Letter from Hannah Ritchie to Frances Hodgkins
Object Detail
Transcript
My dearest Frances
May I wish you a Happier New Year & send you my love? It was sad to hear from Amy that you had been ill & I feel very negligent in not knowing at the time. I often think of you, speak of you with friends & always enjoy your pictures. Is it a fairly safe retreat that you are in?
You will know how bad our raids have been here lately. But you must not think we are all flattened out. Tens of thousands of houses have not even a windowpane broken. I cycle by a different route to the boundary of M/c with Salford each day & so have a good idea of the damage. The shock I get at seeing our great new school in ruins from a landmine the night of 22-23 December sent me slowly through the main streets of the whole city. The sights were marvelous. Then that night we had another visit (expected as many fires could not be quenched) & much more damage was done. A 1300lb bomb made a huge crater in the garden near here, brought down several houses & made many holes in my roof & upper rooms. Only the kitchen upstairs is usable. Anyway, I slept most of the time in the cellar & now do so altogether – very comfortably. None of your pictures or my furniture with the exceptions of one piece got broken. So, feeling lucky I went off to work that day, Christmas Eve in an auxiliary rest centre opened to take an overflow in a very poor part about a mile into Hulme beyond where you used to have your Studio “III”. I washed babies & small children when mothers arrived with more than 3 or 4 of them, got food served out & washed up for numbers differing from 90 – 120. For a few hours at night we could roll up in blankets & sleep, leaving a more experienced nurse or Sister in charge of the homeless crowd. The Municipal arrangements have been wonderful & on a generous scale. Health has been good & has improved in the ten days some of the ones I have noticed have spent in our care. Now houses are gradually being found. Last night there were 81 sleeping & tonight perhaps a dozen less. Meantime we had a huge land mine (with parachute complete) laid quietly down at the end of this village Withington - night before last. It did not explode, so for the rest of the night & whole of yesterday the main road & all the shops were closed & by evening some sailor heroes had dealt with its “innards” & all was well! Aren’t they brave who carry thro’ such jobs? Seven men were killed at our First aid shelter the same night & the place destroyed (Withington Baths). More of my glass fell out with the blast of it.
My little ward Dorit, went off to see her Mother just in time & now I have begged her mother to keep her in Leeds until my ceilings etc can be mended.
School is arranging to carry on at the now empty South Grammar School close to Palatine Road terminus, but I cannot see how two art specialists can be employed. Am ready for anything, therefore. Jane has only two years to go to complete your pensionable service while I have four & a bit still (I did part time for five years).
I may try to get war work, or social work of some kind until Jane has done her 2 years. If so & I am freer to arrange my comings & goings I shall be along in the Spring to see you. I can cycle anywhere & enjoy it.
Kate Sargent was writing to the Sladen Smiths & kindly asked that I would write to her. I had only time for a p. card then, but if I hear from you someday, I will write again to her. She is still her brave self & loves to have news.
Katherine is working at a canteen at the top of Baker St so has seen some frightening scenes. She said I mustn’t travel to London this Christmas that we would try to have a weekend in the Spring. She still does her marvellous boxes & dolls for Fortnum & Masons. Her home at Clapham became unsafe & she boards in Maida Vale now. Tom & Uncle has also been bombed but one house is still safe. The 2 little girls have gone to a boarding school near Oxford. My old Uncle still has to go each day to the Ministry of Economic Warfare who annexed him from the Foreign Office. He goes at 6 am & returns at 3 pm “to avoid travel difficulties” he explains to me.
Very best wishes & much love dearest Frances. Yours ever Hannah
[Note in margin (FH writing?):] I may have already quoted parts of this letter to you – no matter – it is worth reading as a whole. F
May I wish you a Happier New Year & send you my love? It was sad to hear from Amy that you had been ill & I feel very negligent in not knowing at the time. I often think of you, speak of you with friends & always enjoy your pictures. Is it a fairly safe retreat that you are in?
You will know how bad our raids have been here lately. But you must not think we are all flattened out. Tens of thousands of houses have not even a windowpane broken. I cycle by a different route to the boundary of M/c with Salford each day & so have a good idea of the damage. The shock I get at seeing our great new school in ruins from a landmine the night of 22-23 December sent me slowly through the main streets of the whole city. The sights were marvelous. Then that night we had another visit (expected as many fires could not be quenched) & much more damage was done. A 1300lb bomb made a huge crater in the garden near here, brought down several houses & made many holes in my roof & upper rooms. Only the kitchen upstairs is usable. Anyway, I slept most of the time in the cellar & now do so altogether – very comfortably. None of your pictures or my furniture with the exceptions of one piece got broken. So, feeling lucky I went off to work that day, Christmas Eve in an auxiliary rest centre opened to take an overflow in a very poor part about a mile into Hulme beyond where you used to have your Studio “III”. I washed babies & small children when mothers arrived with more than 3 or 4 of them, got food served out & washed up for numbers differing from 90 – 120. For a few hours at night we could roll up in blankets & sleep, leaving a more experienced nurse or Sister in charge of the homeless crowd. The Municipal arrangements have been wonderful & on a generous scale. Health has been good & has improved in the ten days some of the ones I have noticed have spent in our care. Now houses are gradually being found. Last night there were 81 sleeping & tonight perhaps a dozen less. Meantime we had a huge land mine (with parachute complete) laid quietly down at the end of this village Withington - night before last. It did not explode, so for the rest of the night & whole of yesterday the main road & all the shops were closed & by evening some sailor heroes had dealt with its “innards” & all was well! Aren’t they brave who carry thro’ such jobs? Seven men were killed at our First aid shelter the same night & the place destroyed (Withington Baths). More of my glass fell out with the blast of it.
My little ward Dorit, went off to see her Mother just in time & now I have begged her mother to keep her in Leeds until my ceilings etc can be mended.
School is arranging to carry on at the now empty South Grammar School close to Palatine Road terminus, but I cannot see how two art specialists can be employed. Am ready for anything, therefore. Jane has only two years to go to complete your pensionable service while I have four & a bit still (I did part time for five years).
I may try to get war work, or social work of some kind until Jane has done her 2 years. If so & I am freer to arrange my comings & goings I shall be along in the Spring to see you. I can cycle anywhere & enjoy it.
Kate Sargent was writing to the Sladen Smiths & kindly asked that I would write to her. I had only time for a p. card then, but if I hear from you someday, I will write again to her. She is still her brave self & loves to have news.
Katherine is working at a canteen at the top of Baker St so has seen some frightening scenes. She said I mustn’t travel to London this Christmas that we would try to have a weekend in the Spring. She still does her marvellous boxes & dolls for Fortnum & Masons. Her home at Clapham became unsafe & she boards in Maida Vale now. Tom & Uncle has also been bombed but one house is still safe. The 2 little girls have gone to a boarding school near Oxford. My old Uncle still has to go each day to the Ministry of Economic Warfare who annexed him from the Foreign Office. He goes at 6 am & returns at 3 pm “to avoid travel difficulties” he explains to me.
Very best wishes & much love dearest Frances. Yours ever Hannah
[Note in margin (FH writing?):] I may have already quoted parts of this letter to you – no matter – it is worth reading as a whole. F
Pages
6 pages
Institutional No.
MS-Papers-0085-48
Credit Line
Letters
to
Frances
Hodgkins.
Ref:
MS-Papers-0085-48.
Alexander
Turnbull
Library,
Wellington,
New
Zealand.
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23189170
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23189170