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Letter from a mother to 6-year-old evacuee son June 8 1944

In May 1944 I was not quite 7 years old. I had been ill with ‘quinsy’ and my parents sent me away to a children’s convalescent home; ‘Dockem House', near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The date of my journey happened to be June 6th — ‘D Day’ and I can remember seeing the sky filled with aircraft and gliders. However a couple of days after I arrived at the home, my mother sent me the following letter carefully written and in language she thought suitable for a 6-year-old. It reads as follows.

59 St Asaph Road,
Brockley
London SE4

Thursday 8th June 1944

Dear Francis,

I had a card from Matron [Matron of the children’s home] yesterday to say that you had arrived safely. Today I had your letter and I hope that you will enjoy yourself, and when you do come back you will be a strong, rosy faced boy.

I have often told you how the Germans marched into France and stole all the nice things from the poor French people, and Mr Churchill promised that one day he would send lots of soldiers, in boats and bombers to France to push the Germans out. Nobody knew when it would happen, we have waited 4 years and people kept saying “when will the second front start?” They meant, when will our soldiers go? Francis, they went while you were going to Dockem House. Hundreds of boats took our boys, tanks and guns to France and our airmen bombed old Jerry; he was surprised and has started to run away. The French people were very pleased and put flowers round our boys’ necks and on the tanks, and they ran out and kissed our soldiers and said they are glad that the Germans have gone. Now our boys have got to fight the Germans until they are all out of France and we are going to follow them all the way to Germany

Lots of Love,
From Mummy XXXXXXX

Letter from a mother to 7-year-old evacuee son - summer 1944 explains V1s

In the summer of 1944 I had been ill and sent to a children’s convalescent home near Cirencester. During my convalescence the V1 attack on London started an it was arranged that I stayed at the home for an extra period. During this stay my mother sent me the following [undated] letter. Drakefell Road was a road parallel to the one in which we lived at Brockley SE London and was about 70 yards distant.

59 St Asaph Road,
Brockley,London SE4

Monday.

Dear Francis,

Mummy has not had a letter from you for over a week. Perhaps the postman has lost it.

Old Hitler is now firing bombs from over the sea at us. These bombs look like aeroplanes and sound like an aeroplane, and when the humming noise stops, this flying bomb drops. Old Hitler sent one over Drakefell Road right opposite our house. Mummy was in the shelter as the bomb came over and when it stopped humming we knew it was for us. I looked across at Drakefell and the houses went up just like the war pictures, and for several moments we could not see our house, it was just like fog. Roddy [the pet Chow dog] ran into Mrs Patton’s [next door neighbour at No 61] and fell down her cellar, then poor Rod got lost on the railway bank but we found him. It is a good job the old tortoise [another pet, named ‘Sidi Birani’, after a desert war victory] cannot get up to antics. I am sending a picture of a flying bomb. [She attached a cutting from the ‘Daily Express’ showing a very blurred image of a V1. It was headed ‘THIS IS IT’ (First daylight picture).

We are all quite well. I hope you are happy. I am glad you are not in London. The warning goes every time one of these things comes over and we now sleep every night in the shelter. Jean [a neighbour’s daughter, class-mate at local school] and her mummy and little brother have gone to the county.

Lots and lots of love
From Mummy XXXXXXX

Having been ill in early 1944 and spent time at a convalescent home I was subsequently removed to Ware Hertfordshire and stayed with the neighbour of a great-aunt. One Mr + Mrs Ball. They had a son Norman about my age. My parents sometimes visited and the following letter was sent to me following such a visit. Like the previous ones it was carefully written for me as a 7-year-old. It mentions an allotment. This was a vegetable plot tended by my father on what was part of the Haberdashers’ Askes School sports ground which was perhaps 200 yards away.

59, St Asaph Road,
Brockley, London SE4

Wed. 23. Aug, ’44.

Dear Francis,

We arrived home safely. The scullery ceiling was down. A bomb had fallen very near the allotment. We now sleep in the street [public] shelter because it is wet in the Anderson. It has rained a lot this past few days.

I hope you are well and happy. Roddy [our dog] and Bob [cat] are alright and the tortoise is still in his box.

Open your gas mask [box] I have put in two cakes, one for you and one for Norman and some chocolate, done in two different papers. Have one each. They are both the same inside.

If you feel cold, put on your combinations. [an undergarment rather like a pair of pants attached to a vest]

Lots of love

From Mummy

XXXXXX Roddy sends a lick.

The neighbour of my great aunt with whom I stayed during late summer of 1944 wrote the following letter to my mother who had was about to pay a visit. I recall subsequently that my parents were a little disdainful of the fact that just one flying bomb should cause such consternation in their locality. The great aunt slept for some weeks subsequently under the dining-room table it was said. However my time with the Ball family was a happy one and I remember the thrill of exploring their chicken coop to gather new-laid eggs and playing with very friendly local children.
86, Canons Rd,
Ware, Tuesday.

Dear Mrs Wallace,

Many kind thanks for letter and parcel arriving on Sat. Needless to say we wrote you last evening to post this this morning but 5.20 am we had a buzz bomb drop on a chicken farm just before you get to the [local] cemetery a little way pasted (sic) this road 72 chickens were killed . No humans were hurt thank goodness, we just had to let you know, I shall never forget it going over, it just about frightened everybody around here

I haven’t told Francis [me] that you are coming on Friday, it will be a nice surprise for him to see you trusting every thing will be alright till then. Thank you very much for custard powders, they were a God send + were those boys pleased with the oranges, you should have seen them. Till Friday then And our kindess regards to yourself + Mr Wallace.

E + T Ball
Francis and Norman

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