Evacuee Boys (2 page)

9
September
1939

Dear Mum & Dad,

I have so far been very disappointed in you for writing so little. I am so anxious to know what is going on at home, & if you don’t write, I am worried. I keep on supplying you with fresh news daily & I get no reply at all.

Before I go on writing about myself, I shall urge you to do the following:-

1.
 
Send me a postal order for about half a crown, for I have only got four pence left (& the lucky 3
d
bit which I don’t want to spend).
1

2.
 
Give my best wishes & compliments to Grandfather,
2
Granny
3
& Mariska
4
& tell them, that why I did not write is because I want to confine all my correspondence to English. If they are prepared to have a letter from me in English & have someone to translate it, then let me know by return of post.

3.
 
Send the parcel (containing shirts, bathing costumes & Scout & Cub uniforms) immediately if you have not already done so.

4.
 
Write regularly & keep me informed of what is going on in London.

5.
 
Don’t forget to get a gasmask for Grandfather if he has not already got one.

6.
 
I have asked one of my friends (Billy Childs) to call on you occasionally. Receive him kindly & remember that he is one of my best friends & one whom I always wish to keep, for I know that I can count on his help when I need it, just as he can count on mine.

7.
 
I you are in the street during the black-out, be sure that you have a white strip round your arms & waist; it is so much safer.

… continued on
10
September
1939

Up to now my usual daily programme was to get up at about eight, assemble with the school at half past nine to receive instructions and announcements, go for a long walk with the school. In the afternoon I have a rest & read. After tea I go to the swings as we call it. The food we get is excellent & plenty.

For three days (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) I went to a farm to help getting the hay in. I did not like it too much because it was rather far & the fields were very big. Thursday morning the farmer made us (four of us went, John did not, because he is under thirteen) scrub the stables with long brooms. The most unpleasant part is in that was the smell, & the stuff we had to scrub off. However I am not going any more. We only worked three hours a time.

Friday last (the last day on the farm) I had a rest at the wheel of a hay carriage & tried to make a backwards somersault. When I got home I found that I had lost all my money. Luckily I remembered this somersault & next day, I went back to the farm & found every penny of the money which fell out of my pocket. Now I have only got 4
d
because I had to get a shaving set at Woolworths in Bath (as there is none in Melksham) & a nail file.) Please send money immediately, because after posting this & another letter to Childs I shall only have a penny to spend left.

I met Mr. Norton this morning & he told me that he was corresponding with you & that he wrote you that I was in a nice place.

That is quite true for you could not imagine a nicer couple (except you). Mr. Kelly gave me a shilling for postage right on the first day & 6
d
to both of us last Friday to buy sweets. I bought a box of chocolates for Mrs. Kelly on my 6
d
for her birthday on Saturday. They both said I should not have done it, but I am sure she was very pleased.

As I wrote before, we went to Bath yesterday. This is a very nice town, famous for its Roman baths & for its buns. We were in the park & had a look at the Botanical garden.

We have a nice garden in the house (front & back) & in the back garden we have two big apple trees, one for eating & the other for cooking apples.

Mr. & Mrs. Kelly have a very nice LITTLE daughter (7 years old) only a bit wilful & spoilt. We are getting on quite well though.

School will start on Monday. Write me as soon as possible & send money. How is the club & business?

With love and compliments to all,

Andrew & John

24
September
1939

Dear Mum & Dad,

I don’t think this letter can be quite as long as I promised in my last card, as there is hardly any news to write about.

The most important thing is rather unpleasant but I think you will agree. Mrs. Kelly today said, that the money she gets for billeting us is far too little (17/- for two boys) & that she would like you to contribute with a reasonable amount to our keeping say 5/- for EACH boy a week. She said she hated to do this & she would not have done it were it a question of a few weeks only, but the war might last for years & prices for food are getting higher & higher every day. She said that the other people have said the same – to ask for help from the childrens’ parents.

I told her that I understand her position that I shall write home & see what can be done about it, but that I shall NOT promise any regular payments (knowing Daddy’s financial position), sometimes the money may be in delay. She said that she would not expect it very regularly, but it would be a great help to her as she has to add a considerable amount to the 17/- from the Government & that she has a lot of extra work in the way of washing, ironing, mending etc.

I think you will understand this & try to send down 10/- a week as often as you can to ease the Kellys’ task. You must remember that you have not got to spend money on our food now. Please reply immediately to this as the matter is important.

While we are on the subject of money, my money is gradually going away & probably in a few days’ time I shall write for some more money on my last penny. (I shall change the last 2/- now for this letter). I am afraid I could not have my shoes mended this time. It should cost me 3/6 to sole, 1/3 to heel & 4/6 to sole and heel. They said it would be about 4/- for John to have his shoes soled & heeled.

This afternoon we went blackberry picking in the car we came to a hedge which was absolutely full of them. We filled a whole basket from the two sides of the hedge. They were nice big & black ones too.

I fasted from Friday night about 8.30 to Saturday afternoon about 5.30 – just about 21 hours. It was quite easy.
5
I was only hungry at mealtimes. Of course I did not have clear soup & chicken as at home but it was all very nice.

Please do send the bicycle quickly because it would be so nice to have nice long rides in the country. Some boys have already got theirs down.

I told you that I joined the Scouts here, now they elevated me to Patrol Second (next to a Patrol Leader) but this is only for a month to see if I possess natural leadership & I have not got much chance have I? But – at least for a month – I have chance of becoming Patrol Leader as mine said that he did not want to stay in the Troop, so that I might have to take his place. But these are only hopes. By the way, John is a Scout now & not a Cub. He will pass his Tenderfoot soon, when he will be eleven. He is in my patrol too! I am afraid I shall have to do my Journey again as I have not finished my report & so I could not pass it in London & I must do it here. I shall have to re-pass everything I have done in the First Class.

Another thing I must have is my case. I should like you to send me my school case with everything in it but make sure that the blue shorthand book is inside. If it is not, look in my drawers & in the wardrobe but be sure it is there.

I do not think there is anything else to say so I shall close the letter. Excuse John not writing but he is late & I have to be at home at 9.30 & it is 9.20 now so that I shall have to go to the post office in the meanwhile. Give compliments to all, I shall write Noni next time as I am in a hurry & million kisses to you from

Andrew & John

9
October
1939
– at last a card from John

Dear Mum and Dad,

I am only writing a post-card because there isn’t any news besides that the bicycle has not arrived yet. In the last few days it has been raining a terrible lot. My finger is much better and there is nothing to worry about. I miss you very much, please come as soon as you can. How is business? How is Granny, Grand Dad and Mariska?

I got a letter from Mr. Young yesterday and answered it to-day.
6
I left room for Andrew on the other side.

Yours dearly loving son,

John

… continued by Andrew

Dear Mum & Dad,

I have asked John to write the main part of the card today. It will do him good. There is no other news besides what John writes.

Thousands of kisses from,

Andrew

23
October
1939

Dear Mother & Father,

Mrs. Childs probably told you already that I had a quarrel with Mr. Kelly, but I want to tell you that since then, things have been much quieter again. As to what I can make of it, Mr. Kelly has many moods. Sometimes he is in a good mood & sometimes he is in a bad one. He was very angry about me taking Mrs. Childs up into the unfinished room & he used this occasion to say everything that he wanted to say. He did not shout or use nasty words. He said it all in a quiet polite tone. He accused me of not being straight forward because I did not tell either him or Mrs. Kelly about your coming, about Bill coming, & instead of asking first I just brought Bill & his mother in. All they knew about the arrival of Mrs. Childs was what they could pick up from conversation between John & me. Secondly, he accused me of taking everything for granted & that I have no consideration for Mrs. Kelly. As an instance he put forward that I did yesterday morning. He also said that I did not offer any help to her & took all I could.

He had no grudge against Johnny, because he was too young to know these things, but he thought I was old enough. He kept on sermonising for about an hour mentioning that he definitely objected to me talking about him as landlord & Mrs. Kelly as landlady. He said he was no landlord to us until we paid anything like £2 a week. As we are now, we are only in his house through his charity & kind-heartedness.

As a final point he mentioned something I did not understand saying: ‘When you came here I did not take you as Jews, but as children in distress. If your conduct has been such as to alter this attitude, it was your own fault.’ What do you make of that?

After dinner I saw Mrs. Childs again and told her the whole story asking her to give you a note & to tell you all about it. It is a pity you were not here yesterday. I was very sorry that you could not come, but it was comforting to see some of my old friends.

At tea-time, Mr. Kelly seemed to have forgotten all about the quarrel but I did not. I pretended to be very distressed, & only had one cup of tea & took no cake. Of course he noticed it & when he got up he said, ‘What I told you at dinner does not concern you now’ & he stroked my head. After tea I have done the drying for Mrs. Kelly & everything was OK. We have not talked about the quarrel since.