Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Title
Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine
Description
Writes of days activities including issues with ration cards. Mentions organising savings group and other activities and catches up with baby news. Mentions blackout. Writes that she has had a reply to advertisement and home help has appeared. Talks of future plans. that she is sending him parcel. Concludes with comment that butter is available on the Isle of Mann and that it is technically not at war.
Creator
Date
1941-07-28
Temporal Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
Six page handwritten letter
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.
Identifier
EValentineUMValentineJRM410728
Transcription
Lido Monday 28 July
Darlingest, I'm afraid this will be a short letter, it's 9.30 already & I'm pretty tired. Barbara & I did a large wash this morning including curtains from drawing room, nursery, kitchen & lavatory, & this afternoon I had an interminable session at the Food Office trying to get addresses altered on ration cards, getting Barbara re-registered & all the rest. What an exasperating business it is! My new ration books still haven't come but they wouldn't issue an emergency card so early in the week in case it came after all & I might get a double helping all round, so that
[page break]
probably means another hour's queuing on Friday or Saturday. I have also got down to the question of a Savings Group, got particulars from the Town Hall & have been going round this evening roping people in. They have all contributed except Mr Moss who is apparently more or less on the rocks & living on his capital anyway, his business having been so badly hit. The Evans weren't at home, & I'm going to try one or two houses further up the road as well, but so far I've got just over 30/- a week accounted for, which I suppose is not bad. When
[page break]
2.
everybody is roped in I have to write up & get the Group affiliated & they advance me stamps & books & stationery & all the rest & then off we go. I'm so glad that I shall be able to do at least this little something to help the war effort.
I didn't have Frances weighed today as I only went to the Food office & left her behind in the garden with Barbara. But I hope to take her tomorrow. She is still as good & adorable as ever. Now I must hustle off to bed. Last night I didn't bother to black
[page break]
out much, so of course we had a raid; this evening I've blacked out thoroughly, & let's hope it has the opposite effect. Goodnight sweetheart, I love you so much. Tuesday
No raid last night & this morning – wonder of wonders! - I actually got a reply to my advertisement (your advertisement). While I was bathing Frances who should arrive but Mrs Somerville, apparently straight from heaven, our answer to prayers etc. she's 40-50ish & very clean & respectable looking, has been years & years with one family who have now left London & is coming to me Mondays, Weds, & Fridays for 3 hours or maybe 4 in the mornings. In fact just exactly
[page break]
3.
what I wanted. If she turns out to be able to work at all it will be marvellous. Bridget is coming this pm & Thursday pm & Mrs Somerville is then starting next week, Mon. Wed. & Fri. I also have Mrs Hazards's woman, so with all that I ought to be able to get the spring cleaning done, & then we shall be able to go ahead with Mrs Somerville on routine cleaning. I DO so hope she turns out to be satisfactory. She lives at Kingbury & has to come by 83 bus.
I am sending you
[page break]
1oz of Cut Golden Bar & some vegetable laxative pills. There is no New Statesman this week, as you apparently have to give 10 days notice to get it. I'm longing to get your first letter from Jurby. Someone told me that butter is available ad lib over there & also that the Isle of Man is technically not at war. Is that so? With lots & lots of love Ursula.
PS I've taken the film for D&P but it will take 2-3 weeks.
PPS Send me your socks & any extra hankies. I'll boil them later along with the nappies & they are no trouble.
Darlingest, I'm afraid this will be a short letter, it's 9.30 already & I'm pretty tired. Barbara & I did a large wash this morning including curtains from drawing room, nursery, kitchen & lavatory, & this afternoon I had an interminable session at the Food Office trying to get addresses altered on ration cards, getting Barbara re-registered & all the rest. What an exasperating business it is! My new ration books still haven't come but they wouldn't issue an emergency card so early in the week in case it came after all & I might get a double helping all round, so that
[page break]
probably means another hour's queuing on Friday or Saturday. I have also got down to the question of a Savings Group, got particulars from the Town Hall & have been going round this evening roping people in. They have all contributed except Mr Moss who is apparently more or less on the rocks & living on his capital anyway, his business having been so badly hit. The Evans weren't at home, & I'm going to try one or two houses further up the road as well, but so far I've got just over 30/- a week accounted for, which I suppose is not bad. When
[page break]
2.
everybody is roped in I have to write up & get the Group affiliated & they advance me stamps & books & stationery & all the rest & then off we go. I'm so glad that I shall be able to do at least this little something to help the war effort.
I didn't have Frances weighed today as I only went to the Food office & left her behind in the garden with Barbara. But I hope to take her tomorrow. She is still as good & adorable as ever. Now I must hustle off to bed. Last night I didn't bother to black
[page break]
out much, so of course we had a raid; this evening I've blacked out thoroughly, & let's hope it has the opposite effect. Goodnight sweetheart, I love you so much. Tuesday
No raid last night & this morning – wonder of wonders! - I actually got a reply to my advertisement (your advertisement). While I was bathing Frances who should arrive but Mrs Somerville, apparently straight from heaven, our answer to prayers etc. she's 40-50ish & very clean & respectable looking, has been years & years with one family who have now left London & is coming to me Mondays, Weds, & Fridays for 3 hours or maybe 4 in the mornings. In fact just exactly
[page break]
3.
what I wanted. If she turns out to be able to work at all it will be marvellous. Bridget is coming this pm & Thursday pm & Mrs Somerville is then starting next week, Mon. Wed. & Fri. I also have Mrs Hazards's woman, so with all that I ought to be able to get the spring cleaning done, & then we shall be able to go ahead with Mrs Somerville on routine cleaning. I DO so hope she turns out to be satisfactory. She lives at Kingbury & has to come by 83 bus.
I am sending you
[page break]
1oz of Cut Golden Bar & some vegetable laxative pills. There is no New Statesman this week, as you apparently have to give 10 days notice to get it. I'm longing to get your first letter from Jurby. Someone told me that butter is available ad lib over there & also that the Isle of Man is technically not at war. Is that so? With lots & lots of love Ursula.
PS I've taken the film for D&P but it will take 2-3 weeks.
PPS Send me your socks & any extra hankies. I'll boil them later along with the nappies & they are no trouble.
Collection
Citation
Ursula Valentine, “Letter from Ursula Valentine to her husband John Valentine,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 24, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/19581.
Item Relations
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