Letter to David Donaldson from his mother

Letter to David Donaldson from his mother

Letter from his mother written just after war was declared.. She is sorry that war has interrupted his studies. She describes how it has affected her and the domestic staff she employs in her house. Catches up with family news. Additional information about this item was kindly provided by the donor.

1939-09-05

Four page handwritten letter

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EDonaldsonFIDonaldsonDW390905

Sept 5
THE ELMS,
42, PEAR TREE AVENUE,
BITTERNE,
SOUTHAMPTON.
Dearest David
I was regretting that I had not got your address to write to you just now, & Elizabeth said she had got it, I would have written last night had I known
Thank you for your very nice letter, but you know we have loved “educating” you, you have been our life's hobby, (or a ¼ of our life's hobby) & such a nice hobby, we do enjoy you so much, I don't think [character deleted] there can be a single “happy warrior” anywhere - & I think this time every family feels most desperately being torn apart, & so everyone has the most
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tremendous sympathy for each other, as the woman who lives in one of the bungalows at the bottom of the garden said 'I didn't know I was so happy'
I do feel so frightfully sorry for you just as you've got to to your finals, & also Ian just as he is starting - but I feel its & everyone but I feel its time I [deleted] started] [/deleted] stopped having a perpetual cold in my nose about it all & pulled myself together
When war was finally declared yesterday morning the whole of the domestic staff had hysterics, I didnt blame poor Dorothy who feels badly
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about her husband, in fact I didn't blame anyone, how could I, but I gave them a whisky & soda all round, which helped them to recover – we have all been been waiting for air-raid warnings all night & day, I don't like to add none in case one comes at once – Luckily Elizabeth did not have to go back to London last night, as I see they have had several false alarms there today.
Ian turned up Saturday night, he said he could not bear the thought of sharing a closed up sitting room with eight other people, so he came
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home – He has an idea he might try for the navy as an engineer, there was a note in the paper saying they [inserted] were [/inserted] wanted – I hope he won't just enlist, it does seem such a waste, He & Walter were very comic, they decide to join the Ministry , but were going to see Syd about it, which all sounds silly, but Ian & Walter made it all sound very comic
I enclose a nice letter from Mrs Reason about Anna, who [inserted] continues to be [/inserted] [deleted] seems [/deleted] one of the bright spots of the international situation -
Write & tell me if there is anything I can send on to you in the way of a home comfort, you know how I should love to -
very much love
from
Mummy