Letters to America

Monday, April 26th, 1943

Darling Joan,

This is Easter Monday evening, and the holiday – as far as grown-ups are concerned – is over. In a little while I’m going to get Daddy some supper because he is going to the works to see the night shift well started and will not be home until about 1.30 a.m. I expect he will have to walk home as there certainly won’t be buses running at that hour.

I hope you all had a Happy Easter with nice sunny weather. We have all enjoyed the break, but after the beautiful hot days we had a fortnight ago it has turned showery with a strong cold wind. John and Anne started holidays last Thursday and have all this week. Thursday afternoon I took them to Harrow and bought John a flannel suit (jacket and trousers). It’s his first real jacket and he is very proud of it. We saw a queue outside a small cake shop and joined it. They were selling hot cross buns (the only ones I’ve seen this Easter) but they weren’t very nice. Of course, there haven’t been any chocolate eggs. Do you have buns and eggs at Easter in America, Joan? Daddy was at work all Friday as were most people here. Anyway, it was very wet, so we couldn’t have done much. On Saturday afternoon we went to see Auntie Kitty and Uncle Bill, Keith and little Peter who is 4 years old now. It was two long bus rides and half an hour’s walk at the end, but it was mostly pretty country and we enjoyed it. I have only been once before when you were quite small – I don’t expect you to remember. Now they can’t use their car(1) to come to us we thought it only fair that we should visit them.

John and Anne keep worrying to be taken to a shoot, so this afternoon we walked to Stanmore Recreation Ground where I expected to find one. I used to take you there quite a lot with the Buchanans and Margaret, but they have taken the shoot away and put more swings in its place. The children were very disappointed, but they played on the swings and said they had liked the walk. I know there is a shoot in a park in Wealdstone, so have promised to take them tomorrow afternoon and I can do some shopping at the same time.

We had one of our rabbits for dinner on Friday. We all enjoyed it very much. We didn’t eat it all and had the rest in a pie today. Delicious!

John, Anne and Dora came home from Sunday School(2) yesterday with arms full of buttercups they had picked in the fields, and they made chains with them. I have several vases of buttercups, bluebells and forget-me-nots around.

Well, darling, I do hope you and all at 176 Greenaway Rd. are quite well. Give Auntie May my love, and best wishes to all. I wonder if Sandy received his book in time for his birthday. It’s today, I think.

My best love to you, darling
From Mummy
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  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. Because petrol was rationed, private cars could only be used very rarely.
  2. Sunday school is a school for religious teaching usually for children and young people and usually a part of a church or parish.