Mar 141943
 

Sunday
Home
Dear Daddy,
Auntie Chris has found the eiderdown for my little bed. We went to Sefton Park and saw the caves. At school we have made a little house with paper and made some furniture for it and we are going to make some and bring it home and I will show it to you if it is still alive. I have finished all the cards and have got a reading book now, and I am doing page six of book 2 in my sums. I make spills with the Christmas cards. We have got to be at school at nine o’clock now. I have got a tooth nearly coming out. We heard a story about a magic pancake that ran away on the wireless last week. All my last year’s summer frocks are too short for me this year. Valerie came home again yesterday, and she has gone to her grandma’s today. I play with her every day. I have got a writing book now and Miss Ellis says if I do figures a bit better I can have a book for my sums. Thank you for your letters and I could read nearly every word in your letter and I would like to see the little ponies in the zoo and I am going to after the war and see the little fishes. I can skip with my legs crossed. I am going to have 13 children at my birthday party. (Sez her!) I am trying to learn to skip with my hands crossed.
Love from
Wendy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dec 211943
 

Tuesday
Home
Dear Daddy,
I hope you have a very nice Christmas, I wish you cou cum home. we have put the decorations up. and we have sum holly. Im going to get a niger doll. Jen says she wants a teddy. mummy bought me some raffiA to-day.
a happy christmas.
Love from wendy.

Dear Daddy,
We have had our party at school today. We had jellies and blancmange and tarts and lots of cake and chocolate and lemonade. We had a Xmas tree and I got a bag of sweets off it and a horse. I hope you like your presents. Mummy has made the Xmas puddings and we will keep one for when you come home. There are two sixpences in them. We start the Xmas holidays on Thursday.
a HAPPY and Love from Michael

Jan 021944
 

Sunday
Home
Dear Daddy,
Thank you very much for all the things you sent me at Xmas. I like my station better than anything and I put all my soldiers in it and one of them was ringing up all Xmas night. I got a lot of nice presents. Mr Gardner made me two aeroplanes amd two soldiers with machine guns. Yesterday I carried all the rations for Mummy on my little railway truck that Grandma gave me. Mrs Perry gave me an Orlando book. We had a very nice Xmas Day amd we went to Nanna’s and Grandma’s and had chicken and a lot of plum pudding. We went to Sefton Park and saw Peter Pan and the birds and went on the stpeping stones. We saw about 20 aeroplanes being pulled along Queen’s Drive and some had bombs on. We have used up all our transfers amd I put one on my nose and my last one fell in the pan of milk. I took my new gun out to play in the road today and I took it to Grandma’s with me. I hope you will come home soon and then we will have another Xmas dinner and there is sixpence left in the other pudding.
Love from
Michael

Dear Daddy,
Thank you for my stocking and all the nice things you sent me. I like my new doll and her name is Mary. I like my sweets. Molly is staying with us and she has made some shoes for my doll. I played with Pats dolls. My nigger doll is called Topsy. Jen has a kitten called Monty and it is very wyld. When are you coming home. We want to go to the pamtomime. Tiger let the new year in.
Love from Wendy.

Apr 041944
 

Tuesday
Home
Dear Daddy,
We went to see ‘Peter Pan’ last night. When the children were in bed, Peter Pan came flying through the window and looked for his shadow. Then Wendy woke up and talked to him and said “I wish I could fly”. And Peter Pan taught her and the boys to fly. At first they kept just jumping out of bed and when they learnt they flew through the window. In the Never-never Land the Lost Boys were dancing with an ostrich. The crocodile chased the funny pirate and nearly ate him up. Then Smee put his hand down the crocodile’s mouth and pulled out Captain Hook’s hand. The crocodile had eaten the rest of him. Nana went head over heels when the children came home. The children’s daddy stayed in the dog’s kennel. At the end Nana had a puppy of her own and carried it in her mouth. We didn’t get to bed till 10 o’clock. We liked it better than a pantomime.
The Easter holidays start next Thursday.
Love from
Michael

Dear Daddy,
In ‘Peter Pan’ there was a pirate called Smee and he was tearing some stuff and every time he did it Captain Hook thought his trousers were ript. And when the boys were in the pirate ship Michael got Captain Hook’s hat off and threw it in the sea. And at the end a lot of little lights went in and out and they were fairies. And Wendy and Peter Pan were waving. When Tinker Bell was ill Peter Pan said if you believe in fairies Tinker Bell will get better. The children all said yes and Tinker Bell’s light got brighter.
When I went out with Mrs Dresser I got on the bus and Mrs Dresser and Linder were left behind and I got off at the next stop.
Love from Wendy

May 151944
 

Monday
Liverpool
Dear Daddy,
When I went to Formby we saw a goat lying on the grass across a little dich. I got a picture for writing the best story in the class. We are lerning a lot of songs for Empire day. We are doing feet and inches, and shillings and pennies and half pennies sums. We have just come back from the swings. Thank you for your last letter.
Love from Wendy

Jun 111944
 

Sunday
Home
Dear Daddy,
Many happy returns. I hope you have a nice birthday. Will the sailors come to your party?
Thank you for the cigarette cards and chocolate.
I have got the second reading book now.
This afternoon we went to see the Salute The Soldiers procession on the main road and there was a man on a white horse leading and Eddie was leader of the Scouts and he told Roy to keep in step. We saw two processions.
We went to the fair last week and we went on the dragons, and a little bus and we went upstairs on it. We gave a sweet to a donkey and we had a donkey ride. We went on aeroplanes that went round and up in the air.
I am taking all the weeds out of the peas. There is a little pea pod on the peas we planted in a jar. The blackcurrants are nearly ready.
Love from
Michael.

Dear daddy
I hope you have a happy Birthday. We went to the fair and we went on a horse that went up and down and we went on a two wheeler bake. last week we went to the pictures to see lost angel. I have got a new techer and her her nane is Miss Walters. Im going to Jens party and we’ve bought her a two pairs of socks and a drawing book and two pencils and I going to Cymthias party on munday. Thank you for the chocolate and cigarette cards.
Love from wendy

Jun 231944
 

Friday
Dover
Dearest,
I’m getting very worried. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and no letter from you. Whatever has happened? If it was not for the fact that these doodlebugs may have upset the railways I’d have sent you a wire. I did get a letter yesterday but it is an old one – dated June 8th! As I can’t read either of the post office franks on it, I can’t tell where it has been wandering to, but from now on will you please address all my letters in block capitals (not script) as I do yours and to be even more certain it would be as well to add KENT after Dover. Although it is now a fortnight old, I think there are one or two points which might be cleared up and the first is that I hope you have not had a return of your worrying moods as to what might have happened to me, even if other people do take it for granted that I’ve gone over there too! A move like that is not very likely while we are here on loan, though there is always the possibility of anything happening these days.
This is the letter in which you say the children were going to write but you stopped them – the first reference you have made to that subject and probably it was written at the moment when I was complaining so bitterly. I’ll have the pants off you! Did I hear you say “yes please”?
We were informed, today, that letters may now be posted sealed whereas before they had all to have the flap left open. This does not mean that the censorship has been suspended, but just that they pick an odd one here and there instead of doing them all. Will you let me know, by the way, if any of my previous letters have been snipped and also if any future ones are and then I’ll know where I’m working. You ask several questions, not all of which I’ll answer, but I will say that I’m not on a ship but working in similar conditions to those at Admiralty, except that we live and sleep away from the job, travelling to and fro by bus. Hours of work are a bit complicated so I won’t bother to detail them, but we are not so lucky here about our time off. Nominally we are off every other day from 8 a.m. until 8 a.m. or 12.30 (noon) next day according to the watch we have to pick up. On the face of it that sounds quite good, but in actual practice it isn’t so hot. One great snag is that though we are off watch we can’t get ashore until the first liberty boat at 13.30, whereas the general practice is for watch-keepers to have a free gangway (which means you can go ashore at any time), the liberty boats being intended for men who are on day work and so are free most nights. If we should miss the 13.30 boat we are stuck in the “camp” until 17.30, which means of course that we cannot go far afield as we have to be aboard again at 22.30. So far as the amount of work is concerned, we are doing far less than at Admiralty, but in many ways it is more interesting as we are supposed to be instructing people in the use of our stuff. So far the only person I’ve trained is a Wren who was a touch typist in civvy street, so that was a walk-over and she could carry on by herself now for all the work there is at the moment.
And that, I think, is about all there is to say on that subject for the moment. One more little point is that though we are chained in here from 8 to 13.30, we can’t make a lot of use of the time. It’s usually about 9 before we have finished breakfast and that’s a good time to dhobi, but the wash place is closed from 9.30 to 11. So perhaps you think you will have a shower, but you find that the showers are closed from 8 to 10.30! All of which means that you have to work out a more or less split-second programme and yet waste a lot of time doing so. In fairness, these places have to be closed some time each day for cleaning, but not as long as that. I don’t go much on the accommodation here at all, but I’ll remember it for two things chiefly: spotless “heads” (lavatories to you), the walls of which are scarcely marked by the usual drawings and verse; and very well kept billiards tables, two of them, which would be a credit to a good club. Odd, isn’t it, that people should be able to “leave their mark” in such ways.
Now there’s only one other point to refer to in that letter – evidence! Sweetheart, the evidence just has not been made which could possibly contain the visible and concrete evidence of my yearning for you. Full to overflowing is a mild way of putting it and just the mere thought of evidence has set John’s heart beating like a sledgehammer, but I’m not going to enlarge on that subject. Oh, precious, I love you very dearly and am sick to death of all this repression and frustration. As yet there is nothing concrete on which to build our hopes, but if we are here another month I think we will stand a very good chance of leave – a very good chance but beyond that I’m not prepared to go. The great question, of course, is will we be here then? I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find myself on the way back at any moment, so if you do get a telegram don’t get palpitations for it will only be to let you know where to write.
Did I tell you, by the way, that in a letter I had from Dot and Jack I learned that they are going on holiday on July 15 for a fortnight and that they will either be closing the flat or letting it, so Jack asked me to put up at the Union Jack Club if I should get back in that period. I meant to mention this before so you would know how the land lies, but I should leave it to Dot to let Mother know, I think.
I have written this on watch and I’m hoping that when I get back to breakfast there will be a letter from you. If not, I don’t know what I’ll think but I’ll leave this open so I can let you know.
Eric and Lilian wrote (or rather Eric did) for my birthday and I got the letter yesterday, which was not so hot as it was dated the 17th. As usual, Eric sent me £1 so I should be OK for slops now as I’ll have a bill from Admiralty soon I expect for stuff I ordered before I came away.
Lunchtime: Still no letter! If I don’t hear tomorrow I’ll have to wire you. The only possible explanation I can think of is that the railways have been hit, but in that case the lines must be in a right shambles to cause a delay of four full days. Somehow I can’t see that being the case and I’ll wait until the beginning of the week now, but if I don’t hear then I’ll do something about it. If there is anything wrong, I do wish you’d let me know quickly for it is very worrying.
Now I’ll push this into the post and possess my soul in patience as best I may. I love you so, dear heart, and I do hope you are all OK. My love to the children and all my love to you.
Ever your own,
Arthur X
P.S. Did my little parcel arrive and has there been any word from Jack about sending my other stuff?

Crosby
Dear Daddy,
I went to Brownies with cynthia. Mummy is making me a Brownie frock in time for next tuesday. we plaed some games and had the Brownie story. we went on the bus and came back with all the Brownies. Im in the skelpies with cynthia. were haveing a rest next week. Thank you for the sweets and for the letter. Michael will write at the weekend.
Love from Wendy

Jul 021944
 

Sunday
Crosby
Dear Daddy
Thank you for your letter. I have been up sins Thursday. Imcross with the sailor that stole the chocolate and chewing gum. When you come home we are going to give you a surpris. Judy likes the tops off the new carrots.
Love from Wendy

Sep 141944
 

Thursday
Home
Dearest,
I was going to skip your letter tonight and get some arrears made up to other people, as there is not much news and I have been two days without a letter from you. But the parcels containing your gear arrived today and I thought you’d be getting anxious about them and would like to know they were safe at the first possible moment.
Wendy spent the entire evening on the enclosed masterpiece! It’s by far the longest letter she’s written, isn’t it? The cryptic sentence near the end means that they have, at school, a window-sill full of autumn fruits – I think you’ll be able to make out the rest of it. I did intend going to the first house pictures tonight to see ‘Fanny By Gaslight’ but Michael is a bit off-colour so I decided to stay at home. It was pouring with rain in any case. I don’t think he’s “getting” anything – it looks like a chill to me, cold in the head with a bit of temperature and headache, but nothing to worry about. He’ll probably sleep it off, as he has done before. He slept soundly in the chair while Wendy was doing the letter.
We received a very welcome present today of some chocolate and biscuits. The children were delighted and so was I for I’ve been wishing I had a bit of chocolate to keep in my pocket for my journeys to South Road. I always get home quite faint and weak with hunger and a bit of chocolate en route will make a world of difference.
I picked all the really full-grown tomatoes today and brought them in to ripen. I thought this would give the rest a better chance to fill up as there is very little growing time left now before the frosts start. The ones I have picked amount to about seven pounds and are very good and solid, though I doubt whether we will average as much weight per plant as last year. No-one seems satisfied with their tomatoes, indoor or outdoors, this year.
I had a word with Mrs Griling [??] about the wool position some days ago. The real baby wool is reserved strictly for baby-coupons, born or expected, as it should be. The trouble is that you don’t get these coupons till quite well on – the Board of Trade don’t want to give coupons to possible “misses” obviously. But I knew Mrs Griling would take my word for it. The baby wool issue came in today so she let me have some on our ordinary coupons – the first thing I’ve bought for this baby! I’ll get everything I need there for she is very good at keeping the scarce things for anyone expecting a baby and it will pay me to give her all the business I can.
Michael has just woken up protesting hunger and is now quietly singing, so there’s not much wrong with him now! An aspirin and a sleep always works wonders with Michael.
Well, sweet, that’s all the news today, so I’ll get to bed before I start to feel sick. I’ll let you know whether I get a letter from you in the morning. Night, my boy. I love you.
Always your own,
Stella

Dear Daddy,
the first thing we saw was two pigs. Miss Jones had six cats. a black mother cat with two kittens the same as her. and there was a ginger cat who was 15 and his name is Tiger and has two little ginger kittens too and they were all born on the same week. the tiger family were very wild and they would not let you stroke them. and the black mother cat was going to have more kittens. and the black mother cat used to spit at her kittens whenever they came near her. She had her kittens in the hen house and they had five cats in the farm and the father cat looks after the three kittens more than the mother cat. we have window sil full of orum fruts. and you owe me two letters now
Love from wendy