Ada's Letter from Bude Haven: Family Life and Health in March 1942

Date: 1942-03-01
Sender: Ada
Recipient: Will
Location: Rosemary Cottage, Granville Terrace, Bude Haven, Cornwall
Original scan: 1942-03-01-ada-to-will-family-news-bude-haven.pdf




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Summary

A detailed letter from Ada in Bude Haven, Cornwall, to her husband Will, chronicling daily family life in early March 1942. Ada describes listening to a St. David's Day service with Gillian, the children's spending habits (Gillian and Hilda), and Penna's playful antics. She discusses various health concerns, including her own rheumatism, Gillian's catarrh, and the family's experience with a mild flu, along with prescribed treatments. The letter also touches on wartime experiences, such as a siren alert, and mentions local acquaintances, including an evacuee. It concludes with a note about Penna's latest mischief and a reference to Will's recent visit to a pantomime.

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Transcription

Rosemary Cottage,
Granville Terrace,
Bude Haven,
Cornwall.
Mar 1st 1942
My own Darling One
I wish you had been with us during
the last hour - 9:30 a.m - 10:15 a.m.
We had the morning service - St David's
Day - a service broadcast from Wales -
Where else will that be but from St David's
Cathedral. Gillian & I listened in together
and she used her New Prayer Book -
I guided her to the places - and she did
not miss a [unclear: att.] - sang beautifully -
She found the Hymns herself in P.B!
I sent her into the nursery to play
with Penna during the sermon 1st.
Came back for the last hymn -
I'm wondering if you were listening in
too - I thought you were with us again.
A very beautiful service.
I was glad to hear your voice over the
phone last night - and I hope mine sounded
better to you.
Here is a Gillian story before I forget it.
She had 2/6 for Hilda - bought a pencil box.
She also had three florins or two sixpences -
Once when posting your letter she took
her money (unbeknown to me) and bought
a bundle of hairpins - from the [unclear: Tablas]
near the P.O. & paid 9d for it - She was
dying to spend some money & was a
good girl not & Cross over to Edmonds
or Hennings - or the hairpins were all she
could find & spend her money on -
When Joan & I pointed out to her the
excessive charge (actual value about 2d) she
got so disgusted that she put all
the rest of her money in her bank.
She had previously spent quite a
lot on sweets - as Bude was flush
& are dry - included 2 bars of plain
fags for by the way.
I wondered if she'd be sorry she
had put away all her money & want
to spend some - but however when I
gave her her first whole 6d pocket money
yesterday - she immediately put it too
in her bank - "in case I spend it on
sweets I don't want" !!!
She is being a mixture of destructiveness
- a thing I've noticed whenever she cuts
teeth - and creativeness - I enclose a
I shall send for D.H. if she gets worse - but if
[unclear: Quinacridine] is as they say widely available this
winter - surely it would be better to have this
safer form of [unclear: Sulfa Carburation] - (I use of instead
of ph.) simply because he has read this American
article - not because I do not like the ph.
--- interruption --- Gillian called - had had B.O. She
looked flushed but said she felt quite well now
- there is no doubt [unclear: Empirion] suits her as it does me
It is exciting to meet [unclear: Hawkins neice] - but don't
forget she is an old old old old lady quite
frail - but you can see she lives in the past
and would go rambling on about little details
that may not be to the point but if you have
the patience to listen to her she will give you
some of the homely atmosphere that Robert Hawter
had round him - She lives in a house up
the road that is the first on the left after the
Octagon Lee Cream Corner on the way to the Station
the same side as that little [unclear: P.C. Church] - the
turn before that Church - I forget the name of the
road! But she possesses a house
some where (Had a long & rambling story about
this - I fancy it was taken over by the military
- or something or other - she told them very gently that
they were not gentle men"!!) She is an evacuee
here - the funny thing is that I've known her
some time now but did not know she was
[unclear: Hawkins neice] - but I always felt that if you
spoke to her you'd be interested - and I've watched
out for her when I was out with you - Just
one of these funny intuitions I get sometimes.
Mrs [unclear: Dyglasse] passed the nursery window
while I was making friends for dinner -
She thought they looked so exciting - I
said I'd invite her to Chinese dinner
some day - and she said she'd invite me
to a Hungarian dinner some day. By
the way she and her maid are Hungarian
Mrs Lloyd is moving to a house nearer
school. Myria too has a cough she can't
throw off - but is working up she has gone
to a classroom further away from Gillian
- they do not meet much.
What a lovely Card from the [unclear: Lingo] -
Thank you for the Card about the films - I'll
look out for them - but for the last 4 weeks
either the children or I or Joan have been
unwell so films have been out of the question.
Tom seems quite well today - how did you
do his good -
cold I know I'm lots better than I have been
since I first had the rheumatism - The latter
has practically gone - only a little stiffness first thing
in the morning - and I've had no neuritis for several
nights - so I'm feeling years younger -
Nice letter from Chris today - she is sending a parcel
of biscuits & sweets to the Children - a treat for Gillian
tomorrow I hope -
There was a Siren last night ([unclear: Sat. 2-]) about 7:30pm
Gillian was asleep - but Penna imitated it and
roared at her own attempt. The all clears went
about 9p.m -
[Drawing of carrots]
Carrot tops - Our latest experiment -
Very pretty - Gillian eats the little leaves as they
grow -
[unclear: Sat 4] - 11 a.m. Doctor just called
He says it is a mild form of flu
or that we have all had it. "[unclear: Zebraph]"
he calls it. Gillian has a lot of Catarrh
in the ear - He recommends [unclear: T.C.R. gargle] ([unclear: spelling]
and [unclear: Tempurins] if there is any pain - and bed
for a few days - Just the treatment I
was already giving her -
over the phone I just told you her
temp yesterday was. 99.6 at 6 p.m
101.4 at 10 p.m and this morning normal.
She seems quite all right now!
So glad you got to the pantomime
What did you see I wonder -
Will must finish this so that it
can be posted before noon -
All my love my darling one
Ada
[Drawing of Penna on a bed rail]
This morning I suddenly came into the
bedroom and found Penna on her cot rail
like this - swinging her legs !!!

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People mentioned

- Ada
- Will
- Gillian
- Penna
- Hilda
- Joan
- D.H.
- Robert Hawter
- Mrs Dyglasse
- Mrs Lloyd
- Myria
- Tom
- Chris

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Topics

- family life
- children's health
- shopping
- money management
- wartime experiences
- air raid sirens
- evacuees
- medical treatments
- radio broadcasts
- local news
- pantomime

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Uncertain words / phrases

- att.
- Tablas
- Bude was flush & are dry
- Quinacridine
- Sulfa Carburation
- Empirion
- Hawkins neice
- P.C. Church
- Dyglasse
- Lingo
- Sat. 2-
- Sat 4
- Zebraph
- T.C.R. gargle
- spelling
- Tempurins

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Archivist notes

- The letter is dated 'Mar 1st 1942' but also has 'Mar 3' written at the top of the first page, suggesting it was written over several days. The sender, Ada, mentions 'Will must finish this so that it can be posted before noon,' strongly suggesting the recipient 'Darling One' is her husband, Will.
- Internal date references 'Sat. 2-' and 'Sat 4' are inconsistent with the 1942 calendar (March 1st was a Sunday, March 2nd a Monday, March 3rd a Tuesday, March 4th a Wednesday). This could be a writer's error or a misread.
- The letter provides insights into daily life during WWII, including air raid sirens and the presence of evacuees in Bude Haven.
- Two small drawings are included: one of carrots and another of Penna on a cot rail.

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