Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents

Reports arrival of latest mail and of first Red Cross parcel from them full of very useful things. Lists contents and mentions some items added by Red Cross. Glad they had dispatched second parcel and discusses footwear sizes. Catches up with mail received and comments on some content as well as discussing telegram system. Repeats much of what he wrote in previous letters particularly how good lifebuoy soap smelled. Catches up with news and states it would nearly be two years since he landed in North Africa. They had suffered many changes in that time and he did not anticipate much improvement in conditions in the near future. Thanks that they have Red Cross tea left and comments on the weather.

1942-08-15

Two page handwritten letter

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EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420815

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

15-8-42.

My Dear Mother & Dad,

I wrote to you on Thursday acknowledging receipt of your letters 63 & 64 and also to thank you so very much for the first Red Cross parcel which arrived intact on Wednesday afternoon. I was very delighted to receive these things all of which are particularly useful. All the items you enumerated arrived safely together with a bar of shaving soap, 1 razor & 6 blades, one toothbrush, two toothpastes, 1 comb, 2 pencils, a [indecipherable word] and two khaki handkerchiefs. I presume the Red Cross put these with the parcel, possibly to make the weight up to ten pounds. I was also very glad to learn from your recent cable that you had despatched a second parcel on July 28th. I am afraid that footwear size 6½ would be too small. I require something durable no smaller than 7. Of your first 64 letters written up to July 23rd all have been received except Nos. 11 & 57. Jolly good. It also appears that my mail is getting home more satisfactorily. The cables sent from here are becoming very unreliable which is annoying; especially when I think my cable of May 28th did not reach you until July 3rd longer than it takes your letters. My last cable sent off on Thursday suggested you cancel the “receiver to pay” system & revert to the “pre-paid” replies. They are cheaper by far, & more satisfactory.

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The last three cables I have sent, I have paid for at this end & do hope you have not been called to pay anything. It does not make much difference to me because as I have explained so often there is very little I can spend my money on. Most of this letter is repetition of my last. I told you then how good the lifebuoy soap smelled, & that I was specially inviting people to come & have “sniffs”. Soap is at a premium – there just isn’t any beyond what little the Red Cross send. Believe you me it was a very welcome sight to see 6 bars of lifebuoy & to smell their presence. I often wonder what John will do next. We wonder continually what he & his kind will be expected to do & when they will be expected to do it. There are a lot of other things we wonder besides. It will soon be two years since I landed here, or rather in N. Africa. At that time I didn’t think I should be here for two weeks. We have suffered many changes since that date – pretty grim – and it more than makes us think[?] You have no idea how we feel sometimes. I don’t anticipate great improvements in the near future either. Thank God we have some Red Cross tea still left over. The weather has been better again. It has been considerably warmer than last summer at Aumale[?] & still is. I am afraid this letter has been most un-newsy. There is little I am in a position to say, although plenty I could say if I didn’t wish my letter to reach you. So good-bye until next letter. Keep smiling & in good spirits. All my love, thoughts & best wishes. Douglas.