1939 December
From HPV to Annette
Chinsurah
Dec 6th 1939
My dear Annette
Perhaps it is weeks since I wrote to you. Letters kept long enough answer themselves, maybe: but they do not fill one with any sense of virtue when they do this. I have been working. Working means doing so much for certain hours in the day, or having so little strength to do it with, that in the evening and after dinner one is fit for nothing. I have been inspecting the Hooghly district offices. That involves looking through endless ledgers and registers and skimming through the records of cases, on the off chance that one will spot mistakes of procedure or mistakes of laziness or just mistakes. It is extremely tiring and unless one has a deep knowledge of the thousands of rules and hundreds of laws the result is not too good. One aspect of this is that there is little time for the ordinary work, which has to be crammed into non-office hours. And of course the clerks have suddenly produced enormous files which should have been put up weeks or months ago. There is a general sense of working against time, because on Saturday we go off on tour. We go to Asansol where I shall not only have to inspect but also have to make a speech at a Rotarian dinner – and I detest the whole Rotary movement: but I couldn’t, without saying this to keen and simple folk, refuse the invitation. Alas, what am I to say about “the general position of things” – to strangers? If I could speak with perfect freedom I might say this and that. And how say any thing in a few minutes that can really give any sort of idea of the general or special position of things. Life is hard.
Suddenly seized with annoyance at my inability to recognize the stars (except from the garden of the Cossipore house, at certain times of the year) I have been cricking my neck and studying totally inadequate maps. It is infuriating. There is always some reason why I cannot identify Formahaut: and not knowing within a quarter of the sky which of two or three stars it is I cannot make out any of the southern constellations. Aquarius! Half of it defeats me – half is now familiar but it maybe half of something else. The Phoenix I much desire to see (Why? – there is no reason why) and I have ruined my temper peering: but I do believe that it is (1) below the horizon and (2) hidden by the Calcutta dirt anyhow. !!Alas!! Don’t you think Perseus looks like a giraffe. Your mother says it doesn’t.
Much love
Dad
From LJT to Annette
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec 7th 1939
(written in ‘Dad’s letter to you makes the envelope just overweight so I’m sending it by sea mail)
My darling Annette,
What a boon it is to Rosemary that you are near her school, and kindly disposed, so that you have her out so often. Its very good of you. Its charming of Christina to suggest riding sometimes on Sunday afternoons. If Romey could join her. It sounds a lovely idea. I suppose the horse hire is’nt so very expensive in Oxford. If it is reasonable I have no sort of objection. I don’t know whether the school authorities would object. I should imagine that Romey is quite capable now of taking care of herself on a decently behaved horse, and that there is no need for her to be attached to a riding master. It would also be fun for her and John Avril if they could be allowed to go out bicycling to-gether – They are both sober and well behaved young things, and I don’t think they would do anything wild. I am glad you all have some sense of responsibility and don’t go about borrowing cars without the owners permission and driving off to London in them, as Barbara Erawaker’s brother did twice when he was at Sandhurst. It was hushed up the first time but the second time he was sent down (or whatever the Sandhurst equivalent is)
I was interested in all you wrote about the debates that are going on at Oxford about female undergraduates being allowed only being allowed to stay out till 10.30. it certainly is infuriating to be given false reasons for a thing. (Stalin seems to be a master of the art, by the way) I hope the permission is won legally, so to speak, and not through protest by strike. For pupils to begin trying assert authority by strike methods, is a dangerous and bad thing, I believe. It has grown to disasterous proportions out here, so that there is a feeling amongst students now, that they are entitled to strike about anything they don’t like, often about a perfectly legitimate punishment given to some offending person. I don’t imagine that this sort of spirit would grow up amongst the women’s colleges in Oxford, but I don’t like the idea of protest by that sort of method, especially as the issue cannot be said to be a vital one, and especially during war time, when we should be careful to avoid even the smallest disorders, that might supply tiny sparks and set slight rumours. (Pause here while we went off to lunch and since then have been re-planning Dad’s tour)
The fact that you have made some musical friends and are being able to exercise your musical sense, is a thing I am gad of, for it a side of life on which I’m afraid Dad and I have been quite blank for you. Its not that I find music boreing. I like it. I want to understand and be able to grasp and remember it better, but I made an unfortunate beginning by having piano lessons from Auntie Do at the age of about 6. That turned me against “music” for many years, and somehow I never seemed to be in touch with people who could help me to understand, though of course I found that hearing music was a great joy. Marrying and coming out here as young as I did, and never having a piano or a gramaphone even, I have heard little music on the whole, the more especially as Dad does not like listening to music. I have to be careful with the wireless now, for I don’t think he likes hearing it as a rule. and in houses like those out here which are all windows and doors its difficult to keep the sound from travelling from one room into another.
I hope you will have some fun during the Christmas holidays in spite of the black-out and the shadow of war over Europe. (I wish Anina’s prophecy that Hitler would be deflated by Christmas would come true!)
Being so uncertain how long letters will take, I keep on wishing you all Happy Christmas and Good luck in the New Year!
Best love
Mother
Family letter from LJT
Chinsurah
Bengal.
Dec 7th 1939
My Dears,
Having made preparations to get down as quickly as possible to my letter-writing after breakfast, even to putting the paper into the typewriter before I went downstairs, I have one thing after another demanding immediate attention and it is now 10.45 before I am able to start writing. For one thing Herbert and I have been raging to-gether because the arrival of the Viceroy on Dec 14th is going to upset Herbert’s carefully planned tour completely, and incidently the arrangements I had made. As Herbert says it does seem so absurd that a small bit of etiquette should interfere with real work. There are plenty of Calcutta Officials and the Howrah District Magistrate on the spot to receive the viceroy, the affair only cutting into say a couple of hours of their working day at most. For Herbert it completely smashes up his tour, for it takes nearly a day to get up to the north of his Division, and to come back to Calcutta, and return there would mean that his whole time would be spent in the train and the car. Its all a great nuisance!
Last Saturday I went down to Calcutta to take over the new car. They have made it look very smart, quite new, in fact, and it seems to run well. The driver nosed about and checked every little detail, till I felt quite apologetic, but I have no doubt it is a good thing to do. I felt sorry to say good-bye to the old car, which has served us well for so many years, and carried us to such nice places. It was the car in which we did that long tour through France in the Autumn and Winter of 1930-31. For a wonder I managed to get through all the things I had intended to do that day, and had a little spare time before I was due to have tea with Anina Brandt, so rang her up and finding she was free, suggested that we should go for a stroll in the Gardens at Alipore before having tea. I was a bit tired of shops and offices and found it restful to sit and stroll in the quiet of the Gardens and then have tea on Anina’s roof-terrace, high above Calcutta. We both went on to the “house-warming” cocktail party of a young man of whom we are both fond. His bride was able to come out from England and seems a delightful and sensible girl. It was a very nice party, and I had an amusing conversation with Firpo, the highly successful Italian restaurant owner, who runs the two biggest restaurants in Calcutta, and has revolutionized the standard of food in Calcutta. Firpo was long since naturalized British. He was on holiday on the Riviera when war broke out, and had to travel through Italy to get to an Italian ship on which he could travel back to India. He was even more emphatic than Professor Tuchi had been about the dislike of Italians for Germans. He went so far as to say the Italain mothers would rather see their sons shot than fighting with the Germans against France and England (I cant help feeling that there is a certain southern exaggeration about this) Italy, says Firpo, is always willing to disagree with France in peace time, but not when it is a question of war. Idris and I dined to-gether and went to see a rather fantastic charming film called “The Wizard of Oz”, and I drove home sleeping comfortably in the new car between midnight and about 1.15 a.m.
It was rather nice to have a free Sunday, much as I enjoy seeing our Calcutta friends when they come up. We did a detailed tour of the garden and spent most of the rest of the morning planning out the tours for January and February. We had an extra table in the office for spreading maps and it was rather fun fitting everything in. The the evening I feared I was in for a cold, and in spite of swallowing cold cures and spraying my nose, the cold developed into a real streamer by the next morning. By evening I felt too stupid for words, and retired to bed in one of the spare rooms directly after dinner. I think the efforts to stop the cold must have had some effect, for it had almost disappeared on Tuesday morning. We had an early session of the First Aid Class that day, working on leg splints from 4 o’clock till 5 o’clock, and then having tea, and the lecture from 5.30 till 7 p.m. We had got a bit behind schedule, and wanted to finish off in the twelve lectures which can just be completed before Christmas. Madame Menard is certainly a great asset to the class, and infuses an extraordinary amount of life, vigour and amusement into it!
So far as engagements are concerned this has not been a full week, but I have been busy all the time. There have been things like checking over all our camp equipment, making plans for the Christmas party, and lists of the things I need to get in Calcutta ready for the long tour in January, and any amount of household matters. The house-keeping in a place of this size with such a troop of servants, takes a great deal more time than in a Calcutta flat. The garden is well forward this year, and much improved in general lay out. My Dahlias are coming into flower already, and the roses are just starting again after their autumn pruning. Chrysanthemums are just in flower too, so there’s quite a lot of colour in the garden, apart from the great hedge of hibiscus which is coming to its best, and the splendid cannas which give us blossom all through the year. The bourgainvillias are showing colour, and will be ablaze in another week, and stay in flower right into the hot weather. Poinsettias are all out too, and are very gay and pretty. This is the time of year when one can enjoy the garden so much for the weather is heavenly.
We eagerly await news of Russia’s dealings with Finland. Stalin seems really to have out-done Hitler in general duplicity and double dealing. I hope the forces of nature will continue to fight on the Finns side, and send snow to impede the Russian areoplanes and mechanised transport. My little Finnish Missionary friend who has worked in the mountains of the north of Sikkim for about the last thirty years, died about a week before the war with Finland started. I feel glad for her sake that she was spared the grief of it. She was the personification of simple personal goodness and faith.
Herbert has become keen on the stars lately, and we have gone on to the roof on several evenings and given ourselves cricks in the neck, gazing upwards to try to spot the different constellations. Its a grief to Herbert that I cannot spot the likeness to a Giraff in the group of Perseus, but try as I may I cant see it, - - the likeness, I mean, not the constellation. Like everything that Herbert takes up, he goes into it with tremendous vigour and throughness, and wants to learn and help me to learn, every sizable constellation. I can only learn them slowly. I cant memorize more than two or three groups in an evening. If I try more, the shapes all get blurred in my mind. One has got to look, and keep on looking and looking to fix them in ones mind. Its a bit like mountain shapes. One needs to make use of the visual memory. Herbert has been fairly fit and cheerful this week, but his tummy is apt to get upset easily, and I think he will have to be careful of his food for weeks to come, very likely till he gets home to England.
We have Anina Brandt, Walter Jenkins and Idris Matthews coming to spend the Christmas holidays withus. Idris is going to try to sail his boat up here, which would be rather fun. Walter will get some snipe shooting, which he likes, and Anina will be happy doing anything, even messing about in the garden or sitting reading. She has been through a time of great strain, and now is working very hard, (for which she is extremely grateful) but she will be happy to rest here, and is not a person who is easily bored.
I have just given poor Maxie a big dose of castor oil, and I think it has begun to make him feel a little funny inside, for he is sitting on his charpoy, with such a puzzled expression on his fact! She is to be allowed to go to Asansol with us, I am glad to say. The people we are staying with there knew him in Darjeeling, and kindly invited him to accompany us on our visit.
Christmas greetings and good wishes to those of you who receive this letter by air, and New year wishes to those to whom it comes later by sea.
Best love to you all
LJT
From LJT to Annette
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec 13th 1939.
My darling Annette,
The thought of you always seems to be a cheering and comforting one to Dad. I suppose you have so much that he would like and has’nt got, i.e. robust health, so that it takes the devil of a lot to make you tired, and the capacity for hearty enjoyment of all sorts of things although you have a well developed critical faculty. I think he quite enjoyed himself at Asansol, and was in good form at the dinner and dance, but always in the background there is the fear that on the morrow he will be so tired that he will feel quite desperate. However he was not as tired as I expected, and spent the journey home taking notice of all sorts of things like the Rice Crop (harvesting is beginning in many places) and what effect the water from the experimental canal had had on the land, and at intervals, playing with and fondling Maxie. Max likes car travelling, but gets a little bored when it goes on too long. There was a very nice Indian woman in Asansol who was at L.M.H a few years ago, and was so interested to hear something of what Oxford is like in War time. I have to try to bring my mind to bear on the topic of clothes for a short time. I want to tak an evening frock to Calcutta to get it renovated and brought a little up to date. My mind is a blank on the subject at present. I wish I had you or someone here to advise me! I was much impressed by what I saw of the Indian Iron and Steel Works, and I had an interesting talk with Mr Peeling, the Superintendent with whom we were staying. Work, careers, money and so on. He says that he is glad to have enough money to live in reasonable comfort and educate his son well, but that he has no desire to possess large quantities of money. He is intensly interested in this great concern which he has watched grow from nothing, and has nursed through periods of severe labour unrest. I can well understand the fascination and interest of running a big works like that.
Thinking I had little to write about and knowing I have very little time I started this on a half sheet, and apologies for having had to go over the end! Let me know the date of your intended return to Oxford.
Best love
Mother
Family letter from LJT
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec. 13th 1939
My Dears,
You will only get a short letter to-day, for we arrived back from Asansol at 4.30 yesterday, and my First Aid lecture was from 5 till 7 p.m. The doctor stayed on arranging about the exam till about 7.30, and this morning I have had any number of things to attend to, as Herbert goes off again for a week’s tour to-morrow morning. Actually, preceeding the tour, we have to go to Calcutta leaving here early enough for Herbert to be at Howrah Station to meet the Viceroy at 9.45. He will change out of his uniform at the station and get a train to Suri, while I go on to Calcutta, where I have a mass of things to attend to. I am staying a night, and coming back late on Friday. Of course, because I had a special number of things to do in a limited time, the P.W.D. chose this morning to send in the painters to do the outside of the house, and they demanded orders, and various people have sent me notes that require answers.
Well! We had a delightful week-end at Asansol. We stayed with the manager or Superintendent (I think he is called) of the huge Indian Iron and Steel Works, which have been constructed since we left that part of the country, and round which a large, flourishing modern town has sprung up. When we were there all that bit of country was rice fields and patches of scrub, and I used to ride all over it with the dogs and chase Jackals and (without my permission or approval) pigs! The Peelings have a lovely house and garden and are such nice people. Mrs Peeling does an enormous amount of work in the District. She is Commissioner of the Girl Guides, and a moving spirit in Infant Welfare work and many other things, as well as “mothering” the new town generally. She had asked me to take up some work to be done for the troops and had called a meeting of representative ladies from all over the District to whom I had to tell as best I could, what work there is to be done. The actual drive from here to Asansol takes about 3 ¼ hours or a little more, but we left in the middle of Saturday morning, as Herbert wanted to have a talk with the Collector of Burdwan, which lies about three quarters of the way between here and Asansol. We had a picnic lunch in a small Rest House a bit further on, and arrived at an interesting “Model Village” settlement a mile or two this side of Asansol at 3.30. Ushagram, as the place is called, is run by an extremely nice couple of American Missionaries. They are some of the few people I have come across who look at things as they are, and try to see how they can be made better by the people’s own effort and within their own means. We spent about an hour or more going round the place, and were pleased with what we saw, especially with a cheap and simple form of Septic tank which they have in all the little mud and thatch or tile houses in which the boys and girls and teachers live. These have been taken up by several of the villages round, and seem to us to be the answer to one of India’s crying needs. Marvellous tea. It was a contrast to go past the huge blast furnaces and the forest of chimneys and great buildings of the Iron and Steel Works, on our way to the Peelings. The bearer Bhim Das, who has not been back to Asansol since we left, was dumfounded at this city that has come into being. The Peelings had a dinner-party for us that night which was a pleasant little affair, except that it kept Herbert out of bed rather late. He went off after breakfast the next morning, to talk “shop” with the Subdivisional Officer, and interview a few people, while Mrs Peeling took me to call on some of the superintendents of various coal companies and the old Iron works which were in existence in our day. it was partly duty and partly because I wanted to see something of the western end of the subdivision. WE all met, Herbert, Mr Peeling and ourselves at the house of a nice couple who have recently gone to Burnpur (The I.I & S.Co) and whom we have known for many years. The husband is a very nice Bengali and the wife an American. Mr Gupta was Principal of a big Engineering College at Dacca for many years. He is now the man in charge of Town Planning and maintenance and sort of general welfare of the place. He and his wife are one of the examples of a really successful mixed marriage. We sat round drinking shandy and other things and talking till it was time to go back for lunch.
Someone had told me that there was a man in the I.I.&S.Co who was a keen climber and Mrs Peeling had found him for me, and asked him to lunch. We had a great talk, and he is going to join the Himalayan Club. After lunch we had half an hour’s rest, and then went off for a picnic into some jungle country on a river bank in the north of the subdivision. It was a pleasant outing, and interesting seeing some of our old haunts. Maxie was spoilt by everyone and given several sandwiches at tea. He thinks picnics good things! By contrast to so much that is new in that part of the world, we passed through an area where the coal having being worked out, the whole place has been abandoned and has practically gone back to jungle, which it does remarkable quickly in this country. Much to our delight we had an early evening, for on Monday we were to attend the big dinner and dance to celebrate something to do with the Rotary Club, and I knew it would almost kill Herbert to have three late nights in succession. He was working all day on Monday. Mrs Peeling had called the meeting of Ladies for 10 o’clock that morning, and I enjoyed meeting them all. Later we went out to see the Hospital and school and various other things in the “town”, and to lunch with the Subdivisional Officer, where we met Herbert again. We had not been home long, before it was time to start out to see the “Iron” side of the works. There was not time to dothe Steel as well, so that will have to keep till next time we go there. I had only seen one Iron Works before in my life and that was the Carron Iron Works in Scotland when I was eighteen. It was extraordinarily interesting, but I dont imagine you want a young essay on the method of producing iron, so I wont attempt to describe what we saw.
The dinner and dance in the evening were excellent fun something over eighty people sat down to dinner. There were a few old friends there, but there are not many people left who were in the district in our day. Herbert had to respond to the Health of the Guests, and made an amusing speech, which set everyone laughing. We stayed for three or four dances after dinner but got home about mid-night, which was not so bad. Herbert worked again the next morning, and I picked him up at the office at twelve o’clock, and we went straight off from there, and had a picnic lunch in the Forest. The new car is a success, I think. It is faster than the old one, which is an advantage on a run over many miles of straight road. Its springing is much better, and if one passes another car one can put up the windows to keep out the dust.
Even in the few days I have been away the garden has made a lot of progress and I am proud to find that in everything except vegetables, I am ahead of the gardens I saw in Asansol and Burnpur. Now I shall have to turn my mind to matters connected with my Christmas party. I have to think out suitable progressive games for one thing. I think I am going to have a tortoise race for one thing. I got instructions for it from the America Missionaries. one goes on from day to day with all these things, and always there is the anxiety behind it “What is happening?” and we listen to the wireless, on which lately we have heard nothing much except news of poor Finland.
Best love to you all
LJT
P.S I’ve no time to read this over, so you will just have to forgive the mistakes
From LJT to Annette
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec 20th 1939
My darling Annette,
There has been no mail from the family so far this week. It usually comes on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but quite probably the heavy Christmas postings will be holding things up. There being no letter to answer, to give a “tuning note” as it were, what, I wonder, do I want to write to you about. Well, Ronald Townend comes into my mind. He was here for the week-end, and we had all Sunday evening tete a tete. I hope he was not bored. He did not let it show if he was, and he vowed he was not. We talked much and of many things. He is a nice young man, with plenty of character, and I should think a good allowance of ordinary intelligence and common sense, but he is entirely un-intellectual in the sense that we know it. His parents are like that. They read nothing but the daily and picture papers. You must have heard Dad’s account of how the only book he could find in their house in Calcutta was Tarzan of the Apes? In the house at Leatherhead, they had some nicely bound sets of standard works, Dickens and so on, bought with the book-cases, I believe, but I don’t think any of them had ever been opened. Ronald looks on you and Richard as “dashed brainy”! Standards vary! In Oxford I suppose you find yourselves a decent average, don’t you, or perhaps a bit above. Ronald has come through his first eighteen months in Calcutta very well, and has not been spoilt, just as he came through his school days as the only sone of elderly and well-to-do parents without being spoilt. David Pilkington, who has been out here a little longer, and who is a far more intellectual type than Ronald, has, I am afraid, got just a bit spoilt, actually a little too fond of late nights, and sitting drinking till all hours in the Three Hundred Club. Ronald, on the other hand is so keen on riding and his work in the Calcutta Light Horse, that he likes to be up early and feeling fresh in the mornings, and only allows himself an occasional late night. Its certainly a better plan for a regular working life.
I’m feeling cheered about my Christmas party. I think it is going to be much more amusing than I at first anticipated. The two Scotch Missionaries who are not easy to mix with the young and gay, or the old and gay, for that matter, are going to be away. The matron from the Hospital, though the plainest of the plain, is more or less unshockable, I should think, and much enjoys a good joke and a glass of wine. I have just heard that the Subdivisional Officer from Serampore can come, I hope for the whole week-end. He is a charming young man and will nicely balance up the “house-party” at the D.I.G of police’s house, for the daughter there, who teaches in Calcutta, has one girl and one young man coming to stay. Mr Rogers can make a four at their tennis and things, leaving the older party here to amuse themselves as they best like.
The last few evenings the wireless has been quite astonishingly good. Last night before dinner, feeling round for some nice music, I found myself listening to an engaging American giving the news, from, as I subsequently heard, Rome, Georgia. That was in the 31 metre band, and turning to the 25 metre band to find Rome Italy, I got on to the news being broadcast from Australia! and finally settled down to listen to the French woman I am so fond of, describing a dress show at Jean Patou, from Saigon. To listen to her is almost as good as having a French lesson, for her voice is so clear. I confess being able to do what I like with the wireless, while Dad has been away, has been rather fun. The B.B.C. gave us a lovely Bach concert on Sunday evening, and there has been quite a lot of good music going about.
Did I remind you to tell when abouts you go back to Oxford, and if you yet know, about when you are likely to come down again, so that I may know where to send letters.
Best love, my dear
Mother
Family letter from LJT
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec 20th 1939
My Dears,
Christmas is coming very near, and I have just been arranging with the cook to go in to Calcutta on Friday and purchase a suitable bird for our Christmas party. I wish it were possible to dine off bread and cheese and send our good fare to some poor family of Poles or Finns. I have not bought any crackers, nor am I going to buy expensive sweets and chocolates, but instead I am writing a cheque for what they would have cost, and shall have it on the table and ask my guests to choose which of the War Funds they would like it to go to as a contribution from the savings on a Christmas Party.
The Wireless has become very popular again the last few days while we were waiting for news of the “Graf Spee”. In fact the party of people who were spending the day here on Sunday were so keen to hear what she was doing that we gobbled our pudding and rushed upstairs to hear the news, in which there was nothing further about her incidentally, and returned to our cheese later. The news that she had scuttled herself did not come through till 6.24 a.m. on Monday – (Half-Past midnight from Daventry) This morning I heard of the sinking of the “Colombus”, - - none of it very cheerful news for Germany.
The day on which I wrote to you last week was a busy one right up to dinner-time, and Herbert and I went off to Calcutta at 8.15 the next morning, he in his pale grey morning coat and tall hat, ready to meet the Viceroy. I dropped him and the bearer at Howrah Station, from where he later took train to Suri, the Headquarters of one of his Districts, where he has been inspecting every since. He gets back at mid-day to-day. It was useful getting in to Calcutta so early, for I had a mass of things to do, including visiting the Red Cross Society Office where I had to arrange about the examination for our First Aid Class, and the girl Guide Hdqts where I wanted to discuss the inspections of the Guides which I have promised to do while I am on tour through Midnapore and Bankura Districts in January. There seemed to be a mass of shopping to do too, and people to see about various things, chiefly connected with the Himalayan Club, so I found my two days completely full. I stayed with an old friend, of whom I am fond, but whom I seldom see, and much enjoyed a quiet evening with her. I was also delighted to find that my little American friend, Louise Ranken had arrived back in Calcutta, and was able to spend three-quarters of an hour with her, just enough to wet my appetite for more talk, for she and her husband went back to America via Java and Bali and China, and have been doing a lot of interesting things in America as well. We shall be able to continue the story to-morrow, when I am going to have tea with her.
On the following day I had lunch with Doris and Charles Carey Morgan, and also enjoyed that very much, for I had not seen either of them for ages. In the evening at 6 p.m. Walter Jenkins took me to see “Nurse Edith Cavell”. I cant tell you how I enjoyed it. I suppose you will all have seen it by now. There was not a moment when one felt that Anna Neagle exaggerated or overdid her acting, and it was satisfactory that the Germans were so fairly represented. The sort of sadness that caused the tears to flow down either side of my nose at that film, is not a depressing sadness, but rather makes one proud and thankful that such courageous people exist in the world. After a grill at the Saturday Club, I came home in a car bulging with parcels of all sorts, for I had laid in all the stores which I think we shall need for our long tour in January.
Its strange that when Herbert is away, I seem to get through so much more work, but its true. He says just the same happens to him when I’m away. I suppose when one is alone one takes a shorter time over meals, and also one can think out during meals, what one has to do or arrange. Ronald Townend arrived in time for tea, to spend the week-end. Charles Crawford had been coming too, but was called away to Delhi, on some sort of Government work connected for I.C.I. Ronald professed himself not to be at all bored, and I enjoyed having time to talk with him at leisure, for lately I have only seen him for brief meeting in the Saturday Club, generally in a party of people. It was especially nice that he did come, for he is going off on Military Training on the 26th Dec. He is the Calcutta Light Horse, and members of the corps who can be spared by their firms, are gradually being drafted to Belgaum in the Western Ghats, for six months training, and are then ready to be sent off for Service if they are needed. Ronald is pleased, both from a patriotic point of view, and also because he thinks it will be interesting to see some other sort of life than that of a tea-broker in Calcutta. With great energy, Edward Groth arrived in time for breakfast the next morning, and was greatly taken by our out-door meal, and attendent birds and squirrels. We went off on a sight-seeing and photographing tour after breakfast, and got home about 11.30 in time to greet two more not-so-energetic guests from Calcutta. It really is perfect here, either in the garden or on one of the verandahs now. We sat drinking shandy and talking till lunch time, and in the afternoon we had a stroll round to the Dutch church and the old college and Dutch cemetery, followed by tea in the garden. My guests all said that just sitting quietly in these peaceful surroundings was a pleasure after the noise and bustle of Calcutta. It certainly is a peaceful scene here. There is something about a great river flowing placidly along that is soothing, and up here where the traffic on it is practically all country boats propelled by sail or oar, the bustle of steam navigation does not disturb it.
Our First Aid Lectures have come to an end. The Doctor who took them, improved out of all knowledge as a lecturer during the course. He was nervous to begin with, and afraid of taking his eye off his notes. I have had to arrange for the exam when I shall be away, for it was impossible to fit it in otherwise. I can sit for it either in Calcutta, or the doctor can me a special exam when I come back from tour. We are quite sorry that our weekly meetings have stopped. When this touring season is over and if we do not come home, I shall see if I can arrange Home Nursing Classes.
I have throughly enjoyed having a couple of quiet, uninterrupted days, and have got through a tremendous amount of jobs, including an overhaul of my store room and botel-khana. Poor Mogul will find that I have hoofed out several of his treasures when he comes back to-day. He has a curious habit of keeping all sorts of odd things “in case they come in useful”. I dont mind if he keeps them elsewhere, but I dont like them cumbering up the cupboards and drawers in the botel khana (pantry). Ginger jars seem to have been one of his favourite lines. I found three, long since empty and serving no purpose!
The garden really is looking so pretty now. My chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and dahlias coming out well. The cannas are full of flower and so are the bourgainvillias, and lots of the English annuals just beginning. The first scarlet salvia was out a couple of days ago, and the first pansy yesterday. Herbert humus making has done much for the garden this year I am sure. The plants all look far more flourishing, and well nourished. Last year I had not quite realized how poor the soil was here, and did not feed it enough. The full test will not be till the flowers come out.
Maxie is in tremendous form these days, and spends his evenings wondering whether he dare walk right into the fire-place and under the grate, which is set very high, to putt out the logs which are put there to dry. After much thought and many attempts, he got one out on Saturday evening, to the immense amusement of Ronald and myself. It was quite a big log, but when victory at last crowned his efforts, he managed to pick the thing up, and with chest well out, and tail held proudly in the air, he walked across the drawing-room and placed the log carefully on a rug, where he then sat down and spent about an hour tearing little bits off it! Luckily there is always a sweeper to clear up a mess of that sort, and it gave the dog so much pleasure. He evidently meditated on the same thing last night, but the fire was blazing and bits falling down from it, so that he did not quite dare to go underneath it!
I have Anina Brandt, Idris Matthews, Walter Jenkins, and the young Sub-divisional Officer from Serampore , Mr Rogers all spending Christmas here. Anina and Walter will stay over the New Year, but both have a certain amount of work to do, so I trust my mail day will not be too disturbed next week. We shall be thinking of you all, of course, and with the wireless, are not so accustomed the G.M.T. compared with our own, that its no effort to guess your time.
Family letter from LJT
Chinsurah
Bengal
Dec 28th 1939
My Dears,
This Christmas has been a busy time, and this morning is the first occasion on which I seem to have had time to draw breath, and attend a little to the ordinary affairs of every-day life. We were down in Calcutta all day on Thursday, when Herbert had meetings and work to do, and I, shopping and a Himalayan Committee Meeting in the evening. On Friday I was busy with all sorts of Christmas preparations, and on Saturday evening my guests, arrived, Walter Jenkins and Anina Brandt. The next morning Idris Matthews came, and later, Mr Rogers, the young Sub-divisional Officer from Serampore. Anina and Walter and I spent most of Sunday morning preparing the progressive games for the Christmas party, and Walter worked out all the scoring, which was far the most difficult part, and typed out rules for each game.
After lunch we lay about on rugs or in deck chairs in the garden, dozing and talking, and at 3.15 we went out in the car a little way, and then took the dogs for a walk along the banks of the river, getting back for tea by the fire about 5 o’clock.
On Christmas day, by the time we had breakfasted in the garden, and given baksheesh to all the servants and children, and opened letters and presents, it was nearly time to set off for the picnic which was given by the D.I.C. of Police. We drove for about half an hour or a bit more up the Grand Trunk Road, and then turned off along a village road. The picnic place was near a big pond, and between two “topes” of bamboo, which gave a pleasant thin shade. Some of the men went off after snipe, though this is a bad month for snipe about here, for the rice crop is just being cut and gathered in, and the birds leave the rice fields, and go off to more remote places. This was well illustrated by the fact that three guns brought back one small snipe between them at lunch time. Some of the rest of the party went for a walk, on which Maxie the dachsie, had the adventure of dashing off the bank of a tank, and finding himself in deep water, in which he promptly sank! He rapidly regained the shore, looking highly surprised, and somewhat offended, while the humans laughed rudely at his sad plight.
The Mackenzies had provided a most marvellous lunch, including a wonderful game pie, mince pies, meringues, and all sorts of other god things, so that when we had partaken of it, we felt like nothing but lying about in a state of torpor. My party, with the exception of Mr Rogers, left about three o’clock, as we felt that a whole day at that sort of picnic with really nothing much to do, was a bit too much. Also I had to get home to see to the preparations for the evening party, and to pay a little visit to old Miss Baboneau. We sat down sixteen to dinner, and everything went off very well, and the games proved amusing too, especially the tortoise race. Possibly the most entertaining part of the evening was after our more stogy guests had gone, and M. Menard, from Chandernagore, gave us impersonations of various French entertainers, including Mestinguet. I was tired and glad to get to bed by about 12.45. The following day our American friends, Louise and Everard Ranken came out about the middle of the morning, and stayed till the following morning, and Charles and Doris Carey Morgan came in time for lunch and stayed till after dinner. We again spent the morning lying about in chairs and on rugs in the garden, and there was some most interesting and profitable talk, chiefly on different types of education in America, Germany and England. Our guests seemed to enjoy sitting about in the garden as much as anything, and we carried on in the same way in the early afternoon and had tea out of doors at 4. P.M and then went walking in different groups till dusk. Mr Rogers had gone off in the morning, and Idris left us after dinner. Louise and Everard had to go off after an early breakfast the next morning, and the rest of us followed into Calcutta a bit later, lunched with the Rankens, and went on to the Vice-Regal Garden party in the afternoon. Walter and Anina and I then went to see Uday Sankar and his troupe of dancers while Herbert came away home, as he cant endure any Indian dancing, he says. Uday Sankar was, if possible more wonderful than he was three years ago, when I last saw him. He is a great artist, and he has inspired the dancers round him with something of his own fire. I think I could go and watch him with pleasure for every day of the week. He has made the interesting experiment of useing the traditional Indian dancing forms to make a modern ballet, which is a sort of critical summing up of modern Indian politics. It would take me too long to describe it to you this morning, but I think it was brilliantly successful. The ballet was not over till nearly nine o’clock, and we then went to Aninas flat for dinner, and drove home as soon as we had eaten. Such is a brief summery of our doings. The charm and interest of them has been in the people we have with us, and have met. I wish I were not feeling slightly rushed, for I have had nice presents of books. Walter gave me “Insanity Fair” for Xmas, and “Disgrace Abounding” for my birthday, and I am longing to read them. As it is, I shall have little or no time till we set off on tour. I am behind with stuff for the Himalayan Club, and I have a good many arrangements to make about the tour which begins on the 3rd January. We are going to two or three small places where the rest houses will have very little stuff, and we shall have to take most of what we need with us. I have to think out the exact plans for moving servants and boxes from one place to another. Its a job I must get on to as soon as I have written my mail.
It was lovely to get the family’s telegram of good wishes on Christmas Eve. The previous day we had had one from Alice, so we felt in close touch with you all.
Best love to all of you
LJT