1936 February
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Feb
My darling Annette
Its difficult for me to advise on the subject of going abroad, when I don’t know all the details. If you have to go up for an exam this November it might be a little difficult to fit in – but after all, I suppose you could go to Paris for 6 or 8 weeks and then come home for the Exam – No doubt you and Miss Street and Miss Capstick have already discussed the matter – I am writing “a line” to Miss Capstick and also mentioning the matter to Auntie. I suppose the best thing to do would be for you to live with a family in Paris and work at the Sorbonne.
There’s a lot to be said for riding a horse alone – so I suppose there’s a lot to be said for riding a bicycle alone. Especially in this busy social life in Calcutta – its a great boon to have an hour or so to commune with ones own thoughts occasionally. I am glad you did not come to disaster when you have to choose between banging into a tramp or a lorry –
I’m not going to write much to-day, as I want to write to Miss Capstick – and also to Mr and Mrs Pilcher. Mr Pilcher writes that Mrs. P. has quite recovered from her “nervous break-down” – actually she was quite off her head, poor thing – I am so glad she has recovered her wits! Best love Mum
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Feb 6th 1936.
My dears,
There are signs of spring. The silk-cotton trees have burst their buds and hung out their flaring red blossoms against the clear blue of the cold weather sky. The brain-fever bird has begun calling, and the crows and many other birds have begun looking for good nesting places. I had great hopes that a pair of purple sun-birds or honey-suckers were going build in a bunch of creeper on a wall near one of the drawing-room windows. They hovered about and in and out of it for a long time. the tiny purple cock, looking as if her had been cut out of some brilliantly tinted metal, kept on flying away over the wall, while the sober hued greeny-brown hen stayed persistently on our side, but the gentleman won, and they went away to the next garde.
I have a most interesting new experience this week. Last Thursday Idris Mathews rang up to know if I were disengaged that afternoon and could fly in his plane. I went and we had an interesting flight out north to look at the Bengal Artillary Camp about twenty miles north of Dum-Dum. Idris is second-in-command of this auxillary branch. He wanted to see from the air how good or bad their shooting had been , so we swooped down very low and circled round and round looking at the shell holes. When we got back I asked him about various roads we had crossed, and a railway, and one or two other objects I had noticed, and he said that as I seemed to like maps and have the knack of picking up land-marks, I should probably find it interesting navigating a plane from a map, and that we must go up again soon and do it. We did it on Saturday. He told me to look at the map and choose a place about 30 or 40 miles away, take a compass bearing and give him his direction in which to start. After that I was to signal right or left and he would go exactly as ordered. I had the map on my knee and he told me the cruising speed of the plane, and then by timing and watching the map and the earth beneath us, I found it quite easy to read the map and give direction. We got to the little town of Basirhat alright and circled low over it, to the great excitement of the inhabitants. On the edge of the town there was a long stretch of rice fields between groves of cocoanut palms, and the fields, dry and hard now, seemed to be perfectly level and not divided up by the usual little foot-high mud walls. We dropped down and down till we were only about six foot above the ground and swept along for about 200 yards rising steeply over the palm trees at the end. I scaned the ground carefully as we went over, for I thought probably Idris had an idea of landing. He shouted to me through the telephone “Did you see any snags?” and I shouted back “No”, so again we circled low over the town, while people rushed out on to the flat roofs of their houses to gaze up at us, and in one place I was amused to see two fat old ladies being shoved and pushed out to look at us, and giving the impression that they had not the least idea what was happening. It was most exciting dropping so rapidly and as we swooped down I was watching out to the left to see that we were well clear of some tethered cows, and Idris said he was watching out on the right to keep clear of a hole, probably a pig-wallow in the wet weather, which he had spotted the first time over. He landed beautifully as he always does, and pulled the plane up wonderfully quickly. He says the inch high rice straw which is still on the fields, helps to pull a plane up quickly in a most convenient way. He turned almost immediately to taxi back to the other end of the field, so that he could take off up wind, and in those few seconds the people had come running from the town . A line of running figures were coming towards us as fast as they could go. It was very funny to see them turn and fly and as the plane rushed along towards them. The moment we turned again, they turned too and again began to rush towards us, and Idris had to take off as quickly as he could, for fear they would get round us, and some of them be too unintelligent to get out of the way. He said he was slightly alarmed by a pie-dog, which instead of running away, continued to run towards us, and he was afraid it might be hit with the tip of the wing. However all was well. We circled over the field once more to make sure that no harm had been done, and then headed for home, straight into a glowing pink sunset. It was a lovely flight and a perfect evening. Next time we are going still further afield. Probably on Sunday we are going to a place about 125 miles away, on the coast just where Bengal and Orissa join. It is the place where the shells and guns made in Idris’ factory are tested, and he likes to go down there now and again. It will be tremendously interesting to me for we shall fly right over Contai, which was almost the first place we lived in India.
I seem to have exhausted a good many pages on this one afternoon, and there have been a lot of other things going on this week too. We were out at Dum Dum again on Sunday at the Flying Club Gymkhana, which was pleasant enough but not frightfully thrilling. I had had a very full day on Sunday for I went for my usual long ride with G.B. in the morning, and back to breakfast at the chummery, to see the garden and attend to a few Himalayan Club affairs, which G.B and I had not been able to finish off when he came in the previous evening. I was not back here till past 11 o’clock, and by the time I had bathed and changed, and delt with a few notes and some household affairs, it was time for our guests to arrive for lunch. It was an interesting party. Mr Shrosbree, commonly known as “Shross” brought the dutch Architect, Dr Dudock, who has come out here to design two new cinemas for the company of which Shross is Director, to lunch, and I asked Mr Van Manen, the Secretary of the Asiatic Society, a most scholarly old Dutchman, to meet him, and Phyllis Gurner made up the party. Dr Dudock is an extremely distinguished architect of, I believe, international reputation, and, what was more important to me, he is a charming and interesting person. We got on to the subject of re-incarnation when we were about half way through lunch, and old Van Manen plunged in to the talk on the top of his form. Eastern philosophy is his chief subject and he was most interesting. I was very sorry to have to break up the talk at last, for Phyllis had to go and play tennis, and we had to leave for DumDum.
Shriss had been dining with us the previous night and had taken me to see Sonnie Hale and Jessie Mathews in “First a Girl”, which I quite enjoyed, silly as it is. Its interesting going to the New Empire with Shross, for one hears all the inside “Shop” about the pictures, and in the interval, in the Directors room, to which we retire for drinks, one can see the big chart of how films are being moved about India, and hear how different films are doing in different places. I was at a very good picture last night, which you have all seen, I expect. “Mutiny on the bounty”. Actually I have had an extremely full week. The International Women’s Conference has been going on, and though I refused to be on the committee which has been arranging everything, I went to the big lunch on Monday and found it interesting. My friend Milly Chaudhuri says there has been more hot-air talked at this conference than you can well imagine, but everyone is immensely pleased and they are all patting one another on the back. I have also had to give some time to a party of members of the French Alpine Club, who are on a tour round India and were here for two days. It was an effort to recover my always extremely ungrammatical French, as I have not read or spoken a word for so long, but it was rather fun. I was to have spent the whole day yesterday in the Botanical Gardens working on my plant collections, and having lunch with Mr and Mrs Biswas, but as Herbert came home the previous evening with ‘flu I came back directly after lunch. Guides are in full swing again, and I have a lot to do getting ready for the Exhibition of photos which the Himalayan Club are holding on the 24th of this month. I have been to two very nice and interesting dinner-parties at which we have been allowed to sit and talk comfortably after dinner, and not been made to play games. I am glad to see that there seems to be quie a fashion for doing that now.
I hope Herbert has only a mild attack of flu for his temperature has been normal since I took it about 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and he does’nt seem very bad. The tiresome thing is that he is still not quite cured of the colitis. He was very depressed a day or two ago, but oddly enough since he went to bed with ‘flu, he seems more cheerful. I hope he will be alright in a day or two. I am perfectly fit again. I did feel run down for a few days, and was jolly glad to take a rest in the afternoon.
G.B. and I have heard from Mr Ruttledge, and I have had a letter from Mr Kempson to-day saying they would all like to stay with people in Calcutta, so G.B. and I have been busy plotting out who would fit in best, where. I am much looking forward to meeting Dr and Mrs Humphreys. I thought the articles he wrote about the Greenland expedition were so interesting.
I must get on with other letters now, so good-bye, and my love to you all.
LJT
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Feb 7th 1936
My dear Annette.
I begin to detest letter writing: because it is ignominious never to write about anything save being more or less seedy. Many people succeed in being seedy with out writing about it: maybe it is because I do nothing but work that I can find no other matter as stuffing for these letters. This week’s news then is that I am in bed with flu. The chief symptom is an ache in the back. It is a sad thing that one never uses time in bed with illness for the profitable purpose of learning something. I did get out my once-dear “Dame” but the only result was that I meditated on the probability of never speaking French at all: and I have reverted to tales of crime.
On Thursday I saw the doctor who seemed satisfied with my progress and changed the medicine to an arsenic mixture – antidysentery, in case there has been a recrudescence of the bug: it retires into the tissues and lurks there for years. On Friday I was horribly bored by a man about fish – very interesting in a way but I didn’t want to hear it then. On Saturday I can’t remember what. On Sunday, watching flying at Dumdum: very dull. I drove back fast through traffic, a beautiful evening, though. On Monday I began to feel that I was getting better: in the evening I developed a sneeze. On Tuesday the flu started in office and returning early, at 4.30, I went to bed with a temperature. Yesterday I was in bed. And here I am normal almost in temperature though maybe not otherwise, with a certain windiness and rather gloomy.
Why should fish be so depressing to think about?
In the Hindustani lexicon I came across the phrase “cut and long tail” as the English for three phrases, of which are meant “goats-dung and something-or-other (I couldn’t find the word)” another “rich and poor” and the third beat me. See if you can trace it anywhere
Much love
Dad.
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Feb 13th 1936
My darling Annette
What a magnificent long letter you wrote the week before you went back to school – It was really very interesting hearing about the family and village reactions to the King’s death – and also your impressions of the Chinese Exhibition – I envy you seeing that. I should have loved to do so. I was quite entranced by the Persian one, and I think the Chinese must have been even more fascinating.
I have just received a letter from Fau von Pflugk – written in German – which I am sending to Herbert Richter to translate from me – I think I can make a fair guess at the meaning – but may guess all wrong!
Flying is fascinating me more and more as I learn a bit more about the technique of the game. The only pity is that it seems to make Dad rather nervous when I fly – However he says he is nervous when I ride – so I don’t think it is much good giving in to him about it! I’d hate to have to live wrapped up in cotton wool –
When I have written a long family letter, I get the feeling that I have written myself out – and now I don’t know what I want to write to you about. I’ve still done nothing about arranging passages home and back. I’ve tried to talk to Dad about going or not going, but he so far has managed to turn the conversation and evade giving an answer, with that amazing skill of his in that special direction, which still deceives me even after being married to him for more than twenty two years. If there is any chance that he could get leave and come next year, I rather wonder whether I ought to come this – He is’nt too fit, and is inclined to get depressed – Its difficult to know – I do want to be with you and Richard and Rosemary for a bit – but I also feel that you are all more capable of getting on without me than Dad!
Best love, my darling
from
Mum
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Feb 13th 1936
My dears,
Once more the high spot of my doings, in more ways than one this week, has been a flight. Idris Mathews wanted to go down to see the people who are in charge of the place where his guns are tested, which is on the coast a few miles south of a place called Balasore, and just beyond the Bengal-Orissa boundry, and he asked me if I would like to go with him. It is about 130 miles away, and for about 60 of those miles we were flying over our old district of Contai. We were to leave Dum-Dum between 7.15 and 7.30 on Sunday. It so happened that we had heavy rain on Saturday, and the weather which had been getting warm, turned cold again, with the result that when the bearer brought my tea at 5.45 on Sunday, I looked out on a world wrapped in a blanket of thick mist. I thought we should be delayed in starting, but went off as I had arranged, for these morning fogs usually lift fairly early. I left the house at 6.30, and went to the New Market, where my cook met me with a large joint of beef, celery, green-peas and a cream cheese, all of which were things I knew Major and Mrs Isley would not be able to get in their remote little home. I arrived at the areodrome on the tick of 7.15, and found Idris already there. We could only see about 150 yards so there was no question of starting for the moment, and we went across from the little club hanger to the big Imperial Airways place to get the latest weather report. The general opinion was that the fog would not lift till about 8.30. The Alipore Observatory were vague about the fog, and said that the morning would be fine, but there was a possibility of thunder-storms after 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We spent a little time looking at 4 Army planes which had come in the night before, and then went across to the Flying Club and had tea and biscuits, and studied our maps. About 8 o’clock the fog began to thin and by 8.15 we were able to take off. Idris said that as we were late he would fly there by compass and we would come back by map. Our course took us over Calcutta, (quite close to this house), over the docks, along part of the Hoogly where it curves west, and so away over Contai, where I was able to pick up all the roads, rivers and canal, and every bit of it was full of twenty year-old memories. I saw the place where I spent my first night in tents and where the servants and the luggage did not arrive, and we, who had ridden there, thought we should have to spend the night with no bedding, and no nets, but were saved by Mogul arriving at 11 o’clock with what was urgently needed for the night carried on the heads of some most unwilling cultivators. Some miles from where we were, the stream up which they were bringing the baggage in boats, dried up and they could get no further. A little further on we went over a part of the country where the “Burra Rani” and the “Chata Rani” were engaged in litigation over their late husband’s estate, and both made strenuous efforts to bribe Herbert by sending gifts. The Burra Rani sent a fine black goat, and the Chota Rani an immense fish, I remember, and our servant almost had a fight with their servants in carrying out our orders that on no account were the gifts to be accepted. But I must not let myself run on with old memories, or I shall fill a book. The sea soon came into view, rather pale and misty still and as we crossed across into Orissa we flew along the coast. I was amazed at the way the waves were arranged in perfectly straight lines, just as if they had been ruled with a ruler. We soon spotted the grove of casuarinas trees and the little white bungalows which mark Chandipore. On a nice stretch of grassy turf behind the sand hills, which has been smoothed out to make hockey grounds for the troops, the isleys had put out white wash marks and red flags to guide Idris in landing, and after circling round it and sweeping out over the sea, he landed perfectly, just like a butterfly. The Isleys were there to meet us with a party of Indian sepoys who were left to guard the plane and keep off the keenly interested fishermen who came running from the beach and over the sand-hills to gaze at the strange monster. The air was heavenly after the smoke laden atmosphere of Calcutta. (line missing off end of page ??and we were very ready for it??)
(Sorry! I broke off to go to breakfast, and sat down again with my mind running on the arrangements for a Himalayan club show we are having to-night, and wrote the address at the top of the paper quite mechanically)
After breakfast we wandered round and looked at the little settlement, and the guns etc, and lay on the grass at the top of the beach, under the casuariona trees and talked. He had really meant to stay for lunch, but in view of the weather report Idris thought we had better get back earlier so we left at 12.20 and got back to Dum-Dum at 1.50. We flew back by map in order to see the places I wanted to look at again, especially the little town of Contai. We were flying at about 3,000 ft as it was rather bumpy, but in spite of that I could see our old house, and the garden and tennis court and all the old landmarks. We kept along the coast and up the Hoogly, so if you care to glance at a map you will see exactly where we went. We flew bang over the top of this house to let Herbert know we were safely back, and after landing at Dum-Dum went to Idris’ house for lunch (Cossipore is only about ten minutes drive from Dum-Dum) and came in here later in the afternoon, and all went along to tea with Winsome and Harry. It was Herbert’s first outing after Flu, and he felt a bit tired, so we did not stay late. Soon after we got back here, Mogul came and said that two Tibetans had brought the note he handed to me. It proved to be from Ron Kaulback, so I promptly told Mogul to bring the men up. One of them is a man who lives in Calcutta and talks Hindustani, and the other was a typical Lhasa District Tibetan, who is Servant of a Dzongpen (Governor) who has been very helpful to Ron. A day or two before I had had a letter from Ron asking me to get some films which he enclosed enlarged. They were to portraits one of the Dzongpen and one of Ron with the Dzongpen. These I am to frame in ornate silver frames, and send to the Dzongpen at an address in Lhasa by post. This letter was dated Oct 29th, and this Tibetan says that he saw Ron only about a month ago. I cant help thinking that is not quite accurate, for I doubt whether he could have covered the distance in the time. He says that Ron and John Tracy and their three servants are all well, and that the two Sahibs are now quite like Tibetans, wear Tibetan clothes, and eat Tibetan food. He is starting back again next week, and is going to take a small parcel to Ron for me. Ron will probably have gone further north, but the man thinks that his master will be able to send it on. I am sending two tines of Pemmican (which is the most concentrated form of meat you can get) two or three pounds of chocolate, and half a dozen tins of Oxo cubes. Gin or rum is probably what he would like best, but it is difficult to carry, and would be such a temptation to the man carrying it! Ron writes that his three men are doing simply splendidly. Lewa he says is beyong all praise, and he has raised his wages (I cant help thinking it must be a theoretical rise since Ron cant have a huge stock of cash with him) I am awfully glad the men are doing so well. I knew they were all fine fellows, and had been well tried out under many strenuous circumstances.
The Himalayan Club has been bulking rather large on my horizon this week. On Saturday morning a certain Capt Gregory, who has done a lot of climbing in Kashmir and in Garhwal, rang up to say he was in Calcutta and would the members of the Himalayan Club like to see slides of some of his Kashmir expeditions. I had written to him last July to say if he were coming to Calcutta would he give us a lecture, but was rather flabbergasted to get this sudden message from him, with no notice at all. However I said if he would dine with us on Monday night, and show his slides at the United Service club afterwards, I would collect as many of our members as I could. I spent about an hour on the telephone, ringing people up, and asking them to tell others, with the result that about 40 people turned up.
To-night, Capt Davie, one of the governor’s A.D.Cs, is showing us a colour film of the trip that H.E. made into Bhutan last autumn, and all the time I am busy collecting and sorting photos for the Exhibition we are having on the 24th of this month. Barbara Griffin was going to run this show was then cabled for to go home to a sick mother, so I had to take it on.
My old friend Miss Macleod, who stays at the Ramkrishna Mission, has Lady Muriel Paget staying with her, and I have been seeing a good deal of them. I had them to tea at the Saturday club on Thursday, and lunched with them at Firpo’s on Monday. I took two men they wanted to meet who are interested in village industries and that sort of thing. Old Miss Macleod (who is well over seventy) said “do let us have dome drinks before lunch. Now what were those nice things we had at your house? Screws? Chisels?” Dear old pet! She was trying to remember “Gimlets”. It was a very nice and interesting party, and I was glad to be lunching out to meet them again yesterday. Our hostess was a dear little American woman, and she gave us the most heavenly American food largely prepared by herself. Lady Muriel is carrying on work in Russia which she started during the war I believe. It has now developed into a sort of institution that looks after poor old English people who are stranded. She says there are quite a number who had lost all touch with England, dont want to go back, and would cost far more to support in England. She is an interesting and inspiring sort of person, with very wide vision.
There has been great activity in Calcutta about the Overseas League this week. Mr Eric Rice, their travelling representative has been here for a few days, holding meetings and parties. As I am a fellow of the rival society I did not go to any of them, but I was dining out on Tuesday to meet Mr Rice, not in his official capacity, but purely a pleasure party for music. I sat next him at dinner, and was not attracted by him, but he plays the piano like an angel. Percy Brown, whose wife is an ardent Overseas Leaguer, arrived beaming at the Himalayan Club lecture on Monday, saying “I have just been to such a funny party, given by a society who call themselves the Half-Seas Over League, or something of the sort”.
Herbert is back at work, but feeling a bit pulled down and depressed after his attack of flu. I wish I could get him away for a few days, but I dont suppose he will. He hates making up his mind to go away.
Best love to you all
LJT
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Feb 13th 1936
My dear Annette
After writing to Richard details of my doings while in bed with flu and so on I now realise how beyond words dull they all were. Not write them means not to write at all: for there is nothing else. In bed till Saturday, out for an hour on Sunday afternoon, to office (mornings only) Tuesday and yesterday: and today I shall essay staying on for the afternoon and evening. Council is sitting so it will mean being on the go till 7 o’clock: but I can get off earlier if I feel collapsed.
Anyhow I feel collapsed; weak in the legs and in the back and particularly weak in the intellects. After an attach of flu there seems to be no meaning in things: I ought to go out and lie on a dung heap under a cart like Kim. The weather is cold and has been strangely overcast for this time of year. Unpleasant and shivery from my point of view: but I imagine delightful to those with energy and able to get out.
Life is made hideous to me by your mother’s passion for flying: I have argued with her that there is no sense in going out of one’s way to run risks: but there is no answer to the argument that riding or motoring come under the same condemnation. The fact is that one is fanciful while ill.
Much love
Dad
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Feb 20th 1936
My darling Annette
You can imagine what a disappointment it is to me to make up my mind not to come home this year – Dad had been so comparatively well all last year that I would not have minded leaving him, but getting a return of colitis and these deep fits of depression as he has done lately, make me feel that he needs me here – You are all getting on so well and Auntie is so much your second mother, that I feel you can do better with-out me than he can. Its a horrid long time to go without seeing you – but we shall have to make up for it by having a specially nice holiday next year, when he will come home too.
This being so, I am rather glad that Miss Street advises against you leaving school and going abroad – for it means one less thing for Auntie to arrange. I think they do teach languages well at St. Monica’s and I expect they will take care to coach you in the right things, because for the honour and glory of the school they would like you to win a scholarship.
GB. Gourlay is delighted that I have decided not to go home, for he goes on leave this year and he feels happier if I am here to look after the Himalayan Club while he is away – so its an ill wind that blows no one any good! Its lucky I got on well before breakfast with my big letter because my telephone has been going all the morning – chiefly about the photo exhibition – and about the Everest people arriving and just now a French lady, sister of one of the men who is coming out with the French Expedition to the Karakorams. My French seems very rusty – but she seemed to understand me alright.
I had a very nice letter from Frau von Pflugk, saying how much they were looking forward to having you with them – and that they hoped they would be able to make you happy and so on. I hope your visit will be a success. Its nice to feel that Herbert Richter’s parents are near by too. He says they hope to be able to do something for you because I have always been so kind to him they would like to do something in return – (He’s a dear fellow and my kindness has been nothing more than being very glad to have him in the house here - )
I mus’nt go on writing – I have so many letters to do this morning, besides the family ones.
Best love, my darling
from
Mum
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Feb. 20th 1936.
My dears,
Very soon after I had sent off my last mail letter, I came to the decision not to come home this year. Herbert has not been very well, and dreadfully depressed, so after much anxious thought, I came to the conclusion that, if he would promise to take short leave next year, I would wait and come home with him then. I got him to go and see the chief secretary to see what they said about leave, and he replied that he saw no reason why Herbert should not have leave, though he could not promise anything absolutely for certain. As I said to Herbert, he is now in a favourable position, for having earned his full pension, he can retire at any moment. I am sorry to disappoint the children (if indeed it does do so!), but I feel they are all rather better able to take care of themselves than Herbert when he is feeling miserable.
The Himalayan Club photo exhibition which takes place on Monday next, is keeping me busy. Everyone is being extremely helpful, but one person has got to be in charge, and co-ordinate all the activities. Every evening different people come with their sets of photos, and we sort them, and arrange them on big sheets of cardboard, number them, make a list of their descriptive titles, and the next morning I take them over to the Victoria Memorial, where Percy Browns’ “duftri” does the actual mounting with those little transparent corners, which dont harm the photos at all. Our collection varies from Kashmir to Schugden Gompa in Eastern Tibet, though the lions share are of the different Sikhim trips and climbs. We have about 300 pictures. I am throughly enjoying the work, and find it most interesting. The first batch of the Everest Expedition will be here, and Dr Heron is having a dinner for them before the Exhibition. I feel it will add greatly to the interest of the show having them there.
I have been living in rather a photographic whirl all this week, for Capt Davis, one of the Governor’s A.D.Cs, who went into Bhutan with him last year, showed his film, partly in colour, of the trip to the Himalayan Club last Thursday evening. I think it was a record meeting. There must have been over a hundred people there. The film was excellent. The colour was on the whole, wonderful. For the brightly coloured clothes of the people, it was perfect, but they have not the reproduction of landscape colours quite right yet. They are a little crude, and the greens are too blue. I have never seen a better taken amature black and white film, and it was all most interesting. I was inveigled into going on to Firpos for a drink and a dance or two afterwards, and did not get home till about 1.30 a.m.
I had a show of my own photos of the Donkhya La Trip that I did with the two girls in the spring, here on Monday evening. I showed them once or twice after we came back in the rains, but some people who are interested were away then. I asked Mr Biswas from the botanical gardens to come, and he brought a little Japanese professor of botany with him. He did a lot of bowing, and seemed a nice little fellow. I wished I had had more chance to talk to him, but as Herbert was late in council I was single handed to look after the guests, and also was talking about the pictures.
I’ve lunched out a couple of times this week, which always seems to cut into a working day very much. When I lunch alone, it only takes me about ten minutes. I am afraid I always refuse the ordinary women’s lunch parties now, but these parties were worth while. One was to meet Lady Muriel Paget again. I think I told you about her last week. She is such a very interesting woman, and the other was simply a lunch with Dr Heron to talk over some of the arrangements for his dinner and for the Photo show. Dr Heron is the head of the Geological Survey, was on the 1921 Everest Reconnaisance and is Vice President of the Himalayan club, and always a most helpful person. He is lending the big board-room of the Survey for the Exhibition.
I was out at Dum-Dum again yesterday. Idris Mathews had asked Biswas and Mitra and their families from the Botanical Gardens to tea at the Flying Club and took a selection of them for short flights, to their huge excitement. I went out to look after them, and give them tea, while he was doing the flying. Just at the last he signalled me to come and go up, and I wondered why, unless it was to get a better view of an exceptionally fine sunset, but I soon understood the reason. He wanted to do some acrobatics to amuse the younger children whom he had not taken up, and we did far more hair-raising things than I have ever done before. The most exciting were what he afterwards told me were “stall turns”. He made the plane climb as steeply as possible till we were practically standing on our tail, then the plane stalled and suddenly dropped away falling, it seemed sideways and partly over on its side, like a stone towards the earth. It was the most amazing feeling. The fastest lift or scenic railway I have ever been on were nothing to it. I really cant describe the sensation even to myself. I think there must have been a spice of fear and a good deal of excitement, and a definite physical tingling of the whole of ones body. I found myself gripping the seat as tight as I could. After what seemed like some seconds of falling, the plane flattened out, with the engine roaring and we swooped upwards again, only to repeat the manoever again and yet again. I have not told Herbert about this, as he is inclined to be nervous about my flying, so please dont mention it!
I dont think there is much more of interest to tell. The Agrihorticultural gardens had their annual flower show on Saturday to which we went, but it was a poor show. It has been a very dry years, and the quality of the blooms is poor. I have played one game of golf, and had some rather specially nice rides. We had quite a party on Sunday morning. Two girls who are staying here and two of the younger men from G.B.’s chummery came out, and it was rather fun. They all went to bathe at Tolly and back to breakfast at the chummery afterwards, but I had to hurry home as I had work to do for the photo show. Best love LJT
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Feb 20th
My dear Annette
Clearly the only way to be sure of writing a letter is to resist the idea of waiting till the end of the week in the hope that there may by then have been news. Write on Sunday perhaps. But I never shall. And having waited I am none the better off. No news. Slack and depressed after the flu: still. Maybe, having resumed work too soon. But that was because one has to turn up at the Legislative Council meetings. My Water Hyacinth Bill passed through its preliminary stages smoothly enough: no one voted against it. Meetings of the Select Committee on Monday and Tuesday were tedious: but we finished with that stage too. What tedium the whole thing is! But it is something to get any bill passed when there has been talk about the necessity for it for thirteen years at least.
The Hon Member acting in place of Sir Nazimuddin, who has gone off on a pilgrimage to Mecca, has demanded that I should compress about six months work into one. He is asking impossibilities: the work in the districts is bound to take time and if one tries to hurry the result will be chaos. But I found myself so angry that I went off to office yesterday debating whether to throw my hand in. However I had a feeling that in part this was due to intense weariness and I abstained from such drastic action. Probably the result will be a relapse into the ordinary Government methods of taking plenty of time over everything. If one makes intense efforts as I have been doing the result is merely a general effort to pile more more on one.
My development schemes do not move at all
Much love
Dad
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Feb 26th 1936
My dear Annette
The news of my brother Barnie’s taking Mrs Jennings to the pictures made me to gasp. I had a confused picture in my mind of them sitting like the Travellers in the Through the Looking Glass train, with Bunnie sitting solemnly beside them in a chair, with spectacles. Is it Bunnie? that goat-animal, the one continually pursued with showers of bricks?
You saw that picture in Punch? “Snob. Très snob. Très très snob, Presque can” Well, I am like that. Not for nothing would I go on such a pilgrimage to the pictures. Indeed I admire my brother Barnie, and I think my son Richard, for such doings. Richard seems attracted again by the device of digging for or with the unemployed. There is a distinct chance that he’ll end up by trying to get a job on the League of Nations. That is the modern equivalent of being a minor poet.
A week ago the Hon Mr Shahabuddin called me in and revealed that it was the Governor’s wish that I should, at the sacrifice of all else, confine my thoughts and energies to getting the Indebtedness Bill into operation. Yesterday the Hon Sir Mohinddin drifted into my room and revealed that it was the Governor’s wish that I should drop all else and confine my activities to the Jute restriction. Such is life – or are politics. Each is contemplating the loss of votes or the winning of them according to the degree of delay (or of failure) attending his particular subject. I on the contrary am more interested in my own devices. Also I cannot shake off the after effects of flu or control my bad tempers. They keep me awake at night.
What more? Your mother attempted to get a black eye today by riding into a twig. Her photograph exhibition was first class. She insists on flying to Jalpaiguri. Item I flew for an hour on Saturday and felt rather sickish – much the worse for it anyhow.
Much love
Dad
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Feb 27th 1936.
My dears,
The first batch of Everest climbers have arrived, and gone on to Darjeeling. They were Ruttledge, Dr (and Mrs) Humphreys, Wynn Harris, and young Gavin, the only one of the party who has not been on a big Himalayan peak before. They visited Agra on their way here, and arrived in Calcutta on Sunday evening about 6 o’clock. G.B.Gourlay was out in camp with the Calcutta Scottish, so Richard Gardiner and I went down to Howrah to meet them, accompanied by the cars of the various people who were going to put them up. There was a great sorting of luggage, interviews with the press and so on, but we got them all settled at last, and sent off to their destinations, while I took Mr Ruttledge along to col and Mrs Wheeler’s where he was to stay. Col Wheeler was on the 1921 Everest show, and is now Assistant Surveyor General, so we thought he would be a good person to put Mr Ruttledge up. Its a long drive from Howrah to Ballygunge and we had a lot of interesting talk, a good bit of it about G.B. Ruttledge says G.B. has been such a brick about “sitting on the fence” for so long, not knowing whether he was to go or not. There is still just a chance that he might. Major Morris who is supposed to be going as transport officer, has had a lot of fever, and though the doctor in Darjeeling says that he is alright, Ruttledge is still not quite satisfied, and if he does not, G.B steps in, but I am afraid the chance is very remote. I think Ruttledge looks old for his age, and not strong. Its astonishing that he is able to do what he does. Dr Humphreys looks a hard nut, and says he used to bathe regularly in Greenland and swim out to an iceberg and dive off it. I asked him if he were going to re-make Dr Greene’s swimming pool at Base Camp, and he says he certainly shall if it is possible. Wynn Harris has come straight from Kenya, and looks marvellously fit, but fatter than he was before. I should think he is splendid value on a mountain. He looks as if he has a fund of good humour which nothing would disturb. Gavin is a nice looking young fellow, a Sapper, so we sent him to stay with Richard Gardiner at the Sapper’s mess. They all stayed quietly where-ever they were being put up on Sunday evening, and we fixed up cars to be at their disposal in the morning, and to bring them all except Ruttledge here to lunch the following day, and later we took them out to Tollygunge to bathe and have tea, and in the evening Dr Heron gave a delightful dinner at the United Service Club, before going on to the Himalayan Club Exhibition of photos. I may say that from Friday on I had been extremely busy arranging, cataloguing and hanging the photos. We did the actual hanging on Sunday morning, and as I had seven stalwart young men to help me, I did not have to do much more than give directions. We got nearly everything up by lunch time, leaving only a few to put on screens in the middle of the room, and the maps and final check of numbers to be done on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. We had maps hanging under every group, with tiny flags stuck in to show just where the photos had been taken. I think it added a lot to the interest. I am glad to say the show was a great success. There were crowds of people there, and they all seemed to be interested and enjoying themselves. Of course it was a great bit of luck having the Everest people there. It was entirely accidental, for when we fixed the date for the photo show, we had no idea when the Everest people would be here. They took a most flattering interest in it all. Towards the end when the crowd had gone, and there were only a few of the club “officials” and the little group of Everest men left, I was looking round to see that everything was alright, and found Wyn Harris standing in front of a huge enlargement of a very lovely picture of the beautiful mountain, Siniolchu. It is a slim towering needle of fluted ice, 22,600 ft high, and considered unclimable. Wynn Harris was gazing at it intently and measuring bits of it with his thumb-nail. I said “Well! are you going to skip up that when you have been to the top of Everest?” he looked round over his shoulder with a grin and said “it would be a grand peak to climb”
On Tuesday some other people had a lunch-party for them all and as I had to preside at a special Guide Rally, I deputed Marian Atkins to take them out to Dum Dum to tea with Idris Mathews at the Flying Club. The idea was for the to fly, and see Calcutta from the air, but Ruttledge put his foot down and said “no”. He added that it had cost £50 to bring each of them out, and he was not allowing them to take any undue risks before they got to the mountain. Mrs Humphreys scored because she went up for about half an hour. They all went off that evening. G.B., the wheelers Richard Gardiner and myself went down to see them off. The variety of dress was rather amusing. Ruttledge was in an immaculate dinner jacket suit with a red carnation in his button-hole. Wynn Harris looked the complete explorer, in well worn corduroy shorts, khaki shirt, and sucking an old pipe. Gavin was the smart young soldier in a light grey double breasted flannel suit. Dr Humphreys was wearing a dark grey suit, but gave the impression that it would not be long before he was in khaki trekking clothes. Well! Good luck to them! I hope they get to the top this time –
Besides the work connected with this picture exhibition, and looking after the Everest people, I scarcely know what I have done this week. I think I was flying on Thursday, and playing golf on Friday afternoons, and Herbert came out to Dum-Dum on Saturday afternoon, and after Idris had taken up Lady Muriel Paget, he took Herbert up for nearly an hour, flying over country which is going to be the first area to be treated under his irrigation scheme. Lady Muriel and I had tea and a long talk. I find her very interesting and am sorry her visit has just come to an end. Herbert looked very pale when he came down, and confessed that he felt a bit sick. He had been tremendously interested, and would like to survey more country from the air, so its a pity that flying makes him feel uncomfortable.
Herbert Richter leaves India, probably for good, on Sunday. A big circle of friends will regret his departure. He is very popular here. The Ow-Wachendorfs gave a farewell dinner for him last night, to which they invited those whom they considered his special friends. I was pleased to be numbered amongst them. I always like the Ow’s parties. There is a sort of continental and aristocratic atmosphere about their house, which is different in some subtle way from what one meets with elsewhere in Calcutta. I sat next the baron at dinner and we had some interesting talk about the present international situation, and after dinner we had another grand talk, chiefly about British rule in India, and to what degrees Europeans and Indians live up to their religious teachings, or professions. It was a three-cornered talk with Sir Edward Benthall, one of Calcutta’s leading business men as the third party. He is a man I like very much, partly because he reminds me of Bous. He has a shrewd brain and a wide outlook, not at all confined to Calcutta’s jute business world. He and I told the Baron, who is an enthusiastic student of early Hindu art, that he looks at the modern world through the rose-coloured spectacles of those early unspoilt days.
Herbert is still not very fit, or very cheerful, but better than he was last week. He came to Dr Heron’s dinner for the Everest people, and, to my surprise, on to the picture show, and enjoyed himself, though he was pretty tired the next morning.
The hot weather is definitely beginning. Most of the men have gone into thin clothes, and now and again one thinks of turning on a fan. I can see that we shall soon be starting the regime of the daily bathe after office.
Next Thursday I shall be flying up to Jalpai, so I shall have to write my letters early.
Best love to you all
LJT
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Feb 27th 1936
My darling Annette
Its curious how things work out. Since I had heard nothing from Auntie about having your photos taken, I thought, in the press of things she has to see to, it had slipped out of her mind, and resigned myself to having to wait till next holidays, to see what you all look like. I was specially sorry when I made up my mind that I was not coming home. Now comes the news that you have been taken – so I suppose I can hope for the photos to come in a week or two. I feel quite ridiculously excited about seeing them.
We have had another letter from Ron and packets to post for him to other people, but they were written long long before the ones brought down by the Tibetan servant of the Dzougpen who has been so good to him – Those were dated Oct 29th and these are July 14th. These latter ones were brought by a real live Mishmi – who was waiting here at the top of the stairs last Friday evening in company with the Tibetan, who had come to take letters and a packet of food to Ron. I had never seen a Mishmi before and did not know there had every been one in Calcutta. He proudly produced two “cluts” from Ron – one written when he was out with Kingdon Ward and one written this time – both most intricately worded so that they sounded rather grand, but really contained a list of warnings against the Mishmi’s evil ways – I’ll try to get some copies of these letters typed and send them next week.
I wonder how on the whole, your work has gone this term. I’m not sure that one does not do more valuable work when one has leisure than when one is working to a timetable. I had to be away from school for six weeks when I was thirteen, while Auntie Grace and Auntie May had mumps – and what little I know of botany, Greek mythology and Roman History – I learnt during that time –
Best love, my darling
from
Mum