20 April 1942 - Durham Castle

20.4.42

Dear Angela
Your letter arrived two days ago having taken about five weeks to get here. I was quite surprised to hear that you had started work - you seem to have a good deal to do. I don’t think I would feel very keen about starting work at 7.15 am - I suppose it will be a matter of - ‘Early to bed - Early to rise’. I used to have plenty trouble in getting to work at 7.30 even when it was not very far away, and, I think you must have some will-power to get out of bed so early.
I hope you manage to win a scholarship to college. What subjects will you take? Would you please explain a little about you College and University system in America - about the American degrees etc - I am still a little perplexed about the American systems. You said that the colleges would be run on three terms a year - over here it is the normal procedure - 3 terms

Michaelmas Oct - Dec
Epiphany Jan - April
Easter April - July
We have just started Easter or Summer Term and I have my University Exam in six weeks time exactly. I did not do too bad in the college exams - two tops, three seconds and a third - I feel quite pleased with these results.
I have just returned from a week at Durham with the Training Corps. We lived under infantry conditions - rise 6.00, breakfast 8.00 etc. I don’t think I have ever polished boots or cleaned buttons etc so much in all my life. We all came back feeling fit but a little tired. We dined in the Castle - I will send a view if I can find a large enough envelope - I think you already have a view of the Cathedral.
I have registered with my age group for National Service which means that I am liable to be ‘called up’ any time, unless I get time allowed in order to pass my exams. I think I once mentioned a pal who was in London during the air raids - he is in America now with the RAF and he seems to be having a grand time - don’t be surprised if he calls on you sometime as he may get near to you.
You mentioned shortages of various things but I still envy you because, if all I hear about California is true, you will never be short of fruit - however things could be worse and we are willing to go short to win the war.
You asked me to get a correspondent for a young friend of yours - Miss Diane Read - the little boy next door wrote before Xmas but he has had no reply - if she did not get the letter and wants to write the address is
Master Thomas Moffat
55 Bond St
Sunderland
Co Durham
He is usually called ‘Tommy’ and is about 12 years old.
I often wonder if most of the 19 year olds and over, are away in America as they are in England. Nearly all my pals have been called up and there are only a few 18 year olds left, and nearly every girl you meet is joining up or wants to join up. We will have a grand time when this war is over. If your brother should happen to be sent over here when he is drafted, ‘he must not forget to look us up’ as mam puts it.
Well I must close now for the simple reason that I can’t think of any more news.
All my best
Harold

7 March 1942

7 Mar 1942

Dear Angela
Your letter arrived a few days ago and I am beginning to answer it now - at 11.00 pm it is the only time I can find; I suppose you will know what kind of a letter to expect when it is written at this hour of the night.
You certainly seem to do things in style in America, there is no ceremony at school when we receive our School Leaving Certificates from Secondary School, even when I matriculated (i.e. became a member of Durham University) there was very little fuss. I have heard quite a deal about ‘Graduation Day’ but I am still not quite clear about what really does take place - please excuse my ignorance! I was glad to hear that you got through you exams alright even if you did take them late. Do you sit you main exams during the winter? Nearly all British exams are set in June or July just when you feel like going out at nights instead of swotting.
Sunderland had its ‘Warship Week’ about three weeks ago and we raised over 1.25x106 pounds (as the engineer would write it) or a million and a quarter pounds. I was given the task of writing to the Prime Minister for one of his cigars to raffle in aid of ‘Warship Week’, however the most I got was a typed note and a piece of paper with his coat of arms on. I think if some ‘official’ had written up we would have got the cigar as many other towns have done so.
I must admit that I laughed a little about your ‘blackout news bulletin’ but you seemed to have the same feelings as I had when it first began. You are lucky because you seem to be just blacked you for a few hours at a time - over here there has never been a street lamp on or any window lights showing since the beginning of the war. We are not so lucky as you, because the Hun can come to us in a few hours; and you get to know when anyone is coming to you a good while beforehand. We haven’t had much activity over here for a while and I hope we don’t have any more. As for the war in general, it seems to be ‘ups and downs’ like wave motion, but, we will rise to the crest of a wave and stay on top.
You mention going on the beach - I am afraid that is impossible over here, unless you wish to go through about six coils of barbed wire and other obstacles, this wire stretches for miles along the coast and I would like to see it all piled up - I bet the heap would be a size.
I have just been to an art exhibition this afternoon (I decided to have an afternoon off to do some shopping), the exhibits were very good and included some illustrations to one of GB Shaw’s books, they were very abstract in style for book illustrations but they seemed to create the emotions in the story, rather than illustrate it. Some very fine paintings have been made of the bomb damage in London, I have a catalogue somewhere with a photo of one of them - if I can find it I will send it in some future letter. I have done very little painting lately but I will do some in the summer. My last painting was my first attempt at abstract painting and my old art master said it was very good, however the more I look at it the more I am amazed that I painted it. I hope I am not boring you and that you do not dislike ‘modern’ art, if you do dislike it - I will say that I am not an artist and will not argue any more. Do you still keep your drawing and painting up? If you do - I think it is only fair that you send me some of your attempts in exchange for those terrible distortions on paper that I sent you - in short - send a sketch if you can!
I have been asked so often to go to dances and I have had to refuse so often, that, in spite of all my work, I have started dancing classes. Dancing is about the only thing left to do over here. Do you have many dances? The procedure of my dancing lessons is as follows - I attend my class and when I come home I have to try and teach mam the modern steps - you can imagine what happens!
Well I must close now as it is about time to get some ‘shut-eye’. Your letter was opened as usual - the only reasons I can give for mine not being opened are
(a) The censor has decided that I haven’t made any more slips of the pen since the first one.
OR
(b) Someone recognised the writing (highly improbable) and remembered being bored by the last one and so just missed it.
Please take these reasons hot on a cold plate with custard and a pinch of salt.
I am in no fit state to write any more

Yours sincerely
Harold

18 Jan 1942 - USA has entered the war

18 Jan 1942

Dear Angela
Your letter arrived on Jan 1st and as you can see I have been a good while in answering it. You must excuse me as I have had very little time. I started college on Jan 5th and since then I have been up to the eyes in work, before Jan 5th I was regaining lost sleep from the holidays. I was out “first footing” on New Years Eve and mam expected me back about 12.30 a.m. alone, instead I came in about 2.30 with about nine friends - we had a sing song and dance around the piano until 4.00 and then went to another friends house to be first foot - the result was that it was after 5 a.m. when I got to bed. On New Years day I went to a party and did not get to bed until 1.30 a.m. well after all that it took me a week or two to recover lost sleep. However in all I had a quiet time compared with last year as Xmas was spent reading at home. Interwoven with the holidays was a week of intensive training with the Training Corps - we had a grand time, climbing up cliffs, crawling along hedges, “fighting” in villages etc. but I must say that I was fairly tired at the end of it. I only hope that you have had as good a Xmas and New Year as I have.
At present I am back at college with plenty of work to do, we only had one exam at Xmas and I managed to get 2nd place. My next exam is in March in all subjects. I have just started Calculus in Mathematics and I find it very interesting compared with other Maths. Have you to study it at all? We are going to have another Rag day at college in aid of the town’s warship week and I am looking forward to some more fun.
As for the war - I don’t really know what to say. There is one point that has struck me since the U.S.A. declared war and that is we feel as if the people in U.S.A. will really begin to work harder now than they were before - however that is just my own idea and I don’t know whether they really understood the situation before or not. We have had four raids in the last three days; one day last week the sirens went and about a minute afterwards some bombs were dropped in a park and near the Art School, a few seconds after that dad and I ran out of the house and saw the German twin-engined bomber flying very low over the house, tracer bullets were flying from all directions and I felt as if I could have hit it with a rifle - well he was brought down and all the crew were killed. Excuse such along sentence - I think I would have got a “sentence” for such a thing in an English class.
I must close now as I seem to have run out of material, before I close I must thank you very much for the Card, and I hope you are getting used to blackouts and the other restrictions which accompany war. I close (as I began on the top of a sheet) wishing you “all the best” and hoping that we are not much older when the last all clear sounds.
Yours sincerely
Harold

7 December 1941

7.12.41

Dear Angela
I received the very welcome birthday-card just over a week ago - it has taken “ages” to come, but thank you very much. I am hoping that this reaches you before you add another year to your score. You may pick some tips on swimming from the card. I suppose it will be after Xmas by the time you receive this, I am going to have quite a busy time during that time. I have a Chemistry exam in a fortnights’ time, and a week intensive training with the Training Corps during the vacation. We are going out all day, on rough country executing an attack scheme drawn up by one of our officers. I will also have to do some swotting during the vacation as we have to cover about two years work in one. Up til now I have not even been invited to any parties and I don’t think there will be many this year because of the rationing etc. Mam says we will have to do without Xmas dinner and the usual excess of good food - she says it will do us no harm - well I don’t suppose it will.
You had “hard luck” in the tennis tournament to be matched against the probable champion in the semi-final - however I can’t say that you did extra well in the doubles - but who cares it’s all good fun. I hope your swimming and life-saving class is going strong and that you pass the tests. If the Life Saving tests are the same as I got, your Red Cross training will be helpful in the theory. I have very little time for sport now - we have a Swimming Club at college but I haven’t time to go, and I have been asked to run in cross-country races, but I have to go to Training Corps instead, mam is glad of this as she says it is too far to run.
I must say that you are doing a good deal of work at school, I was never any good at English which seems to be one of your main subjects, and Civics - well I have never had a lesson on it in my life. I am just managing to keep up with my work; and I seem to suffer from the same complaint as you - handing in essays each week, - I usually have two each week and they are on such dry subjects as – “special types of engines” – “design of machines etc” - but I suppose it is my job and I had better do it.
Dad has just gone to bed and I must follow suit soon. He has to go on fire-watching at work at 4.00 o’clock this (tomorrow) morning - I suppose you will have heard all about our fire-watching system.
We have had no air-raids since the last time I wrote - but the moon is full now. I used to look upon the moon as a romantic thing which appeared at certain times and made the world very romantic (if you were of a romantic turn of mind) - now it is looked upon with almost hate as it usually (not always) brings at least one raid - I must “cross my fingers” or “touch wood” as he hasn’t been this moon - yet.
Well so much for the war and situation over here - as for the situation over there and in Japan, it is beyond my depth - or perhaps I just don’t understand it.
I must close now wishing you a very happy birthday.
Yours sincerely
Harold

P.S. If you can’t read this I will forward the code on application! I hope the envelope manages to hold together, it is the strongest I can get, and the white ones are very thin - rationing again.

16 November 1941 - College Rag Day

16.11.41

Dear Angela
I am sending this in the hope that you will receive it before Xmas. We are having typical November weather - it has rained every day for over a fortnight and it is showing no signs of ceasing. It has just started again I can hear it on the windows - outside it is pitch black - no stars, no moon and no lights, I think you appreciate home and a fire more than ever on “black-out nights”.
I haven’t a great deal of news as nothing very unusual has happened, except - we have had some eating apples and oranges again - this is a great event, and the fruit is kept and put on show, until you can bear it no longer, and you are unable to resist and put your teeth into them. Mam has managed to save some oranges and our “jam” ration is being spread out with home-made marmalade. At present we are discussing the possibility of fruit loaf at Xmas but no resolution has been obtained yet. In spite of all this we are nowhere near starving and just like to have a laugh out of the rationing.
The college held its rag-day a week or two ago and what a time I had. We were all dressed up and collecting for charity. I had an old battered hat, a big false nose, gloves with a few fingers missing, trousers half way up my legs and a loud Scotch tie on with no collar on my shirt. My body, attired in the above clothes, was linking with a fat “lady” (a boy dressed up) and pushing a pram, containing a “baby”, on two wheels. The wheels came off in the main street, the baby rolled out, the traffic was held up and to crown it all a “bull” (two boys) came and sat in the pram - we took charge of the town, going through the stores and offices from top to bottom. I can tell you that I could hardly walk home after it all. Does your school have a rag-day like this?
I am not sure how I stand with the new “call-up” at eighteen years old, I may be exempt with being in the Training Corps on condition that I do well in my exams.
I hope the strike situation across there is a little better, when you get this, than it is now. If the strikers had heard bombs falling, seen them explode, seen the damage, and anxious people reading the casualty lists I don’t think they would behave the way they are doing.
We have had a raid or two lately and bombs were dropped on some houses not so far from here. We heard the plane diving down and then the scream of the bombs falling, mam got under the bed and I dropped flat on the ground, the explosion just about shook the house off its foundations. These bombs all hit private houses and a few persons were killed. I am afraid that I am stuck for news and I will close now wishing you and all at home a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.
Harold