Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Number 13. Discusses future farming enterprise and working through county agricultural advisers. Mentions costs, type of farm. location, transport, need to be close to railway, going to agricultural college when he returns and that he misses her.

1943-03-27

Two page handwritten letter

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EValentineJRMValentineUM430327

NUMBER 13
27-3[?]-42.

My Dearest Ursula: I hope you have got my last letter, dealing with farming etc.[?] I have since been speaking to some agricultural experts here & they confirmed my [one indecipherable word]. They strongly advise approaching a County Agricultural Adviser, as a first step towards securing a small holding. They suggest for people in our circumstances a 20 acre mixed farm which we ought to be able to run without loss. That is the type we both want I think not a 10 acre intensive vegetable holding or other specialised type, we ought to be able to stock it with £400 & the rent even today should not exceed £50 – inclusive of house & other buildings – pre war £15 would be a normal figure. I am told that the Adviser is a purely impartial man & should be very helpful – especially to us considering our present state of helplessness. There are also County Small Holding Associations with which he could put you in touch. You might therefore contact the Advisers in Herts, Essex, Bucks, Surrey, Sussex or Kent (even Beds) but from my limited knowledge I would suggest Herts first & Bucks 2nd. Land south of the river is too valuable for building or even industry as are parts of Essex whereas I know Herts to be essentially agricultural with few industrial centre & limited suburban blemishes. Provided I could have a motor cycle, we could be a few miles away from a station – if however the service to that station is fast – frequency is not so important. I know only too well your difficulties e.g. Frances, time, distance & ignorance in matters agricultural & wish I could do the job with you but I shouldn’t be in any desperate hurry. The ideal solution would be to secure the lease of a suitable holding with a house that suits you & then to sublet the land until we are united. That is almost too perfect to be possible though. Another idea has struck me several times lately. Assuming I get some months leave when this bloody battle is over – we could do a lot worse than spend much of it at an agricultural college on an intensive course or living at a farm & working with the occupiers. All this is absolutely delightful to contemplate but what I want first & foremost is [underlined] you. [/underlined] I yearn for you acutely all the time & sometimes feel myself incapable of holding out until ??[?] (when?) I shall soon be in my 11th month but don’t think I have reached my halfway mark yet. Although the days go by smoothly enough time passes very slowly here & 2 years more of this incredible monotony is almost too awful to contemplate. If only your mail were more regular I should be happier. Cheerio dearest – I shall love you always. John.

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[reverse of letter]
GEPRUFT 64

MRS U. M. VALENTINE
LIDO
TENTERDEN GROVE
HENDON
LONDON NW4
ENGLAND

[/reverse of letter]

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