Letters to America

Monday, February 7th, 1944

My darling Joan,

We received a most welcome letter from you on Sat. which had only taken 25 days to reach us. It was nearly 8 weeks since we had the last one (you wrote Nov. 14) so that I was getting quite miserable. Try and write a little oftener, will you Joan? Even if it’s only a page, and send regular mail. I hate to think my little girl is forgetting us, but I see by this last letter that you do not, and really you remember much more than I expected you to.

The glass room you remembered is being pulled down now – the paint was all off and some of the top glass broken and it really looked ugly. It was quite convenient though, because we kept the rabbit hutches there and they kept dry and nicely aired at the same time. We have only one rabbit now. Daddy and I spent all last Sunday afternoon taking out all the glass round the sides, but this Sunday was far too cold to be out for long. Daddy did put his shallots in the garden though, and John and Anne played outdoors until Mrs Gleadhall brought Roger along to see us and then you couldn’t keep them away from the baby. He is quite a fat little thing but won’t let anyone nurse him except his mummy. John and Anne were quite thrilled when I read that you could make a hairpin walk up a knife and wished you could hurry home and show them. We must be patient a little longer.

So you are cutting some teeth too! So are the twins. Some of their front ones have come out and others grown in the spaces. John lost his two top front teeth yesterday and was most uncomfortable for a while, but I can already see the others poking through. Of course he had to put them under his pillow for the “fairies” to leave pennies!

Yes, Joan, we did get your report card for last term, and a splendid one it was. Didn’t you receive any letter saying how proud I felt of you? I hope you did well in the mid-year exams. I shall look forward to having a copy of it. Don’t forget! I was so sorry to hear you had been ill and missed some, but it was very nice to keep your studies up at home. I am so very glad, dear, that you are keen on your school.

On Saturday afternoon we went to a friend of Daddy’s who lives at North Wembley. He had got a cine projector with a talkie – he built it all himself. We did enjoy it – he showed some fine Mickey Mouse films that he borrowed from Kodak(1) and we could have seen others, but we couldn’t stay too long on account of the black-out(2). As it was, we didn’t get home until nearly 8 o’clock, but it was bright moonlight so I didn’t mind so much. I do hate the dark. It was great fun for the twins to be out so late. The previous Saturday afternoon we all went to the cinema – the first time we have taken the twins to a “grown-up” show, but they are older now and quite enjoyed it. I didn’t care for one of the films, it was too blood-thirsty. It was “Mutiny on the Bounty”. Have you seen it at all – it’s an old film. Today I have been chasing around for oranges. They have been in the district for a few days and Daddy suggested I should take the bus and if I saw them on the way, I could get off, if not, I might find some in Harrow. Well I did that – none of the shops I passed had any, and the first shop I saw in Harrow had sold out, so I went further and found a shop with a notice up “oranges at 3 o’clock”. It wasn’t yet ½ past 2 o’clock and there was a queue so I joined it. The queue got so long that by ¼ to 3 they started selling, so I was lucky at last. We are all allowed 1 lb on each ration book(3), so I had 4 lbs. We haven’t seen so many oranges since the war started. The cases are half bad - of course they don’t sell them – but it does seem such a waste. I suppose they have taken so long to transport.

I notice in your diagram of the house – which by the way I think you have drawn very well indeed – you have included a cot. We have no cots at all now. Auntie Rosie has the one that was yours for Brian, and I gave the blue one to a friend of hers. This is the back bedroom now – it’s more a playroom now
Back bedroom
and our living room is a bedroom, like this
Living room

John sleeps in the shelter one week and Anne on the divan, and then they change over. If gunfire starts I only have to lift one down into the shelter then. The windows and doors are boarded up indoors and out, but we can open the doors. It will be lovely when we can get the house straight again, and back to normal.

Well darling, I do hope you are all quite well again, as we are here at present.

Best love and lots of kisses
From Mummy
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  1. Kodak is an American company that produces various products related to its film photography. The company has its headquarters in Rochester, New York. Joan's father was an assistant superintendant at Kodak's factory in Harrow and she was evacuated to Rochester in 1940 as part of a scheme organised by the company.
  2. Blackout regulations were imposed on 1 September 1939, before the declaration of war. These required that all windows and doors should be covered at night with suitable material such as heavy curtains, cardboard or paint, to prevent the escape of any glimmer of light that might aid enemy aircraft. External lights such as street lights were switched off, or dimmed.
  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.