Letter from Hedley Madgett to his parents

EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0001.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0002.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0003.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0004.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0005.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0006.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0007.jpg
EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802-0008.jpg

Title

Letter from Hedley Madgett to his parents

Description

Writes that he has now moved to Winslow, Cheshire and about his journey and activities after arrival. There is little to do and passes available for Manchester and surrounding towns. Mentions meeting and old friend and more on activities as well as talking of about photographs and the availability of food. Provides his current address although they are not to write to him there. Mentions meeting another acquaintance from his school.

Date

1941-08-02

Temporal Coverage

Language

Format

Eight page handwritten letter

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

EMadgettLR-AG-PMadgettHR410802

Transcription

[deleted] No. 1330340. L.A.C. H.R. MADGETT HUT 16. [deleted]
[underlined] 2nd. August. [/underlined]
[underlined] 1941. [/underlined]

Dear Mum & Dad, & Peter,
As you [deleted] can [/deleted] will see, we have moved to Cheshire, but no one knows for how long we shall be staying. We left Scarborough yesterday on the 8.10 a.m. train having to get up at 5.30 a.m. in order to get ready. If you are interested (I don’t suppose you are really) we [deleted] went [/deleted] stopped at York, Leeds, Dewsbury, Stalybridge and Stockport. We lost 2 chaps on the way, but not from our Flight.
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
We arrived Winslow 12.45., and had to do an uphill march with full pack for the mile to the camp in very hot weather. After dinner, we were “let in” good and proper. We were told that there was a show by Bebe Daniels & Ben Lyon of “High Gang” at the N.A.A.F.I. When we got right to the other side of the Camp to the N.A.A.F.I. –no short distance – we found we had been fooled; no show or anything was on. Then I had the best shower I have ever had – they are marvellous showers – and then it was time for tea. This was grand –
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]
lettuce, cold meat and pototae [sic] pie, bread & butter and heaps of jam. We do no work here, physical or mental; most of the time I’m going to spend sunbathing – the weather is perfect now with a refreshing wind.
There are passes for us to go to Manchester and a few other surrounding towns: I am going to try to get one to Liverpool – that is if they [inserted] give [/inserted] me enough time to get there and back. I could see Edith then.
Just as I was going into the mess for breakfast this morning who do you think I bumped
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined]
into – Bernard Wright. It’s a small world. He came last night from near Brooklands. He had passed out of E.F.T.S. and is going to Canada for his S.F.T.S.
I sleep on the top deck of a double decker bed, which creaks & groans every time you move, and they wobble like anything.
The morning parade is 1/2 hour later here which means more time in bed. We only get up for [deleted] ber [/deleted] breakfast, and wash later on.
How have my photos come out? when you have let
[page break]
[underlined] 5 [/underlined]
Nell & Marg have one, would you please keep the others ready to send on to me when I settle down. I [deleted] have [/deleted] know at least two people who wish to have one. Also, have the movie pictures come out yet?
There are plenty of places to eat in the evening in Wilmslow itself. We went [inserted] to [/inserted] a place where a plate of 4 sandwiches cost 1 1/2d. & tea 1/2d. per cup. It was all run by volunteer civies, and there was a wireless, darts, & table tennis. We did not stay very long, but it shows [deleted] was [/deleted] what decent sort of people they are in Wilmslow. Also, 1/2d. seats in the cinema are 10d. for us.
[page break]
[underlined] 6 [/underlined]
Sometime today, I have some clothes washing to do, and I’m not looking forward to it much.

The address here is:-
No. 1330340. L.A.C. HRMADGETT.
HUT 16. [underlined] DRAFT No. “LITMUS” [/underlined]. ‘C’ Flight. ‘B” Squadron
1. P.D.W. R.A.F Station.
Wilmslow,
near Manchester.

So now you know. But they have just put up a notice to ask you not to write here unless you must. The Draft No. “Litmus” on the address is very important, so that if your
[page break]
[underlined] 7 [/underlined]
letters (or my pen) arrives too late they can be sent on to our Canadian address.
We will know this address [deleted] w [/deleted] before we leave here, so that you can write there [deleted] will [/deleted] I am on voyage.
You will notice that I [deleted] w [/deleted] am a L.A.C. now, as we all [inserted] are [/inserted] now. I spent nearly 2 hours stitching my “props” up, and they were not without any finger pricks with the needle.
There was about 400 on parade this morning, and met another chap from school. You would not know him –
[page break]
[underlined] 8 [/underlined]
in fact I did not know him terribly well – but his name was “Williams”. He’s going to America. I also met another chap I knew at Uxbridge. So now I’m always on the look out for fellows I know.
Well, I think that’s about all the news for now. Hope you have a good Bank Holiday – I suppose it will be just another day to us –
All the Best,
With Love from [underlined] Hedley [/underlined].

Citation

Hedley Robert Madgett, “Letter from Hedley Madgett to his parents,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/11205.

Item Relations

This item has no relations.