What was life like after a mother sees her only son off to WW1? Many women had this experience. No email, no skype, no face book, no phone contact, but weeks of hoping for news. What does she do?Well, our Great Grandmother Maria wrote letters and these have have recently come to light. As I sorted them by date and then started to decipher her handwritten script, I began to get to know this lovely woman, sharing her support for her son and passing on daily news from their community of Balmain, Sydney. These letters commence as her son departs in 1917.
Predominantly it is Maria speaking to her son Norman in these letters, with a few letters from friends and relations that were in the bundle, also included. Her letters are very conversational, ideas flowing back and forward as if she is speaking to him. As a result her writing never includes commas or question marks, and many full stops are scattered through the sentences as pauses or when her nib needed a refill of ink! I warn the reader in advance to read these letters as you would hear Maria speak.
At times I have added punctuation where it really is essential for understanding (commas and question marks), but otherwise I have left the words speak as Maria intended. Occasionally I have also been unable to decipher a word or two, so I have left a gap. This doesn't affect the general reading of the letters. Maria didn't waste paper, with the letters written on both sides of the page and also down the margins! Paragraphs were not a feature, perhaps to save space. After the first few typed letters, which I have tried to keep just as Maria wrote them, I will start to add capital letters and paragraphs for ease of reading!! I want this blog to be Maria's, but if I feel that an explanation may be needed, I will add it in italics.
Given the passing of almost a hundred years, the people mentioned have passed on. While it is an honour to get to know them through their words, I will make some edits to protect privacy of existing family if needed. We thank our Auntie Grace for caring for these papers, so that we can now 'know' Great Grandma Maria and the community of Balmain.
Rosemary
