Letters to America

Sunday, February 22nd, 1942

My darling Joan,

I was glad to hear you had received the little apron safely, and hope that Auntie Mary didn’t have to pay a lot of duty on it. You should have received the Enid Blyton book you asked for, about the same time, but I fancy the bookseller must have sent you the ‘Arabian Nights’ instead. Maybe he couldn’t get the other one.

Isn’t it lovely to have parcels of chickens and candy and eggs? Nanna Anne is very good to you all. There isn’t much of that sort of thing here(1) and spaghetti sounds delicious. We always have sausage meat for breakfast on Sundays – John likes sausages, but Anne has a boiled egg if I have one – we can’t get many. Yesterday Anne came out with me (because the lady in the sweet shop had said there would be some sweets in, and she thought she would have one, but they only let me have 2 oz and one chocolate bar, so I tried another shop and they let me have 2 oz as well. It wasn’t very much, was it. I think your ration of sugar is very good – we get half lb(2) each per week, but it is enough. We are rationed with nearly everything now.

Hope you enjoyed listening to Carmen – I have never seen it, but Daddy has and we know a lot of the music very well. Do you have opera on the radio every Saturday, like you did last winter, Joan? I remember Auntie May saying you had them.

Daddy has gone over to Forest Gate today to see Grandma. He didn’t have any Home Guard(3) this morning and as it is too cold and the ground too hard to dig on the allotment(4), it was a good opportunity. He hasn’t been over for a very long time, and they will be surprised because he couldn’t let them know.

You will know by my other letters, that all your Christmas presents arrived safely, thank you darling. So you haven’t forgotten how you and Dora played Mummies and Aunties with John and Anne! Neither have they, but they are too big to be babies any more – they would have to be little girl and boy. Do you remember having John in the doll’s pram one day, and going off to Dora’s house to get something and you forgot all about him? I think Daddy found him when he began to cry. They are both in the garden now, but send you love and kisses. I hope you are all well and happy.

My love to everyone. Lots of love and kisses from

xxxxxxxxxxxxx Mummy xx

  1. 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.
  2. lb = pound. Half pound = approx 450g.
  3. The Home Guard was an unpaid armed citizen militia supporting the 'Home Forces' of the British Army during the Second World War.
  4. An allotment is a small area of land in a town which a person rents to grow plants and vegetables on.