Letters to America

Monday, May 24th, 1943

Darling Joan,

I have left my letter rather late this week, haven’t I? This week I am having a week’s holiday and now that it is Monday morning, it is raining steadily and looks like carrying on all day. The twins have just gone off to school, but this afternoon they will be having a half-holiday because it is Empire Day and we had planned to have an afternoon in the country with them with a picnic tea. But now that is off because of the weather and what to do with them I cannot think.

On Saturday we all went to see Grandma. We also saw Auntie Nellie, Uncles Dick and Arthur, with Beryl and Hazel. The twins had a grand time playing with Hazel and her friend Dolly, and enjoyed themselves very much. We just got home about ten o’clock when it began to pour with rain, So we were very lucky to miss getting very wet.

Then yesterday, Sunday, it turned very fine and warm, and after a morning with the Home Guard(1), I was able to do a lot of jobs in the garden and on the allotment(2), and now today this wretched weather again. That’s how the weather goes in this country, so you see it doesn’t do to make too many plans in advance, does it?

We sent you off a couple of books for your birthday, on Saturday, and hope that you get them safely and like them. I think that you will. By the time that you receive this letter you will be eleven, and to us it doesn’t seem possible. Next summer the twins will be as old as you were when you left for America.

During the week I got your school papers which Auntie Mary so kindly sent. We took them over with us to Grandma’s and asked Beryl, who is just thirteen, if they are like the work which she did at your age, so that we could see if there was much difference in the school work between the two countries. Beryl said that the work seemed to her to be just the same. We all think that you have done very well indeed, and hope that you will keep it up. Good luck, Joan, and keep trying.

We also received, after a long wait, the two nice letters from Auntie Mary with one from you also. Although they came by Air-mail they took just the same time as the other letter with the school papers and that came by ordinary mail. So probably they all came the same way. And that would explain why we have not heard from you for such a long time, nearly eight weeks it was.

Well cheerio(3) Joan, and keep smiling.

From your loving
Daddy
xxxxxxxxxx

  1. The Home Guard was an unpaid armed citizen militia supporting the 'Home Forces' of the British Army during the Second World War.
  2. An allotment is a small area of land in a town which a person rents to grow plants and vegetables on.
  3. People sometimes say 'cheerio' as a way of saying goodbye, especially in British English.