Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Title
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
Acknowledges receipt of latest mail and cable. Thanks them for efforts to send parcel with cigarettes but now no need as Red Cross parcels are coming through with them and tea, so no shortage of either. Suggest that they do not need to try and sent parcels with chocolate, tea and cigarettes any longer but books and soap would be welcome. Discusses length of time mail takes and mentions some items other have received. Says he is enclosing a photograph of him with two other men. Discuses photography and the weather.
Creator
Date
1942-03-05
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Two 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.
Contributor
Identifier
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420305
Transcription
Royal Air Force. 455052. Sgt J.D. Hudson.
c/o Consul General des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algerie.
Afrique du Nord.
5-3-42.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I last wrote to you about three days ago acknowledging receipt of your last batch of letters, the latest one received being dated February 4th. I was very pleased to receive your cable of Feb. 28th on March 1st reading as follows:-“Message received still await letters censors permit refused cigarettes despatched ordinary mail both well all love” to which I sent this reply next day:- “Received cable twenty-eighth Red Cross cigarettes tea arriving latest letter received dated February fourth writing always well all love”. From your cable I gather that you were refused permission to send cigarettes by air mail and that you accordingly despatched them by the ordinary route. My cable was intended to convey to you that we are now receiving cigarettes and tea from the Red Cross so that you would understand that at present I am not short of these items. I suggested in my last three letters that as there is so much difficulty in sending parcels to me, and as some of the items I requested must be so precious to you, not to bother in future sending tea, chocolate and cigarettes. I do thank you for your splendid endeavours to try and let me have these things and I do appreciate it. If you would care to send me some late book or books and soap I should be glad, but refrain from incurring ridiculous expense. The book which Mrs. Clayton sent has not yet arrived. This is not surprising as the arrival of books from England in the past, has in some cases taken a long time. I think that the
[page break]
greater part of the things actually sent from home to people here, eventually arrive, although oftentimes the journeys are very slow. One chap received a wristlet watch from home by Regd. air Mail in sixteen days – so it does appear possible to get certain articles here quickly. The very last letter I told you how pleased I was to receive my petrol lighter back from Algers after undergoing repairs. Once again it is in use but the only fuel I can obtain is methylated spirits, and that is difficult to acquire. I am enclosing a photo taken with Riddick (centre) & Tony. In all these photos I am generally wedged between two giants. I have just received another print, and Jimmy 6 ft. 2 1/2” is on my right, whilst the camp heavyweight champion 6 ft. is on my left. Another one taken indoors by electric light showing me typing the “Camp Echo” has also come out well after being taken by using a 3 seconds time exposure. When the extra prints come back I hope to send them out to you. Last week I sent a rather gloomy one of myself (head & shoulders) taken about New Year. One of our officers has a very good camera here, so I shall try and take further ‘photos during the warmer weather. I started P.T. again yesterday. I expect the proper sunbathing weather is on the doorstep again. Today has been the warmest this year with a south wind blowing from the desert. Potatoes appear to be in season again and we are pleased to see them on the menu again yesterday and on Sunday. They are not [underlined] quite [/underlined] as good as Mother’s but in these times where we cannot pick and chose almost anything is acceptable. We have destroyed two bitches on the camp as they were becoming a menace. Roy is still thriving and he is likely to continue being the camp mascot. Cheerio now, all my love thoughts and best wishes to you both. Douglas.
c/o Consul General des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algerie.
Afrique du Nord.
5-3-42.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I last wrote to you about three days ago acknowledging receipt of your last batch of letters, the latest one received being dated February 4th. I was very pleased to receive your cable of Feb. 28th on March 1st reading as follows:-“Message received still await letters censors permit refused cigarettes despatched ordinary mail both well all love” to which I sent this reply next day:- “Received cable twenty-eighth Red Cross cigarettes tea arriving latest letter received dated February fourth writing always well all love”. From your cable I gather that you were refused permission to send cigarettes by air mail and that you accordingly despatched them by the ordinary route. My cable was intended to convey to you that we are now receiving cigarettes and tea from the Red Cross so that you would understand that at present I am not short of these items. I suggested in my last three letters that as there is so much difficulty in sending parcels to me, and as some of the items I requested must be so precious to you, not to bother in future sending tea, chocolate and cigarettes. I do thank you for your splendid endeavours to try and let me have these things and I do appreciate it. If you would care to send me some late book or books and soap I should be glad, but refrain from incurring ridiculous expense. The book which Mrs. Clayton sent has not yet arrived. This is not surprising as the arrival of books from England in the past, has in some cases taken a long time. I think that the
[page break]
greater part of the things actually sent from home to people here, eventually arrive, although oftentimes the journeys are very slow. One chap received a wristlet watch from home by Regd. air Mail in sixteen days – so it does appear possible to get certain articles here quickly. The very last letter I told you how pleased I was to receive my petrol lighter back from Algers after undergoing repairs. Once again it is in use but the only fuel I can obtain is methylated spirits, and that is difficult to acquire. I am enclosing a photo taken with Riddick (centre) & Tony. In all these photos I am generally wedged between two giants. I have just received another print, and Jimmy 6 ft. 2 1/2” is on my right, whilst the camp heavyweight champion 6 ft. is on my left. Another one taken indoors by electric light showing me typing the “Camp Echo” has also come out well after being taken by using a 3 seconds time exposure. When the extra prints come back I hope to send them out to you. Last week I sent a rather gloomy one of myself (head & shoulders) taken about New Year. One of our officers has a very good camera here, so I shall try and take further ‘photos during the warmer weather. I started P.T. again yesterday. I expect the proper sunbathing weather is on the doorstep again. Today has been the warmest this year with a south wind blowing from the desert. Potatoes appear to be in season again and we are pleased to see them on the menu again yesterday and on Sunday. They are not [underlined] quite [/underlined] as good as Mother’s but in these times where we cannot pick and chose almost anything is acceptable. We have destroyed two bitches on the camp as they were becoming a menace. Roy is still thriving and he is likely to continue being the camp mascot. Cheerio now, all my love thoughts and best wishes to you both. Douglas.
Collection
Citation
James Douglas Hudson, “Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/22637.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.