- ARLINGTON ADVOCATE

ARLINGTON, MASS., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1940

British Mettle

Shown in Letter

From South Wales

The following letter from a British correspondent of an Institute of Foreign Relations member was sent to the Advocate by Professor Arthur I. Andrews, whose home was formerly on Gray Street.

South Wales

November 18, 1940

Dear Professor A.

Thank you very much for "The Speaker." I always feel that any letters are too dull to send so I am pleased they were of sufficient interest. When one is always busy in the home, one gets an Inferiority complex!

This is going to be our wartime address, unless it becomes dangerous for John to live in. So far we have had warnings daily but have become so used to nothing happening that we really feel safe here. It is the route for more important places—there is nothing here of value, except our lives which I nearly forgot about!

My home in London has had its several very bad shakings and one land mine (there were three in back of gardens near) finished off all the glass. Ceilings are now down - roof partly off and chimney pots down and doors blown in, cracks in walls 6in wide; but fortunately all this happened the week those poor children were torpedoed in the Atlantic, and the house seemed so trivial when I had John safe and sound, that I haven’t worried, a bit. Besides. I squirm when I think that the French couldn’t fight for their Paris – to me and that is most of us London is far finer in ruins and I am so proud of the way the Londoners are sticking it, day and night. My husband sleeps in the shelter next door. He was the only one left in our road but now two sisters have come back to one house—so you can see the extent of damage in our road.

Londoners go home from work, have a meal, then prepare for the night; make a thermos of coffee or milk, and hot water bottle and get their oil lamp or stove ready and settle down early in shelter. My husband comes here for a rest every fortnight. He sleeps most of the time he is here. In spite of severe damage to my district I am surprised that fruit and vegetables are half the price in our London shopping centre (market stalls run by cockneys) and yet in this quiet seaside and country town tomatoes are 2/ and only 1/ in London though ruined shops are all around and transport can not be as easy as it is here.

My husband gets his milk, bread and paper delivered as usual daily, and gas, water, and electric lights are still on, though for a few days he had to turn the electric heater on its back and boil a kettle and fry bacon that way—but all the services were all right in a few days after that first bombardment. (He has boarded up the kitchen and one room.)

Plenty of Good Meals

I often feel ashamed of the way I really enjoy good meals when I think of poor people abroad! We have plenty of everything, and I am thankful that I have seen no trace of nervousness or poor feeding anywhere, in children or grown ups. Boys, are of course, thrilled with, aeroplanes and no child seems conscious of the terror of war, except of course those who have actually been in intense bombardment.

We hope you and Mrs. A. are well. We are all so very grateful to you for what you are sending us and for your moral backing. We like a little praise. I think we deserve it after what we went through in June, many countries would have gone under but we just pulled ourselves together, and refused to even think of defeat, and we never once lost confidence, though everything seemed against us, except our colonies and you all in America.

The only complaint my husband used to hear in London was the fact that we were too careful of hitting military objectives—people considered civilian morale should count indirectly as a "military objective," and they wanted the people in Berlin to suffer the same inconvenience of sleeping in dug-outs, etc.

We all disliked the closing of the Burma Road; we dislike anything in the nature of appeasement and are relieved that the Burma Road is now open.

We were all delighted that we leased you bases. We were accepting too -much from you and so eagerly that we gladly welcomed this gesture.

No One to Take Churchill’s Place

Poor Chamberlain! We were all sorry at his death as he did try hard, but there was no-deep feeling of regret. We all agree that there is no one to take Churchill’s place.

The King and Queen are really wonderful. They work harder than anyone, and do such a lot of good.

My husband tells me the cockney humor is still as keen as ever. One shop whose windows were boarded up and place in ruins had "If you can’t see what you like—step inside."

There are a big number of evacuees here. We are trying to form a club for them meet and have tea.

My husband complains of the loneliness of London now; he was the only one living in our road until this week and he says after work he only sees the baker and the milkman who call daily. Most of his colleagues have evacuated.

November 19th:

I received such a kind letter from Mrs. G and will reply in a few days. All the good wishes we receive do help us—-we seem to thrive on kindness.

We are very upset about Coventry. In spite of very heavy casualties only, 2: percent are willing to leave their city to homes found for them. This war has taught us to appreciate the simple things of life, our homes a very dear to us, and yet there are no regrets when those homes are unfit to live in. I am proud of the way we are defending London.

A cup of Tea Put Them Right

The first home we had when we married had a bomb in the front garden and the two old people we had sold it to, years ago, were dragged out, and all they wanted to put them right was a cup of tea—though their neighbor was killed. Our next home (No. 70) had a bomb in garden, and it too, is only just standing, like No. 88. . We are astounded at the few people killed in our district, miraculous escapes.

We feel very lucky, our furniture is here and our children are safe. It is impossible to get furniture out of London for three months or so—big waiting list for vans.

The tide has turned and we see our way clearer than before though it will be a long time we feel, before the war will be over.

Last June we wanted the children out of this country. We wouldn’t admit it -before, but we were so afraid they wouldn’t be well fed—but I wish you could see John he is called "Tubby" in school! We also felt that we should get much more severe bombardment everywhere, and that very few places would be safe. Now my mind is quite at ease, I don’t even worry as I did at first when the sirens went, and I am so thankful John is still in this country.

Siriol is very happy in Canada. It is fine experience for her.

I worry more about the sailors than I do the Air Force, especially when we had a terrible gale last week, and yet we get everything we need, thanks to our sailors, arid with few exceptions (onions and lemons are not plentiful—tho’ we grew our onions in London—have some left) we get everything we want. Our flower bed in London produced about 100 lbs. of tomatoes, they are 2/ a lb. here, as well as carrots and onions and peas.

With best regards to Mrs. A. and many thanks to all Americans.

Yours sincerely,

E. L.

P. S.—At the Womens Voluntary Service meeting I went to -this afternoon, the speaker said amongst other kind remarks about you in America, "The highest tribute should be paid to the American Red Cross." She said that bales and bales of -clothing had come for our evacuees. There were several very useful garments with the mark "American Red Cross" on them.

We are going to form a club for Evacuee Mothers to meet and have tea and sew or read, and another club for children under five, so that their mothers can have a rest occasionally, and we may start, or attempt to, a communal kitchen. Many mothers with young children have had to leave their homes suddenly in the clothes they were wearing, and same of them are not the type who have many interests, so I am afraid it is dull for them out of surroundings and homes that they are used to. We feel we could lighten their lives a little perhaps. I always forget I am an evacuee myself, but it is quite different when you have your own house and own furniture and plenty of work to do! Our tenants have left so we have the whole house, it is really lovely after living in a. bed-sitting room in this house for four months, but I paid S.iriol’s passage to Canada by doing this.

We are really grateful to you all for what you are doing for us, and we do appreciate your kind thoughts.

We watched your Election with great interest though we knew too little about Willkie to be disappointed.

E.L.

Securing informative letters is part of the work of the Institute of World Affairs. Answers are invited and should be sent through Arthur I. Andrews, Secretary, Warner, New Hampshire.

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