1931 Jan to June
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
25. 1. 31
My darling Annette
Thanks for your ‘nice’ letter. I am so glad to hear that Rosemary is up again.
Yes! I should think that orange would be rather sickley with pancakes!
I can give you better news of Daddy this week. He is distinctly better. I hope he will not get any more chills now, but will get steadily stronger so that we shall be able to come home for the holidays.
We have had glorious weather the last few days really almost like summer. The plants and flowers are growing fast. On the farms the people are busy ploughing between the lines of vines, and pruning the vines and the olive trees. In this part of the country, the people prune the vines down to within a foot of the ground. It seems incredible that within a few months they will have thrown out big shoots and bear quantities of grapes. The people round here are friendly and always take off their hats and say “bon jour” – and seem willing to have a little talk. Yesterday morning Daddy went for rather a long walk – so he thought he would rest in the afternoon and I went out with some French friends. In a narrow lane we met such a funny old woman, with a little donkey cart. For some reason the donkey was not in the cart, so we stopped and helped her to put it between the shafts and fasten the various straps and buckles. It was a tiny donkey about the size of Tommy and clever, for it did just as it was told. We had a long chat with the old lady, who was wearing a big black Provençal hat. She said that these are difficult days for people with horses and donkeys, for there are so many motors on the roads and they go so fast. She now tries to keep as much as possible to the little lanes, with her tiny little green cart full of vegetables.
Daddy and I met some friends from India here on Sunday. They are staying at a hotel about two miles away and we are going to have tea with them this afternoon.
There has been a three masted Italian sailing ship in the harbour the last few days. It has been taking in a cargoe of pinetree trunks – but it has been doing it in the most leisurely way imaginable. A small rowing boat used to proceed from the ship to the jetty, where a couple of men carried the logs down and put them in it. They then rowed out to the ship, where one man clambered on to a plank, hanging halfway down the side, and then they proceeded to hand the logs up from one to another and on to some men on the deck, who passed them from hand to hand and at last dropped them into the hold. It seemed so odd to us that they did not rig up some sort of crane or pulley to do the job. The ship went out of the little harbour this morning, but there was so little breeze that she could scarcely move and was still quite close at lunch time. A breeze has sprung up now and she has disappeared at last. Sailing ships certainly are very pretty things – but what a game it must have been, waiting about for a breeze to spring up.
I must change now and get ready to go out to tea. Mr. and Mrs. Tonge are very kindly taking us in their car.
I was glad to see in the paper, that the weather in England had improved a little.
With best love and lots of kisses
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
26. 1. 31
My darling Annette
What an age it seems since I said goodbye to you last Tuesday, and yet it is only six days! I suppose it is because I have done and seen so much in the time that it seems long.
From seeing you off I went straight to Uncle Bous, where I stayed for dinner. Next morning I had to do a little shopping and go to Thomas Cookes’ (the travel agents) and Grindlay and Co. (my bankers) before meeting Auntie Doris and Uncle Roy for lunch. Auntie Doris and I spent the whole afternoon at the Persian Exhibition, which is wonderful. Its like stepping into a fairy-tale. Some of the exhibits go back, they think, as much as 4,000 BC. That is twice as long before the birth of Christ as we are after it. There are carvings from the palace of King Darius, whom you read of in the Bible – but the large bulk of the things are comparatively modern – that is to say 15th 16th and 17th Centuries A.D. There are a tremendous lot of pictures, carpets and most wonderful jewels and clothes of the time of Shah Abbas II, who lived about the time that the stories in the Arabian Nights were collected. I wish you could see it all.
Very early on Thursday morning, we had breakfast and were at Victoria Station soon after 8 o’clock. My train left at 9 and we arrived at Folkestone about 10.30. It was grey and coldish, but the sea was quite smooth. We arrived at Boulogne about 1 and it did not take long to pass my luggage through the customs and get into the train for Paris. I had a couple of hours to wait in Paris and as it was too late to go to any of the museums or picture galleries, I just put my luggage in the cloak-room and went for a walk. I turned into a café and had some “café au lait” which they always serve in a glass in Paris. Then I walked down to one of the bridges across the Sein and had a lovely view of the river, lit by the lights of the city with Notre Dame (the great cathedral) standing up dimly in the distance.
The train for Marseilles left at 7 o’clock. I shared a sleeping compartment with a lady who was going out to Africa. The carriages are quite different from those on the Indian trains. There is a corridor all along the train and the sleeping carriages have two bunks, one above the other, but they are across the train, instead of along it: we were supplied with sheets, blankets and pillows. Everything was beautifully clean. The inside of the carriage was painted in two shades of green and it had a nice green carpet on the floor. I got to Marseilles a little before eight o’clock and just had nice time to get down to the docks to meet Daddy. As I arrived on “Mole C” (the same jetty that we were at) the Rajputana was being tugged in. I went on board and found the same deck steward that we had on the Maloja. Daddy is really looking very well. He says he has never felt exactly ill – only limp and terribly tired directly he tries to do anything very much. We spent part of the morning and had an early “dejeuner” at the Hotel Splendide, near the station (not the hotel that we went to. Our train left at 1 o’clock and we went through such pretty country, of rocky hills and woods, vineyards and olive orchards. The train got us to St Raphael about 4 o’clock and from there we had a twelve mile drive to this place. The road runs all the way, quite close to the edge of the sea, with hills covered with fir and cork trees rising up on the other side. Its a lovely coast of rocky bays and headlands. St Maxime is just a fair sized fishing village, with a few hotels recently built near it. This hotel is beautifully situated on the hill-side above the town, with gardens and pine trees round it. Our room faces due south across a bay. It has a long French window leading on to a balcony. As I lie in bed I can look out at the blue sea through the tops of the pine trees. We have our own bathroom and “lavvy” so are most comfortable. it is a pretty room, with apricot coloured curtains and blankets and eiderdowns covered with “old gold” coloured silk.
Of course its much much warmer here than in England. While the sun is out it is quite hot, but it gets cold directly it goes down.
We are leading a leisurely life, as Daddy does not feel like doing any thing very energetic.
I am trying very hard to brush up my French and I think I shall only read French books while I am in France.
We have been thinking of you a lot and wondering how the new term has begun. It will be nice to get your letters.
Oh! I got the proofs of your photos – and they are very good, both of you and of Rosemary. I am so glad.
Best love, my darling and a big big hug
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
4. 2. 31
My darling Annette
I am writing a day later this week, as I waited to get your letters. It is rather nice to be able to answer them at once. it makes the letters seem more like talking, does’nt it? You write nice letters full of news now. I wish I were going to be in England to see the Brownie play. Its a pity Rosemary has a cold, but I don’t suppose she is very bad.
Daddy is certainly stronger than he was when he arrived – but we went for a very long walk on Sunday – longer than we intended, because we had no map and lost ourselves a little. I think perhaps it was a little too long for Daddy as he felt rather tired on Monday and Tuesday. it is a lesson to us that he must not try to do too much. We are both working very hard at French. A French girl comes to talk to me for an hour every morning – and Daddy and I work with the gramaphone for an hour before dinner every night. Besides this we try to talk to each other in French and we read French books, so I hope that I shall be able to speak French a good deal better by the time we come home.
I think I told you last week that we had made friends with a very nice clergyman and his wife. They have a motor car here and last Saturday they took us for a drive round the bay to St Tropez, an old fishing village on the opposite shore of the bay to us. It is a very interesting old place, not unlike some of the old Cornish fishing villages. We parked the car down by the harbour and explored some of the narrow steep streets. We went into the church, where we saw a statue of St Tropez the patron saint of the place, who, according to legend, had his head chopped off by Nero, one of the most wicked of the Roman Emperors. The story goes that the body of St Tropez was put into a little boat with a cock and a dog, and that it eventually arrived in this harbour.
We had tea at a café down on the quay, and watched some men rolling great casks of wine off a big lorry and trundling them to the edge of the jetty, ready to be loaded in a sailing ship. The chief crops here seem to be grapes or olives – but I have not yet discovered whether they actually make the wine here. It seems handy that they have the cork trees growing here too – all ready to make corks for the bottles.
We find the people very cheerful and friendly, but the girl who comes to talk to me, tells me that the people of the south, or Provence, as this part of France is called, are careless and dirty. She herself comes from Normandy and the people who run this hotel, which is most beautifully clean, come from Brittany, which as you know, is also northern France.
We were interested to hear that you can turn a somersault now. You have long legs to tuck away for doing that sort of thing!
Will you remember to ask Miss Capstick or one of the other mistresses, if they know when the Easter holidays will begin, because, before long I shall be wanting to think out our arrangements and plans.
I am interested to hear that fifty girls are going to St Monica’s. As I don’t think we shall be leaving England till the 20th of May, we shall be able to come down and see you there.
Best love, my darling and a big hug
From
Mummy
P.S. I am enclosing letters from Richard, which may interest you. Will you write a little letter to Auntie and send them on to her next Sunday? I also enclose a letter from June, in case you may like to see it. You can throw it away when you have read it.
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
11. 2. 31
My darling Annette
Thank you so much for your letter. It is such a pleasure to us that you write nice long ones and tell us so much. I should just have loved to have seen the play!
I am sorry my poor Rosemary was in bed with a chill. I hope she is alright again now. I am enclosing another of Richard’s letters which is rather amusing. I daresay Auntie would like to see it if you could send it on to her sometime. I am awfully glad he seems so happy at Haileybury.
Daddy, I am sorry to say, has not been feeling quite so well the last few days. It was cold and dull here on Sunday and I think he may have got a little chill. On top of that he did some exercises on Sunday evening, which the nurse who gave him massage in Calcutta told him to do, but which he had forgotten about all this time. I think perhaps doing them suddenly and perhaps with too much force, jangled up the nerves of his back again. He felt very tired and out of sorts on Monday – so he has been staying very quiet the last two days, and he is feeling better again now. However, it just shows that he must be careful not to do too much.
It will be nice if you break up on the 31st March because that is the day on which Richard breaks up. I do hope we shall be home for the holidays. We shall not be able to spend them at Great Leighs if we do come to England, as Essex would be too cold for Daddy. We should have to go down to the South Coast somewhere.
The last few days here have been delicious – just like a very lovely English summer – though, like India, colder at morning, evening and night. I am told that the wild flowers here will be simply lovely in a few weeks time. There is a plant like a very very tall heather, that is in bud and just coming into white blossom, everywhere, through the woods. I do wish we could have fetched all you children over here for the holidays. There is everything you would love here – There is a lovely beach of rocks and sand and by April it would be warm enough to bathe. Then all behind us – just outside the hotel, are woods and rocks and hills. However it is no good thinking of it, as the journey is too long and too expensive.
I went out to tea with some English people yesterday who have a villa here. They have two lovely Alsatian puppies, about six months old – and such big beautiful creatures. These people’s house is right up in the woods and is so fascinating.
Daddy and I spend very quiet days. We have what the French call “petit dejourner” at half past eight, in our bed-room. It consists of delicious rolls of very light bread and butter and big cups of coffee. The French do not have a sit-down meal of breakfast as we do in England. I am always dressed by the time petit dejourner comes, but Daddy only wakes up then and dresses afterwards. While he is dressing – from 9 till 10. I have my French lesson. After that we either go for a walk or sit in the garden. At 12.30 we have “dejourner” – the French lunch, which is a long meal with a lot of different courses. After that we have coffee and usually sit and talk to some of the French people staying in the hotel, for a while. After that we go for a walk for an hour or so. Daddy generally lies down after we come in, till tea time – and after tea we read French and work with the gramophone till dinner time. It seems curious to be leading such a leisurely life, after being so busy in England.
Will you give the enclosed letter to Miss Stacey for me please?
Yes! I know pocket money at school has a way of melting in subscriptions and things – but then that is why you have more pocket money at school than at home.
Best love and lots of kisses, my darling
from your loving
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
18. 2. 31
My darling Annette
Thank you so much for your nice letter. Daddy and I are very interested in them. “Lord Rendal” is a queer haunting sort of song, is’nt it? Its a long time since I heard it, but I can remember the air now.
I was sorry to hear that Rosemary was still in bed. The best thing will be for her to have her tonsils out, and then she will not get these sore throats. it is a simple little operation and she will feel quite alright again the next day. Francesca, Linette and Auriol Gurner all had theirs out on the same day last summer and Mrs Gurner says it was very little trouble. Whatever the girls say, books like “The Heroes of Asgard” and “Kim” are of much more lasting interest than the ordinary school and adventure books. Those you will outgrow and forget in a few years, but books like Kim and tales of the old Gods and Heroes you will remember and read again all through your life.
Congratulations on being top of your form and having an average of 90%. It is very good.
We did not have pancakes yesterday – Shrove Tuesday. I suppose it is not a French custom. it is a great day for carnivals in France. There was one at Cannes yesterday to which a great many people went.
I am glad to say that Daddy is much better again and we think it was just a chill that he had. he is still very far from being in normal strong health and cannot walk far or do very much – but I hope he is steadily getting better.
On several days, when he has not felt like going out in the afternoon, I have been for long walks with a very charming French Count and Countess who are staying here. They are delightful people and so kind in listening to and understanding my bad French for they can talk no English. Count Sainfoin was for fifteen years an officer in the French army in Tunis and he has told me a lot of interesting tales about the Arabs. It is interesting walking through the country with French people too, because we compare notes about English and French farming and so on.
Some English friends took us into the town of St Raphael yesterday to do some shopping, and I got some wool to knit a little jacket for Auntie Winsome’s baby boy, whom, I hear, is to be called “Pip” as short for Philip. Its such a pretty drive from here to St Raphael, all along by the sea. We pass a place called Frejus, which was a naval port in roman times, and where there are a great many Roman remains, including a great amphitheatre, in a good state of preservation.
To-day the same people took us to tea with some charming English people, who live about 20 miles from here, in a most lovely house, with a garden running down to the edge of the cliffs and with their own private beach below. It was a lovely drive, over a big range of hills – and we passed some picturesque little villages perched on top of hills. I ws wondering why they were up on hill tops – and Daddy says he thinks it is probably because, during hundreds of years, the Moors used to come over on raids from Africa – and the villages were better able to defend themselves if they were on a hill top surrounded by a wall.
People are very kind to us. We were taken for another lovely motor drive on Sunday afternoon, up through the mountains, which lie behind this place. It was through wild and lovely scenery. The mountains are not high, of course – They only run up to about 2000 ft – nothing like the great Himalayas, to which you are accustomed. If you have been largely brought up on the highest mountains in the world – as you have been, it may rather inflate ones ideas of ordinary mountains –
Its just time to dress for dinner – so I must shut this up and write to Rosemary later –
Best love, my darling and again thank you for writing such nice long letters. They do give us so much pleasure.
Ever your loving
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France
4. 3. 31
My darling Annette
Thank you very much for your letter. The lecture on Dicken’s Characters must have been great fun! You seem to be doing a lot of interesting things at school. I am interested to hear that you are reading the Pilgrims Progress. I have read a good deal of it, but I have never read it steadily all through.
Daddy is getting better steadily, I think. He has been walking further and much more quickly the last few days, and on the whole, I think he is in better spirits, though he got rather depressed the other day when I had to talk to him about “plans”. You know he always hates making plans! Well, I will tell you what the plan is, which I think we shall follow – only you must not be disappointed if it has to be altered. We are planning to travel up to Switzerland on the 14th or 15th of this month, and to stay at the same hotel in Montreux as Mrs. Petrie and Christina. Then I propose to come home on March 30th leaving Daddy in Montreux with Mrs. Petrie. I shall meet you from school – (sorry for this mess – I’m writing on my knee and the pad slipped).
We shall go home to Highways and I shall see about Rosemary’s tonsils being taken out – sort over your clothes and so on – and then by the middle of the holidays I shall take you down to the sea, somewhere on the South Coast, and Daddy will come home and join us there. Do you think that is a good plan? I think that really you will all enjoy being home for a part of the holidays, more than going straight away to the sea.
Daddy and I have not been doing anything very particular this week. The weather has not been quite so good during the last two or three days. The wind began to blow again on Sunday and blew all Monday too. Yesterday it was still but cloudy and to-day its beautifully fine but very windy again.
I have just read two very interesting books – One was about India, with a good deal about the Hindu religion in it, and the other about Queen Elizabeth.
Best love and lots of kisses
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
11. 2. 31 (?11. 3. 31?)
My darling Annette
This is the last letter I shall write you from St Maxime – We leave here on Saturday, travel all night and arrive at Montreux on Sunday at mid-day. I shall wait to send post cards till we arrive in Switzerland so you will get them a day or two later than usual. I am very excited about seeing Mrs Petrie again – and I’m also delighted at the thought that I am going to see the beautiful Swiss mountains and lakes. Daddy really has become stronger and better this week. He has been going for quite long walks of four or five miles every afternoon. We generally try to keep off the roads as much as possible and go across country by foot paths. There are farms scattered over the country side and they are all liked up by foot paths or cart tracks. There are no hedges round the vineyards or olive orchards, so it is very easy to walk across country anywhere. The farm people do not seem to mind at all. In fact they seem rather pleased to see one, say “Bonjour” and have a few moments chat. We had heavy rain over the week-end, which has been followed by warm sunny days. This has brought a lot of flowers out. Daddy and I found a field of little wild narcissus the day before yesterday. They were growing up through the grass just like cowslips and were not much taller. They looked so pretty. Yesterday I saw a lot of grape hycinths all about the edges of a vineyard and some friends found sweet scented violets in the woods above the hotel. The tall white heather is out beautifully now. It turns out to be the plant from which briar pipes are made. There is a factory for them in a little town not far from here – but the only way of getting there is by a very shaky motor bus, which Daddy does not like. The name of the plant is “bruyere” which I suppose got changed into “briar” in English. Until now I always thought that briar pipes were made out of some part of the briar rose tree.
I have heard one rather good riddle and two amusing stories during the last few days. The riddle is as follows (2) When the day breaks, what becomes of the pieces. I will put the answer on a little scrap of paper inside and if you cannot guess, you can look at it.
The two stories are as follows. A little boy was going away to Australia with his parants. The night before they left, when he finished his prayers he said “Good-bye God! I’m going to Australia to-morrow.” The other story is also about a little child saying its prayers. It started off – “Jesus bless thy little pig” – so its mother said “No, darling! Not pig – lamb.” “Oh no, Mummy” said the child “I’m going to be a pig to-night. I want to be a different animal every night. Its so dull always being a lamb.”
Mr. Tonge, the padre here, tells me that a missionary who has worked amongst the Eskimoes told him that whenever the word “lamb” is used in the Bible, they have to use the words “little seal” – because an Eskimo has never seen a lamb and has no idea what it is.
I hear that Richard is getting on very well, and that Gavin also, is much better.
I am getting quite excited at the thought of seeing you all again. It wont be long now.
Best love, my darling and thank you so much for your letter. I am very sorry that you have chill blains again. I do hope that they are not very bad. Its extra-ordinary having such very cold weather as late as March, is’nt it? I hope it wont last very long. It must be a bit trying finding ice on your slop pail in the morning.
Mummy
This is the address for your next letters.
Mrs. H.P.V. Townend
Hotel Bristol
Montreux
Switzerland
They need 2 ½ in stamps just as for France.
From LJT to Annette
Hotel Beau Site
St Maxime
Var
France (??must have been written from Montreux???)
17. 3. 31
My darling Annette
I am so glad to hear that you are having better and warmer weather in England and that your poor chilblains are better. The bad weather seemed to travel south and we had two or three cold grey rainy days before we left St Maxime. I slept very well in the train on Saturday night, and when I woke in the morning and pulled up the blind, I found that it was a lovely day, with a clear blue sky and that the railway was running along side a river, which I after-wards discovered to be the Rhone, and that there was a splendid range of hills covered with snow on our left. From there on the scenery was beautiful all the way to Montreux. The railway follows the Rhone Valley all the way to Geneva, which lies at the head of the big lake of Geneva – or “Lake Leman” as the French and Swiss call it – From there on the scenery grows more and more beautiful. It looks particularly lovely just now, with snow right down to the edge of the lake – So much snow fell, that it is taking sometime to melt, in spite of the glorious sunshine that we are having every day. We had such a lovely day yesterday. I think I told you about it very briefly on my postcard. The mountains rise up very very steeply behind this place; which is on the edge of the lake. To help people up to an altitude where they can get the proper sort of snow slopes for skiing – ice rinks for skating and places where they can run bob-sleighs and luges, a “fenicula” has been built. It is like a sort of tram or railway carriage and it is pulled up this tremendous mountain side on cog wheels, worked by electricity. I will try to get a picture of it to send to you. This took us up to a place called Caux, where there are two or three big hotels and a few houses and cafés which cater for the people who come out for Swiss Sports. I cant tell you how lovely it was up there. Everything was covered with glittering snow. Behind and on either side of us stretched mountains covered with snow, with dark patches of pine forest on them. In front of us, far below was the blue lake and on the far side of it, more snow covered mountains. We went for a walk before lunch, crunching over the hard snow of one of the bob-sleigh runs. There were a few people skiing and luging, but the ice-rink was shut up and covered with snow. You see as a rule the snow has mostly gone by March and people do not come for Swiss sports as late as this. I saw enough to make me long to come myself, for the sports and bring you children out as well. I wish it were not quite so expensive. We had lunch at a little cafe, and then walked about half way home. The mountain side is so steep that the road has to zig-zag tremendously and to begin with, when we tried short cuts I found it impossible to walk, as I had no nails in my shoes – and just had to slide! Daddy and Mrs Petrie had nails in their shoes so were in a superior position to me. Christina has gone away to stay with some friends in Milan for a week. I saw her off early yesterday morning.
This morning we went quite a long train drive to a place called Vevey, where it was market-day – and the big square was full of people selling flowers and fruit and all sorts of things. We walked a good part of the way home beside the Lake. There are lots of seagulls, little black ducks and big white swans on the water – all very tame. Three swans rose up off the water and went swimming away with their long necks stretched out – looking so queer!
You must have enjoyed seeing Auntie and Uncle Bous and Auntie Cecil. I had a long letter from Auntie today too. She says both you and Rosemary are looking very well.
Mrs. Petrie is calling me to tea so I must finish this and write to Rosemary later.
Best love and lots of kisses
from
Mummy
Mrs. Petrie sends you her love to you both.
I am enclosing some little scraps out of a packet of chocolate. You can divide them with Rosemary – or give them all to her just as you like. I am also enclosing a letter from Richard, which you might send on to Auntie.
From LJT to Annette and Rosemary
(top of page torn off)
Golders Green
NW11
1. 5. 31
My darlings
I quite forgot to tell you where to address your Sunday letters to us – We are going to stay with Uncle Frank and Auntie May to-morrow – so will you send your letters
c/o Frank Townend Esq.
Grantley
Shalford
Surrey.
Richard has been to see his doctor for the last time to-day and the doctor is very pleased with him.
Auntie Doris was kept awake nearly all night on Wednesday by the cats, yowling in the garden – so yesterday we kept a bucket of water and a garden syringe by the dining room window and every time we
(top of page missing)
It was great fun – I got one black cat that had its back to me, at quite close range and soaked it. We have not seen a single cat in the garden to-day.
Richard and I have had our hairs cut and we have bought his squish felt hat. June went off to school yesterday evening very sad at leaving us.
I saw Annette’s green frock this morning and the extra silk has just come so I expect she will ge the frock soon. Let me know if the crêpe de chine frocks are alright.
Forgive me for writing a joint letter.
Best love and a big hug to each of you
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Grantley,
Shalford,
Surrey.
Telephone 38
5. 5. 31
My darling Annette
Daddy and I thank you very much for your letters. The new style of writing is very neat, but I am not sure whether it would not become untidy more easily than your old way of writing.
We are very interested to hear your first impressions of St Monica’s – and I am glad you like it. The rule of silence in the bed-rooms and on the stairs and landings was much discussed when I was there – but on the whole I think it is a good thing and you very soon get used to it.
We are enjoying ourselves very much here – Richard has started learning to play billiards and is very interested in it. I am trying to play with him, though it is twenty years or more since I played. He is much better and I think he will be able to leave off his bandage in a few days.
The new car is arriving here this afternoon, which is rather exciting. I am longing to drive it. Auntie May wants to bring us over to see you on Saturday afternoon. I have just written to Miss Capstick to ask if we may come – I do hope it will be possible. We should not be with you very early as Auntie May has to have a short rest after lunch and it is a fairly long drive from here – but it would be lovely to see you, even if it is only for a short time.
The garden here is looking so pretty. It is full of wallflowers and tulips and forget-me-nots.
I am very interested to hear that you have a garden and hope it will be a success.
Best love, my darling
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Bankes’ Arms Hotel,
Studland,
Near Swanage,
Dorset.
15. 5. 31
My darling Annette
We had a very pleasant and interesting drive down here. We left Grantley on Tuesday morning and reached Shawford near Winchester in time for lunch. We were very pleased to see Mrs. Carey Morgan again. She asked a lot about you and Rosemary and sent her love. William has settled down quite happily at school. He is the youngest in his school, just as Rosemary is the youngest at St Monica’s. Mrs. Carey Morgan and Richard and I went for a walk in the afternoon and for part of the way we followed commons that are quite golden with gorse in bloom.
Studland is a darling little place. it is only a small village and this little hotel is away from the village street and facing the sea. I will keep the description of the place for my letter to Rosemary.
Daddy was rather tired when we got here yesterday and still does not feel very grand to-day, but we hope that he will soon get better down here
I hope the gardens are doing well
Best love and a big hug to you my darling from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Bankes’ Arms Hotel,
Studland,
Near Swanage,
Dorset.
19. 5. 31.
My darling Annette
Thank you for your letter – I am very pleased for you to have the tennis raquet – but you will take care of it, wont you? You had better have a press for it, even if it costs a few shillings extra.
Yes! I was at school with Veronica Pugh – and her younger sister Gladys and I often see Gladys – who is now Mrs. Campbell, in Calcutta.
The weather has been very disappointing here too. Yesterday was really lovely, but it was the only bright warm day that we have had. Its very cold and grey again to-day.
Richard goes home to Highways to-morrow – but I am not going with him as I intended at first, because I think Daddy would be lonely here by himself. Richard is going to cross London by himself in a taxi and get his lunch at Liverpool Street. I think it is good for him to have to look after himself. In spite of the weather we are having a very enjoyable time here. There are such lovely walks in every direction and the wild flowers are wonderful. I have never seen so many cowslips anywhere. There are fields and fields quite yellow with the. There is a little wood along the top of the cliffs, that has a great many bluebells and pink campions (billie buttons) in it – but also masses and masses of garlick in full flower. it has a horrid strong smell of onions, but the flowers are very pretty – like “Star of Bethlehem” –
The “Swift Club” must be rather fun. Have you got any long boots to wear as Puss?
I hope the gardens are going on well –
Remember we are leaving this hotel to-morrow and going to
The Knoll House Hotel
Studland
Dorset
We are staying there for three weeks. Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome are coming down to join us there next Tuesday. We are looking forward to seeing them very much.
Best love, my darling and a big hug
from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Knoll House Hotel,
Studland Bay,
Dorset.
May 26th 1931
My darling Annette
Daddy and I were very pleased with your letters and you told us a nice lot of news in them We shall hear a lot more about your visit to Gavin when Uncle Harry and auntie Winsome arrive this evening
I am glad you have been writing some more poems I hope you will keep them to show to us.
I see to be leading such a lazy life here – but I comfort myself with the thought that it is what Daddy needs and that it is better and more amusing for him to have a companion. did I tell you about the lovely place we found, where they used to quarry stone out of the cliffs? It was quite fascinating. We left our car in a little village about a mile inland and walked over the downs – or rather along a track between two downs – expecting to come to some jolly cliffs – but nothing more The cliffs in themselves are very fine – great blocks of stone, piled one upon another Added to this we found caves running back into great galleries in the cliff – supported by rough pillars of stone – It was most picturesque and exciting. The quarrying of the stone has ceased long ago – and the quarries are now much further inland We seemed to be the only people about and it gave us the feeling of having discovered something rather thrilling
I am sure that you and Richard and Rosemary, would have loved it.
We have become very interested in the birds round here. There seem to be great numbers of them and the country is so wild that it is easy to get fairly near and watch them.
Daddy is waiting for me to go out and sit on the heather near the sea – He reads French aloud while I sew!
Best love, my darling and a big big hug from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Knoll House Hotel,
Studland Bay,
Dorset.
Phone 44 Studland
May 28th 1931.
Dear Sir (crossed out)
Darling Annette
How silly of me! Someone asked me a question, and while answering it, I began your letter “Dear Sir” which just shows that one should not try to do two things at the same time.
I have written to Auntie to ask her to send you each two cotton frocks and knickers so I hope you will soon get them. What do all the other girls do who don’t wear bodices in the summer? Do they wear garters? I am not very keen on garters – I should think one could make a fairly wide cotton belt to fasten the suspenders too. That is what I always wear for tennis in India – but I don’t know whether your hops would be big enough to keep it up. Suppose you show Nannie this letter and ask her what she thinks. Meantime you had better wear the garters, if you feel hot in your bodices.
Would you also ask Nannie whether you need green silk knickers under your green frocks and if so ask if she would be kind enough to send me the length of your tussore knickers (which I think are quite big enough, are’nt they?) written on the piece of paper enclosed.
Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome arrived on Tuesday evening and were lucky in having a most beautiful day for their drive down here. You seem to have had great fun the day you went out with them, in spite of the weather.
We had heavy thunderstorms and torrents of rain last night and it has been pouring with rain this morning. It seems to be clearing up now. I hope it really will be nice as Mrs. Vaughan Stevens and Isabel are supposed to be coming over to lunch.
Give my best love to Rosemary and say I am not writing to her this morning, as this is really a “business” letter about the frocks and knickers.
With best love to yourself
from Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Knoll House Hotel,
Studland Bay,
Dorset.
June 1st 1931
My darling Annette
I was sitting writing in the garden, but have just been driven indoors by a thunder storm. It is lovely sitting in the garden here. There are some yellow azealeas and deep purple rhododendrons in flower – and as I sit in my favourite place on the lawn, I look between the trunks of some tall Scotch firs at the sea. It has been a lovely morning and Daddy and I have been sitting out in the garden. Before the storm came near us, clouds were travelling out over the sea and it turned the most wonderful colours – particularly quite a bright jade green – It was so lovely.
Congratulations on being made leader of a Brownie “six” – Dont you find “guiding” rather fun?
I hope the green dresses and the beige ones fit nicely and were comfortable. I have written for the stuff for your knickers and will make them as soon as I can.
I quite agree with you about Miss Mann. She always seems to me to be so charmingly gentle. You are lucky to be sitting next her.
Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome have gone off for a long day in the car to-day, to visit some relations of Aunty Winsome’s at Shaftsbury. It was too far for Daddy to go, so we are staying quietly at home. I think we are going a little way in the car and then walking to explore a new part of the big heath at the top of Poole Harbour. The gorse is going over a little bit now and so are the cowslips, but the may trees are coming out most beautifully and it will not be long before the honey-suckle and the briar roses are out.
Auntie writes that Mrs. Parish can let Daddy and myself have a room in her house and the use of her bathroom – so we have settled to spend the holidays at Great Leighs.
Richard writes very cheerfully from Haileybury and does not seem at all depressed at being back at school after such a long absence. I thought perhaps he would find it difficult to settle down.
Best love and kisses, my darling
From
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Knoll House Hotel,
Studland Bay,
Dorset.
June 9th 1931
Darling Annette
Thank you very much for your nice letter full of news. I am most interested to hear that Col. Green Armytage has been looking at the School and talked to you. He looked after me when I was ill with cholera just before you were born and was so kind to me. I always think that he is the cleverest doctor in Calcutta.
Daddy and I laughed a lot over your race in reading the Bible. I agree with you that it is not exactly the right spirit in which to do it – but anyhow it is better read that way than not at all, for there is any amount of wisdom and beauty in it besides all the history. During the last few years there has been a tremendous lot of work going on excavating Ur – the same Ur of the Chaldrees about which we hear in connection with Abraham. Some of the accounts of what they have found are most fascinating. They have found houses, palaces and temples from which they have been able to re-construct with fair accuracy the life of the people. I am longing for some books to be published about it all. I believe there are some treasures from Ur on view at the British Museum now. I must try to go to see the.
Before I forget it, will you try to find out on what date you break up at the end of the term? I want to know because Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome are hoping to take a little house at Broomfield for the summer holidays and they want to know the date on which they will have to leave Highways. Perhaps you could send me a post-card about it during the week.
Sunday was a dreadfully wet day here too. It poured all day. We went for a long walk in the evening in spite of it and enjoyed it, though we came back dripping.
Daddy seems to be getting gradually better again. We have been allot of nice walks lately. Oddly enough that seems to tire him much less than going in the car. We leave here next Friday and our address will be
c/o Mrs. Vaughan Stevens
Shrublands
Sherborne
Dorset
Best love, my darling and a big hug from
Mummy
From LJT to Annette
Shrublands
Sherborne
Dorset
15.6.31
My darling Annette
Thank you for your letter. Daddy and I think the poem is very nice – particularly the first three verses.* I am glad to have it.
We had a lovely morning for our drive up here from Studland and I think Daddy enjoyed the drive, though he was tired by the time we got here, in spite of the fact that we only came 45 miles. I am sorry to say that he has been very tired ever since and has had to spend most of his time resting. Moving from one place to another does not seem to suit him at all. He takes two or three days to settle down and sleep properly when he gets to a new place. We have decided that the best thing to do is for us to go back to Highways when we leave here on Friday and stay quietly there. it will be too far for Daddy to do the journey in one day and we shall probably stay three nights on the way – arriving at Great Leighs on Monday. I am hoping that we shall be able to spend the last night (Sunday) at Haileybury. We shall try to reach Haileybury by lunch time, so that we can take Richard out in the afternoon. Mrs Vaughan Stevens and I played tennis on Friday and Saturday and were to have played yesterday, but it was too wet. We had thunder and very heavy rain in the morning, which made the courts much too wet to play on. It was a lovely evening so we took Isabel for such a pretty walk through some woods and fields and we found some of the green orchises, called “green man” and also picked big bunches of ox-eyed daisies or moon-daisies as some people call them
We did a lot of gardening this morning – and this afternoon Daddy and I went for a walk. Isabel is very busy writing a play. It is a very queer play with a lot of short scenes in which the characters only say a few words each – so it would mean a lot of scene shifting.
I hope you are getting some practice at tennis. I do with we had a court at Highways, so that we could get some games in the holidays.
Best love, darling from your loving
Mummy
I may have read the verses in the wrong order. The three verses I like best are the 1st and then the ones that begin “They catch hold of my branches” and “The old crones in the village”.
From LJT to Annette
Highways
Great Leighs
Nr. Chelmsford
25. 6. 31.
My darling Annette
We have been very busy since we got home on Monday. Edith has gone away for her holiday and Auntie and I are doing all the work. I have been unpacking and sorting out Daddy’s and my things too. Auntie and I have been shopping in Chelmsford all afternoon. I took her in in our car and we bought masses of things as Auntie wanted to do all her shopping for the week-end. To-morrow she and I will be away most of the day, as we are going over to the Speech Day at Haileybury. We shall leave here about 11.30 and take a picnic lunch with us. Richard is to meet us a 1 o’clock and we shall picnic somewhere near by. Auntie Mona is coming over to give Uncle and Daddy lunch and tea and get ready the supper. I do hope it will be fine. I want to wear my new green voile frock and green straw hat.
Daddy is making great friends with Nifty. When he is sitting in a long chair on the verandah, she climbs up and sits on his chest and tries to lick his face. She makes him laugh very much. He has seemed a bit better since we came here. I think he likes the feeling that he is settled here and wont have to pack up and move on in a few days time.
Uncle Harry, Auntie Winsome and John are all away seeing Auntie Winsome’s mother and father. They get back here to-morrow evening. I am looking forward to seeing John again.
We like our room over at Mrs. Parish’s and are very comfortable there. It is much much nicer than being at Mrs. Port’s. It is very nice having electric light and a bathroom.
I must write Rosemary’s letter now and then go off to bed. I am getting up at 6.30 each morning now, so that I can be ready to help Auntie with the house-work by 7 o’clock
Oh! I have got the glass cemented into your watch and will bring it to you when I come to see you which I think will be on the 13th or 14th.
Best love
Mummy
From LJT to Annette (undated)
The Royal Empire Society
(formerly the Royal Colonial Institute)
Northumberland Avenue
London, W.C.2.
My darling Annette
I enjoyed the letters from you and Rosemary very much. I should love to come and see the play if I possibly can. I wonder when it is.
Did I tell you last week that I am coming down on Sunday to take you out to lunch with Jane Miller’s Granny, who lives quite close to South Hall. I shall come down by train and I think I shall be with you about 12 o’clock. It will be lovely to see you again.
I have had such an interesting time to-day. I was taken all round the House of Commons by a friend and then had lunch there We went down into the crypt (what in these modern days we call a basement) and saw the door leading into the passages in which Guy Fawkes was arrested.
There were a pile of letters waiting for me when I got back from a week-end visit to Uncle Frank and Auntie May Townend at Shalford. I was so busy answering them that I did not manage to write to you and Rosemary this morning and am now writing from my club. Its very nice to hear that you have got on sufficiently well with your piano to play at a musical entertainment.
We have already got some nice plans for the holidays I will tell you about them on Sunday.
Best love my darling and a big big hug
from
Mummy