Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Notes receipt of recent letter from them but is concerned that they have had no mail from him for five weeks despite that fact he writes two letters week. He is not aware of any problems with the post and said as a result, his letters would have much repetition as he did not know which would get through to them. Repeats that he has moved to a military camp for British at Laghouat an oasis town on the edge of the Sahara, 300 miles south of Algiers. Notes better living conditions, privacy of two man rooms and local climate. Mentions arrival of airmail parcels from England and hopes they will get Red Cross parcels as well. Concludes with Christmas greetings.

1941-11-04

Two page handwritten letter

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EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE411104

Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson.
c/o Consul General des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algérie
Afrique du Nord.
4-11-41
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I wrote to you about four days ago acknowledging receipt of your letter of October 12th & one from Auntie Una dated Oct. 16th, also your telegram which I was so pleased to receive on October 28th. But as I explained I am very sorry, and at the same time anxious, because you have not received any of my letters for five weeks. This is very strange because I have been writing all the time twice a week and I am not aware of any change in the postal despatch. It makes it a little awkward writing letters because I do not know how many of them are going to arrive, and I, therefore, fear that a lot of them will have to be repetition to make sure that you know what is going on. I hope it will be quite clear to you from the cable I despatched on October 28th in reply to yours, that I was moved to this place Laghouat just over two weeks ago, and am at a Military Camp for the British. Laghouat is an Arab oasis town about 300 miles south of Algiers, surrounded by palm trees, and on the border of the Sahara. I have explained this to you in three previous letters but as they may have shared the same dismal fate of the others I had better be persistent. The living quarters are considerably better here than at the previous camps. I am very glad to share a room with Jimmy, who is of the same rank & military profession as myself, whilst Tony shares a room adjoining. This privacy is what I have missed most of all before, & now it comes as a God send. The stories
[page break]
I have heard about it only raining here once every fourteen months are a little false. We have only been here just over two weeks [inserted] & [/inserted] it has [inserted] rained [/inserted] already three times, admittedly not very much. It has not been very warm and at night time it has been decidedly cold, although I am given to understand that the summer heat is intense with temperatures at the 130o region. I mentioned before that parcels have been received from England in 12 days & 18 days sent by Air Mail, containing 50 Players Cigarettes and 3 bars of Rowntrees Chocs & a few boiled sweets Postage 4s – 5d. If you, or any of the people who have asked if I require anything, could send me a parcel by this means containing preferably a little tea, I should appreciate it very much, because hot drinks present the biggest problem. We are hoping we shall receive further parcels from the Red Cross. These are most welcome and contain some extremely useful items. I have wished you already for Christmas & New Year, but in case those wishes do not arrive, I repeat that I send you my very best wishes for Christmas and 1942 and hope that you will have as happy a time as possible under the circumstances. I shall be thinking about you all the time & hope this will be the last festive season that we shall be apart. Even so we shall not be apart this year in spirit. I hate the thought of spending Christmas away from home, for looking back in the past it brings back so many pleasant memories, and it is absolutely impossible to capture the right spirit here no matter what one does. Well this letter has not been a very informative one, but it just shows that I am still here and keeping well. I will say good bye now until next letter, by sending all my love & thoughts.
Douglas