Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Title
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
Acknowledges receipt of latest letters and sorry to hear mother has been ill. Mentions letter he has received from another correspondent and catches up with comments on news from home. Writes about how he feels and how well he is. Thanks them for trying to send parcel with luxury cigarettes and hopes they will arrive soon. Asks them not to send parcels with chocolate and tea as these will probably be rationed at home and they should keep stuff for themselves. He is glad to know how much they like their new home. Mentions that he does get news of the outside world but misses first hand information about England.
Creator
Date
1942-03-13
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-HE420313
Transcription
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson
c/o Consul General des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algerie.
Afrique du Nord.
13-3-42.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
Yesterday I was very pleased to receive your letters dated Feb. 11th & 19th Nos. 17 & 18, but I was sorry to learn that Mother has not been well and hope she is quite better now. By the same mail I received a letter from Mollie dated Feb. 12th enclosing a photo of Baby Andrew, and a jolly little fellow he is. Congratulations Mollie on a “bonny bairn”. In her letter Mollie recalls the days when she and I used to play “engines” up and down the garden patch and suggests that it wont be long before Andrew is doing the same. The results of time – and mentioning time Mother says that the old man with the scythe is beginning to take his toll. I think she was not feeling too good at the time and I am sure that old age is not really to blame. I cannot imagine you being old, and surely I am right, when Dad says he does not feel any older than he did 20 years ago. Wait until I am home again & we can go places together – that will banish that old age feeling. Some really good chering[sic] up will be a great tonic, and believe me one of these days I’ll do all in my power to see that you get it. In spite of my long sojourn here, physically I feel younger, doubtless due to the combined effect of plenty of bed and a fair amount of P.T. (I’ve still got some “tummy” to reduce yet due to the ridiculous idleness enforced at Le[?] [indecipherable word]). Mentally, I feel older – yes – but better equipped, if you understand what I mean. You are sending luxury cigarettes “555” & “444”. I do hope they will arrive. Thank you ever so much. You must not
[page break]
try and send tea or chocolates, especially as the tea will be probably further rationed. It may get lost in transit anyway, and I know just how much you appreciate what little you have. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to know how you like living at 191, and I am glad that spring is here so that you will be able to enjoy your garden once more. I have not received Mrs Clayton’s book yet. The story you have heard about the pages being torn out of books in transit is a bit “tall” I think. It has not happened to the books received here so far. You ask if I hear what is going on in the outside world. I think I get as accurate information as you do in that respect, but naturally I miss the first hand news of actual detailed happenings in England. In general, I am prepared to belive[sic] I get a possibly clearer conception of events than you do. Bear in mind there is more than one point of view to any argument. I am afraid that the more complex things will have to wait until we are together again, before we can express our ideas. I know, only too well, that if we could write more general letters – to quote you – “the labour of love might be simpler”. It would be simpler. But what can we do? The French say “Qu’est a que nous pousons faire”? You have your thoughts and memories, I have mine. For the time being we must live as these[?] and place our faith in the future. There is a lot I could write about – pages & pages – not just concerning P.T. & Red Cross parcels. I must forbear. Do write to Mrs. Randall. As yet Tony has not received replies to his letters requesting his mother to communicate with you, so it is doubtful if she has received them. Yesterday I wrote to Mary & Dorothy; for your ears alone, I can write “ad lib” nowadays, but I don’t necessarily wish to, except home. Cheerio until next letter, keep smiling, all my love & thoughts to you both.
Douglas.
c/o Consul General des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algerie.
Afrique du Nord.
13-3-42.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
Yesterday I was very pleased to receive your letters dated Feb. 11th & 19th Nos. 17 & 18, but I was sorry to learn that Mother has not been well and hope she is quite better now. By the same mail I received a letter from Mollie dated Feb. 12th enclosing a photo of Baby Andrew, and a jolly little fellow he is. Congratulations Mollie on a “bonny bairn”. In her letter Mollie recalls the days when she and I used to play “engines” up and down the garden patch and suggests that it wont be long before Andrew is doing the same. The results of time – and mentioning time Mother says that the old man with the scythe is beginning to take his toll. I think she was not feeling too good at the time and I am sure that old age is not really to blame. I cannot imagine you being old, and surely I am right, when Dad says he does not feel any older than he did 20 years ago. Wait until I am home again & we can go places together – that will banish that old age feeling. Some really good chering[sic] up will be a great tonic, and believe me one of these days I’ll do all in my power to see that you get it. In spite of my long sojourn here, physically I feel younger, doubtless due to the combined effect of plenty of bed and a fair amount of P.T. (I’ve still got some “tummy” to reduce yet due to the ridiculous idleness enforced at Le[?] [indecipherable word]). Mentally, I feel older – yes – but better equipped, if you understand what I mean. You are sending luxury cigarettes “555” & “444”. I do hope they will arrive. Thank you ever so much. You must not
[page break]
try and send tea or chocolates, especially as the tea will be probably further rationed. It may get lost in transit anyway, and I know just how much you appreciate what little you have. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to know how you like living at 191, and I am glad that spring is here so that you will be able to enjoy your garden once more. I have not received Mrs Clayton’s book yet. The story you have heard about the pages being torn out of books in transit is a bit “tall” I think. It has not happened to the books received here so far. You ask if I hear what is going on in the outside world. I think I get as accurate information as you do in that respect, but naturally I miss the first hand news of actual detailed happenings in England. In general, I am prepared to belive[sic] I get a possibly clearer conception of events than you do. Bear in mind there is more than one point of view to any argument. I am afraid that the more complex things will have to wait until we are together again, before we can express our ideas. I know, only too well, that if we could write more general letters – to quote you – “the labour of love might be simpler”. It would be simpler. But what can we do? The French say “Qu’est a que nous pousons faire”? You have your thoughts and memories, I have mine. For the time being we must live as these[?] and place our faith in the future. There is a lot I could write about – pages & pages – not just concerning P.T. & Red Cross parcels. I must forbear. Do write to Mrs. Randall. As yet Tony has not received replies to his letters requesting his mother to communicate with you, so it is doubtful if she has received them. Yesterday I wrote to Mary & Dorothy; for your ears alone, I can write “ad lib” nowadays, but I don’t necessarily wish to, except home. Cheerio until next letter, keep smiling, all my love & thoughts to you both.
Douglas.
Collection
Citation
James Douglas Hudson, “Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/22640.
Item Relations
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