Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Writes that there has been a general absence of mail for all. Asks about acquaintance reported missing and comments on other news from home. Notes a temporary hold up in arrival of Red Cross food parcels. The previous delivery did not last long as numbers in camp had now quadrupled. Notes latest arrivals included some cooks which should help satisfy British food tastes. Tells story of having to supply food for Arab troops which was not to locals' taste. Comments on how fit old crowd look and on the weather. Says he is getting used to heat, sand, flies, red wine instead of tea and black tobacco. Concludes that he will not be used to English weather when he returns home.

1942-05-09

Two page handwritten letter

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EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420509

Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des États Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algérie.
Afrique du Nord.
9th May 1942.

My Dear Mother & Dad,

I have not received any letters from you since yours dated March. 22nd & 28th arrived on April 25th. I am not the only one who has been without letters, the absence of mail from home has been general for a month or so. It is almost time your next cable arrived and I expect it some time this weekend. As I have said before, all letters out of the first 30 written this year have been received with the exception of Nos. 11, 22, 27 & 29. I have been wandering a lot if any news has since been received about Ted Hole. I was very sorry indeed to learn he was missing and I have been hoping so very sincerely that good news might since have come to hand. It was also a shock to learn about Louis. Both these stories came as a great surprise because I always associated them with comparatively safe jobs. Looking back to the days with Miss Morton I wonder very often how many of those fellows are still alive, & what has happened to Bob Price. I ask myself regularly if I shall ever find out. There has been a temporary (I hope) lull in the arrival of Red Cross supplies since the last lot of parcels intended for about eighty men. These did not last long as our numbers have more than quadrupled recently and it will require terrifically large supplies to make them worthwhile nowadays. Fortunately our latest arrivals included a few cooks and in order to satisfy the British tastes it was agitated that we might do our own cooking. This has been made possible and now we have our own cooks party

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working. The results are in our favour because the food available is cooked as nearly as possible in the English way. Rather an interesting happening occurred the other day where we had to supply a few Arab soldiers with food. They sent in a “moan” to their Commandant – the food was everything but right – apparently it lacked the garlic & spice & queer look peculiar to Arab tastes & displeasing to us. So you see! But believe me broad beans are much better without the pods, & the meat is recognisable. I suppose that the dates & wine make up for the so many British foodstuffs we lack. As I said before, although it does not pay me to do so, the “Old Crowd” are looking remarkably fit, and I am heavier than ever before, so to blazes with those ‘photos. For weeks the weather has been cooler, but today is like a sultry English August day before a thunderstorm; the difference being that we shall not have a thunderstorm. The flies are here & constitute menace no.1. I imagine you will be both back in your garden and looking forward to the months of June July & August which are the worst ones for us here.

How I should like to see the English greenery. I am getting hardened to heat, sand, flies, red wine instead of tea & black tobacco. I think I shall stay out in the Foreign Legion when this lot blows over. I wonder how I shall cope with English frost & fog. I shall probably die of frost bite and chilblains. What do you do with your 8d worth of meat, do you eat it as a roast or – well how do you prepare it? What would I not [inserted] give [/inserted] to be with you dividing it up. Waiting seems a long time, but it is better to want than not to have even the chance of waiting. So I send you both all my love and thoughts as ever. Keep smiling & chins up. [underlined] Douglas. [/underlined]