Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Had not received any mail since he last wrote and it was nine days since he sent his last cable. Mentions the weather had become cooler and that he described his first boxing match which he lost on points. Mentions that he had lost a little weight due to exercising. Comments on some views expressed in previous letter when browned off and says they will have plenty to talk about when he gets home.

1941-06-27

Two page handwritten letter and envlope

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EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE410629

[circled PAR AVION]
[underlined] VIA TANGER
VIA LISBONNE
POSTE PRISONNIER DE GUERRE [/underlined]
[two postage stamps]
[postmark]
MR. & MRS. H. E. HUDSON.
191. HALIFAX ROAD.
NELSON.
LANCASHIRE.
ANGLETERRE
[page break]
FROM. SGT. J. D. HUDSON. 755052.
CAMP DE SÉJOUR SURVEILLÉ
AUMALE.
ALGÉRIE
AFRIQUE DU NORD.
[ink stamp]
[postmark]
[page break]
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson.
Camp de Séjour Surveillé.
Aumale Algérie
Afrique du Nord.
29-6-41
My Dear Mother & Dad.
I hardly know what to say to you in this letter, because since I wrote to you about four days ago I have not received any further news from you. In my last letter I acknowledged receipt of your letters dated June 1st & June 8th both received on the 23rd which was not bad going, especially for the letter. It will be about nine days since I sent my last cable to you, making use of your pre-paid reply to my earlier cable. If you ever want me to cable & you send a pre-paid reply I hope I shall be able to take advantage of it. The last one (ie. your first one) enabled me to send 18 words free, the rest I had to pay for. The last time I wrote I stated how terribly hot & oppressive it was here. Well the day after it became more bearable & since has been comparatively cool, although still warm enough for a pair of shorts only, or perhaps a vest. I mentioned in an earlier letter that I expected to start boxing, well last night I had my first fight. It was a very enlightening affair, and I found out quite a lot of things. Firstly, just how strenuous it is, & how much punishment one can take without realising until the fight is over. Secondly, although I lost (my first) on points, that I am better equipped physically than I thought, & in a day or two I intend going into training for the next fight
[page break]
to try & pick up a bit more science. I think I mentioned in earlier letters to you that I had gained weight out here. Possibly I have lost a little here because we take advantage of every opportunity to exercise, & last night I was fighting at 10 stones. All fighters were awarded cigarettes as prizes – bought through our own small sports fund. You see each chap is charged one franc to watch a fight. In your letter of June 8th you tell me I shall never become a cynic & give your reasons which I suppose are quite right. May be I was temporarily browned off when I wrote that, but doubtless I felt justified. I wish it was possible to write as much as we wished, because then we could have arguments by mail, but space is too limited. When I get home we shall have plenty to talk about because the very fact of being here affords so much time [inserted] which can be given [/inserted] to thinking, & I don’t suppose it will be until we are together again that any of us will have the opportunity to express our ideas. I think that being here one thinks far beyond of – what shall we do tomorrow, & the petty trials of the life we knew, & we begin to ask ourselves far more difficult questions, which before would have never occurred. This probably compensates for the lack of apparent purpose of our days spent here. Anyway we find it interesting now & together with our sport efforts we get along. Something new really does present itself & I think that it is now that those people who seek (I include you both here) find the true meaning of faith, or we’ll soon find it. Well this has been a different letter to the usual one, but in the absence of news – why worry.
As always, very best of luck & all my love.
Douglas