Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Notes he had not received any mail since his last letter. Much discussion of parcels and the time they take. His have not arrived but other internees have received some that have taken three months. Notes they have four times as many internees in camp as at Christmas. Writes of weather and high temperatures which he is managing well. Asks that there next parcel to him contains underclothing and toothbrush. Relates that some Canadian Red Cross food parcels have arrived. Writes that the camp newspaper has ceased production due to lack of ink and paper and the fact that they could not publish enough copies for greater numbers of people in camp.

1942-06-20

Four page handwritten letters and envelope

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EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420620

[envelope]

EXAMINER 7856 [postmark]
F.M.
[inserted] June 20th/42 [/inserted]
MR. & MRS. H. E. HUDSON
191. HALIFAX ROAD.
NELSON.
LANCASHIRE
ANGLETERRE.

P.C. 90
OPENED BY

FROM. SGT. J. D. HUDSON. 755052.
BRITISH INTERNED AIRMAN.
CAMPDES INTERNES BRITANNIQUES
LAGHOUAT.
ALGERIE
AFRIQUE DU NORD.
[stamped] 24 [/stamped]

[/envelope]

Royal Air Force 755052 Sgt. J. D. Hudson
c/o Consul General du Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet. Alger
Algerie. Afrique du Nord.

20-6-42

My Dear Mother & Dad,

It is thee days since I wrote to you last, and this will make the third letter I have written to you during the past week. I have not received any news from you since your last letter reached me on June 10th and your cable on June 8th. I have replied to your cable and expect your next telegram will arrive almost any day now. Regarding the parcels from England. Jimmy has already received two from his family sent via the Red Cross. The second arrived about seven weeks after the first and they both took about three months to arrive. It would appear, therefore,

[page break]

2.

that it is not necessary to wait three months in between times of sending parcels. I am eagerly awaiting your parcel of socks & soap etc. which[?] should be due in about five more weeks. Your parcel of cigarettes is definitely due but has not arrived, neither has Mrs. Clayton’s book. I do hope they will come along. In your next parcel I should be very glad if you could send me some thin underclothing[?] including short underpants, soap which is very necessary, and footwear size seven. These are my most urgent requirements together with a toothbrush. I intend to cable to this affect when your next telegram arrives. I am very glad to say that some more parcels of food arrived from the Canadian Red Cross including tea, milk, corned beef, butter etc. It is nearly three months since

[page break]

3.

the last parcels arrived & we were beginning to wonder what had happened. It takes a lot now to satisfy the large numbers here. We are four times the size we were at Christmas. Well Mother & Dad I seem to have very little to talk about except parcels, I hope I do not sound to be too selfish. I do not intend to be, the weather has not been quite as hot for the past two days. Previously the temperature reached 110F in the afternoon but it was some 14 cooler yesterday. I think the summer temperature here is as high as any place in the world with [deleted one word] the few exceptions of places of course like Aden and low lying spots possibly below the sea-level. It is not felt as much as the equator’s heat because the atmosphere is perfectly

[page break]

4.

dry and consequently entirely free from the tropical diseases. I am bearing up to the heat very well now and am wondering what the English climate will feel like again. What wouldn’t I give for the opportunity of being able to find out? I am afraid that the “Camp Echo” has now gone out of production. It is practically impossible to get ink and paper for the artists, and new typewriter ribbons. Also when the large number of new people arrived it was not practicable to publish enough copies to go round. Suffice that it helped to pass the time during the winter months & stimulate interest and stir up no[?] end of [indecipherable word] through its candid columns. It was “unique” enough. Well now I must say goodbye until next letter. With my usual ending, all my love, thoughts & best wishes.
Douglas