Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents
Title
Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents
Description
Reports arrival of two letters from him which mention that their photographs had arrived with him. Comments on photographs they sent him that she hads gained weight but father seems thinner every week. Mentions father has been working extra time. Comments n content of previous letters in particular that Red Cross supplies had begun to arrive again and that they had fuel to make tea. Reports other correspondence and passes on news. Mentions harvesting of local field of oats and comments on the weather.
Creator
Date
1942-09-29
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
Two page handwritten letter and envelope
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
EHudsonP-HEHudsonJD420929
Transcription
[post mark]
[postage stamp]
Prisoners of War Post
755052 Sgt J.D. Hudson
Interned British Airman
Camp Militaire
Laghouat
Algeria
Afrique du Nord
[page break]
From Mrs Hudson
191 Halifax Road
Nelson
Lancs.
England
29/9/42
[inserted] 13-11-42
On board [/inserted]
[page break]
[inserted] [underlined] 84 [/inserted] [/underlined]
191 Halifax Rd.
Nelson Lancs.
England
Tues. am. Sept. 29th/42
My dear Douglas.
It was a great joy to us to have two letters from you yesterday. The dates were July 21st & 22nd & they acknowledged the snaps which have apparently given you pleasure. The one of me sitting in the deck chair is quite absurd. The camera has surely lied this time by making an old lady into a young one. The picture doesn’t show the white hair & wrinkles, but they are there alright a very forceful reminder of the flight of time. I have gained a lot of weight but Dad seems to go thinner every week. At present he is working extra time & that worries me, as I do feel he has enough to do in normal hours. To revert to the letters it was two weeks ago that we received one letter dated July 27th on a Thursday & on the following Saturday the post-card [inserted] dated July 31st [/inserted] with greetings from “the post-man” & later the cable, which messages brought much pleasure. It is grand to learn that Red Cross supplies have begun to arrive again &O that you have got a small amount of fuel on which to boil water for tea-making. I can well imagine how much you enjoy your cups of tea. I should miss that [inserted] or them [/inserted] more than anything. By ration is very severe 2 ozs each per week & I am thankful to a few people
[page break]
who do not use even that & so let me buy it from them. Yesterday I had a letter from Mrs Clayton with the news that John is coming home on Wednesday & would I try to go for a day while he is home so I shall go either Thursday or Friday & shall then be able to give you a little news of him. Presently I shall write to Mrs Bowers. It would have been Harry’s birthday tomorrow, Sept 30th. He was just that little younger than you wasn’t he? You mention sleeping out - of – doors & I am wondering what you sleep on. Do you drag your bed outside or just lie on the ground? It doesn’t sound very comfortable. The field of oats, across the way (which I have mentioned to you before) was cut yesterday but it does not look typical English harvest as it is very green. Much of it is in stooks but some lying on the ground as though it is useless & it does seem such a pity. We have not had any rain since I wrote to you last but every thing seems to be so thoroughly soaked & we have heavy morning & evening mist with about four hours sunshine. The birds are beginning to come for food again. It is some weeks since I first saw my very tame robin. I am hoping soon to hear of the safe arrival of your second “next – of – kin parcel” parcel & am wondering whether to send another pair of shoes or wait to see if the others are all right. Cable any requirements. Goodbye again love. A few days nearer peace & glad reunion. All our love & thoughts & prayers.
Mother & Dad.
755052 Hudson
Camp Militaire
Laghouat
Algerie.
[postage stamp]
Prisoners of War Post
755052 Sgt J.D. Hudson
Interned British Airman
Camp Militaire
Laghouat
Algeria
Afrique du Nord
[page break]
From Mrs Hudson
191 Halifax Road
Nelson
Lancs.
England
29/9/42
[inserted] 13-11-42
On board [/inserted]
[page break]
[inserted] [underlined] 84 [/inserted] [/underlined]
191 Halifax Rd.
Nelson Lancs.
England
Tues. am. Sept. 29th/42
My dear Douglas.
It was a great joy to us to have two letters from you yesterday. The dates were July 21st & 22nd & they acknowledged the snaps which have apparently given you pleasure. The one of me sitting in the deck chair is quite absurd. The camera has surely lied this time by making an old lady into a young one. The picture doesn’t show the white hair & wrinkles, but they are there alright a very forceful reminder of the flight of time. I have gained a lot of weight but Dad seems to go thinner every week. At present he is working extra time & that worries me, as I do feel he has enough to do in normal hours. To revert to the letters it was two weeks ago that we received one letter dated July 27th on a Thursday & on the following Saturday the post-card [inserted] dated July 31st [/inserted] with greetings from “the post-man” & later the cable, which messages brought much pleasure. It is grand to learn that Red Cross supplies have begun to arrive again &O that you have got a small amount of fuel on which to boil water for tea-making. I can well imagine how much you enjoy your cups of tea. I should miss that [inserted] or them [/inserted] more than anything. By ration is very severe 2 ozs each per week & I am thankful to a few people
[page break]
who do not use even that & so let me buy it from them. Yesterday I had a letter from Mrs Clayton with the news that John is coming home on Wednesday & would I try to go for a day while he is home so I shall go either Thursday or Friday & shall then be able to give you a little news of him. Presently I shall write to Mrs Bowers. It would have been Harry’s birthday tomorrow, Sept 30th. He was just that little younger than you wasn’t he? You mention sleeping out - of – doors & I am wondering what you sleep on. Do you drag your bed outside or just lie on the ground? It doesn’t sound very comfortable. The field of oats, across the way (which I have mentioned to you before) was cut yesterday but it does not look typical English harvest as it is very green. Much of it is in stooks but some lying on the ground as though it is useless & it does seem such a pity. We have not had any rain since I wrote to you last but every thing seems to be so thoroughly soaked & we have heavy morning & evening mist with about four hours sunshine. The birds are beginning to come for food again. It is some weeks since I first saw my very tame robin. I am hoping soon to hear of the safe arrival of your second “next – of – kin parcel” parcel & am wondering whether to send another pair of shoes or wait to see if the others are all right. Cable any requirements. Goodbye again love. A few days nearer peace & glad reunion. All our love & thoughts & prayers.
Mother & Dad.
755052 Hudson
Camp Militaire
Laghouat
Algerie.
Collection
Citation
P Hudson, “Letter to Douglas Hudson from his parents,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/23803.
Item Relations
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