Letter from Frances Hodgkins to Willie Hodgkins
Date
03 Feb 1941
See full details
See transcription
Object Detail
Date
03 Feb 1941
Transcript
Croft Somerset Feb 3rd 41
My Dearest Willie
Your letter dated Dec 9th just come in quite reasonable time. So glad to have it & hear you are all keeping fit & well. Sunbathing & swimming you lucky man it makes my mouth water to think of it.
I see there have been sinkings & mails lost so hope my letters trickle through somehow. You do not mention Listeners, 2 lots I have sent, will try again before giving it up as a bad job. There is always a little fuss at the P.O here, the Postmistress looks pretty done in as if she was bearing the whole weight of this titantic struggle. I daresay lots of us getting old ones look & feel the same. I know I do.
I last wrote to you on Dec 30 (round about then) I see you have a raider of your own pretty near your doorstep. It’s a problem for you to contrive to keep out of gun shot, the very thought of their being there is distracting. I won’t be able to come & stay with you for a change if this goes on. Glad to hear of the valiant Home Guards and you one of them. Here’s Luck! We are experiencing a lull at present, comparatively, and people are sleeping once more in their beds. If the fear of an early invasion has any foundation in fact, one never knows when it will be attempted, or how soon. We are told over this weekend to expect it in a few days, may be hours, I think the enemy must show his hand soon.
Did you hear America saying on the wireless that they were not lending us money but “buying time” from us as we were the only people who could sell it to them. I am glad they are beginning to see where they wld stand if we were defeated. I always felt they should give us war weapons & be d---d thankful that we & not they would have to risk their lives using them.
I think the intensive bombing of Britain has been an eye opener – a few bombs on NY would do them a heap of good & help along production no end.
Meanwhile my own affairs are rather messy & muddled & thoroughly uncomfortable. How would you like to have a crying baby, with Mother, Grandmother & a weekend husband dumped on one at an hour’s notice – another little problem – one feels one must help in these tragic times. I have shut myself more or less in one room out of earshot. The cause of this “incident” was a land mine at the end of the village (wonder is we are all alive) bombing out an already over bombed East End London family (as above) poor wretches. They were in a state of speechless panic when they got here but are recovering slowly & bravely. Only last night we all sat through an attempted raid, from the alert to the all clear a couple of long hours by candlelight, with the door unlatched & sand & bath water to hand. I went to bed with my clothes on but to bed I went & that’s something to be thankful for. Towards midnight a young ARP worker from a neighbour Farm came in with a gun & rabbit in his hand (they are dotty on rabbits these days) for the evacuees & we all cheered up & opened a bottle of beer – theirs not mine. We are snowed up here. Tonight it is the sort of weather gas might be used in when one takes ones gas mask up to bed which normally I do not. Don’t be alarmed by all this.
I enclose some interesting Manchester letters wh I would like you to read – don’t return. They are written by 2 art teachers at the Manchester Girls’ High School for whom I have a great regard & affection. It is a heartrending account – under-stated & lucid – good reporting. Best love to you both & lots of it. F
In case my last letter lost let me reassure you of safe arrival of scarf & gloves.
My Dearest Willie
Your letter dated Dec 9th just come in quite reasonable time. So glad to have it & hear you are all keeping fit & well. Sunbathing & swimming you lucky man it makes my mouth water to think of it.
I see there have been sinkings & mails lost so hope my letters trickle through somehow. You do not mention Listeners, 2 lots I have sent, will try again before giving it up as a bad job. There is always a little fuss at the P.O here, the Postmistress looks pretty done in as if she was bearing the whole weight of this titantic struggle. I daresay lots of us getting old ones look & feel the same. I know I do.
I last wrote to you on Dec 30 (round about then) I see you have a raider of your own pretty near your doorstep. It’s a problem for you to contrive to keep out of gun shot, the very thought of their being there is distracting. I won’t be able to come & stay with you for a change if this goes on. Glad to hear of the valiant Home Guards and you one of them. Here’s Luck! We are experiencing a lull at present, comparatively, and people are sleeping once more in their beds. If the fear of an early invasion has any foundation in fact, one never knows when it will be attempted, or how soon. We are told over this weekend to expect it in a few days, may be hours, I think the enemy must show his hand soon.
Did you hear America saying on the wireless that they were not lending us money but “buying time” from us as we were the only people who could sell it to them. I am glad they are beginning to see where they wld stand if we were defeated. I always felt they should give us war weapons & be d---d thankful that we & not they would have to risk their lives using them.
I think the intensive bombing of Britain has been an eye opener – a few bombs on NY would do them a heap of good & help along production no end.
Meanwhile my own affairs are rather messy & muddled & thoroughly uncomfortable. How would you like to have a crying baby, with Mother, Grandmother & a weekend husband dumped on one at an hour’s notice – another little problem – one feels one must help in these tragic times. I have shut myself more or less in one room out of earshot. The cause of this “incident” was a land mine at the end of the village (wonder is we are all alive) bombing out an already over bombed East End London family (as above) poor wretches. They were in a state of speechless panic when they got here but are recovering slowly & bravely. Only last night we all sat through an attempted raid, from the alert to the all clear a couple of long hours by candlelight, with the door unlatched & sand & bath water to hand. I went to bed with my clothes on but to bed I went & that’s something to be thankful for. Towards midnight a young ARP worker from a neighbour Farm came in with a gun & rabbit in his hand (they are dotty on rabbits these days) for the evacuees & we all cheered up & opened a bottle of beer – theirs not mine. We are snowed up here. Tonight it is the sort of weather gas might be used in when one takes ones gas mask up to bed which normally I do not. Don’t be alarmed by all this.
I enclose some interesting Manchester letters wh I would like you to read – don’t return. They are written by 2 art teachers at the Manchester Girls’ High School for whom I have a great regard & affection. It is a heartrending account – under-stated & lucid – good reporting. Best love to you both & lots of it. F
In case my last letter lost let me reassure you of safe arrival of scarf & gloves.
Pages
4 pages
Sender's address
Croft, Somerset
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-45
Credit Line
Letters
from
Frances
Hodgkins.
Field,
Isabel
Jane,
1867-1950
:
Correspondence
of
Frances
Hodgkins
and
family
/
collected
by
Isabel
Field.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-45.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22397035
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22397035