Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Isabel Field
Date
17 Jun 1917
See full details
See transcription
Object Detail
Date
17 Jun 1917
Transcript
The Swan Burford – Oxon June 17th
My Dearest Sis
I hae just heard from Geoff that he is safe in England, or rather a letter written at sea & posted from Salisbury Plains two days ago so I expect he is in camp by now & very glad to be off the ship at last. A long voyage but he seems to have enjoyed it & not found it too monotonous & dull – I wonder if they went round Panama. He writes a capital letter – tho’ he forgot the most important thing of all, his address, but that will follow in a post or so. In the mean time I have written to him c/o 24th reinforcement Salisbury Plains, wh is pretty certain to find him. I am not very far away so if he gets leave I want him to join me here for a day or so, if not I will try & run up to Town & meet there – of course we must meet somehow. I am longing to see him & hear all his news. He sounds in great form & very keen. You will live for his letters. Salisbury Plain must be an oven this weather. The heat has come suddenly. I had 3 days in Town on my way here wh I won’t forget in a hurry. I had gone down to the City by Underground to the Bank for some of the money that Will had sent & hurried back to the Grosvenor Gallery for the P.V. of the International when bombs were heard. Fancy missing them by ½ hour. They fell quite near Threadneedle St & made ghastly havoc in crowded parks at the most crowded time of day. An infant school was bombed & many children killed. You can imagine what people felt like. Pictures had no attraction & a lunch I was asked to at the “Rendevous” fell flat – we were too jumpy & excited for food.
I spent most of the afternoon at the “Grosvenor” wh was filled with a very smart well dressed crowd. I saw Mrs Asquith, Lady Diana Manners, Lady Curzon & other celebrities – all of whom had their portraits on the walls. I met a good many people I know among artists. One of my Water Colours hung in the centre of the Water Colour Room. Augustus John had the opposite wall – I had 7 things hung altogether – well hung. In the evening I dined with 2 men – steady! One of whom was a canon, no less a personage than Dean Farrar’s son-in-law, one of the, there were many, & all parsons (what a horrible family atmosphere). Anyway this one was charming, & just back from Salonika, Egypt, Mudros & other places where he has been organising Y.M.C.A., work, huts etc. [Page omitted – see over]
I wrote Will a short line when the money arrived in answer to my despairing cable so I won’t touch on it again. I know you will all understand how it was without my saying more. It won’t happen again I hope. I hated having to ask for I know the pinch must affect you as well. War is impartial & we all suffer alike. The unexpected happens all the time – this morning comes a 3 gn cheque for a picture sold & the cheering news of pupils – so I must pull up my socks & go & look for rooms. I am writing to Mother so will keep Burford for her. This is just to say that I am in touch with Geoff & hope to see him before long. I wish I could be the Fairy God mother & give him a good time dear boy anyway I am nice & close in the same tight little island for the present at least and these days we must take short views of life & live in the present – and for others if possible – it is the only way, of that I am convinced tho’ I am very far from living up to it myself – alas. Much love dear Sis. I will write as soon as I have seen your Geoff. My dear how brave you are. Your loving Frances.
My Dearest Sis
I hae just heard from Geoff that he is safe in England, or rather a letter written at sea & posted from Salisbury Plains two days ago so I expect he is in camp by now & very glad to be off the ship at last. A long voyage but he seems to have enjoyed it & not found it too monotonous & dull – I wonder if they went round Panama. He writes a capital letter – tho’ he forgot the most important thing of all, his address, but that will follow in a post or so. In the mean time I have written to him c/o 24th reinforcement Salisbury Plains, wh is pretty certain to find him. I am not very far away so if he gets leave I want him to join me here for a day or so, if not I will try & run up to Town & meet there – of course we must meet somehow. I am longing to see him & hear all his news. He sounds in great form & very keen. You will live for his letters. Salisbury Plain must be an oven this weather. The heat has come suddenly. I had 3 days in Town on my way here wh I won’t forget in a hurry. I had gone down to the City by Underground to the Bank for some of the money that Will had sent & hurried back to the Grosvenor Gallery for the P.V. of the International when bombs were heard. Fancy missing them by ½ hour. They fell quite near Threadneedle St & made ghastly havoc in crowded parks at the most crowded time of day. An infant school was bombed & many children killed. You can imagine what people felt like. Pictures had no attraction & a lunch I was asked to at the “Rendevous” fell flat – we were too jumpy & excited for food.
I spent most of the afternoon at the “Grosvenor” wh was filled with a very smart well dressed crowd. I saw Mrs Asquith, Lady Diana Manners, Lady Curzon & other celebrities – all of whom had their portraits on the walls. I met a good many people I know among artists. One of my Water Colours hung in the centre of the Water Colour Room. Augustus John had the opposite wall – I had 7 things hung altogether – well hung. In the evening I dined with 2 men – steady! One of whom was a canon, no less a personage than Dean Farrar’s son-in-law, one of the, there were many, & all parsons (what a horrible family atmosphere). Anyway this one was charming, & just back from Salonika, Egypt, Mudros & other places where he has been organising Y.M.C.A., work, huts etc. [Page omitted – see over]
I wrote Will a short line when the money arrived in answer to my despairing cable so I won’t touch on it again. I know you will all understand how it was without my saying more. It won’t happen again I hope. I hated having to ask for I know the pinch must affect you as well. War is impartial & we all suffer alike. The unexpected happens all the time – this morning comes a 3 gn cheque for a picture sold & the cheering news of pupils – so I must pull up my socks & go & look for rooms. I am writing to Mother so will keep Burford for her. This is just to say that I am in touch with Geoff & hope to see him before long. I wish I could be the Fairy God mother & give him a good time dear boy anyway I am nice & close in the same tight little island for the present at least and these days we must take short views of life & live in the present – and for others if possible – it is the only way, of that I am convinced tho’ I am very far from living up to it myself – alas. Much love dear Sis. I will write as soon as I have seen your Geoff. My dear how brave you are. Your loving Frances.
Pages
6 pages
Sender's address
The Swan, Burford - Oxon.
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-32
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-32.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22784883
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22784883