HISTORY of DEAL: KENT: UK
Pictures and Stories of the Old Days

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Amy M. Irvine

78 West St.

Deal

 

These are to Amy’s brother, John G.C. Irvine, in America. (Janet's great grandfather.)

 

       July 2, 1941

Dear John,

   Your war remarks, as always, deeply interested me, but we’ve advanced immensely since, especially since Hitler was fool enough to attack Russia. I am thankful he went there instead of trying to invade England, chiefly for personal reasons, as I’d have been evacuated again, which is more than I could stand i.e. until I could stand, which no longer seems hopeless. But I think one experience of evacuation is enough in one lifetime!

    We could not hold Crete, but we delayed the Germans long enough to prepare for the defense of Syria. Now that is over successfully and very likely made Hitler decide on the move to Russia. It is fine about Russia yet I cannot help thinking with a shudder of those terrific preparations there. Quite likely Stalin had some idea of aggression, too? I wouldn’t like a Soviet Europe much better than a Nazi one.

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      July 20, 1941

Dear John,

     Of course you heard of the Victory V campaign, which is spread to all the enslaved countries? It is driving the Germans mad wherever they go they see “V”s either painted or chalked or cut out in paper V’s, or the morse  signal … –  (for V) rapped out by people stamping in crowds, or knocking at doors, or in restaurants, calling for waiters with three short and one long rap.  One public clock stopped suddenly at 5 to 1, and stayed there. One commander proclaimed a fine and imprisonment for anyone whose house a V was discovered the owner to be responsible, and next morning his own house was a mass of V’s!

  At last, the other day, Hans Fritsch, a German radio announcer, broadcast to all Europe that this V represented the German victory!

   The whole campaign seems to have thrilled all Europe, and was to culminate today in some signal demonstration, which the Germans are waiting in terror. I am wild with impatience for tomorrow’s news. So far today I have heard nothing, but have seen one of our spitfires flying backwards and forwards, making the victory role which may mean that he has shot down an enemy plane, or maybe only his way of celebrating the Victory V.

  In Yesterdays paper, it was announced from some unofficial, but generally reliable Swiss source, Hitler has had a nervous breakdown following an epileptic fit. There is a good margin of probability for that. He had fits as a boy and was in a mental home for months as a young man.

  Tomorrow, I am to begin having electrical treatment for my poor legs which steadily refuse to support my body and have lately refused even to attempt to stand. I’m so desperate now that I put up with any aching that gave me the slightest hope of walking again.

 

      February 16, 1942

Dear John,

  You will by this time have a lot of terrible interest in the USA, having joined with us in this awful war. Today we are suffering the bitter news of Japan being in Singapore. We have only just enough to eat, but have a little hope of something better to eat soon. Fortunately for me, perhaps, I have an appetite that is satisfied with a dinner of soup and vegetables, no meat. I am unable to get any eggs at all. But my old woman “Bowie” does everything she can to get me enough!  You know we have remarkably short coupons, like 2 ounces of tea, 1/4 pound sugar and 1/4 pound margarine (not butter) each week. No sweets. Almost nothing! I can only hope that you two have far more. Fortunately I don’t need it, only feel just a tiny bit cross, because there is no more marmalade now.

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      April 7, 1942

Dear John,

     I thought I was going to be sent to Canterbury to be measured for my steel splint. An ambulance man was arranged to drive me there when Dr. Bolden suddenly refused to let me go to my great rage and disappointment, and he engaged the London agent to come here to Deal to see me, though his journey here cost two times more than my gorgeous drive into Canterbury, for the windows all around the ambulance give one of the most splendid scenery all the way.

 Well, next day, the agent arrived, and I was only just able to endure the measurements which hurt that knee intolerably. I was kept in bed for the next three weeks not even allowed to be moved out at all. Except one day, when my fire grate almost fell to pieces and I sent for my house builder, immediately telling him if he could not come to look at it at once I’d have to send for someone else as my fire might fall out at any moment (just then, too cold to be possible to live without one). That was the third time I had dared to ask him to come this winter, and he had  each time assured me that there was not another fire grate to be had. However, he did come at once, and was scared when he saw it, so promised to put another grate in the next day, having just dug out another from a bombed house. So I got Dolly and Bowie to work away at once and put me into my best room that very evening and they did everything they could splendidly and wheeled me into the Music room in my invalid chair and took down my bed and put it up right across the delightful window, where I was able to watch everything that passed that evening and night, and the men arrived early the next morning, and worked away like anything until 4, and all finished, even that put me out a bit as I did so enjoy the window which I had not seen all that winter.

 But those two, Dolly and Bowie, were caught by a tiresome policeman, and warned that they had no business to place me right up against that window, and they were so alarmed that they put me right back in the very next morning in the bedroom when I had expected to be left in the Music room over Sunday. I had already had a fine view of a raid or two, most interesting from that spot where one can see it so well. Ever since we have had almost countless numbers of raids, nearly all of them well worth seeing and fearfully noisy but not exactly here.

 On March 25, Dr. Bolden marched in, caring my steel splint and fixed it on most carefully, then lifted me up and put me on the floor and quite suddenly I was able to stand, and slowly and fearfully began to walk! I marched out of this most tiresome bedroom right into the Music room, then simply had to return, feeling so tired, interfering with my wild delight. I have been taken out in my invalid chair 3 times —Gorgeous! Altogether everything is getting better and better.

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     July 31 1942

Dear John,

    During that last awful bombing experience, when I was urged inwardly to go upstairs to paint a certain picture, and obeyed the impulse by going, it was only just at once that I got up there, before the whole place was badly broken and partly destroyed, I mean, MY place! And I had to go stumbling and tumbling down the stairs at once, when I fell down and one arm has always been painful ever since. I was made to stay in bed for a week afterwards.  I found that the stroke occurred on June 25 so it is a little more than five weeks now.

  You asked me whether my great friend helpers saw me and the condition of my house after the bombing, some did, but one very great one was a way on a holiday and I forget exactly who came.  However, I have found out that at present there seems to be hardly any fear about me being sent off unless Germany actually attacks England when this whole place might have to go suddenly. All the same, I do not believe such a thing could happen. We are now sending across some of the most awful raids with your splendid airman, too, and often over 1000 planes destroying Germany for instance Hamburg, the other night, which Hitler had declared could never be touched being too far away for us to hit, even by a single airplane, and was now most horribly destroyed by over one thousand!

  There is no possibility of me ever again being sent to Worthing much to my thankfulness, especially because Winnifred really has bothered me no end.  I do know that she suffered bitterly because I left the place and could neither understand nor believe the traveling home as I did with Dolly was due to my desperate difficulties in money affairs in Worthing.

  Britain’s army has been surely splendid, in spite of our terrible mistakes and total ignorance of Germany’s appalling power. Never mind I do hope most strongly that we are already learning a lot, and then, in my very soul believe in our wonderful power in the air. USA troops are filling us with joyful thankfulness already. I do so hope Hitler may soon give way and all probability he may commit suicide. Anyhow, that would save us having to punish him! I am myself feeling restless about Churchill’s silence. Yet, I do consider him far away beyond anyone else.

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     July 29, 1942

Dear John,

 I am ever so sorry to hear how the sensor indulged so foolishly in cutting away so many of my remarks about what had been happening. Most likely that was an American — rather childish order?!  Still, forgivable, once, but not quite so likely now.

 All the American troops are tremendously welcome and I feel that they have taken a surprisingly gallant welcome.  There must be a great number of them here now and a lot have been sent on towards the African fighting, and have won admiration for their gallantry. I am personally truly thankful to them all  — (for perhaps you rather wonder at it)  I have of late been in a good deal of fear because of the tremendous power — wickedness — and appalling cruelty of the whole German nation, besides quite a lot of cleverness; but maybe none at all, of a high nature of morality.

  We are still living in a restless worry, because our Parliament keeps back from us all the necessary facts, which my brain seems to spot strangely clearly about the wild desire of the whole nation to be flung across at Germany, and the awful difficulty of attacking it. Its supreme power is rather horrible, considering its ability to fight so frightfully against Russia this year, after the Russians real magnificence, though I shudder to think of what Stalin does, and the very shocking power alive in that nation. Bolshevism never attracts me, but it is brave all the same. We still have Alexandria alright so far.

If we do not soon start the second line of attack, I know (inwardly) how awfully it may hurt us here. All the same, if it does not begin until those brutes have smashed Russia, we are in danger of being even more violently attacked by the entire nation

  This morning we heard about the “Greatest Fire Blitz” ever worked; by the RAF on Hamburg. Hundreds of our planes have dropped 175,000 incendiary bombs leaving the place all ablaze, chiefly the dock area. Anyhow, it is infinitely worse than their bombs over London. The Germans only admitted dropping 120,000 of them. Our terrific air arrack lasted last night.

  Since my last letter to you, I have had a particularly severe time, first, because of my last stroke (the fifth). I must have told you about my return home from the hospital from which most of the poor patients were sent off home because of a particular crush of patients needing operations. My doctor was especially displeased because I had to come back home (much to my joy) two or three weeks sooner than he wished. As it turned out I was only too thankful to get back because the war committee sent men in to repair the house, which was in an appalling state. Most of the ceilings have come down more or less, three downstairs and three upstairs; and nearly all the rooms had broken walls, bits shaken down over and over again, and a lot of other mischief every here and there. It took nearly 2 weeks to get it all done. I was pretty bad in bed all the while and had to be carried into the Music room for two days while my back downstairs bedroom was being repaired.   My bed was moved in with me and little room choked up with nearly everything else!  On that day, my doctor called to see me after his fortnight away, and he looked aghast at the M room, where he could not possibly even sit down anywhere!  He would not let me stay there another night, so my old Bowie, my regular old woman, and Dolly, who took me home from Worthing, worked away together with all their might, and got me back in the evening. 

  By this time I am once more up, and after begging the doctor to let me go out again he allowed me just to go out for five minutes, and I was not to be there alone for fear of a fall, so had to get Bowie to go with me and found it scarcely possible to walk at all. Still it was great to go.

  It turned out that no one had to leave Deal except a number of people on the seafront, who had got to leave their houses to the military for six weeks.

  For several nights we have been disturbed by tremendous firing and other raids. My house is in a fine condition, except not exactly fine to look at! Yet to me that is amusing and I don’t mind it at all as it is much safer than before.

  I certainly think that the German propaganda is absurdly untrue, that is their idea even of not letting their own nation know any real truth.  Just now, even my pretty firm expectation of seeing Germany losing the war is now feeling far less than sure of that. All the same, such hundreds of thousands of young German boys are taken prisoner and are in a state of terror, indicating that Hitler cannot supply his armies with men instead of boys. At least it looks as if he cannot.

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     December 9, 1942

Dear John,

 My site is giving me a lot of trouble. It was caused by a bad shock I had one day, which ended in a little blindness for a few days. After that, my great friend, Dr. Boulden, had an attack of severe hemorrhage caused by the same shock, and is away now for several months, so I feel pretty desolate, afraid that he might not come back or recover.

  I wrote you a letter telling you about my shock, but the censor sent it back with a full long list of all we ought not to tell anyone else! That makes it too difficult to tell you anything extremely interesting just now, but maybe it will be possible another day.

 Just before I lost nearly all my site, I was ever so busy trying to make a whole lot of cards for Christmas. I can send you only this last little lot of eight for you and Minnie. But if my sight comes back all right, I will probably paint a nice little lot for you, but not just yet.

 Dolly, the rather fine young woman, who once used to look after me ever so well, has now gone away with both her children, and they are ever so happy at a lovely spot. I think it is in Wales. I heard from her this morning. Was glad to hear. My old Bowie comes every day to work for me. The chief fine work she does is filling up my coal boxes from my cellar. She also sweeps and dusts my rooms and makes my bed. I get (I make, cook) my own meals myself having of late been able to do it.

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      December 10

Dear John,

    Yesterday evening, the Dr. Hall mentioned before came to tell me that I am to go to see the oculist at our hospital here today. After being examined, the doctor told me cheerfully that my left eye had to be left alone for its complete blindness but the right one was recovering, only I must be patient not to use it at all much or attempt to force it to read. He has made out a prescript for it, so that it may have a strong glass but nothing more to the left eye.

  So now I must send you and Minnie the 8 little cards I had been painting before this trouble stopped me. As I am not to write much, I give up, for a little time.

Winnifred and Angus Williams are getting very nervous just now, several raids have occurred there.  Nothing like so many as we have, however, which generally have us pretty indifferent.

  This may not get to you by Christmas, but anyhow, you will have a good family not so far away.

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     March 9&10, 1944

Dear John,

    Yesterday, a gorgeous parcel came to me from USA a local Red Cross parcel. The signature was from Mrs. Harold A. Senior, but who that is I don’t know?  However, I wrote to her in Bishop California to thank her most warmly for sending me such a splendid present that will now be better to get me through the scarceness of all our suffering and it’s so delicious and so easy to cook as distinctly told on each little parcel in the box, that will keep me delightfully supplied with a whole lot of different foods. Cookies (like biscuits and figs) puddings, jellies cubes, soups, sweets, and besides all those things some delicate soap, towels, and washcloths.

   Those trifles at the end, the towels and clothes, most particularly please me as my house linen and was almost cleared off by looters. It is only very gradually coming back either buy presents or a few quite rare chances of actually buying them now and then, including blankets and sheets, etc..  With regard to those looters, they have now been publicly warned by our government, that they will be either executed or sent to prison for the rest of their life.

  Another little point very sweet to me of late has been that our cousin Elsie (uncle John’s youngest child) has sent me three splendid blankets, and a beautiful softly padded silk bed cover, in a frantic state of mind when she heard how most of my bed things had been burgled from me when I was sent off a year ago next month in an ambulance, because my house had been shelled so badly, and I was not allowed to choose what to take with me as all the ceilings had come down, as well as the roof and almost every window completely smashed into pieces over everything else.

  Now I’m writing at once to you in case you could tell me who acted so finely  by getting me supplied by the local Red Cross and who is Mrs. Harold A. Senior? She can’t be one of your daughters? [It was his daughter, Helen, but Amy didn’t recognize her married name.] It was quite a magnificent day to me with such a valuable present.  I just lightly tasted several of these delightful parcels only to find that they were all delicious. They were all beautifully packed.

  Our papers have been full of Germany’s fearful time due to your and our terrific raids against Berlin etc.. I think I did just mention to you how I saw thousands of thousands of war planes going across one day the other day. No doubt the whole country must be panic struck now since we are at her in an appalling way. I cannot think that Hitler and his Nazis can possibly keep the entire nation down.

  You told me in that letter how you were going to preach again —oh John— you extremely naughty fellow, I can only hope to hear from you again how you got on, although I dread what may be the real result.

   Your loving sister,

    Amy

 

 

These are to Amy’s niece in America, Helen, one of John’s daughters.

 

     June 21, 1944

My dearest Helen,

  This morning your parcel, the second one of this month, came and the dress one, on the ninth, 12 days sooner.  I just simply hardly know what to say to you. You could not possibly have sent me anything to compare with such perfect parcels, and above all at such an awful time just now. It seems so astonishing that anyone could receive such delightfully joyous gifts, when everything else is seemingly knocking down nearly all that matters

One of these things is that my doctor has declared that my leg is giving way. He wants to get made an invalid tricycle so that I can go out, but was unable to get it made at all, and he’s now advertising in several papers for one no longer of use to anyone else.  If he can get that I shall be able to go out.  What worries him now is that I have so many accidents! I have counted and find that in nearly not quite one year, I have broken about seven bones by tumbling down, which I am unable to help or avoid. That is interfered with my life, upsetting it.  All the same I am about certain that very soon he will produce my tricycle, the sort that goes by the hand, moving its wheels instead of the feet.

  What really matters now has to do with the war which is spoiling the whole world until Germany and Hitler and every Nazi are settled.

  Zero Day (on the sixth of this month) has been going on splendidly, but of course here everyone has been through a great deal. We have had 20 raids, all sorts of them, ever since that day began.  For the last week we have had about 11 robot raids, one or two being shell raids.  Just at first, not knowing what is pilotless machines meant, we had a fearful experience.  Now our own pilots destroy most of those wretched planes which are horrid war machines, the secret sort Hitler has threatened us with it for a long while.

  Our inability to get almost anything to wear, or to eat, is not yet absolute starvation, or rags! But it does get a bit serious sometimes. I had got into a difficulty of late,  partly because our meat prevents me shopping properly. We have not enough food on our rations, pretty often, like for instance, 2 ounces of tea each week, and so on. 

  Oh my dear, my dear, when my post man thrust a large parcel into my hands today it was too heavy for one to haul, and he at once picked it up for me and carried it in,  making a lot of fun for me, and pretending that who ever was sending all this weight for me I had no idea what to send. It they knew how I had dropped it, they would not be satisfied with such a person.

  Anyhow, that person was laughing and happily undoing the parcel she had dropped like a kiddy thoroughly enjoying all this grand present, and feeling hungrier with it all than she had any business to feel!

  I began first of all by making my tea out of the delightful Lipton sort you put in and I’m going to make a tapioca pudding for my supper today and such a dinner tomorrow. I think it will be mushroom soup and then lunch tongue winding up with Jell-O (just my first desires to be my best for a long time).  If I can take any more, it will be a lollipop….!

  Don’t be shocked! You don’t know how greedy one gets now or how very deeply we, or I anyhow, do feel grateful beyond words for all you have done to help me just now. Such a parcel as this one is even overwhelming, and I am still wearing the delightful frock you sent me. It fits me perfectly and it’s so pretty.

  As I must post this now at once, I cannot write more tonight, but would like to mention that the cup of tea I made this evening is nicer than any I have had for a long time. I have no doubt that I should say the same of anything else in this beautiful parcel. We can never get any tapioca now, so I have pounced on that to make it for my supper directly. I have posted this to you. I can quite guess that your husband likes to see you so generous to others during the war, and he looks so nice!

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     October 14, 1944

My dearest Helen,

  It was on August 22 that your last fine parcel came. I wrote you at once as well as I could but then I was ill, so do not know how I was able to write at all. Do you know Helen, how your poor Auntie was then wanting more than anything else to be allowed to slip peacefully away from the horrible war of this world, and go joyfully and trustfully out into the next stage of life.

  Imagine for yourself what you would feel if you had lost both of your loving parents and four of your own brothers and sisters, and supposing your husband too (or for me to have lost the one man I needed with all my heart) and a whole string of other friends of the deepest interest and affection, and to find all that crowd coming eagerly to meet me on the other side.

  Now just to wind up by telling you that after having gone through exactly 200 raids since January 1 this year, we have now, (except for another sort that may be driven at us again by the fiendish devils of Germans) found ourselves suddenly left quiet once again, and here, by a most awfully funny condition of a most queer sort of influenza that makes almost everyone I know in Deal sneezing, coughing, and blowing, rather holding their nose very tightly, almost unable to talk for three weeks or so and that I have join in this ridiculous game, and my doctor has just advised me to give in simply after one week of this ludicrous attack, as it will depart just as suddenly as it came in a Fortnite from now, as it has now lasted exactly one whole week.

  I now enclose a newspaper article that gives an interesting account of the Deal experiences up to now — i.e. some of them during this year.  But there is nothing shocking enough that I could describe as I was taken out in my invalid chair the other day to see what looked absolutely like complete destruction here. Hardly anyone I used to know has dared to stay here. I had to and I’m glad I did. You see as, an evacuee I could not have gone and had no means of doing so. So it was a mere necessity.

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     April 5, 1944

My own dear Helen,

  This morning, a lovely parcel from you came again! In it was a simply delightful little coat for which I have been looking hard for several days feeling afraid of the weather soon being too warm for my good winter one. I have tried it on already, and it fits capitally, not needing any alteration. My dear, I do thank you so warmly for this, for in England we are nearly all in great difficulty about clothes, without nearly enough coupons ever to get enough. Still, as things are, now nearly every woman is quite unable to get enough to wear! We are nearly all amused by this difficulty and enjoy wearing anything that sticks together, however it can. My lighter coat gave way lately chiefly because it was worn by me in the house this winter until it got tired of being used like that and refused to be successful for the spring, so that the arms began to come off, as well as its buttons, and even the button holes gave way, as well as its color being absolutely incorrect.

  But this lovely parcel also had a splendid and refreshing amount of food, which is now getting very difficult to manage. As soon as I have finished my dinner from a little tin now open I look forward with great satisfaction to a tin of sausage you have sent me and also these delicious fig biscuits that are such a treat, not to mention three more jellos and another packet of tea, a very great treat.

  Now dear, I must wind up this letter as I do not like not to thank you promptly and warmly now for this great treat.  I am ever so much better just now and I’ve had no raid of any sort since April began. We are now in a state of subdued excitement because we are expecting this horrible war to end suddenly very soon, at least almost everyone expects that now, though I cannot give in to the belief in it’s danger being so nearly over.  Someday, if it does happen, I will make a big effort to write a whole lot of letters to you, as many as I can.

  John, Amy’s brother, Helen’s father and my great-grandfather, died on May 10, 1945.  The next two letters were written by Amy to Helen before news of his death had reached her.  Helen had not seen her parents for 8 years, travelled several days by train from California to Detroit, Michigan, and arrived to spend a few hours with her parents before being dropped at her sister’s house while her father went to teach his Bible class. He died of a heart attack on the way.]

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     May 27,1945

My dearest Helen,

   First, many thanks for sending me the three photos of your scenery. As for your letter about both your parents I feel a little doubtful whether they have given you as much as they gave me, but in any case as you are to see them this summer, before you get this of mine, you will then know exactly how they are both getting on.

  Of course, we have had an amazing time due to a miracle rather than our, plus American plus Russian, power.  I know one Jew, a really splendid man, who is without any faith at all of any sort, yet cares only to do everything possible to help others. Well, he cannot think they know anything at all about life or death or what use it is to anyone. As for believing in the Bible, or any other sort of worldly religion, he is unable to imagine how any human being can. Ah, Helen, I feel that his faith is infinitely more likely than any other.

  One point in my home life has been horrid, but has quite suddenly changed into an amazing blessing. It was concerned by two poor boys, (age 12 and 9) getting in through my window one day while I was out walking, who met me when I returned and told me they had seen a thief man get in and steal all my paints and pictures and put them into a bag he carried. I went off to the police, who came, examined my house and window, took down those two boys addresses and went off and discovered that they were the thief! They had kept a few of my paints, which were all valuable and are no longer possible to get since made no more,  threw all the rest away and flung the valuable boxes of colors and tiny pictures into a large pond. So, explained the policeman, I shall have to come up to the juvenile court, and explain exactly what I had told the police mentioning the sum of 5 pounds spent upon my water paints. I drew back, telling him I could not climb up the stairs where that court is held, but he told me he could carry me up and would be there, was there and easily lifted me up.    Also down after that court, held by a couple of elderly JP’s and one woman JP after who treated one young thief, tenderly and gently. And he would be on probation for a year the only punishment. Incidentally, the 12-year-old boy was in the hospital just then, and still is, so I still have to go back to the juvenile court as soon as he is well enough to go there and they are keeping my few paint until that trial occurs.

  Naturally, I told several friends that story as I now tell you, but the consequences was that at once three people sent me by post three fine boxes of paints better than my own, and all of them superior, earnestly asking me to accept them and go on painting. Now I have also had a large roll of watercolor paper sent by post enough to paint good pictures, and are now in the very midst of this splendid work, enjoying it more than I ever could before. This happened only last week.

  I must now just thank you beyond words for the splendid parcels of food you sent me. I cannot tell you what that means to me for, especially here, it is now becoming so scarce that our diet is as near starvation point as a can be, but not actually on it. We have also been warned that we can never spend more than 1/1 on meat each week for another year. You can hardly think how little that means including fat and bones, but everything else less than it has ever been, and hardly any fruit.

  A great many of the poorly classes bitterly complain. Neither can we get enough clothes to wear, though government is trying its best to supply some of them. But it cannot!! We also have great difficulty getting paper of any sort. (This is American) Sorry dear, but I have now several letters that must be written to some of my great friends, so must stop and send you and Harold my love and great thanks.

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      June 1, 1945

My dearest Helen,

  Actually, this morning, a lovely parcel came from you bringing this delightful month of June with it. Oh my dear, what a valuable treat for me and this week for the first time, being stunted by our food supplies, that such a little while ago a lot of people imagined was to be increased, instead of getting less.

  Since my last letter to you most likely, I told you how two poor boys stole all my paints? They also took and destroyed a lot of pictures I painted this year. Several people nearly knocked me down by sending me their own paints. It has helped me tremendously to get over that disgraceful theft of the only thing I was really able to do successfully. I have now started making fairly large pictures and paint them all now in my back room where I sleep. No one can ever see me at my work there and the light has surprise me being exactly right. It is also very quiet and nothing disturbs me there.

  Most likely you are now away seeing your father and mother? I do hope you find them far better than I fear.

 

Your loving Aunt,

Amy

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     August 26, 1945

My dearest Helen,

  Three days ago I got your letter of August 6, so full of all your accounts of the time you have been through, but I feel unable to answer all of it, one great reason being that now I have hardly any paper left!  Hardly any —and cannot get it either.  As for that, and other things now impossible to get, including clothes, or any sort of household article or enough coal, (and as that is very nearly finished, nearly all our mines being due to no end of strikes) I am fairly puzzled to know how everything will go on yet!  Our Election was won by the socialists — chiefly our miners, and (I cannot be very certain) fear their success has been a mistake that is going to plunge England into hopeless confusion. Even now, Japan has not yet signed her war over agreement.

  Yesterday I met a woman I knew long ago, who went off from Deal soon after our raids began.  She met me quite full of complaints about the wretched state of this town, and began mentioning one after another, until I broke into laughter over each, and by degrees she began laughing, too, and suddenly declared that pretty soon she would not have enough to wear nicely. So I said gaily, “And I won’t have anything at all — I’m already nearly naked!” Then she burst out laughing at me, declaring that there wasn’t any soap at all in Deal, as well as no stockings or hats. So I said nobody made any shoes small enough for me. (A fact!) and it was impossible to get any wood to light a fire, or any matches to help make it, including no paper to light the wood. As for soap, I pretended to hope we’d never have any more as we’d soon be dirty enough to appear clothed since we were very nearly naked. (I did not mention that I really had quite a lot of soap that your daddy sent me last Christmas!) She went off full of merriment over our condition in Deal, at all events.

  Just now I am writing a book on paper I found put away in my house. As soon as it is written, I mean to try painting again.  All this year (1945) I have never once been really ill again and seem to have gotten over those strokes, not had one yet this year, now nearly a year since my last one.

  My love to you and your own husband, Harold.

Ever your affectionate,

Aunt Amy

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There are many more letters to Helen through the hard years following the war, through 1949, and Amy died in 1950.

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The Imformation in these letters is copyright and cannot be used by anyone without prior permission of

Janet (Irvine) Browne, Amy’s great grand niece from Northville, Michigan, USA

December 2022

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