Eastbrook
Bullamoor Road
Northallerton
3.10.39
Dear Angela
Although I have not received a reply to my letter of the 15th August I am writing now as I have done so much since then.
After writing the last time I went for a fortnights camping. We had a wonderful time. We were camping in a field about 20 yards from the River Wear at Eastgate. There was good bathing and the woods were very close by. Our water was obtained from a very squeaky pump and we got our milk and eggs very cheaply from the farm. The village was about twenty houses and a public house. The Pennines were only about 6 miles away and we often went onto the moors. After ten days of fun we were called back home because of the crisis. When we got back we found the town in a fever of excitement over the “war scare”. We had only been back about a week when the war began.
Since the war began we have had to have complete darkness in the streets at night, and it is terrible trying to find your way about in the dark. I suppose you will have heard about the evacuation scheme, well I am an evacuee. We were told to report at school with our clothes in a rucksac, and then we were taken down to the railway station and sent to my present abode Northallerton which is a small town in Yorkshire.
I will have to tell you about Northallerton. It is in the North Riding of Yorkshire between the Pennines and the Cleveland Hills. It has a population of 5,000, two cinemas, no baths, no library and no river. We have to attend school and 450 boys have been put into space for 200. We are billeted in private houses and the owners receive some food for the first two days and they are given an allowance for our keep from the Government. I am sleeping with one of my pals and we are having some great fun although the town is half asleep and is so small. The girls portion of our school is now at Richmond which is 16 miles away, we often go through on our bikes.
The government have just begun to ration petrol and they are going to ration food in the next few weeks but we will not starve as this is a great fruit producing area and we know where the orchards are.
I cannot write to my German correspondent now so I will have more time to write to you now. I am sorry if this letter is like a story but it has been a new experience to me. Please excuse my writing as I tried to “bounce” my pen on the classroom floor. Write to my home address as I will be going home if the war finishes. If you write home it will be sent to me.
I think I have just about run out of my latest adventure so I will close now hoping you are in as good health as your “corresponding evacuee”. I would have sent some camp photos but they were very poor.
Love
Harold
P.S. Write soon
3 October 1939 - War has broken out
13 August 1939 - Postcard views of Barnard Castle
13.8.39
Dear Angela
Forgive me for not writing before now but I have just returned from a weeks stay at Barnard Castle. Barnard Castle is a small village on the moors and there are many pleasant walks nearby. I am sending two views, one of the ruined castle (it was built in 1379 A.D.) and the other of a beautiful old bridge across the Tees near an old abbey. I had a great time and there was only one day on which it rained.
We have had our school sports and I was Middle Champion (that is champion of the boys from 14-16 yrs old) winning three events, 100 yds, 220 yds and hurdles and having four seconds. I was presented with a cup and a cricket bat.
We finished school here on July 27th and do not go back until Sept 20th. I got a very good report from school so there were no complaints at home.
I think I know what you mean about that Australian animal, it is a koala bear, and I have a photo of one, which my cousin sent me. (Photo not bear!)
I am sending you an Australian stamp. I know this is very little but I will ask for some more in my next letter to Australia and Germany. You may have to wait for a fairly long time as it takes five weeks to reach Australia and my German correspondent is none too swift in answering. I hope you don’t think I have let you down about the stamps but I will send some sometime.
I only returned from Barnard Castle yesterday and am leaving for a fortnights camp on Tuesday 15th August. I am going with seven other boys from school and we are certain that we will have a good time if we are not “washed out”. We are going to a small village called Eastgate, this is also on the moors. It is beside Woolsingham, and both villages are on the river Wear, Barnard Castle is in the river Tees. You may not find these on the map as they are very small, but they will be marked on a large scale map.
I have been to the swimming baths fairly often in the last few weeks. I was going to go for a dip in the sea every morning about 8-o-clock, I went in once and it was raining the next morning and the scheme fell through, partly because it was too early to rise.
I will have to close now as I have many odd jobs to do and little things to get before packing for camp.
Your English friend
Harold
Dear Angela
Forgive me for not writing before now but I have just returned from a weeks stay at Barnard Castle. Barnard Castle is a small village on the moors and there are many pleasant walks nearby. I am sending two views, one of the ruined castle (it was built in 1379 A.D.) and the other of a beautiful old bridge across the Tees near an old abbey. I had a great time and there was only one day on which it rained.
We have had our school sports and I was Middle Champion (that is champion of the boys from 14-16 yrs old) winning three events, 100 yds, 220 yds and hurdles and having four seconds. I was presented with a cup and a cricket bat.
We finished school here on July 27th and do not go back until Sept 20th. I got a very good report from school so there were no complaints at home.
I think I know what you mean about that Australian animal, it is a koala bear, and I have a photo of one, which my cousin sent me. (Photo not bear!)
I am sending you an Australian stamp. I know this is very little but I will ask for some more in my next letter to Australia and Germany. You may have to wait for a fairly long time as it takes five weeks to reach Australia and my German correspondent is none too swift in answering. I hope you don’t think I have let you down about the stamps but I will send some sometime.
I only returned from Barnard Castle yesterday and am leaving for a fortnights camp on Tuesday 15th August. I am going with seven other boys from school and we are certain that we will have a good time if we are not “washed out”. We are going to a small village called Eastgate, this is also on the moors. It is beside Woolsingham, and both villages are on the river Wear, Barnard Castle is in the river Tees. You may not find these on the map as they are very small, but they will be marked on a large scale map.
I have been to the swimming baths fairly often in the last few weeks. I was going to go for a dip in the sea every morning about 8-o-clock, I went in once and it was raining the next morning and the scheme fell through, partly because it was too early to rise.
I will have to close now as I have many odd jobs to do and little things to get before packing for camp.
Your English friend
Harold
19 June 1939 - Harold aged 15
56 Bond St
Sunderland
19.6.39
Dear Angela
I was very glad to receive your letter as Steve said that Kay had obtained a correspondent for me. You wanted to know all about me, there is very little to say however.
I am 5 feet 9 inches tall and weigh 9 stone 10 lbs (136 lbs), my hair is dark brown and my eyes are grey. I am the “only baby” and mam and dad say that I am spoiled, but I don’t think so.
I go to the Bede Collegiate School, the same as Steve, I am in the fifth form and will take my leaving exam next year. The subjects I take at present are:-English, French, Mathematics (Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry) Chemistry, Physics, Art and History, but I will stop History, if I am lucky, this year. My hobby is also Art, I like pen and ink sketching and I am just trying water colour landscapes, but the fruits of my labour have been poor so far. In sports I play football (English) and cricket I also swim and do athletics. I like athletics best and our running club has the town cup for this year. Our school has quite a good record being football, athletics and cross-country running champions. The girls play hockey, basketball, base-ball and tennis, they do a little athletics also.
I do not save stamps although some of my friends do, but I will be able to get some Australian and German stamps if you want some as I have a cousin in Australia, and a German correspondent to improve my German.
I cannot say much of our view as I live in a very industrial town of coal-mines and ship-building. We have however a very good beach about a mile away and some pleasant scenery up the river.
I have a “bike” to travel to school on, I also go riding at the weekends, but I like hiking best as I can get off the roads onto the moors. We have a hiking club at school and we have some very happy tramps although the packs are heavy.
I go to the pictures once a week during the winter but very rarely during the summer as I like to bathe or do some running.
I am enclosing a snapshot taken in the school grounds by my friend, it is not extra good as the sun was shining in my eyes, but it will give you a vague idea of what kind of a person you are writing to.
I must close now as homework calls, do you get much homework from school?
Your friend
Harold
P.S. I am 15 years old, just like me to forget.
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