gas to make me unconscious while they took my nail off as the septic part of my finger was right by it. The gas made me sick when I came home, so I went to bed that afternoon.

How are you getting on in the air-raids? I hope you are well. We’ve had a few warnings lately but nothing has happened.

Lots of love and 1000000001 kisses from your loving son

John

… continued by John – written in Hungarian

Dear Noni,

Thank you very much for the tie and the handkerchief they were very nice and I was very pleased with them. Do not be afraid of the raids. I hope that I shall see you soon. Was your birthday nice? Write and tell me.

I send 999999 kisses

Johnny

Undated – partially typewritten

Dear Mum and Dad,

In this letter I include the reports of the examination of October last, and the school has therefore contributed 1
d
to the stamp, thus saving some of my money as well as theirs.

However, talking of saving money, I am afraid that I cannot feel too pleased with myself for last Saturday I spent a monstrous amount on trifles, and I humbly beg your pardon for it. Namely I spent altogether 5/- on pictures, fares to pictures, and refreshments after pictures. It happened this way, because ‘Pinocchio’ was on at Trowbridge and I considered it to be such a work of art as what deserves a second look. So after spending 1/3 on fares for the two of us in a crowded bus, I found a huge crowd waiting outside the Gaumont, and it took us about an hour to get in. Then I found that the only seats below 1/10 left were the 1/6 ones, and what was worse there were no half price seats for John. After pictures we were rather hungry so at Woolworth’s I bought 4
d
worth of biscuits. During my walk round Trowbridge (in order to recover Rosemary’s lost gasmask at the Lost Property Office) I passed a sweetshop because John was very thirsty and he wanted something to drink (2
d
) and we spotted two 2
d
bars of chocolate, which are so scarce that I could not resist the temptation of buying one each. That very wonderfully and fearfully makes up the 5 Bob.
21

I have received your letter and contents this morning for which I thank you very much and which rather eases my financial tension.

As regards further education, I saw Mr. Redfearn about it to-day, & he said that in his opinion my best policy was to wait in school until we get the results for the Cambridge, & then we can apply to a Secondary school for a transfer. However all the masters I spoke to about becoming a doctor warned me about high fees, long training & the necessity of cultivating a good ‘bedside manner’, which really the key to success for a good, successful & confidence inspiring doctor.

You will see from the reports that, just as you say, John’s report is very unsatisfactory. He only came 21st in the class, & from the Schoolmaster’s note below it is obvious that he is not satisfied either.

Well I cannot spare any more time, but I should just like to say that I miss you tremendously & I should like you to write to me just how things are in London, & whether it is a possible consideration that I should come down for a few days after the exam, for my birthday, which would give us a chance to talk things over.

Millions of kisses from

Andrew

(I am writing in pencil, because my pen does not work. I shall have to get a new nib.)