Letter to Douglas Hudson in Aumale
Title
Letter to Douglas Hudson in Aumale
Description
Reply to letter he sent to a French girl asking why he did not come and see them before moving to Aumale and reflecting on how she felt after their departure. Continues with hope he is alright and asks if there is anything she can send him.
Date
1941-07-09
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Four page handwritten letter and envelope
Conforms To
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SHudsonJD755052v10007, SHudsonJD755052v10008, SHudsonJD755052v10009, SHudsonJD755052v10010, SHudsonJD755052v10011
Transcription
Dauielte Algeria
9th July 1941
Dear Douglas
I would have written to you before, but as I had written a long letter to Tony, I thought perhaps I might hear from him so that I could write to you both at the same time. However I have not heard from Tony and I feel I must acknowledge your letter. I was glad to hear from you and sorry not to have seen you before you left for Aumale. I still do not understand why you did not come to bid us farewell, never mind, it is too long ago now to search
[pagebreak]
for explanations.
We missed you all, but I felt that perhaps a certain time to reflect was needed for all of us.
It seemed to me that you felt, and Tony too, that we were bent on some kind of reform – and no matter how we or I tried to explain to you what I considered we were about – you continually mistook my meaning.
Perhaps it is difficult for anyone to grasp in so short a time as you had what I consider the main and in fact the only work of man which is his brief to discover how life works. No more and no less than that. I think man will awake
[pagebreak]
very soon to the realisation that that is the Purpose of Life. To be interested in everything that occurs. Everything one can observe – everything one hears – and to analyse these things – and search to discover the law which operates each happening. To live, not morally, but in harmony with the Laws of Life to man’s objective. I think to live adventurously seeking to find out the Laws and how they work – is worth more than all the laws man ever made or thought of.
Now, Douglas, it will depend on you whether you wish to hear more of what I actually do think: I wrote to Tony telling him to ask questions – not to supply his own answers. Bless you both. I hope Aumale is not too
[pagebreak]
uncomfortable: perhaps the hot weather is a bit trying for you all in one room, but never mind – you do a greater service to Life by enduring cheerfully this temporary restriction than you would be rushing about the world bombing people. Be thankful you are saved from that.
We shall meet again. In the meantime, let me know if there is anything we can send you both. Do you ever get any tea now? I mean it when I say let me know if there is anything we can do to make things easier for you. Give our love to Tony and keep some for yourself. I hope I’ll have good news, from home.
Garth has been very ill, but he is better today – a touch of the sun I think. He has been running very light temperature.
Yours very sincerely
Marie Elizabeth Balfour
[pagebreak]
[postage stamp]
[postmark]
Sergt. J.D. Hudson
Camp de Sejour Surveillé
Aumale
Dept. d’Alger
[pagebreak]
[postmark]
9th July 1941
Dear Douglas
I would have written to you before, but as I had written a long letter to Tony, I thought perhaps I might hear from him so that I could write to you both at the same time. However I have not heard from Tony and I feel I must acknowledge your letter. I was glad to hear from you and sorry not to have seen you before you left for Aumale. I still do not understand why you did not come to bid us farewell, never mind, it is too long ago now to search
[pagebreak]
for explanations.
We missed you all, but I felt that perhaps a certain time to reflect was needed for all of us.
It seemed to me that you felt, and Tony too, that we were bent on some kind of reform – and no matter how we or I tried to explain to you what I considered we were about – you continually mistook my meaning.
Perhaps it is difficult for anyone to grasp in so short a time as you had what I consider the main and in fact the only work of man which is his brief to discover how life works. No more and no less than that. I think man will awake
[pagebreak]
very soon to the realisation that that is the Purpose of Life. To be interested in everything that occurs. Everything one can observe – everything one hears – and to analyse these things – and search to discover the law which operates each happening. To live, not morally, but in harmony with the Laws of Life to man’s objective. I think to live adventurously seeking to find out the Laws and how they work – is worth more than all the laws man ever made or thought of.
Now, Douglas, it will depend on you whether you wish to hear more of what I actually do think: I wrote to Tony telling him to ask questions – not to supply his own answers. Bless you both. I hope Aumale is not too
[pagebreak]
uncomfortable: perhaps the hot weather is a bit trying for you all in one room, but never mind – you do a greater service to Life by enduring cheerfully this temporary restriction than you would be rushing about the world bombing people. Be thankful you are saved from that.
We shall meet again. In the meantime, let me know if there is anything we can send you both. Do you ever get any tea now? I mean it when I say let me know if there is anything we can do to make things easier for you. Give our love to Tony and keep some for yourself. I hope I’ll have good news, from home.
Garth has been very ill, but he is better today – a touch of the sun I think. He has been running very light temperature.
Yours very sincerely
Marie Elizabeth Balfour
[pagebreak]
[postage stamp]
[postmark]
Sergt. J.D. Hudson
Camp de Sejour Surveillé
Aumale
Dept. d’Alger
[pagebreak]
[postmark]
Collection
Citation
“Letter to Douglas Hudson in Aumale,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/10998.
Item Relations
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