1932 October and November
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Nov 3rd 1932
My darling Annette
This was such a nice mail from home. It not only brought letters from you three children and a very interesting one from Auntie about all she is doing in the garden, but also letters from Auntie Doris and from Mrs. Gurner, both full of news of you and Rosemary. Then yesterday morning I had a visit from Joan Little, who had recently been down to St Monica’s – and tells me that you are now much taller than she is. I believe you were almost the same height in Darjeeling. I am very glad to hear from Mrs. Gurner that Rosemary has been kind and helpful to the little Gurners. I was afraid she might not bother about them. It certainly is a great score for you having June at St Monica’s and consequently getting so many outings with Auntie Doris. She is a dear kind soul, is’nt she? I was awfully sorry to hear about June’s wrist. I hope it did not take long to get well. Do give her my love and sympathy.
Joan and Lorna carried off the St Monica’s magasine when they came to see me yesterday morning. Lorna says her new baby is very sweet. I am going to see it to-morrow morning.
It felt quite like coming home when we arrived here on Tuesday morning. It will be much more our own home now, for we are having out all our own belongings. I have been busy unpacking the last two days and still have a good deal to do. Mogul is back with us and it is so much nice having him than a servant I don’t know. The house has all been done up and looks delightfully clean and fresh. The walls and paint are a deep cream all through.
The weather in Darjeeling was so lovely for the last week before we left, that I really seemed a shame to come away. There is something about the real fine weather in Darjeeling that is so brilliant – I don’t know whether it is that great range of snow peaks shining above it or what. On Friday it was marvellously clear so, though I had lots of letters to write and things to do, I decided to cut them all in the middle of the day and got a friend of ride up to Tiger Hill with me. We got two racing ponies from Chiring Naspati and they took us up at a run almost the whole way. We took sandwiches for lunch and had a most pleasant time. We were most interested in the far away group of snow mountains to the north east, amongst which we had been travelling. Lovey came to tea with me at the Club that afternoon, looking so nice in a pretty little green dress. She always wants news of you and Rosemary and is very glad to hear that you have done well at school during the past year. The little Homfray girls are growing quite big but Lovey says that they are rather babyish for their age.
We had rather an interesting time on Sunday – We were invited to attend a Buddhist service at the Monastery of Ghoom, at which Lamas from all the surrounding Monasteries were to gather to-gether and pray that the term of office of our new Governor might be prosperous and peaceful. The service was both impressive and jolly – The music, supplied by drums, symbals and huge trumpets is stiring and exciting. After the service was over we all went out into the courtyard and watched Lama dances for an hour or so. I think you know that each dance acts some story or legend connected with the Lamaistic form of Buddhism and the Lamas wore the most elaborate clothes long brocade coats with flowing sleeves and skirts and all sorts of sashes, scarves and swords. Then in many cases they wore huge and hidious masks representing demons and wild beasts. We finished up with ordinary English tea – and got back to Darjeeling just in time to go to the 6.o’cloth performance of the cinema. I think it shows how well Dad is that he was willing to come on to the cinema after the show in the afternoon.
Mrs. O’Connor (Miss Jones) has just arrived out and brought me some exciting new clothes – an afternoon frock and hat and material for an evening frock. Auntie has chosen such pretty things, and I am longing to wear them.
(I am so sorry for this blot – It is the fault of the very old fountain pen with which I am writing. The worm of the screw inside is worn out and if I press hard on the nib, it goes in with a bump and the ink comes out splosh!)
It was lovely to hear that Auntie Doris was going to take you out for a treat on the day after your birthday. Fancy going all the way to Golders Green!
Best love, my darling and a big big hug
from
Mum
PS. There were some exciting little parcels, amongst the clothes marked “Xmas” – so I have put them away!
From HPV to Annette
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Nov 3rd 1932
My dear Annette
I am glad to hear from your letters that all goes so well with you. What rotten luck June has!
Here we are down in Calcutta again, and the rain is drenching down. It poured two days ago and blew furiously. It deluged yesterday and the streets were flooded. And it is drizzling dismally this morning. Now it oughtn’t to do that – not at this time of year – and I disapprove of it.
What news? I refrained from being or feeling sick during the journey down the hill from Darjeeling. Usually it makes me feel rotten. The police guards whom I had in Darjeeling have been removed – thank heaven! not enough men to spare in Calcutta for all of us to have guards: and I had said I didn’t want them. After all to be closely followed by a policeman with a revolver is like a notice to anarchists that “here is someone who expects to be shot. – shoot him!”
Do you remember how pleased I was some weeks ago with the way in which certain big Darjeeling spiders built their webs? It is a most extraordinary thing. They were everywhere: numbers of them. And suddenly these were none. All the webs disappeared too. Outside our bedroom window had been five: very big. They have not been swept down: but they are gone. Col Webb says it is the same every year. At a given moment these spiders appear in swarms: then they disappear.
I bathed yesterday. Felt not very energetic at the time or after. At 6 o’clock and I had missed my tea. It is true that to dive one must practise constantly. The water was on the cold side: pleasant.
Much love
Daddie.
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Nov 9th 1932
My darling Annette
Your last letter, the one written just before your birthday, was most amusing and interesting. Your account of the charade representing “Nero” made us laugh very much – I hope all your birthday festivities went off satisfactorily. It was awfully nice of Auntie Doris to take you out. We were also amused to hear that you have learnt the art of writing backwards and do it in Latin lessons. That is a bit contrary to Dad’s system, which he has only managed to learn rather late in life, and which is a very valuable one, and that is “one thing at a time” There is no shadow of doubt that one does nothing so well – work or play – if one allows one’s mind to be in the least bit divided. That is why I never play decently at my own tennis parties because I cant help my mind wandering off to know whether people are getting tea, and cigarettes and everything else they want.
I was also very interested to hear that you don’t mind about rules, like you used to at the “Prep”. I don’t want to preach, but in a way I think that is a pity. Rules in a small way to a school or a community are what laws are to a country. They are the outcome of knowledge and experience. People have found that the greatest good for the greatest number can be achieved by abiding by certain rules and speaking broadly it is a pity to break them even if it suits your own convenience. One of the great reasons why the little country of England became such a great power, is because we British people are probably the best in the world at preserving law and order and seeing that other people do it too. Its worth turning all this over in your own mind. When you feel like breaking a rule consider that rule and try to see why it has been made and whether, supposing everyone in the school broke it, the school would be a better, more efficient and more economically run place. You must bear in mind that some rules to do with such things as food and clothes and furniture are designed for economy’s sake, so that fathers and mothers shall not have bills more expensive than they can pay.
I am telling you all this, not because I imagine you have been doing anything very much, but because its easy, once you begin, to drift into the habit of breaking rules. You know I was once head of St Monica’s and it gave me very good practical experience of this matter of rules. I know the heads of the school often used to consult the head girl and the prefects about rules and what were sensible and helpful and what were merely a nuisence. In my day the rules at St Monica’s were very few and very reasonable. There wee two girls there in my time who were what we should now call “Bolshivicks” – that is to say they consistently broke rules – I think they had an idea that it was smart and clever – At any rate nothing we could do would stop them. Their influence began to spread and the younger and weaker girls began to copy them. We had to report the state of affairs to the Head Mistress – and eventually the girls parents had to be asked to take them away from school because they were doing so much harm. It always seemed to me a thousand pities that when Peggy was at the Royal Naval School she got into a set that broke rules and thought it clever to do so. Its really so crassly stupid and shows a complete lack of vision or ability to appreciate the reasons that lie behind things.
I rather think that in June’s old school there were too many rules and too little respect for them and quite possibly that was one of the reasons that she was not happy there.
We have an extremely good authority for obeying rules. Do you remember, when someone asked Our Lord whether they should pay tribute to Ceasar he replied “Render unto Ceasar the things that are Ceasar’s.”
Another thing to remember is that before you are fit to be in a position of authority, you must be able and be strong enough to support authority. I think you can probably help June a lot if you can help her to realize all this. I rather fancy that she has been up against authority and it may take her a little while to alter her attitude of You can probably help her to do so much more than the mistresses can.
Dear! Dear! I have preached you quite a sermon and filled two sheets of paper before I have told you anything about the doings of the week. As a matter of fact my week has mostly been taken up with unpacking boxes, checking lists of glass, silver, linen and so on and arranging everything in the flat. We did not have any of our own belongings out when we were here in the Rains. I finished off the books on Saturday and am so glad to have them about me again. Now I am wresting with the job of cleaning the pictures. The bearer has taken out the glasses and I am going to rub over the pictures and mounts with dry bread.
Joan Little went to the Races of Tollygunge with me on Saturday and we met such heaps and heaps of old friends. Lots of people have just arrived from home, including Mr. Carey Morgan who spent most of Sunday with us. Mrs. Carey Morgan is staying at home with William till the end of the winter holidays and will be out here in February. Mogul is just approaching to tell me that lunch is ready – so I shall say good-bye for this week – darling.
Lots of love and kisses
from
Mum
From HPV to Annette
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta.
Nov 10th 1932
My dear Annette
Misfortune fell upon me yesterday: to wit, I was let in for going to the Pictures. Not that I mind pictures exactly: it is not often I feel that I’d like to see them, though: and in Calcutta they mean staying up till past twelve. They start at half past nine. Of course theres an evening show at six or so: but who would go straight out of office into a stuffy picture house. A good film last night: but it didn’t interest me. It’s a pity always to look on things with a critical eye as I do: it takes the gloss off them: but when one feels all the time this is a good film, this is clever, that is ingenious – then it isn’t a good film at all. This morning is a cold weather morning. Definitely feels like it. The first we’ve had.
Poor Richard! why write rubbish to him! He will take it with philosophy, though. You seem to lead a life full of enterprise and uplift. However I perceive that you forget the “One thing at a time” motto which is the most valuable lesson that anyone could impart to you. To write backwards is good: maybe. And to learn Latin is good: perhaps. But two good things together are not so good, sometimes. Like sardines in strawberry ice. To wit, one gets the habit of divided attention so very easily (and feels how clever one is – or I did) while all the time it is a strain on the nerves. Actually to do something other than work in form is a strain because one feels that one shouldn’t. And though one doesn’t feel it as a strain it is there: and it takes the edge off happiness. That I know, have tried it. Here endeth the first and last lesson.
A year in the senior school! aha! you grow old. But really it doesn’t seem as long as that.
Much love
Daddie.
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd.
Calcutta
Nov 15th 1932
My darling Annette
Your pencil letter, written in bed on the morning after your birthday, was most amusing. Your remarks about Rosemary looking so tiny amongst the big girls, brought a picture of her so vividly to my mind. I am glad that your wish was granted and that there was no netball match on the day of your birthday so that you were able to have your tea-party alright. Next week I shall look forward to hearing about your outing with Auntie Doris. Your choice of a birthday present is a most excellent one and the Kipling books will probably continue to give you pleasure all your life. They are some of the sort that last. Auntie says she thinks you want some Galsworthy for Xmas. That is a very sound choice too.
Although I have not been out a great deal this week I have been very busy. There have been a good many little jobs to do with the house, such as sewing rings on to curtains – cleaning pictures mending crockery and so on. Also I have been thinking out the Exhibit to illustrate “The Woman in Normal Health” of which I have promised to take charge at the Calcutta Health Exhibition. I have quite a lot of ideas for it now – though I thought I had none when I was just asked to do it. I had a woman to tea on Friday who is very good at drawing picture posters – and I have her some rough sketches I had made of ideas and she is going to carry them out for me. We spent a long while discussing the best way to do them.
Another thing I have been doing is making some “test” games for my Guides. They are an awfully good way of keeping knowledge fresh. I wonder whether you have ever done anything of the sort. I have just finished doing a “First Aid” one. The Captain reads out the name of some accident – such as “Faint” or “Snake Bite” or “Swallowed Poisen “. In a heap on a table or on the ground there are heaps and heaps of little tickets with the necessary things for dealing with all sorts of accidents on them – such as “salvotatile” “emetic” and so on. (Actually you need as many of each ticket as there are patrols, so that each girl has an equal chance of getting a right ticket.) One girl from each patrol suns up in turn and if she chooses a right ticket she keeps it. If a wrong one she has to put it back. At the end, the Patrol with the most tickets wins. I have made the same sort of thing with questions about birds and am just going to do one with questions about the Legends of the Patron Saints.
We have had the most extra ordinary weather over the week-end – Just as we thought we had settled down and should see no more rain for months, a cyclonic storm swept up the Bay of Bengal and rain poured down on us all Sat. all Sunday and all yesterday. Everyone was just getting ready to play on the grass tennis courts – but tennis was out of the question even on the hard courts. Luckily the weather did not prevent bathing. Lots of people have stopped bathing because they find the water chilly – but Dad and I do not find it at all too cold. Its much much warmer than it is in England.
On Thursday morning I went to a wedding – It was a young man from the Duars – Philip Wibmer. I don’t suppose you remember him but you may remember hearing about two brothers who shot a brute of a Rogue elephant soon after we went to Jalpai. this man was one of those brothers. it was a very small wedding with a little At Home at a hotel afterwards – where we had champagne and wedding cake. I saw one or two old friends from the Duars there and enjoyed it very much – but felt so sleepy when I got home to lunch. It was the effect of the champagne I suppose. I could not allow myself to sleep because I had a lot of notes about Tours in Sikkim to get ready for Mr. Percy Brown who is just going to re-write his guide book on “Touring in Sikkim”. I love having tea with him at the Victoria Memorial. We sit out on a marble balcony looking across the water to the Cathedral and watch the evening light falling over the Maidan.
Joan Little came with us to the Armistice Service on Friday Nov 11th. The buglers blew the “Last Post” better than I have ever heard it done before. Last year we were in France – at Dinard – in fact we left Dinard on the 11th. and stopped by the War memorial on our way out of the town.
We are all busy running about calling on one another now. Every week crowds of people come out from England and I keep on meeting old friends.
At the moment I am so pleased at having all my own belongings about me again and like the flat so much, that I don’t feel a bit as if I want to go out to Clubs and places. There are a heap of letters waiting to be answered including ones from Auntie Doris and from Mrs. Petrie – so I must get on with them.
A big hug for you and lots of love and kisses
from Mummy
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Nov 16th (?1932)
My dear Annette.
How I sympathise with you over your French talk! To speak to one person is possible: it is tolerable: it is pleasant almost – after all one can fix one person with an eagle eye and daunt him. Double the number, treble it (and take away the person you first thought of), and it is not at all the same thing. You cant fix two people at once with an eagle eye – or make them feel that bad as you are at French they are worse at say Latin grammar of pisciculture.
Therefore I say: what a waste it was to leave so many French detective stories and such at Highways in the shelf. Most of them if not all are translations of English books which you would cheerfully read in English and which you would find readable in French. Then why don’t you? Read them and tell me what they were. For I have forgotten. You know even though the gramophone has gone I continue reading the book: I am rather fond of those little bits. But I wonder if gradually I am leaving the real pronunciation and inventing one for myself. It is much more interesting to read a French book aloud that to oneself.
Every evening this week I have bathed. The water feels very cold. 76. Just about what you would feel too warm to be more than insipid at home. But to us chilly. Every evening I have done Muller: and mixed the tummy-wobble man’s exercises in the middle. But toe touching is still an effort: almost a strain.
One thing at a time! I was tapping with my toes: a thing improper when writing letters
So I stop. With much love to you, my dear
Your
Daddie.
From LJT to Annette
14 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Nov 23rd 1932
My darling Annette
What fun you must have had at Auntie Doris’ on the day after your birthday. I do think it was kind of her to fetch you from such a long way off! I had a long letter from her this week and as far as I can make out you seem to have spent most of your day in eating in some for or other!
There always seems to be an “out of school” interest of some sort or another going on at St. Monica’s. I wonder how your All Hallow’s ‘Eve party went off. I have a vivid recollection of a most successful Hallow’Eve party given by the Scotch Girls to the English girls during my first year at St. Monica’s. Is’nt it a blessing that Auntie got over the business of having her tonsils out so well? I was immensely relieved when I got the letter last week telling me all about it.
This is the last letter I shall address to you at school before the Xmas holidays. That means that I have an enormous heap of English Christmas Mail to get done before next week – and such a heap of other things to do at the same time. This Health Week, though interesting, I am finding a little bit of a burden. It takes such a lot of planning and arranging and one has to sit down quietly and think things out. I have an Indian doctor coming to see me to-morrow about 2 o’clock to help me with the general plans for my exhibit and on Friday I have an American lady who is a physical culture expert coming to lunch to give me advice about that side of it.
I had rather fun with my Guides yesterday. I gave them a talk on elementary First Aid and while I was doing that, I sent the 4 patrol leaders, who have passed First Aid to stage two “accidents” – so that we could have a practical demonstration. The willing helpers who went to the rescue of a girl who was supposed to be unconscious from a blow over the head, doused her face so liberally with water, that the shoulders of her blouse were quite wet.
Dad and I were bathing regularly every evening last week and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons – but Council started sitting on Monday, which means that Dad does not get out till 7 o’clock or past and it makes it rather a rush getting in a bathe before dinner.
The weather is so lovely now. It is not a bit cold yet – but not a bit too hot. This morning before breakfast, I went out to have a golf lesson on the maidan. I tried to learn to play golf when first we went to Jalpai – but gave it up. Now I really do want to learn and am rather pleased to find that I don’t seem to have forgotten what little I learnt then. The late rain storms have prevented any of us useing our grass tennis courts, which we ought to be able to do by the middle of November – nor will they be fit to play on for another week or ten days.
Dad has recently bought his political uniform and he tried it all on on Sunday morning. He looks so nice in the full evening dress uniform. He has white breeches and white silk stockings and a high collared dark blue cloth coat, with a lot of cold embroidery all down the front and on the cuffs, in which the rose, shamrock and thistle are introduced. He wears shoes with gold buckles and there is a cocked hat – which I don’t suppose he will ever wear – oh! and a rapier! I wanted him to let me take a photo of him, but he became very depressed at the thought of going down into the garden where the servants and possibly the people from the next house would see him – so I gave up the idea. I heard rather an amusing story yesterday – A man was walking along and met a friend. The friend said “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” The man replied “I am going to fetch a doctor. I don’t like the look of my wife at all.” “Oh” said the friend “May I come with you? I detest the look of mine.” - Its said to be a very old story, but I have never heard it before.
Best love, darling and lots of kisses
from
Mum
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Nov 24th 1932
My dear Annette
I read the following in a paper. In a Railway carriage going into Madras, two young Madrassis got in among a lot of Englishmen and wishing to show that they were at ease began converse in a loud tone. One said “Our poor friend has committed an unfortunate matrimony”: and the other “Well, he has buttered his bed and now he must lie on it.”
Much work little leisure. Legislative Council is sitting. So I have to be there each day till seven o’clock. I have had a hurried bathe each evening after that: but it is a chilly business. The days are warm but at sunset it turns cold. I do not stay in long. Let me advise you to learn your diving now by doing exercises: but I shall discourse on this subject later. I do one each morning. Lie flat on the stomach: lift the legs up behind with toes pointed and lift the head and body with the arms stretched out. Like a rocking horse. Besides it does one a lot of good and helps digestion: you’ve not to hold your breath.
What is a “a confiscation”? nothing like the measles I hope that you should get it all of of a sudden. Perhaps you mean confirmation. Frankly I don’t follow the procedure re the stools over which you jumped. Why jump only over half? why have the other half of the stools there at all? All this (as Mr Gurner says) is very perplexing.
Your mother, bless her, has started golf lessons and enjoys telling me that I told her wrong about it. Between ourselves I did not: but she jumped to conclusions and wouldn’t listen. However such things are. – Much love.
I wonder if your ready for Christmas. I’m not. (as rosemary does not say)
Much love (and that’s final, this time)
Daddie.
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Nov 28th 1932
My darling Annette
This will be the Christmas Mail for home, though I think the letters will reach you almost a week before Christmas Day. Anyhow it carries you our best wishes for a very happy Christmas and New Year and I hope you will have lovely holidays. I expect you will. There always seem to be lots of things going on at Christmas Time.
We enjoyed your nice long letter which arrived yesterday. You seem to have done well according to your half term marks, particularly in Latin and History – also French – I am glad to see. Tell me, do you find Chemistry difficult or are you not particularly interested in it? Its a newish subject to you of course. We never had the chance of doing it. There was no “Lab” in my day. I feel as if I should have found it fascinating.
I was very interested to hear of the way you took impressions of leaves. I have never done it, and I think I must try and teach my guides how to do it. Every week now, Calcutta seems to get busier and busier and I am finding it very difficult to get my Christmas mail written – so I am not going to write you a very long letter this week. This morning I thought I was going to be able to settle down and have a long morning letter writing, but actually I have had nothing but interruptions, telephone calls, two visitors, the dhurzie wanting work – a mistri wanting instructions about something – the bearer wanting me to look at some of Dad’s clothes, so now its past twelve o’clock, I’ve done no letters at all – only about half a dozen Christmas post-cards.
29.11.32
Yet another visitor arrived at that moment and as soon as she had gone I had to change and go out to a lunch party in an Indian ladie’s house. (We had mostly English food with one very good curry pileau.) From there I had to go on up to the Institute of Hygiene about work for the Health Week. Next I did some shopping and took a photo of the new Council House to finish off a roll of films. Home for a cup of tea – read the newspaper – had a look round the garden – practiced golf for ten minutes, and then out to meet some people at the Saturday Club. Dad picked me up there and we went to dinner with Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome to see Mr and Mrs Gurner who had arrived from England that afternoon – so you see I had rather a busy day.
My darling – I am not going to write any more – but I send you this snap of myself with my best love as a little Xmas card – Love – kisses and good wishes from Mum
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Nov 30th (?1932)
My dear Annette.
Not a thought of any kind is in my head: that is the result of hurrying all day and all the week over work: and that is the result of having to be all the afternoon in the Legislative Council: “making laws”. My department has just been putting through a law about the powers to be given to the Boards which look after roads, water supply, public health and such in the districts – not that they can do much about any of these things, for lack of money. It is a strenuous business getting a big law through. All sorts of people come up during the debate to whisper suggestions or expostulations: everything of course has been written out, discussed, altered, discussed again, altered again ad infinitum before the law ever comes up as a Bill before the Council. But, at the last, in council amendments are proposed, and in order to get the votes to push the different measures through one has to bargain – accepting this and altering that. There is no solid majority behind a minister as there is in England: the house is composed of vague groups who combine or differ according to the subject which comes up. One has to arrange proposals so as to get several of the groups to support each – different groups different proposals. All but a small body of anti-government members who solidly vote against everything even if they favour it. In addition to watching everything in case the minister makes a mistake or some difficult argument comes up which will require looking up facts or some legal difficulty, and running round to soothe members who misunderstand or suspect something that has been said, I have to be ready to jump and speak: and speaking is not really easy. It would not be difficult usually to answer the arguments, but to jump on the really important points, to avoid anything which may set the cranks off on their pet hobbies, and particularly not to speak so forcibly as to annoy people whose votes may be wanted later is not easy. Your mother turned up in the gallery yesterday with four or five people: I spoke four five times: mine were the only speeches which they could hear in fact. Indians are difficult to follow as their intonation is so different and many of them read speeches in a mumble: also the acoustics of the house are bad. Each evening by seven o’clock I am dead beat.
But why write an exegisis on politics in a letter which should reach you just before Christmas. I should crack jokes and be jolly – but I wont. As you like Stalky I send you a cutting about the book.
A Merry Christmas, my dear Annette
Yours, with much love,
Daddie