Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents

Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents

Writes about the weather and reminisces over past events. Asks if they have fog in Laghouat and talks of weather there. Sent cable previous day but wonders if circumstances in North Africa men cables will be stopped. No letter from him for nine weeks but glad to hear from cable that he is getting their letters. Writes of quiet life they are living and mentions some of their activities.

1941-11-23

Two page handwritten letter and envelope

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EHudsonP-HEHudsonJD411123-01

Prisoners of War Post
[inserted] 88 [/inserted]
[BY AIR MAIL stamp]
[postmark]
[four postage stamps]
[inserted] 23 NOV 41 [/inserted]
PRISONER OF WAR POST
755052 Sgt. J. D. Hudson
Interned British Airman
Camp Militaire
Laghouat
Algerie
Afrique du Nord
[page break]
From
Mrs Hudson
191 Halifax Road
Nelson
Lancs.
England
[inserted] 30-12-41 [/inserted]
[page break]
[inserted] 88 [/inserted]
191 Halifax Road
Nelson Lancs.
England.
Sunday. Nov. 23rd/41.
My dear Douglas.
This is a typical November day and now at 3 p.m. I am just groping, by the light of a lovely fire, to write my usual Sunday letter to you. Outside there is that weird yellow light that we associate with a real November day & strangely enough although we’ve had a lot of rain – it is raining at present – we’ve not had very much fog, touch wood!!! We were recalling that very dreadful period of fog – just after we went to Manchester when you were not able to travel to school for a week. Do you remember it too? & do you have fog in Algerie? According to the book about Laghouat the climate is good tho’ the months of January & February are reputedly windy & cold. Well love I sent a short cable to you yesterday & am now eagerly awaiting a reply. We were afraid, in view of the very disturbed conditions in North Africa, that the cables might be stopped & I was so glad to learn that up to date the P.O. at Nelson had not been notified of any change. My message was only a short one “Delighted cable seventeenth. Eagerly await further news All love Hudson” with prepaid reply 5/6.
[page break]
We have not had a letter from you for nine weeks, & I was thankful indeed for the message on your last cable that you were getting my letters all right. I wonder if you have got the calendar I sent some weeks ago. I do hope you will be allowed to have it. Well love I seem quite at a loss for something to write about. We live the usual quiet uneventful life here & now that the garden is not accessible for a month or two we have to stay quietly indoors. This morning Dad (who seems much better again) has taken the heavy mower to pieces & has greased it & put it away but we have so little storage room in this smaller house & a very large wooden box in a corner of the garden does duty as a store-house. We have a very large lobby under the stairs which acts as store-room & air raid shelter & at present contains deck chairs garden shelter, type-writer, card table & umpteen bits & pieces. Today we are in the lounge which is very similar in shape but much smaller than the one at Moorside Rd. Instead of houses on the opposite side of this road there is a very high hedge which is still in full green leaf. Up & down the road (main road, you remember) the youth & beauty of Nelson is taking the, very damp, air. The girls are mostly very pretty but their Lancashire accent is not so attractive. Once again all our love & best wishes for Happy Christmas from Mother & Dad.
755052 Hudson
Camp Militaire
Laghouat Algerie.