WWII - Wartime letter written to my grandmother - January 28th, 1941

47, Brook Drive,
Headstone Gardens,
Harrow,
Middlesex,
England.

Tuesday
January 28th, 1941

Dear Auntie, [addressed to my grandmother, Louisa Ellen Wright Ing - Bill]

Thank you for your letter which I received a few days ago. We were so glad to hear from you because it is quite a time now since I wrote giving you news of Grandma's [Charlotte Eley Wright, who owned the heirloom brooch] death and not hearing from you we begun to wonder if my letter had ever reached you. I see that your letter was written on December 5th, so it has been over six weeks getting here. But we mustn't grumble, its amazing that anything gets through these days.

I expect you would like to know how things are over here just now. You have probably read in the newspapers that we are threatened with invasion again. I think everyone is taking it much more calmly this time. We have all been told to get in a week's food supply because if the invasion materialises we will be ordered to remain indoors, presumably so that the streets may be free for the passage of our soldiers. Its a horrible thought really, especially as all our menfolk are away, but it may not happen and certainly we are better prepared to resist it than was the case last year. It is generally supposed that if the Germans attempt an invasion it will be quite soon, so we are all keyed up waiting for something to happen.

It is about seven nights now since we had a raid and some of us wonder if it has anything to do with big preparations on the other side. Less imaginative people put it down to the weather and possibly to the airfields in France being under water. Whatever the cause it has been lovely to go to sleep without the noise of the guns. The trouble is things seem so much more terrifying when they begin again.

Mum actually went upstairs to sleep last night. She has had several sleepless nights on the floor downstairs just lately that she could not stand it any longer and decided to take advantage of this
peculiar quietness at night to get into a real bed. She came down-stairs this morning feeling more refreshed than for a long time. Quite lots of people have taken to sleeping upstairs again, and what
a relief it is not to have to bother with making up beds on the floor last thing at night.

We have just had the second warning at work and I have had to stop writing to proceed to the basement of the building for safety. The second warning is given only when danger is imminent.

We all sit around knitting, talking, reading or writing until the "all-clear" is given. Spotters are posted at all important points on the roof of the factory and they telephone down to the control room and report the progress of the raid and position and action of the enemy planes overhead, and on their instructions the "all-clear" is given and we resume work again.

We have already had five warnings today, which is surprising as we have been left alone both cay and night for several days. It is very misty and raining slightly, but I believe this sort of weather suits lone raiders who sneak about in the clouds, appear for a second, drop a stick of bombs, and then back again into oblivion. Somebody has just suggested that it is the beginning of the invasion. Its hardly likely but invasion is in the air and it is the first thing we think of. I hope this raid will not last long because I have left the kettle boiling in the office ready for tea.

I think I can really say that we are now experiencing our first hardship with regard to rationing. Sugar, butter, eggs, etc. have been short for some time and we have managed quite well, but our meat rations have just been cut severely so that we are allowed only 4 at to the value of 1/2d. per person each week.

I stay to lunch at work every day, which makes things a little easier for Mum. It certainly made my mouth water when I read about the pig you had killed. It's just ages since we had any pork and I am so fond of it. But in place of meat we have all manner of new dishes, using cheese, fish, vegetables, etc. It is giving housewives a few headaches thinking out the menu every day.

We have just had the "all-clear" and I am back again in the office. I have not heard yet whether any bombs were dropped.

Eggs have been more plentiful and there is now no need to keep them as a special treat for week-end breakfasts. We also manage quite well with our ration of butter and margarine. We could certainly use more butter if we were allowed it, but we manage without any special hardship. The price of tinned and bottled foodstuffs has risen considerably, but in most cases these things are luxuries and not essentials, such as jam and fruit. Sweets are very scarce and chocolate almost unknown outside of the services’ canteens.

However, despite all these items we are none of us any thinner through lack of food yet and all realise that things will probably be a great deal worse before they can be better.

Oh dear, we have just had the second warning again and every-one has had to retrace their steps down to the basement again. 1 don't believe any bombs were dropped during the first raid but the gunfire
is pretty heavy at the moment.

Here we are back in the office again. My employer has just suggested that the Germans are showing off today for the benefit of Mr. Wendell Wilkie.


[twin sister] Violet has both the babies ill with measles and bronchitis at the moment. Maureen went to a kiddies party at Christmas and caught it there and has since passed it on to Tony. However they are both over the worst of it and will soon be back to normal again.

We had a very quiet Christmas, both George end Fred were on duty, but it was quite enjoyable. We missed our usual iced Christmas cake, and oranges, dates and nuts were difficult to buy, but everyone managed and if it has not been for the absence of the menfolk it would have passed for a normal Christmas. Did you all have a good time? I see from your letter that you have had lots of snow. We have had a little but only enough to make things unpleasant underfoot and by now it has completely disappeared and the weather is quite mild.

I had a letter from Ted [a cousin's husband, Ted Chapin senior, serving in England with the Canadian army] last week and he hopes to get a few days leave in a week or two, when he will try and visit us again. We hope he will do so. He is certainly seeing some lovely parts of England. He has been to Hindhead in Surrey, and this is a very beautiful spot which in mid-August is a blaze of purple heather. The postmark on the letter I received last week is Brixham in Devon, and as you know Devon is a renowned beauty spot. I believe he also went to Scotland when he first came over, so he is seeing a great deal of England and more than I have yet seen myself.

[brother] George and Vera and the baby are quite well. The baby is a lovely little thing and when I write to Dorothy [my mother] I will enclose a snap of her. She is now eight months old and very knowing. George has got his "props" and is kept very busy at the Balloon barrage.

Fred and Violet are well also. Since Fred has been in the Fire Service he has become very useful at making things. Apparently they have quite a bit of spare time and for Christmas he made Maureen a scooter and Tony a motor car. They were so thrilled with them and spent nearly all Christmas day riding up and down the garden [British for “yard”]. He is now working on a model of Nelson's ship for Violet. His friend has just finished the same model and was last week offered thirty pounds for it, so we are now expecting something really good from Fred.

Mum is much better in health and at the moment is looking after a lady who has had a stroke. It will probably only be for a week or two.

Wednesday

When I got home from the office last night Mum told me that three bombs had fallen in Harrow, and upon enquiry I find that one of them fell only a few yards away from a friend of mine. I phoned her this morning and she is unhurt. Several tiles were blown off the roof and they felt the shock pretty badly, but apart from that they are all safe. The bomb fell on a shop a few yards away and started a small fire. Luckily nobody was hurt.

We have already had one warning this morning which only lasted for about thirty minutes and its now all-clear.

I will write separately to Dorothy, possibly in a week or two after Ted's visit, when I shall have news to tell you of him.

It's nearly time for me to go to lunch, so I will finish. I hope this letter reaches you. In case not, I am sending you another copy of it in about 14 days.

With much love from all of us to all of you.

Jessie

[written by Jessie Evans, Mom's first cousin in England. The mail would be transported by ship, many of which were sunk by German U-Boats while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. This explains why the letter's arrival would be uncertain.
Explanatory notes in square brackets are by me. - Bill]