1936 September
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Sept 2nd 1936
My darling Annette
It was a tremendous relief to me to get your first letter from Dresden and to hear that, so far at any rate, your visit to the von Pflugks’ was a success. I thought there was every chance that they would take more trouble about you than the people you went to in France did last year – They seem to have been quite without any conscience about making things interesting or amusing for you – I was tremendously interested in your description of Dresden – I had always heard it was a “fine city” – but just that – no sort of description – We were much amused to hear of your struggles with the bedclothes – All my friends who have been in Germany, sympathize with you! I hope you liked Herbert Richter. He is usually a quiet person – though he can be lively at times. He was extremely amusing at a dinner party given by the Vissers at Firpo’s some time ago. It was a gala night and head dresses were given to everyone – The men in our party got blue top hats and the women some sort of fancy things. Herbert and a Dutchman who was there, gave us a demonstration of how different nationalities take off their hats – It was quite clever – At last I said – “What about Americans?” The answer came from both as with one voice – “They don’t” –
I love those big trans-continental trains, don’t you? I hope you did not find travelling alone alarming – Apperantly Auntie May thought it was most rash of us to let you venture out into the wide world alone!
The Olympic excitement was going hot and strong amongst the members of the German colony here – It so happened that the German climbers were here while the Games were on and consequently I was seeing a good many of the Germans and the topic of conversation was the Olympic Games. There seemed to be very little excitement amongst the Britishers about it.
Its 8.30 p.m – and I am begining to wonder where Dad is – It is very seldom he stays out as late in the evening as this, unless he accompanies me to a cocktail party or something of the sort.
Best love, my darling
from
Mum
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Sept 2nd 1936
My dear Annette
You’ll get no letter worth the name from me this week: I am less agile with the pen than I might have been if I were not suffering (and that is the real word, appropriate) from what correctly for once may be called bellyache: though there is stomach ache too. Two bulges the profile is like a corset advertisement
( ---chest
Stomach ache (
( ---bellyache
Do you remember the boule d’aire? This is it. Precisely.
A lot of work. If it is as bad as I have been feeling, it is bad. But I think that, considering, it is pretty good. Not for letter writing purposes though.
As to amusements: I went to a Tom Walls film on Saturday afternoon and laughed a lot. But it took me aback to hear myself telling brother Harry over the phone that I didn’t mind going a second time in order that he might have someone to see
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it, the less hope there seems to be of its ever running properly again. Either the car goes wrong whenever I’m out of sorts, or I get out of sorts whenever it goes wrong: may be it is despair that acts so powerfully upon me.
I went to the movies on Saturday. A Mickie, “Through the Looking Glass”, and a Tom Walls, “Pot Luck”: very good of their kind – and all the rest of the show rotten. On Sunday we had some people to breakfast at Tollygunge: and all went well. I retained equanimity and almost believed that I was on the road to a recovery. What did the dirty on me was going out to Cossipore and walking about half a mile after tea: suddenly I went pop so to speak and felt done to the world. It is a sad state when so short a stroll has so disastrous an effect: but probably it was my evening fever coming on and not the walk.
You seem to have been spending a busy and profitable holidays. Incidentally I can’t imagine how you all fitted in to Highways – though maybe there is more room now the goats’ stall is vacant. It is a disappointment: I had gathered an impression that Peg’s youth was called Fifi, like the Belle of New York person: and the facts do not come up to this in merit.
Much love yours’
Dad
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Sept 3rd 1936.
My Dears,
Though I have been out quite a lot this week, my mind has been most busily occupied with ;- 1) Plans for the move out to Cossipore, 2) The reorganisation of the Eastern Section of the Himalayan Club, 3) winding up my work with the Girl guides and 4) Plans for our Mountain trip in the Pujas, oh and I almost forgot 5) Arrangements for our leave next year. I have to make a definite effort to remember what we have been doing in the way of amusements. John Auden very kindly asked me to go to a lecture which he was giving on “Glaciers” to the Geographical Society of the University here. He had beautiful slides (One of which I am proud to say was a picture I took of Chombo this year) and the lecture was most interesting and taught me a lot I did not know before. He came back here afterwards to give a final criticism to a bit of the Sikkim map which we had sketched to-gether and which I had since drawn to scale. The following afternoon I took all our map work and that which I have collected from other people to the Director for Map Publication, and spent about an hour and a half with him going through it all. He seemed pleased and from what he said it sounds as if he intends to put our extensive corrections into the new print of the Sikkim map. This shows a marked change of attitude in the Survey towards the work of outsiders. On Sat Herbert and I went off to the 6 o’clock performance of “Pot-Luck” with those ridiculous creatures, Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn. It did Herbert good to distract his mind and make him laugh, which we did most heartily.
After some steamy and unpleasant days, Sunday was rather nice. There was a strong South breeze, the sun was shining and fine masses of white and grey clouds were sweeping across the sky. It was lucky, for we had invited some people to breakfast at Tollygunge, and it really was delightful out there. We stayed on sitting under the trees till about 11.30. In the afternoon we went out to tea at Cossipore to advise Idris about laying out about half a dozen mashie holes for practising golf in the garden. The breeze blowing off the river was really heavenly, and we insisted on having tea out in the garden, in spite of the protests of the old bearer who was convinced that it would rain before we had finished. The wind was so strong that the river was quite rough, and it was amusing to watch both the biggish country sailing boats, which stick high out of the water fore and aft, and look most unstable, bobbing about and negotiating the waves. We climbed up on the roof of The Towers after tea, and leaning over the parapet discussed the gold holes. The roof looks enormous, and it seems a pity that it is not made use of in some way. I am really looking forward to living out there. We are already planning to have breakfast out in the garden of a morning, which will be good for Herbert for he spends so much of his time indoors.
We had rather a momentous meeting of the Committee of the Eastern Section of the Himalayan Club on Monday evening. We are trying to get things so arranged that the work of the club will carry on in spite of the inevitable transfers of its office bearers. We are detirmined to have a room of our own, and a whole time clerk on decent pay, so that he can do a lot of the donkey work, and it would be possible for busy men to be Hony Secretary, and Equipment officer and so on. this largely rises out of the fact that I am going home next year, and that none of the men here have time to do the amount of work that I have been doing for the club. We got through a record amount of work in a short time at the committee meeting, partly through the absence of G.B. Gourlay, who adores an argument for its own sake. G.B. by the way, is getting married to-day. Good luck to him! All his friends here in Calcutta are so pleased about it.
Mr Cooke, our present Chairman, and I have been spending a lot of time going into the finances and organization of the Club, and he kindly came round on Tuesday evening to “vet” the minutes which I had written and which had to be most carefully worded, as they have to go up to the Central committee, whose hand we want to force to economise at Headquarters which at present they dont do at all, and to give us more money down here where we do most of the work. I had also drafted a long explanatory letter to the Hony Secretary Simla, explaining everything to him in detail. These have gone off, and we now await results!
My poor Herbert has been suffering from a nasty attack of indigestion. It was troubling him a little last week, but became very bad on Sunday evening, and made him feel wretched on Monday and Tuesday. With diet and medicine, he seemed to get a little better yesterday. I have scarcely seen him awake this morning, but he seems more himself again.
We cannot get passages on the “Viceroy” on March 3rd next year, and are now trying for the Maloja, one week earlier, but it seems a bit doubtful whether we shall get on to her either. I hope we manage to get to England somehow! Herbert is going to take 6 ½ or 7 months leave, so we shall not have to leave England again till early October. I am longing for him to get away on leave. He is so tired, and the odd days of rest he can take out here only have effect for such a short time. I hope the weather will be better than it has been this year.
After an interval of about four months, I played golf yesterday with Walter Jenkins, and played so badly. I had gone back to all the abominable tricks of which he had almost cured me! I suppose the two real troubles are 1) that I have started too late, and 2) that I am not keen enough to give much time or thought to it.
The last few days I have been riding on the big Calcutta Maidan and Race Course, which I generally despise, but at the moment it is so much dryer than the jungle country, and it also gets all the breeze there is. Tip-It-Up goes off to Jalpaiguri to stay with Rex Fawcus for a year on Monday, so I shall only have three more rides on him for a long while to come. I am glad he is going to be with a friend like Rex.
Winsome took the children up to Darjeeling on Monday, and is staying up there a little time to settle them in, then she comes back here to deal with their move to 4 Theatre Rd, where they are going to live with Arthur Dash for the cold weather.
Best love to you all
Yours
LJT
From HPV to Annette
Calcutta
Sept 9th
My dear Annette
I have spent a lot of time this week slicing photos for the making of panoramas: a soothing exercise. The pleasure of it lies in the artful piecing out of corners with scraps. Rarely are the photos taken so as to join up level: usually they are on different levels or skew whiff (little diagrammatic illustrations included in letter) and then one has to cut and fill in as shown by the dotted lines: with bits of other photos: and it is no easy thing to get shades near enough to pass muster – a bit of mountain upside down for stony foreground and so on.
Work has not gone well. My great schemes for improving Bengal are toppling: because I haven’t been allowed to give any attention to looking to the question of assessing revenue on the Damadon (?) canal area. Now at the last moment plans for retrieving disaster are thwarted by the sickness and fatigue of the only men available for the assessing of the fields: they have been kept on, doing famine relief work, through the heat and the rains and cannot go without a rest. The almost complete knock out, this. I recite to myself by way inspiration, the word “IF . . .”: and should recite appropriate pieces of the poem, could I but remember it. Anyhow the idea is the thing. It is impressed upon me that were I not out of sorts and weary I might improvise something and avert disaster: and it may yet be. To be beaten on this when nothing but the futility of ministers stood in the way of success is too much for any equanimity that I might have had. Not much of it.
Of pleasures none this week: saving the perusal of three tripey detective stories, half a life of Labouchere (witty), and a lunch with the Baroness Giskra and the Ows. Civilised and soothing people. No more than a hint is needed to make anything clear to them. Ah! And Harry came in to dinner one night. Add the cosseting of my insides which engender wind to admiration: but slowly that becomes better: now merely an annoyance and not a perpetual pain.
Much love
Dad
Family letter from LJT
14/1 Rowland Road
Calcutta
Sept 10th 1936
My dears,
This is the last letter I shall write to you from this house, where we have lived for five years, which far the longest time we have lived in any one house in India. I regret leaving it in many ways, but I think we shall be very happy at Cossipore. The servants have begun a little minor packing already, but we dont really get down to it till after Herbert has gone to Darjeeling, which he does on Saturday.
This week has seen the end of two or three phases for me. Tip-It-Up has gone to Rex Fawcus at Jalpaiguri, and it lies on the lap of the Gods whether I have him back again in Autumn 1937. I held my last Girl Guide Rally on Tuesday, and have made over all the Company belongings to my lieutanant, who carries on. I now only have to write my District Report, and that winds up my connection with the Guides. I am both sorry and glad. I have enjoyed my Guide work in many ways, and I think I have learnt quite a lot from it. I hope I have been able to teach something too, but lately I have begun to feel stale and find it rather a burden, and that it seemed to clash with the Himalayan Club work, so that I felt I must give up one or the other. Now I can say “God be praised that man is hurled from change to change unceasingly”, which is a very good motto for people who live in India.
I seem to have had rather an intensive final burst with the Guides, for I took representives from two of my Companies to the house of our Provincial Commissioner, on Friday afternoon to take part in a competition, and I also acted as “Nature” Examiner. I gave up half of Saturday morning to testing the Recruits who joined my companies this term, to see whether they were ready to be enrolled, and I have spent a good deal of time sorting out the company belongings and writing up the registers and things before I handed over. I feel rather a sense of relief to be rid of so many petty duties.
The week-end brought an unexpected and pleasant happening. Idris rang me up on Saturday morning to know if I were disengaged in the evening, as he had invited two men who are flying from New Zealand to England, to dine with him and wanted me to meet them. Unfortunately I was already engaged to dine out, but I asked if he would like to bring them to bathe and have tea at Tollygunge, where we were already taking Baroness Giskra, who had returned to Calcutta for a few days before sailing for Egypt, where her son-in-law, Baron Ow-Wachendorf is going to be German Minister. Idris said that they would love to come, and we had such a nice party. Baroness Giskra is one of the most interesting, charming and amusing people we have ever met. However tired he is Herbert always likes being with her. I thought the New Zealanders would have interesting things to tell, judging by what I had read in the paper about them. The owner of the plane, and the man who is putting up the money for the flight is a retired New Zealand sheep-farmer. He is seeing a bit of the world, on his way home to visit a daughter who is at school in England. Mr Chichester, who is piloting the plane is, according to Idris, one of the best amature pilots in the world, and I found him one of the most charming and interesting people I had met for a long time. They left New Zealand with the idea of taking their time over the flight and visiting interesting places, if possible a bit off the beaten track. Their plan was to fly home via China and Siberia and Russia. When they left N.Z. they thought that all their permissions had been granted, and it was not till they got to Pekin that they got news that Russia had turned them down, so after wandering about China a little, they crossed French Indo-China, stayed a day or two at Hanoi, and came on to Calcutta. Here they were a little disheartened to hear from Imperial Airways that all the people concerned with getting them permission to fly across Persia are up in Simla. They were in the state of wondering what to do, when I met them. Luckily the only man we know well in the government of India is Sir Frank Noyce, who is the very man they want. They are told that it is sure to take two or three weeks to get the permission through, and they conceived the idea of spending the time of waiting, fishing, as they are both keen fishermen. I promised to fetch them the next morning, and take them to see other keen fishermen who could give them information, so on Sunday morning I first took them for a drive round the town, and then brought them here to meet a coupld of “Anglers”, and they had a tremendous talk, the upshot of which was that once more, the man to whom they wanted an introduction, that is the Secretary of the Fishing Association at Dehra Dun, was also an old friend of mine. All this, on top of plenty of well iced beer, made them feel a good deal happier. We dropped them back at their hotel on our way to lunch with Baroness Giskra and the Ow-Wachendorfs at the Great Eastern Hotel, with the promise that I would call for Mr Chichester soon after four o’clock, and take him out to DumDum, where he promised to take me for a flight in their machine, which is a puss-moth. I had never been up in a closed machine, and was anxious to see what it was like. I had also heard the Puss-Moth so much discussed. We stayed up for about half an hour, and had a most interesting flight. One can talk so comfortably in a closed-in cabin, and I was able to point out all Calcutta’s points of interest, and describe them, and Mr Chichester showed me all sorts of things about the plane and its instruments. It was a pretty evening with huge banks and mountains of cloud about, and rain storms going across at intervals. We chased one and flew through it, “to wash our windows” as Mr Chichester said. He made a wonderful landing. He just skimmed the fence at the edge of the areodrome, and pulled up within 75 yards, without using his air brakes or the land brakes. Idris was waiting for us at the big hanger, and went up for about ten minutes, while meantime I wandered round with one of the Indian mechanics, and had a look at different types of machines, and climbed in and sat in one or two. Later we went over to the flying Club for a drink, where Idris was almost immediately called away to attend to some Club business, while Mr Chichester and I sat and talked for ab out an hour. He has an immensly wide range of interests, and a quick and witty mind, and I enjoyed talking with him so much, that I was very sorry that they were moving on the next morning. However they have promised if they come back within the next few months, that they will come and stay a day or two at The Towers. It is rather exciting when a new friends does in sober truth drop out of the skies!
Herbert has not been feeling at all well I am sorry to say. He went to see the doctor on Friday, because he was so bothered by indegestion. The doctor gave him a fierce tasting medicine, and some advice, and told him that the slight cold he had had the previous week, and since which he had been getting a tiny temperature every evening, had probably been a mild attack of flue. He is a little better now but still not at all fit. I am glad he is going off to Darjeeling on Saturday. He is very depressed about his work. Everything seems to be going wrong, and he feels he is making a loseing fight against an array of hostile Government Departments. I want him to see the Governor when he goes to Darjeeling, and tell him that he is so fed up with everything that he does not want to come back when he goes on leave in the spring. He is coming round to the idea himself. I wonder whether he will do it.
There is the most amazing rainstorm raging at the moment. The whole of the lawn and the drive have gone under water in about ten minutes. We had thought the Rains were nearly over. Must stop. Best love
LJT
From LJT to Annette
14/1 Rowland Rd
Calcutta
Sept 10th 1936
My darling Annette
No letter came from you last week which I hope means you were busy and happy – We are looking forward with double pleasure to next weeks mail –
I have just been trying to picture you ringing the school bell and carrying out all the duties that I used to do – I hope you don’t let the responsibility sit too heave on you – Are’nt there some lines written by someone – “Do your best – Leave the rest” - ? I cant finish them and have no idea where they come from.
The terrific rain storm I mentioned at the end of the family letter, is still raging madly – The malis are paddling about ankle deep in water, dressed most sensibly in minute loin cloths only – They are looking to see that none of the drains are blocked up, and will be saved the trouble of taking their usual mid-day bath. Every now and again I get up and walk round to see that the rain is not coming in anywhere – Its thundering and lightning too – and its somehow rather disturbing. I feel sorry for the poor peasants in their little mud huts. It seems to me that rain like this would penetrate any thatch and melt any mud walls – I trust it will stop before long.
I have given up trying to read after dinner as I always go to sleep, and have devoted my attention to sticking in photographs. Doing them with corners I find I can do them quite well near enough to a fan to keep cool, without getting them blown about. I have just finished the set of my last trip – Dad has most nobly done the difficult work of joining the photos to make panoramas – a thing which needs great patience and exactitude and at which I am very bad. I think its quite a good thing for him to do it, as it distracts his mind from brooding over his work. He is not at all fit, and I am very worried about him – If only he could learn not to mind so sharply about things, it would help him. Its a pity when there are so many people who care too little, that he should suffer from careing too much –
Good luck to you as Head Girl – my dear and best love
Mum
From HPV to Annette
Darjeeling
September 16th 1936
My dear Annette
Your letters from Dresden have been interesting and amusing. It is to me extraordinary that in spite of all that you write my memory of Dresden does not revive. Beyond what I wrote to you a few weeks ago my memory is a blank: but even it it were not the probability is that my reminiscences do not interest the younger generation of which you are so worthy a specimen.
Behold me at 7000 feet: feeling the better for it in one sense. But I always feel out of sorts in Darjeeling for the first few days or even weeks. My journey up here on Sunday was slow: delayed by slips on the road. Evil looking mud spread some feet deep across it. Brought down by a stream, choked by a landslide. It took an hour and a half to clear it: lots of coolies working. Twice new slips and they ran like hares though the slips turned out to be small. The noise of the landslide up the mountain was alarming enough and there was no saying how much would come down. It rained solidly. There had been 16 inches in three days. The rain stopped next day for a bit. It looked fine enough and I went out without a mackintosh. So it came on to pour. I borrowed a raincoat of curious lilac colour from Sir Nazimuddin who is very short and fat: my appearance was quaint.
It is very misty: and dismal. I have spent my two days up here running round and trying to expedite things for a discussion by Government this morning. Running is no word: walking slowly. But certainly not getting anything done. My first afternoon was spend in sleep: I slept three hours. Since then I have somehow been dead to the world each evening since.
News is slight. Brother Harry and your Aunt came in on Saturday with a dog, left with them. Its name is “Cripes” and the servants cannot manage anything nearer to it than “Christ,” who is summoned at frequent intervals.
Enough
Much love
Dad
From LJT to Annette
The Towers
Cossipore
Sept 16th 1936
My darling Annette
Two very interesting and exciting letters came from you this week – and we had a family reading of them for they arrived just at the same moment as Uncle Harry and Auntie Winsome came to see us – They always like hearing the family letters and take a keen interest in all the doings of the joint families –
The von Pflugks seem to have given you an interesting time in Dresden – I am glad you had a chance of going to one or two operas – and very glad you met Herbert Richter. He has caught the English habit of useing Christian names and was on such terms with many people in Calcutta. I hear he is to go to the Foreign Office, so I suppose he will be in Berlin for a while.
This week has been a busy one for me – I packed Dad off to Darjeeling on Saturday – and then started in good earnest to pack up the house. A huge lorry and trailer moved every thing out here in two journeys yesterday and by lunch time to-day we had everything sorted and placed – a good many pictures hung and books all in the book cases – so it seems quite home-like already. From our big front bed-room one can lie in bed and look right out across a huge sweep of the river –
The enclosed I am ashamed to say, ought to have been sent last July and last November respectively – but I never finished them off! I have not sent them to Rosemary so will you pass them on to her, before sending them to Auntie Doris?
There’s a lot to do – such as writing servants chits – paying them and so on – so farewell my love for this week
Best love
from
Mum
Family letter from LJT
The Towers
Cossipore
Calcutta
Sept 17th 1936
My Dears
This will only be an apology of a letter, as, though superficially all our belongings are in place here, actually there a lot of small things still to be attended to, before I go to Darjeeling tonight. The last few days have been busy ones. Herbert went off to Darjeeling on Saturday evening, and I gather from his letters that he is feeling a bit better. There had been the most terrific rain the previous two days, and there were landslips on the road. He was held up for an hour and a half in one place.
I have an evening amusement on Saturday, dining at the Saturday Club with Arthur Hutchison, who is acting as Secretary while the regular man is on holiday. He had a nice little party of young married people, with the exception of myself, who scarcely come under that head. It was so marvellously cool that dancing was really pleasant, and there was a reasonably good cabaret to watch.
On Sunday morning, the servants and I got down to the packing of the house. We had a Himalayan Club lecture that evening on “Glaciers”, given by John Auden, and I had to go out in the afternoon to see that the arrangements for that were alright, do a little shopping, and meet a lad in the Ghurkas with whom I have been corresponding for some months about climbing in Sikkim. He is going up to north Sikkim for six weeks, and is going to try to climb both Choiomo and Lama Anden. (Sorry, all this was on Monday. On Sunday I packed and wrote letters all day, till Percy Brown came to see me about half-past six, and later I dined with Walter and Kitty Jenkins, and we went to the New Empire to see a silly but amusing film with Will Hay in it.
India is a funny country about times. Unpunctuality is the usual fault, but sometimes things work the other way. They did on Tuesday. I ordered the lorry and trailer at nine o’clock, and they turned up at 7.15. Luckily everything except my writing-table and dressing-table were ready so they got to work at once. It took them a long time to carry the stuff downstairs and load it, and I think it must have been about nine o’clock before they got away, taking Mogul with them to show them the way. My car followed a little later taking a lot of small stuff, and the sweeper and masalchi. Idris sent his car in for me, and I left the cook and the under-khitmatgar in charge till Mogul and the lorry came back for the second load. All the furniture was out and the heavy stuff in place by 4.30. About that time Idris came from his office, and the young I.M.S. doctor who is staying with him for a couple of months while he does a special course in Calcutta, turned up, and we reclined in long chairs on the verandah, and drank incredible quantities of tea:- at least I did. I was jolly glad to sit down, and enjoyed a throughly lazy evening. We wandered out into the garden after dinner, and looked at the lovely pink lotus by the light of an electric torch, sat on a seat looking across the river at the lights on the opposite shore, and had a little lesson from Idris on the constallations visible from where we sat. Though to anyone who knows Calcutta it will seem almost unbelievable, it was almost cold, and if I had had the energy I would have gone in and fetched a wrap. September is usually considered the most unpleasant month in Calcutta, but all this past week it has been marvellously cool. It has been a great bit of luck for me with this packing to do. By about nine-thirty I was so sleepy that I could not take an intelligent interest in anything, and went off to bed. From the larger of our two bedrooms, one can lie in bed and look across the garden and right down a big curving reach of the river.
I had all my servants, except the cook out here yesterday morning, and we had a fine time arranging books, hanging pictures, and doing all the minor things, and by lunch time we were fairly well sorted and straight. I have not arranged our sitting room properly yet, as it may be colour-washed before we come back. The fever for moving furniture spread to Idris, who asked if I did not think the drawing-room could be better arranged. I always have thought so, and fell upon the business with glee, and to my mind it looks so much nicer than it did.
I went in to Calcutta after tea to see that the flat had been left clean, and to pay the servants. I have found good places for the young khitmatgar, Latif, and for the cook, but in spite of that we parted with great sorrow. I went to the United Service club, to wait for Idris who had gone to a meeting of some sort. When he arrived, we drifted along to Firpo’s for a drink and to listen to the orchestra. Finally we dines in the dgrill-room downstairs, where one does not have to be in evening dress, and went on to see the film of “The Great Zeigfeld” which is immensly long, but most interesting. Instead of getting out at mid-night, which is the normal hour for the cinemas here, we did not get out till 12.45, but we had enjoyed it all immensly.
Mogul and the driver are doing odd jobs for me, so I keep getting up to run and show them what is to be done, and I am afraid this will be very disjointed.
I must finish now and send the letters to the post. I dont really know at what hour they have to be posted.
Best love to you all
LJT
From LJT to Annette
The Club
Darjeeling
Sept 22nd 1936
My darling Annette
Such a wonderful morning! I am sitting on “The Ladies Quarter Deck”, which has been built since the earthquake – It is a big semi-circular balcony in front of the Club, with a marvellous view right over the Hills and to the Snows. The sky this morning is a deep blue and the mountains are sparkling and clear, with only a few little puffs of white cloud creeping across them here and there.
Your letters from Germany were very interesting and I’m glad you saw something of the country round. It does not matter much about the question of paying for “meals out” – Feeding in restaurants is much more expensive than feeding at home – and one could hardly expect Frau von Pflugk not to charge something extra for it – I only hope you were not really short of money. It was a pity that you had the misfortune to break some expensive china – How much did it cost? I will at any rate, help you by paying part of the expense.
Rather a curious feature of your letters from Germany is that you have never given any sort of description of the von Pflugk family or house. Barbara Griffin, who has been spending a few weeks with friends near Heidelberg described all the members of the household so that I have quite a clear picture of them.
Oh dear! When I look out at the Hills, I wish I could be off on trek at once, instead of waiting another 3 ½ weeks in Darjeeling!
There’s such a hum rising up from the Market Square, which looks a long way below me – What a difference it makes to Darjeeling when the sun shines!
Dad has been in bed with flu for the last three days, but I am glad to say that his temperature is normal this morning – so I am hoping to get him up after breakfast and establish him in a comfortable chair out here.
There’s not much in the way of news this week. Two days of solid rain after I came up and three days of nursing Dad –
Best love, my darling – I hope the school term goes well. I wonder how you will like being “Head”.
Mum
Dad pleads forgiveness for not writing. He tried – but the effort wearies him – He sends his love –
Family letter from LJT
The Club
Darjeeling
Sept 23rd 1936
My dears,
There is not much of interest to tell you this week. I had a very cool journey up here last Thursday night, and not much rain during the drive up the hill. In fact the sun shone intermittently during the first three-quarters of an hour of the drive, and we had some jolly views back over the Plains. Heavy clouds were chasing one another across the landscape, and the flooded fields full of paddy looked dark under their shadows, and shone silvery and green where the sun fell on them. As we got up to cloud level, we ran into mist, and later a little soft rain, which turned into a heavy steady downpour soon after I had arrived in Darjeeling and continued so for two days. I found Herbert not very cheerful, and saying that he did not feel a bit fit. This was explained when he woke up on Sunday morning with a sharp attack of ‘flu’. An invitation was waiting for me from Sir Nazimudin, one of our Mohammaden Ministers asking us to tea that afternoon, and to go on to the Pictures at 6 o’clock. It was rather a nice little tea-party, all officials, and there was some amusing and frank talk about the present Political situation in Bengal. The film had the ridiculous title of “Give us this night” and we never discovered any possible relation between the title and the picture. Jan Kiepura’s beautiful voice was rather wasted in the silliest story, which irritatingly might have been quite good if rearranged and altered a little.
Herbert was so tired that he slept all Saturday afternoon, and when the rain stopped about 6 o’clock, we went for a short walk, but he said his legs felt heavy, so we soon turned back, and went in to the Gymkhana Club for a drink. It was a glorious morning on Sunday, and it was a great disappointment to find Herbert with a temperature of 100, and all the signs of flue. His illness exactly coincided with the fine weather, which is a great pity. Barring going for a good long walk before breakfast every morning, I have not done much but stay about to look after Herbert. His temperature is down to almost normal to-day, but he still feels pretty rotten. The worst of it is it always takes him so long to pick up after anything of this sort.
Many of my porter friends have been to visit me, and I had a long business talk with Mr Kydd the other morning. He is the Darjeeling Secretary for the Himalayan Club. I also had a long and most interesting visit from Karma Paul, the man who has been the Everest Interpreter this year and on most of the previous expeditions. He has promised to help me with my lists of Sikkim place names, which I take down phonetically when I am out trekking, and want to get put into the proper Sikkim or Tibetan spelling, if possible, and also I want to find out the meanings of those that have meanings, and most of them do. The first name I tried him with was a great success. There are a great block of three peaks near the Gordama Lake, and close to the Sebu La which I crossed this year. I took down their name as Pumakang tso, and he says it means “snow gathering sisters”, which is a most suitable name. I spent most of yesterday afternoon making out lists of names from my notes. It is rather fascinating and really I ought to have been doing lots of other things.
Our rooms at The Towers were looking like our own home before I left, and Idris was pleased with the odd bits of furniture which I had scattered about the house. It has always been a bit under-furnished. The garden was looking awfully nice and I am looking forward to the pleasure of it in the cold weather very much.
Forgive me if I dont write more this week, as there really is not much to write about.
Best love to you all
LJT
From HPV to Annette
Darjeeling
Sept 30th
My dear Annette
My birthday greetings are carried by this letter: wishes for happiness and health and a hearty appetite.
You will get nothing gay from me this week: because it does not conduce to the better writing of letters to lie in bed with flu for several days and to hang about afterwards waiting for the effects to disappear. For the time being my mind is a blank; though I have been going down to all meals these last two (or may be three) days and listening to conversations: and therefore should have been able to collect some good stuff if I had been worth a jot.
It seemed impossible, against all probability, that I should get a septic antrum when your mother had just had one. But so it was: and more so. The abominable thing will not by any means get better: not, to tell the truth, that we are trying any means, since the doctor says that he can do nothing till it clears up. It is an unsavoury ailment: no need for one’s best friend to tell or not to tell one: for the faint but persistent odour is there inside the nose beyond overlooking by the most absent minded. The question rather is whether to tell the best friend: whether, in fact, there is any need to tell. One is like the man in David Hasan who killed a skunk and thereafter lived in the woods hating himself.
Allow me to say again that at second hand I have much enjoyed your Dresden experiences: much more than if it had been first hand, - for it seemed as if you had no rest.
The sun is shining: I am not “dancing with my ribbon” as you did: but I trust that such will be your spirit on the 22nd.
Much love
Dad
From LJT to Annette
The Club
Darjeeling
Sept 30th 1936
My darling Annette,
Many happy returns of your birthday on the 22nd Oct. This will arrive some days early, but I hope I have arranged to have our gift in money or in kind sent to you on the right day, according to what you desire. I am sorry to say I completely forgot to write to Miss Capstick last week about a party or a cake for you. I am writing to-day, and enclose the letter herewith. I have said that you may spend up to £1 10 if you want to, and lay it out as you prefer. I hope you will be able to have a nice little party of some sort.
Seventeen seems to me to be the age for a girl when you step from school-girlhood into grown-up life, though the transition is much less marked now than it was before the war. In you photos you have looked quite grown up for the past year. I expect your eighteenth year will be quite an interesting one. You have got your scholarship exam ahead which I hope you wont find too nerv racking, and beyond that a summer term the disposal of which is entirely in the skies. I treasure the idea of wandering through Central Europe with a car for a month or six weeks from sometime in June till the summer holidays begin. I wonder whether we could persuade Dad to do it. Dont you think it would be fun? Supposing that came off, I should think that you had better spend May and as much of June as is available, studying somewhere in France. The question is where? Can you take short courses at the Sorbonne? I don’t know anything about its organisation, but if your friend Peggy is going there she would be able to find out all about it.
I am typing my letter, as it seemed to me that my typing was getting worse and worse. Now that we have a clerk for the Himalayan Club I don’t type those letters, and have practically only been using my typwritier for my weekly family letters. I must get into the habit of using it more.
This quiet week has been a boon to me. I have been able to write up a lot of stuff for the Himalayan Journal, and clear off a lot of letters that were long overdue. Very few people had discovered I was up here, so I have been left in peace.
We got the last mail on Sunday afternoon, when we were sitting by the fire-side, with the rain pouring down outside. I read the letters aloud to Dad. There was a lot in yours:- last impressions of Germany, and Highways seen with fresh eyes. I am glad both that you think your German has profited by your visit to the von Pflugks, and also that you enjoyed yourself. The Bavarian Accent is very strong. Understanding as little German as I do, I could yet hear it distinctly when Herr Willy Merkle, the poor man who died on Nanga Parbat, was lecturing at the German Club in Calcutta. So many of the best German climbers are Bavarians. If we go wandering across Germany, and Austria and other countries next year, we shall have a lot of friends scattered about on whom we can call. In Munich, for instance, there are several German climbers who beg me to visit them. I gather that Herbert Richter will be in the Foreign Office in Berlin, and my eccentric Hungarian friend, the novel writer, von Wohl, is also there. He, I feel sure would be prepared to show us the less respectable places in Berlin. I hope you still have the German records intact, for if we do go abroad I shall see if I can recover some of my lost German by their aid.
I feel that this page is coming to an end, and I am not going to embark on another, so send you my best love, and again all good wishes for this next year of your life.
Mum
P.S. I have been sticking in photos and found some duplicates which I enclose in case you have not got them. I am sending Mogul and Bhim Das to Rosemary too. You might perhaps give her one or two of the St Jacut ones.
Family letter from LJT
The Club
Darjeeling
Sept 30th ‘36
My Dears,
Herbert is better. The flu has gone, but he is still getting a discharge from the antram, and the doctor says he cannot do anything to put the antran trouble right till the discharge has stopped. He does not think it will interfere with our proposed trip in the pujas, but I am getting a little worried about it. I had hoped Herbert would be getting into training all this time, and instead of that he has been getting out of what little training he has been in. However there are two and a half weeks left before we start, so we still hope for the best.
I have not been doing much except go for a good fast walk for an hour and a half before breakfast, and then hang about within ear shot of Herbert. I have got through a lot of writing, and work with Mr Kydd to do with our Himalayan Club porters. We had a crowd of them here on Saturday morning, and sorted them out for the various treks that are going to take place this autumn. There is a good deal of competition to come with me. They know that I take notice of each man’s work and give a chit at the end of the trek, and the fact that I am Secretary to the Eastern Section of the Himalayan Club, makes my chits valuable. I am very glad to find that the seven or eight youngsters that I picked out on our trip last Autumn as being specially promising, have all turned out extremely well with the French or the Everest Expeditions. “Pansy” who was frequently mentioned in the Journals of my trips last year, was mess-boy on the Everest Expedition this year, and was a great success. Ruttledge said he was desperately keen to go high, and that he would have given him a chance had there been an opportunity. I have constant private calls from the porters too. They come and stand outside my window till I ask what they want. They are always trying to give me small presents, which I wont take, however humble they are, but I did take some seeds yesterday that a porter who is just back from Nanda Devi collected for me. I shall send them to the Botanical Gardens here to be tried. He also brought what I think are some little scraps of garnet. I showed them to one of the Geological Survey people here yesterday, and he has taken a bit away to examine under the microscope.
The great ball given by the bachelors and grass-widowers of Darjeeling took place on Monday. I had promised to look after the decorating of the supper room, and the flowers for the tables, so I went along on Sunday morning, and spent some time at the Gymkhana Club where the ball takes place, and was there again all Monday morning, and a good part of the afternoon. It is always a good dance. The hosts call themselves the Knights Errant, and they do everything well. Herbert was not well enough to go, and not sorry for an excuse not to be present. I went only intending to say how-do-you-do, watch a little from the balcony, and then slip away home, but of course once I got there, I stayed. The tea planters come in from all over the Darjeeling District, and from Jalpaiguri as well, and I met lots of old friends.
The weather here continues to be mixed. It is almost as promising a topic of conversation as it is in England. We have had a lot of lovely mornings, with the snows looking magnificent, but it clouds up and often rains later in the day. The Monsoon should be clearing off now.
The Botanical Department have been all this time specifying the flower collection which I made on my spring tour. They wrote yesterday to say that it was ready and that they were sending it up, so at last I shall be able to get down to the somewhat ticklish job of writing an article on the flowers of Sikkim for the Himalayan Journal.
Best love to you all
LJT