Letters to America

Thursday, November 20th, 1941

Darling Joan,

This week has been one of our lucky ones, for on Tuesday, we received the parcel of sweets and orange juice for the twins, and on the same day the two photographs, one of you and the boys and the other of Uncle Carl with Teddy, both of them having Micky. They were grand, and then on the following day we got Auntie Mary’s letter to Mummy with a nice letter from you enclosed. So wasn’t that a lucky week for us?

I am glad to hear that you had such a lovely Halloween party, and I can guess what a noise there must have been with 19 little children all together playing games. Surely it was a larger house, to have a party with so many.

Yesterday the babies went around the Common(1) again on their bicycles, and this time Mummy came as well. Today it is lovely and fine, sunny and warm, and as soon as I have finished this letter I have to go into the garden and do a little Autumn clearing up. During the week a gale of wind blew down my garden fence, but Mr Froome next door kindly repaired it for me while I was at Home Guard(2).

They are going to start a Sunday School(3) at the little school in the High Road that you attended as a Day School, because it is such a long way for the children here-abouts to go to Sunday School. The nearest being at Hatch End or Brockhurst Corner. Can you remember where they are? Dora’s Mummy will be teacher of the babies’ class, and Dora will be taking the twins. They hope to start in two or three weeks’ time. I tell Anne that at Sunday Schools they teach you to be good, because she thought she would learn to write letters to you. But she doesn’t think she needs any lessons on how to be good, but I think she does.

The babies have already made quite a number of paper chains for the front room, so we have begun our Christmas decorations early this year, haven’t we? I have been able to get some chocolate for Christmas, but other things like nuts and so on, of course, we shall not be able to get(4). And I don’t suppose we shall have more than the one day on Christmas Day, but we will have all the fun we can. And see that you do too, and be sure and do your share of helping, because there is such a lot of work to do in the house at Christmas time.

Lots and lots of love
Daddy
xxxxxxxxx

  1. Common land is land which everyone is allowed to use.
  2. The Home Guard was an unpaid armed citizen militia supporting the 'Home Forces' of the British Army during the Second World War.
  3. Most food, clothing and fuel was rationed and even things which were not rationed were often very difficult to find in the shops. Every man, woman and child was given a ration book with coupons. These were required before rationed goods could be purchased.
  4. Sunday school is a school for religious teaching usually for children and young people and usually a part of a church or parish.