Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents

Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents

Delighted to get cable but wished letters would get through as well. Mentions being encouraged to write letters but having little to say. Wonders whether he gets enough food and mentions food situation getting difficult at home with possible reduction in tea ration. Writes of activities and books she has read. Mentions that spring is on the way and concludes with chat.

1942-02-19

Two page handwritten letter

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EHudsonP-HEHudsonJD420219

[inserted] 118 [/inserted]
[underlined] 18 [/underlined]
[inserted] 12-3-42 [/inserted]
191 Halifax Road
Nelson Lancs.
England.
Thurs. a.m. 19/2/42
My dear Douglas.
Yesterday we were delighted to have your cable dated 17th. As I keep on telling you it is a great joy to [deleted] have [/deleted] [inserted] us [/inserted] to have this recent news of you. I do wish the letters came through more quickly – our last one dated November 25th arrived on Jan 31st. More than twelve weeks & it doesn’t seem to be worth while spending your precious allowance to send the letters by Air Mail. Last night we listened to Greetings from Cairo, & we were impressed by the reiterated message “Keep on writing.” If we could write more general letters the labour of love might be simpler but we’ve got to think twice before writing & there’s [sic] seems to be so little we can say. The bitter weather continues & we keep on wondering how it is with you & do hope you have enough warmth & food. It will not be difficult for you to understand how the food problem here becomes increasingly difficult now that the upheaval has spread to the Far East & my precious tea ration seems to be in danger of reduction but we have much to be thankful for yet. Yesterday I tidied out the drawer containing all your letters written from the different stations of your training days. I put them into 4 separate bundles
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so it is quite easy to locate one if needed for reference. It took a long time for me to complete the duty. I kept reading one or two & it was really surprising what memories were revived. I’ve just read a book which has given me a great deal of pleasure “Dream Prevails” by Maud Diver. I wonder if it happens to be in your “library”. It is well worn reading but as it touches on the political situation of India I don’t suppose it would be allowed to reach you. We hear such fantastic stories about the mails – how many pages are torn from books & how many are destroyed & I don’t like to think of books which are enjoyed so much being mutilated. Well love Spring is surely on the way in spite of cold & wars. You know just what it means to me – what it means to us both. We have loved so much of it together & I can picture us, now, wandering round the garden at Wolsley seeking signs of Spring. What joy we had from the thickening buds on the trees & the little green noses of the bulbs poking out of the dark, cold, earth. We have beautiful thrushes here & I never see one without memories of the one on top of the gate in Cheshire. You remember too!!! I have not yet written to Mrs Randall nor have I heard from her. No doubt we are both afraid of presuming. The warm hearted Lancashire folk have another name (or phrase) for it “being kind.” We re-echo the words of the immortal William “What a piece of work is man”!! Now love it must be Goodbye again. With all our love & thoughts & prayers from Mother & Dad.
755052 Hudson
Camp Militaire
Laghouat Algerie