Evacuee Boys (14 page)

14
January
1941

Dearest Mum & Dad,

Sorry I am only replying to-day for the letter, 10/- & parcel which I received yesterday morning, but I could not do it because I had to go to be examined for my Musician badge at Scouts. I am glad to say that I passed it. The examiner said that I was quite promising, & that I ought to carry on & have a lot of practice.

I have not got a lot to write either. I paid all my debts & obligations, gave John 1/6 & have still got enough to pay for the rest of the week. One of the boys asked me if I’d like to go to Trowbridge with him to-night to pictures, but I do not know yet, if I am going or not. This afternoon we shall either have football, or we shall have to make speeches, but looking at the weather, it seems that we are going to play football.

I was wondering, if there was any particular point in staying on here until the results come out. After all I shall get the results all right in London as well. Really there is no need to wait any longer than for the Registration to be completed, & then come home. Mrs. Kelly has hinted to me yesterday that she would rather have me go back as soon as possible, & to-day she was rather annoyed because I did not take my blankets up from the lounge (where I sleep) to the lumber room. She forgot to take into consideration that I was already ¼ of a hour late for letting me sleep in the lounge at all contrary to all sanitary reasons, because a living room should not be used as a sleeping room. I did not start an argument, it would not have been worth while – I just swallowed. This was the first incident of this kind since I came back – Mr. Kelly continues to be nice. It is really Mrs. Kelly who is the greatest & stingier of the two.

Well I must close now because it is nearly school time, I am sorry that I have run out of ink & had to finish the letter in pencil.

John cannot add to this letter, because I am posting it straight away, so that it should reach you as soon as possible.

Thanks again for the 10/-, the passport & John’s medicine & thousands of kisses from Andrew.

P.S. I hope the kisses will be real very soon. By the way, here is what I spent:-

18
January
1941

Dear Mum and Dad,

We have not heard from you since Monday and we are getting worried. Please write at once.

Have you heard from the B.B.C.? I will be very glad when you go to Evesham because if Andrew goes home I will be very lonely and I’ll want t[o] see you more often.

I am having my medicine regularly. How are you getting on? I hope Mummie’s tummy is all right. We are all right. We’ve had a few warnings lately but nothing has happened Andrew is now with me at Mrs Robbinses playing Lotto (tombola) and I will play in a minute. Write soon and please send some more money as Andrew spent nearly all of it on his ‘necessities’.

Lots of love from

John

18
January
1941

Dear Mum & Dad,

I am really getting worried, because although I wrote on Tuesday, I had no word from you, & it is already Saturday. I hope there is nothing seriously wrong with Mother’s tummy, & that you are safe from air-raids. I am writing now regularly, & I want you to write as well.

I think that I shall be ready to come home next Saturday i.e. the 25th Jan. In the meanwhile I shall have to make various arrangements here, & I should like to have a reply to this letter
by return of post.
Firstly, I think it would be more convenience for me to travel by rail, rather than coach, because of the lot of luggage. The Government however, only pays coach fares because that is the cheapest, but I think it will be worth while the extra 2 or 3 shillings. Then again, I shall not be able to carry all my baggage, so there will probably be a charge for my extra luggage & my bicycle. In the meanwhile I shall let you know the exact charge for all these & acquire a big box into which I can put most things for sending away.

Talking of finances, I might as well give you a complete list of expenditures since my last letter. If I remember rightly I had 3/- left then:-

This morning I had 2
d
left but Mrs. Newman, our lodger gave me 6
d
, which I was reluctant to accept for doing some of her shopping. She is really extremely nice. Now I have 8
d
.

I have seen Mr. Redfearn yesterday, & he says that I shall have to go into an accountant’s office, but most accountants want a premium, while learning, so try to find one who does not want a premium & give me a little pocket-money.

I want your reply immediately therefore whether I am to come home by coach or train and whether I should post or send my things in advance or bring them on the train that I am coming. I shall send you a list of what everything will cost so that you can send me the money.

Oh yes, and 1/2½ laundry that will be ready for me on Monday.

Well lots of love & kisses, & write & tell me whether everything is all right.

(999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999)2 kisses until next Saturday.

Your Andrew (worried)

P.S. I shall have a bath now & then go to see John so that he should write too.

Andrew

Undated letter – written in Hungarian

My only ones,

I got your card this morning I was very relieved that Mummy is now well.

Yesterday afternoon, the Kellys went to the cinema and as I was at home alone, I tuned the radio to Budapest and was lucky because not only was there excellent reception of every word but it was a good programme and in any case it was nice of the Kellys to leave me alone and to come home just as the programme finished. When I turned on the radio, there was Gypsy music and this was the first occasion since a long time that I have heard such Gypsy music and I can say that I was convinced that Hungarian Gypsy music has the world’s most feeling. Józef Cselenyi sang the most beautiful songs to the music of Tóni Lakatos and for the first time I felt that wonderful sensation that raises one’s heart and spirit with lyrics which are also sad. Sometimes I nearly cried and afterwards I nearly danced to the merry music.

After the Gypsy music there was a 6 seconds of news, which I particularly noted from the propaganda viewpoint. It looks like the Hungarian radio, as far as is possible reports events in a neutral manner and has to report German propaganda. From this I know that, for instance, they referred to German newspapers regarding Churchill’s Glasgow speech, without giving any opinion. They did not give any Hungarian opinion. Then an American chap repeated his opinion of new developments. They did not speak about the African front. I don’t know what you think, but it looks to me that Hungary would very much like to be free of German influence.

After the sport results, there followed a very nice radio play and as I felt that it speaks to me, I briefly write about its contents.

It starts at a Hungarian countryside castle, where the Gentry together with servants awaits a son returning from America after three years away, with his wife. The parents buy a new radio and gramophone in their honour and immediately they try out an American record on which a singer called Ralph Wilton performs. While the record plays, the young newlyweds listen to the singer in the lounge taking them back to hearing her in the ship’s lounge. The woman who is a big American patriot and who had earlier taken her leave at the American freedom tower, from the shining stars, from her free country, the man reminds her that
there is also freedom in Hungary
. Enough to know that Ralph Wilton fell in love with the woman and while the husband lies down, he vows love to the wife and urges her not to remain in Hungary, but she should return to America with him after meeting in Hamburg. He kisses the girl and after this, the girl (a Hungarian speaking American girl) behaves strangely, because Ralph Wilton spoke strongly against the trip to Hungary. Finally they arrive in Hamburg and from there, the newlyweds travel alone to Hungary. At home, the girl likes it very much and after an adventure, she reveals the Ralph Wilton affair to her husband and though the husband at first says that a Hungarian must keep his promise, if the wife says that she is not expecting a baby, then he will let her off. It was very nice and I would have liked it if you could have listened to it with me. The interval, instead of piano music they played the first few notes of the Rákóczi.

Perhaps now after this feeling of sensitivity, it is now time to return to reality and discuss our plans for the week.

Unfortunately I cannot come to London because it costs 14/8, of which the Government only gives 6/9 (which means going by coach) and sending things by train is so expensive, that I went to Crooks, (the transporters on whose lorry we came to London last time) and he will certainly do it more cheaply. Until then send me money to get my laundry and enough for the total travel costs to be paid. In the meanwhile I hope to get my results, but it makes no difference, because they will send it on to me.

I think that I have written everything, so I send a million kisses to all of you.

Andrew

P.S. Sorry that I am writing in pencil, but my ink has all been used up.