38 A short letter this time

Elsinore

27 Spring Street

 April 13^th, 1918

R’cd 8/6/18

Ans 9.6.18

My dear darling Norman

I have not much to write about this time. Having no letters from you since. I expect a mail in next Tuesday, so I hope to have a letter or letters. What a long time we have to wait for letters, don’t we? I do wish we could hear every week. It would be nice wouldn’t it?  

Well my dear boy, how are you? How are you getting along? All right I hope. I suppose the cold weather is all over by now. They say May next month is the nicest month at home. You are getting into summer and we into winter.

Who do you think I had today Norman? Uncle Jim. It is a long time since he was here before. He looks bad, so old looking. He is getting tired of the work now and thinks of soon giving it up. They have moved back to Campsie again. It suits them better and is nearer the church and Uncle Jim nearer his work.

Well Norman, there is a concert on over at the school tonight. I had not gone in as I wanted to write to you. I think it is a bad night to have it. I don’t suppose there will be many there. So different when you were here dear Norman. No decorating or doing up the hall. They never come till 7 o’clock and just opened it up and settled the seats, normal of course. This concert is for the Picnic. That will be next Wednesday. I don’t think they ought to have a Picnic now. The War seems bad enough now Norman. I wonder when it will be over. Are they getting plenty of War Loans and Money now? I seen you had Fritz over London again. Did he do much damage?

This time have you seen Meg Tinsdale or any of the Secretaries (YMCA) you know? Or have you seen Smith yet. They have never sent me her address.

I am sending you the Parish paper. You will see about your £5. There is not much in it. I suppose I will have to part up with my pounds. Next month Mr Gooud says he will. I think we had good Collections this Easter and our talent has brought in something. I think Cecil Hillier has to go into the Hospital again. His arm is not getting better. He may have to have it taken off yet. Terrible for the bonny fellow isn’t it.

I have not been up to Illma’s place yet. May go the week after next. They were all well last week.

Well dear Norman. I think this is all this time. Excuse the short letter – longer next time. You must have got our photos and parcels before this. I will send you another one when I know you have got them.

Pa sends best love to you and hopes you are well. He has not got your letter yet. So goodnight my darling son, from your loving and affectionate Mother.

PS. I believe they took over £5 last night. They had a good attendance and the concert was very good. Nina Anderson has just been in. MB

* photo of front gate at #27 Spring St circa 2016!

37 It is getting too cold to sleep out on the verandah

Elsinore

27 Spring Street

April 6^th 1918

R’cd 15/6/18  notation by ANS

Ansd 16/6/18

My dear darling Norman,

I see there is another mail going on Tuesday so must write my letter and post it in time. Well my dear boy, no letters since I wrote last so I must fill this up with something or other. 

Well Easter is gone for another 12 months. Mr Gooud was not here for Easter. He went to Newcastle, took his boat up there to sail on Easter Monday and I think they only came 3^rd. I missed him in the singing on Sunday. They are to have their concert next Saturday for the Picnic. I wanted one of their programmes to send to you but Clarry Orr says they are not having any. Not going to the expense of printing so I asked him to give me a ticket to send you to let you see them. He said if he does, I will enclose it. Not a complimentary ticket for I don’t think you would come so far for it! The Picnic will be on Wednesday week, to Clifton Gardens. I am giving him what lollies are here if he will have them. I hope they have nice fine weather for it.

Mr Manning’s brother came back on Good Friday. He was gassed and his heart is bad, so he won’t be going back again. Poor fellows, I suppose they are all in the thick of it now. It is terrible isn’t it Norman? Have you had any Air raids lately? I suppose they are too many over the other side now. I think of London. I see by Mr Gooud’s letters you are thinking of going to France. Don’t go Norman. Stay where you are my dear boy. If the war was all over and you would like to go and see it before you come home it would be different, but don’t go while the War is on my dear boy, for your mother’s sake. It would be nice to have a look at Charley’s grave and plant a few flowers on it. Mr Gooud says he and Mr and Mrs Cox might go over some day and have a look for it, but I think it will be a long time before they go

.

Well Norman, What do you think, I went to the Show on Wednesday. Mrs Cowells, Ollie and I went. It was very nice but very tiring. So much walking if you want to see the things. you must walk about and there is so much to see. There were some lovely flowers there. We had a sit down for a while watching the jumping. If we had comfortable seats it would have been alright but we hadn’t! So we had to make the best of it. I could hardly get home, my legs and feet ached so much. But I felt better the next morning. Oh Norman, I am getting too old for going anywhere like that now, don’t you think so?

Bob Harvison promised to come down this afternoon and bring that music he borrowed from me but he never came. I think he is leaving the Post Office soon and going to the railway somewhere, then he said he would be going away up the country somewhere Wool Classing. His father is leaving tonight to go up the Richmond River to see Uncle Archie. I think Uncle Willie went last week. Poor boy, I wonder how he is. Of course Uncle Arthur was bad for 2 years, so Archie may linger on for some time yet. I don’t think he can get better. 

Mrs Elliott was coming home in the tram last evening and a soldier fellow got in and spoke to her and said he had seen her over in London. Mrs Elliott did not know him so she asked him his name and he said it was Watty. He said he used to deliver letters round here one time. I think it must be young Buckingham. You would know by the name Watty. I wish he would come and see me. He came back on Good Friday too. Do you hear anything of your old Post Office fellows? Do you write to any of them? I never hear a word about any of them now.

Have you got our photos yet? Surely you must and the parcels I sent too. I want to hear before I send any more. How they were, were the cakes any good and the sugar and lollies. Let me know, then I can send more.

You will be gone 8 months in a couple of days, 12 months will soon run around won’t it? I suppose you will be coming home then. I don’t suppose the war will be over by then. I hope it is.

Illma and all in her care are well and all other friends. I think Eileen was here on Tuesday. I suppose you have got Claud’s photo. Oh yes, you must have it my this. It is very good. Mr Gooud is coming to tea so I must have some pineapple and wish you were here too. Do you ever get any over there? I suppose you do. 

We are beginning to get the cold weather now. It was cold enough last night. I sleep out still, must soon get in. Pa sends his love and hopes you keep well. He has not received your letter yet. Good bye darling Norman with best love and kisses, from your every loving Mother.

Dorrie reports on Mr Manning's 4 hour Good Friday service!

294 darling Street

Balmain

April 6th , 1918

Dear Norm,

Your ‘letter’ written on 10th January (my birthday) came safely to hand some little time ago.

I was pleased to hear from you again and trust you are keeping in the best of health and spirits.

Fancy you meeting my cousin again. Should it reoccur give him my love and ask him to write me as I do not know his military address.

I hope you are well rid of the “non bon” weather. I am afraid the weather is not much better over here. It is struggling to keep fine, been a very unsettled week. Mother and Niell? have been down at Fresh Water all week. I think I will have a day off tomorrow (Sunday) and have a trip down too. The weather was simply perfect for the Easter holidays. The holiday makers had it all their own way for once. Been a record year, both at the Show and the Races. It is marvellous where all the people come from. 

There were a great number of our church folk away over Easter. The collections for Good Friday and Sunday were over £30. Not too bad was it? The choir rendered “Oliver to Cavalry” on Good Friday night..had Bob Roper and Reg Hancock and Miss Fritz as soloists. Everything went off without a  hitch. One and all enjoyed it, especially Bob’s solos, they were a hit. A few of us went out to St John’s Dulwich Hill on Wednesday night with the “Crucifixion”. There were a few members from Glebe Point too. There must have been about 70 voices. It sounded great, but I enjoyed our own little recital best.

What do you think of Mr Manning giving a four hour service on Good Friday? We all thought he was never going to finish. He said he heard the P.O. clock strike 2 as he thought instead of it was three and there he was trying to fill in time. One thing he got plenty of turns about it on Sunday, but he takes everything in good heart.

Well Norm, there is plenty I could write you about but I am afraid my time is scarce. I must draw to a close now of I will miss the Mail. In conclusion Mother and Dad wish to be kindly remembered to you, with heaps of good luck and best wishes

Believe me to be

Yours sincerely

Dorrie.

Dot keeps up the news from the crowd at the gate

99 Long nose point

Snails bay, Balmain

Easter Sunday

Dear Norm,

You will see by the heading the day of my choosing to write my letters but as there is a mail out on Tuesday and tomorrow is Easter Monday I thought I would seize the opportunity and try to give you some of the news up to now.

It was just great to receive that most interesting letter from you and gave us a very vivid idea of the tension the people of London must be under at the present time and then this big offensive on top of it. Oh how I would like to send some food over by the wireless for it seems hardly fair that we out here should be able to practically get everything we want in the way of food and our own people over the other side barely able to get anything.

To see the gaiety this Easter Norm you would hardly believe it was our war. I think it is so hard to realise, being so far away, until the news comes though that one of our nearest and dearest have been taken that we wonder. For instance, all we hear of the air raids is on the placards at night “Another raid on London” and when you open the paper there is very little detail of it. I have shown this last letter of yours and the cutting to several people.

Norm for tis good sometimes that we should know what others are suffering over the other side to make us more unselfish and contented with what is given to us.

Well Norm, the Easter music is all over and I do love it. We went out on Wednesday to “St Clements Marrickville (Canon Martin’s church) to help them with the Crucifixion music and I did enjoy it as everyone else did. The Canon is such a dear old man and seems to always say the right thing. He was very surprised at Mr King looking so old and I feel sure that at the time he made the remark he did not know of Stan’s death for it has aged him quite 10 years. And he does try to be brave but you can tell he is suffering hard. They gave us supper afterwards and made us so welcome. Reg came out and seems to have taken up his choir interest more keenly. On Friday he rendered “Olivel to Calvary” and I am sure everyone must have enjoyed it. Bob Roper, Reg and Charlie took the solo parts all were in very good voice, especially Bob whose voice has improved very much, is just as sweet and even much stronger. The church was fairly crowded. There were more there than I had seen for sometime.CG (Charles Gooud) left immediately after the service by boat to Newcastle for the regatta up there and I see by todays paper that he came third, but it is all the same if he came first with regard to expenses for the three Sydney boats Rene 1st, Isabelle 2^nd and Unique agree that they would share expenses wherever they came and they finished as I named them above. They, the Sydney boats came 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd. It has been perfect weather this Easter, perfect days and nights and have every promise of ending up the same.

We are going to the show tomorrow to have a good look around and to watch the country folk and all the battalions have rooms out there, so I hope it is fine as it makes a great difference.

I went up to Doug Cowel’s place on Saturday as Stan and Al were down and we had a great time. You remember the last time we went, well I haven’t been since then. Doug had a taxi at the station for us and also brought us back and I did not arrive home till ½ past 12 (Saturday morning) but it was a perfect night and we all came home, Mr and Mrs Vale? And 3 of us) in the train together. I was very glad to see Mrs vale there, and I understand well on the improve, but talks a lot of poor old Tas. andTas’ boy cousin was there and he was the image of our Gus- always did you say Gus was like Tas and everyone said you could see the likeness in the three of them.

We had letters from Joe this mail and he said he was going to call on you and hope by this time you have seen him. Mrs Noble told us last night that you often see George and he is on the staff now. Remember me to him when you see him and tell him to keep out of the firing line if he can as he has done his bit and we do want some of our boys back.

Fred Whitehead came back on Friday and looks extremely well.

Well Norm, times up and I must close this time and hope you are a s happy as can be under the circumstances and continue to get on with all your lady friends? With best regards from all the crowd at the gate and the best of good wishes

From Sincerely yours, Dot

PS  Am sending you some papers this mail as they will come in handy at the buffet for the boys.