Thursday 19th January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for a very long and most interesting letter received yesterday – had to read it a couple of times to take it all in. You have certainly had variety one way and another but first let me say we both hope June’s foot is healing up satisfactorily. Apart from her own discomfiture it must be a bit difficult for her to keep up sides with Susan & Carol. Surely after this time – about a fortnight – it won’t turn septic now. I don’t wonder post arrived before you were up – you’ve got to get your rest in somehow.

Hard lines on the Dr but he is not the only person who has to be ‘on call’ and as you will have seen from the papers a few months ago one or two of them have been criticised for not turning out when called. People do not call Drs in the middle of the night for fun.

Yours accounts of Susan & Carol not to mention Christopher were very amusing but at the time you must have felt very angry. Just fancy those two girls pulling out the knobs on the panel of car etc. and causing battery to run down – must have watched how Daddie did it when out driving. Query a good job garage doors closed or car might have been out in Queen’s Walk. Upset your Saturday morning arrangements and – by the sound of it – your neighbours. Am surprised though that both of them took it for a six volt battery. Now I suppose car doors are all fastened up when car in garage. I reckon Susan & Carol just about enjoyed themselves and then you had the three of them at it when Christopher arrived but what a blessing none of them suffered injury from the broken glass.* Can imagine you saying to yourselves “What next?” One thing is certain – there is nothing ‘namby pamby’ about any of them.

Nearly forgot to say thank you Susan for another nice drawing – you know grandma keeps all the drawings you send her.

Now for the rest of your letter. Note you started your new job on Monday last and shall be very interested to hear how you get on with your new colleagues. Quite an upheaval in staff duties to get the Cardiff scheme under way again. Very nice of Pattison to entertain you to lunch – did he say what future prospect were. Should think he would be another person to keep in touch with for possibilities. Note your remarks about O.O.C.

Sorry the latest development will prevent you visiting Cardiff again with a possible run over to Cleveon but there it is. Mum had been getting one or two things ready in anticipation. Now we must look forward to Easter – not many weeks off really and then you say Susan starts school – another red letter day in the family. I’m sure she is going to do well and enjoy her schooling.

Roselands is the house on the far side (from here) of Elfords. Understand there is no bathroom but one could be fitted.

Noted the coats are a bit big for Susan & Carol and hope they will come in useful in due course. Susan will no doubt find this useful later on at school.

We have been having some trouble here with the electric lighting. Last Thursday morning when we got up it was noticed light in little bedroom was on and no matter which way we turned switch it remained on. Took bulb out and left it for time being. On Friday I renewed flex and checked up on switch and connection in ceiling – everything alright until I put bulb in when up comes light again irrespective of position of switch. Took bulb out again and left it as it was getting dark. At about 7.0 p.m. I went upstairs and found light in middle bedroom on and remained ‘on’ irrespective of position of switch. By this time I thought there must be a jinx in the place. I took bulb out and on Saturday morning phoned Bell who immediately asked when house was wired. This of course was nearly 33 years ago and he said the wiring was obviously perishing and causing the trouble. He came up yesterday and examined the lot – said it was very bad and there were traces of burning in the roof. Have asked him for an estimate to rewire. Shall have to go round with the hat. Just shows how appliances etc. wear out.

Norman Allen called up on Tuesday and asked if you could give him any ‘dope’ on questions that might be asked at interviews for the class of Work Study jobs advertised last week. He has put in for one of the Bristol posts. His information is that there are not many local applicants because of the travelling involved. Anything you can let me have to pass on will be appreciated.

No rain for a day or two now has enabled me to do a bit more rough digging but unfortunately it turns over very wet and heavy. I only dug up the dahlias yesterday and spread them out in a frame to dry off. Yes it should be possible for you to take cuttings of the chrysanths – nice to know they are surviving the cold weather. Have manage to get the flex through the standard lamp and already given the woodwork three or four coats of polish – coming along quite nicely.

Is there any more news of the housing position for June’s father & mother? You have not mentioned it lately so have assumed no alteration. Note you ran over to Yiewsley last Sunday and the Carol was poorly on the way back. How did you find Mr & Mrs Baker? Quite nice to meet the uncle & aunt from Southend.

Not much local news this week but we saw in last Saturday’s Mercury a little boy of eight years of age was knocked down and killed by a motor vehicle in Kenn Road opposite Lillies the oil merchants premises. He had been playing in the road with a toy motor.

Had forgotten the Amateur Cup match until you mentioned it but I’m afraid it will be the last game in that competition for Clevedon this year. Anyhow if you go should like a report in due course please. No more now – can hardly hold pencil* after gardening. Hope you are all keeping well.

All our love to you both and lots of kisses for Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad

[*The letter was written with what Leonard called a ‘Biro pencil’, i.e. an ordinary Biro or similar cheap pen.]

Eva to the family, on the remaining half sheet of Leonard’s writing paper:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Thank you for nice drawing, you are getting a clever girl.

We are glad June’s foot is progressing if slowly. The new skin would be very tender & of course it does itch badly. They don’t tell you a lot to do in medical books but at first aid classes they said always cover the spit & keep the air from it then according to size of burn or scald soak in tepid water to which bi-carb of soda is dissolved which takes the pain away.** You can only do this with a fairly small burn or scald not big patches of the body as if it had been a fire then they spray something on the place to make a fake skin which is done in a hospital.

We had a good laugh abt [sic] the lights can’t be up to them can you. Can’t think how they found which knobs to turn suppose they tried them all. I’ve put on the panel & radio lights but never tried the side ones or front lights.

We had a good afternoon at T.G.*** two lovely films one of Madeira and the other Isle of Man. I should love to go to the first one.

I got fed up with the weather today so cleared out the shed. Saw Mrs Cummings & she was moaning about the school fees going up again they went up to £5 last year [just under £120 in 2021 currency] & she says Mrs Ball who lives on corner of St Andrews Drive says that if rates go up again she will have to sell her place.

The T.G. are going to Pantomime (Dick Whittington) on Feb 16th a matinee at the Theatre Royal. I would rather have seen a play but there it is, it was a popular vote. Did I tell you in the competition to how many words found in ‘Townswomens Guild’ the winner had 1100 2nd 1000 3rd 900. I was a long way back with my mere 365.

Well this is all news for now. Lots of love to all.

Mum & Dad

[**This is not exactly the same as modern advice (for which see https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/burns-and-scalds/recovery/) , but it should be remembered that Eva’s main first aid training occurred during the First World War and although she was also either in the Red Cross or the St John Ambulance later on she does not seem to have had much in the way of hands-on experience.]

[***Townswomen’s Guild.]

Sunday 15th January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Dear Mum and Dad.

Thank you for Joint letter which arrived on Saturday before we were up despite the fact that it had a postmark of 2-30 pm on Friday.

Events follow one another quickly this week so that plenty of variety in the news to follow. Firstly Junes foot progressing slowly. Saw Dr. again in the week but he does not say much. The sick visitor/cum/District Nurse says they usually turn septic and that June is lucky so far. I gather from June that it itches a lot at times but I suppose that is new skin replacing the old. Further blisters have now erupted and the area seems much about the same only redder. I think the foot itself is less painful. It restricts movement outdoors although it does not prevent it for short journeys. Doctor did not turn out for Junes in the early hours of the morning, but gave advice on the action to take. He muttered something unpleasant under his breath and seemed relieved that I was not asking him to call then and there. Our medical book was not particularly helpful so actually rang him for advice. Too bad his sleep was disturbed. So was ours.

No trouble to run over to Headstone Lane and back. Much easier than by other means. We did walk if you remember shortly after we had Susan.

I am afraid the girls are always squabbling these days. It only wants one to pick up something for the other one to find that life without that particular thing would be completely unbearable. I think it is the desire to play together, but joint participation is seen as an act of aggression.

You say perhaps it was as well I did not go to Cardiff last week. It is a pity as I had plans there for that week which will not now come to fruition. Claude Hankins has been detached from his post as Operating Officer at Cardiff to be chairman of a special committee and Bill Bryer is acting in his absence. Cliff Rose is going to Cardiff on Monday to act as Assistant Operating Officer vice Bill Bryer and at the same time he is taking back the C.P.C. Job he passed over to me. This releases me to the D.T.M. somewhat earlier than I had hoped. This means of course that the Cardiff jaunts have finished.

Pattisson was very grateful for what had been done and took Moore, Shelley (B.T.C.) Rose, and myself out to lunch at Marylebone on Friday. Drove over in style in his car. I therefore start my new job on Monday 16th much to the relief of McDonald, Laye and Co. It seems that my first job ( or one of the first ) will be to investigate and prepare a scheme for Old Oak Signalmen. ( All very hush hush still so mum’s the word ) No one has done a Signal Box Scheme yet and there are no rules. Mac hopes to be the first to do one and I think he is going to be lucky.

My mixture wine seems to be progressing satisfactorily and I am quite sure it will taste good. Tried some of the old beetroot wine (58) and with the addition of some sugar it is very nice.

Doug says garage should put £3 per annum on the rate [about £70.00 in 2021 money] but a brick or concrete one would have increased rate by as much as £7. Have heard nothing from them as you know.

Now that they have deepened your bit of the river, I suppose you will spend a Summer afternoon or two in a little coarse fishing. Fish apart I would have thought that some of the weed there might make good manure for the garden. Note you have dug the middle patch of the lawn – had the impression that you had too much earth in it. In any case those lawn plots would repay a good treatment with leaf mould or compost. The soil is still very hard and grey with clay. Of course the roses should do well there anyway. Note also the chrysant cuttings, I shall increase mine by separating rooted cuttings from the clump. Each of the pots you gave me have respectable shoots growing and some have more than one.

Very enterprising of Ian to do some market research on the Birthday prospects and help things along a bit. He should go far. “Roselands” has not looked to be much of a place for some time (or is it the one between Elfords and Mendip View?) If it is the house on your side it must be where the girls had their hair cut.

High jinks with the Vicar at Sunday School. Old Pugh would have been in his element.

I see you are getting the Western Division News. Have only seen one of them so cannot judge the quality. Ours is quite good. I found out last week that the Editor is Sparks who used to be Labour Member of Parliament for Acton – until the last election. I must say he does not do a bad job.

To turn to Mum’s letter I see that you have found it very cold. To-day here it is extremely cold with the prospect of heavy frost. It is lovely and warm inside the garage although there is no heating there. I chopped a bit of wood there this morning and although in slippers on concrete floor had no feeling of cold. June thinks it is too cold for snow – she could be right.

June has asked me to say that the coats you made are heaps large enough for the girls. They will fit them next Winter – Carols will almost fit Susan. It is a good fault – there is nothing worse than having some beautifully made article that has taken some time to make found to be too small. When Susan was small she grew so fast that some of the plentiful supply of faldiralls she had were hardly worn. Good thing Carol came along to get value out of them. Susan will be starting school after Easter so it will not be long now. Hope Junes foot better by then. Norman Alien did tell me a short while ago that they were expecting another but I have forgotten when it is to be.

Well to tell you the news of the week in order if I can. About Tuesday or Wednesday I had a call from June to say that to amuse the children she had let them into garage to play. It seems all was well for a while until she heard the car hooter go. I do not usually look car in garage and they had tried the door and got in. Of course June hiked them out of it but noticed that the yellow light was on but she was unable to turn it off. I gave instructions how to do so and that was that. Delph brought Chris round on Wednesday and the lot were put out into the garden to get some air and exercise. A few minutes later Susan rushed in to say they were breaking bottles. Chris and Carol had got through gate at bottom of garden and found my stock of bottles. They were lifting them over their heads and throwing them on the concrete path to hear them explode. This was nipped in the bud and there were about a dozen ‘necks’ as evidence of the number they had dealt with, Delph looked after them indoors while June swept up the debris. No injuries thank goodness. Shortly after this when Delph and June were washing up they heard a crash and rushed in the front room to find that Chris had pulled out the glass shelf from the childrens toy cupboard and thrown that on the carpet and broken it into pieces. Altogether a nerve wracking day.*

Decided to have an early start on Saturday morning. I wanted to get to Post Office before queues started so that I could get car taxed for the year and June wanted to go to Ealing for some shopping. We were on the point of getting ready when I decided to back the car out. Put the ignition key in but no joy, tried the wireless but no light. No doubt about it the battery was as flat as a pancake. Looked around to find out what had caused it only to find that the spotlight switch was on. Must have been on all the week. Asked Doug if he would mind putting the battery on his trickle charger for a while to get enough to start on. He agreed but as he had not finished his breakfast and I wanted to walk to Ruislip Manor ( with Susan ) left the battery outside his door telling him it was a twelve volt battery. When I got back he had a go at me. He said as soon as he switched on it blew a fuse and that the battery must be a six volt one which it was now charging satisfactorily. Just then Eric rolled up and confirmed (on sight) that it was a six volt battery. Fetched the book and proved it was twelve volts. Eric explained the fuse as due to abnormal surge caused because the battery was completely flat. Borrowed Eric’s charger and gave it four hours at five amps. When I tried again all was well except cells want topping up badly. Only had them topped up the previous Saturday.

Picked up the girls from Sunday School to-day and took them over to Yiewsley. Uncle Jim and Aunt Bessie over there from Southend when we arrived. June wore her fabulous mouse fur coat. Coming back we had just got to Hillingdon when Carol started coughing. It was the prelude to the usual – all over seat, fur, and drivers back.** Had to take Susan out for a short walk otherwise she would have gone the same way. Such is life, now feel fully attuned to start new job on Monday.

I expect I shall find my way to Walton for next Saturday’s match – will let you know the worst if I manage to find out where it is. Well there it is for now will remember lots more as soon as I stick this one down I am sure. Love from us all,

[*Some highly questionable decision-making here, IMHO; a glass shelf in a children’s toy cabinet? What did they think would happen? Whether by accident or design the thing was obviously not long for this world in any case and should have been replaced with a piece of wood and the glass tucked away in the loft until it was needed. There is something really unsettling – and always was – about being more grown-up than one’s parents.]

[**I have no definitive evidence, and this problem disappeared in later life, but it would not surprise me if Carol was lactose intolerant to some extent. We were certainly both subject to migraine as we grew older, and – since these can be triggered by certain foodstuffs and we were not really allowed to refuse or reject food at this age – this also smacks of a self-inflicted wound. In this context it’s worth noting that June’s mother used to ‘clarify’ her butter, not having a fridge at the time; she melted a new pat of butter and allowed it to re-solidify, which was supposed to stop it going rancid. It didn’t always – but she couldn’t bear to waste it anyway.]

Thursday 12th January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

No wonder your letter was a little late this week, apart from the visit of Geoff and family on Sunday last. So sorry to hear of your sleepless nights with Carol and on top of this the accident to June’s foot. Truly one thing after another. Go careful with the blister June – it can soon turn into a poisoned foot which would be much worse. Good job you are on the telephone and could get Dr to come quickly on both occasions but what a caper getting hold of a chemist in middle of the night. Your remark that “things are fully restored now” is reassuring and we hope both June & Carol going on all right now. Not very nice at the time though and must have got you all down for a day or two.

We also had a letter from Geoff this morning to say they much enjoyed their visit and that you had fetched them in afternoon and taken them home again in evening. Query taxi for hire? A much quicker journey for them than bus each way. It was quite a nice day here far different to the previous Sunday when we had some very heavy storms including hail.

Noted Susan’s & Carol’s reaction on Christmas morning when they first saw the prams in sitting room – would have been a good shot for photograph.* I’m sure both of them have had and will continue to have real pleasure in pushing them about and changing over their dollies to give them an outing. This is something else for us to see when we come up.

Perhaps it was as well you did not have to go to Cardiff this week and were able to get home each night. If you are down there next week and can manage a night here let us know so that I can meet you at Yatton or Clevedon. Any night this coming week will suit us – no more visits or visitations in the offing locally.

Can understand your wish to get on to the new job as soon as possible – no doubt there will be plenty of work waiting for you. Has Manning finished his review of the Reading scheme yet? So Mann has decided to live in Bristol. As you know there are some really nice suburbs there but we prefer to be outside where incidentally it is generally speaking cheaper to live. House property too I believe is fairly highly priced.

Correction re: wine/vinegar noted. The orange wine I made last autumn is maturing nicely and quite good to sample – have one bottle in house for tasting purposes. Your latest concoction (four different items) does not sound too good to me but the proof will be in the ‘swallow’.

Garage ‘inspector’ did not stop long then but rates will go up just the same. What is the average charge in your area for garage?**

Not much local news this week. The men are now hard at work taking out a couple of feet of the silt in the river at bottom of field. They started at mouth of river last week and by yesterday (Wednesday) had reached position at bottom of our section. Today they have moved on in Heels direction. It’s a slow job but they are certainly stirring things up. The silt is being dumped on the opposite bank to us and we understand it will later be levelled and sown with grass seed as they believe in doing the job properly.

I had another go at rough digging on Saturday – this time it was the rectangular plot in lawn where the nine bush rose trees we bought in the Autumn will be planted. At present these are ‘heeled’ in in main garden. Have started taking chrysanth cuttings – yesterday I put seven Drawf Rose variety in a 5″ flower pot to commence with. This pot was then put into a box and a piece of glass placed on top to ensure ‘close’ conditions until rooting has taken place.

Young Ian Spencer started school on Monday and his mother says she has to keep him indoors when he gets home or he would be round the houses telling everybody what he has been doing. A little while ago he told a neighbour it was his birthday in a day or two and “what was she going to give him”.

The people who have bought Mrs Drewett’s house are very busy putting it in order ready for occupation – spending several hours of an evening there painting & papering.

No further progress on standard lamp but it will be ready to bring up at Easter.

The house called ‘Roselands’ next to Elford’s yard is up for sale the present occupant who has rented it is moving to a flat on Marine Parade. The house belongs to Mrs Marshall.

We hear that the Vicar had some fun or rather trouble when he was taking Sunday School at the Church last Sunday. Apparently he was taking the school for the curate who is sick and during the session one or more of the boys got messing about with the electric light switches and by some means fused the lot and put the place in darkness – Mr Nobody I expect.

No news from Bristol lately so have nothing to report on staff doings or changes. The Western Area Magazine duly arrived – Jany. issue – but it is a poor effort. Good job they give it away I’m sure no one would want to buy it.

Well I think this is the lot for now. We do hope you are all getting on alright and no more upsets.

All our love to you both and lots of kisses for Susan & carol.

Mum & Dad

[*Leonard misses a couple of vital points here, firstly that for a long time Alec did not have a functioning camera (hence all the references to neighbours taking pictures) and, probably even more importantly, taking any pictures indoors would have required a flash-gun which he also did not have. Disposable flash cubes were still some years in the future – Wikipedia suggests they were not available until after 1965, and really Alec was not at all interested in taking pictures indoors until a much later stage of his life. To him, photography was for holidays and big family get-togethers – not for such ordinary events as Christmas morning.]

[**How much home improvements would add to the rates seems to have been a perennial issue; adding an extension would of course ‘put the rates up’ (which were already considered ‘extortionate’, although obviously there were less expensive places one could have lived) and it was once observed with particular glee that a relative installing a coloured bathroom suite – pink, in this case – would have to pay through the nose for the privilege as that too would be reflected in a rate increase.]

Eva to the family on reverse side of Leonard’s last sheet:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

I hope by now you have all got over the accident to June’s foot, expect it was very painful, & that Carol is better. It has been terribly cold here & we don’t really feel warm until about 5 o’clock. It was a black frost this morning & seemed as if it was going to snow, but however it passed off. We are running out of coal & have some on order but can’t have it for a fortnight as none about.

I asked if the coats were much too large for the girls but Alec didn’t remark on it, a guide to future efforts if I know.

By the way is it after Whitsun Susan starts school & will your holiday be affected by it or can you get by.

I expect the girls enjoyed Rebecca & Sara’s visit last Sunday it was a chance to show off their prams. I don’t think either of them ever had one like those it was in the scarce times then.***

My Christmas cactus is out lovely & lots of friends say theirs show no signs of flowering yet. Must be lucky this year. We ought to get on the garden but everything is so wet it would not be much good.

Norman Allen’s wife is expecting again don’t quite know when. I have done two pairs bootees and am going to do a matinee coat. Lynda was born the day you were married & goes to school now.

Well I think this is the lot & hope the foot will be completely healed by the time we hear from you.

Love from Mum & Dad

[*** Rebecca was born in 1946 and Sara in 1951, so these were certainly more straitened times during and immediately after the war.]

Monday 9th January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Just a day late this week, barring posting accidents. Could not get round to writing yesterday due to the visit of Geoff and family. Yours truly in action from 2-30 pm to 9-0 pm. I am afraid the big news of the week is all bad although things are fully restored now. Will answer your letter first and then enlighten you.

I expect you would have liked to see their faces when they saw the prams. Susan was in the lead and got to the front room door first but she stopped for a second or two in the doorway taking it all in before she trotted in. They had a good time with all their new toys. Yes we will be looking forward to seeing you at Easter, leave dates to you.

I was to have gone to Cardiff Tuesday of this week but plans changed and will probably go next week now. It will only be three weeks now before I go to the London Division, and believe me I shall not be sorry.

You certainly seem to have a large circle of friends and acquaintances with whom to exchange visits. No doubt you will have been able to sample the relative quality of the mince pies. I note the odd numbers etc are still breathing out etc at your bellringers evenings. According to Mothers note she was washing up in the early hours. One thing I expect you got an early morning cup of tea – with a vengeance. I note also that the Lyng cider went down well, and apparently stayed down. Some contract to mix it with sherry.

Dan Mann is anxious to live in Bristol itself, I would have thought that he would have taken the opportunity to live outside but it appears that his wife likes Bristol itself although I do not remember which part.

A correction on the Vinegar of mine. I thought it was the plum wine that had gone off because of its colour but I found my two large Jars of plum after I wrote to you and they both tasted fine. It seems that the apple wine that I had in the same compartment had turned dark as well as turning vinegary. Have made some Apricot/ Grape/Orange/Celery wine – some mixture.

You have certainly dug quite a big slice of land. If a piece that size were dug in our garden that would complete the work for one year.

Dropped a no note to the Council about the garage. Had told them it would be av available for inspection from Oct* 15th but no-one came. Last week some one came to the front door and mumbled something about “garage”. June offered to open the doors but he did not want to see inside or go round the back of it to inspect. He walked off without saying anything and nothing by post yet.

Nice to be able to see Mrs Hillman again. Some changes up at Alexandra Rd. I expect Dad will patronise the do it yourself shop.

Well to tell you the story of our plight this week, we start on Thursday. We went to bed about 10-30 pm and were disturbed at 11-0 pm by Carol, She was crying and coughing and became sick. Things got steadily worse as she could not get her breath. We took her down stairs but the reaching continued so we sent for Doctor. He soon came and made out a prescription which he said should be made up at once, I dressed and got car out and hammered on the back door of the local chemist. Eventually a chap came to the door in his pyjamas only to tell me the chemists house was next door. I tapped on that door for about twenty minutes without success.

Went over to Ruislip Manor and by luck saw a man leaning out of the upstairs window. I called to him and he grumbled a bit and then came down. Got back with the medicine and it seemed to do the trick. Carol took it very well and dropped off to sleep so June decided to stay downstairs with her. One arrangement we had on advice of Doctor was kettle steaming on the hob to moisten the air. Unfortunately this fell off and poured scalding water over Junes foot at about 5-0 am and we had to ring Doctor again for her. I am afraid June had a very rough time and was in great pain with shock. Of course this has gradually diminished but she can only now put a shoe on and has the largest blister I have ever seen. I had Friday off to help out a bit and the impending visit was in jeopardy for a while. Everything going on O.K. now. What next?

Well will close with those few words and hope you are fit. Love from us all.

Thursday 5th January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

What a budget I have to reply to this week. Thank you very much for June’s letter received on Monday and Alec’s on Wednesday together with another very good drawing by Susan. Sorry to hear Carol has been off colour again and wonder if the excitement of Christmas was too much for her? A good idea to warm up the atmosphere of the bedroom before she goes to bed. The difference in temperature starts a lot of people coughing not only children but individuals of all ages suffer from it at times.

Anyhow we were glad to hear you had a good time over Christmas even if the girls were a bit noisy – was it any wonder when Father Christmas had been so good to them. Should just like to have seen their faces when they saw the prams for the first time and I’m sure they wanted no help in wheeling them along the path.

You made the most of the holiday by the sound of it and also went visiting on Boxing Day. Now you have more visitors on Sunday next – let’s hope weather is kind for all of you. Thanks for trying to get through on phone – we were here alright but your Exchange was not functioning for one reason or another the call was doomed from the start obviously. We had thought the telephone might have rung and we did not hear it as we were in front room with TV on rather loudly.

As the weather turned out we could as you say presumably have made the journey to Ruislip but frankly I was afraid of it and the weather for a fortnight previous to Christmas was pretty bad – anyhow we are looking forward very much to seeing you all soon – query Easter if that will suit you. In the meantime if you are down in Cardiff before the change over at the end of the month and can manage to pop over to Devonia just give us a brief advice and we will be ready for you. Avoid Wednesday night the 11th inst if you can as we have already fixed up for visitors to look in that evening and they will be here until about 11.30 p.m. This is a return visit of one we paid a fortnight ago to the young people living in the White Cottage in St Andrews Drive – both Londoners and moved down here some months ago now. Did I tell you in a previous letter that he has a good position with the Ministry of Supply (Bristol) and is responsible for the maintenance of vehicles in the South and West of England?

We had a quiet Christmas here – Mr & Mrs Aston came over at 5.0 p.m. and left at 10.30 p.m. on the Sunday. At short notice on Boxing Day we invited Mr & Mrs Clarke over from St Andrews Drive (the bungalow where the car was garaged until you fetched it) for tea. Mrs Clarke was at the 8.0 a.m. service in Church on Christmas morning and was taken ill and had to leave so after ascertaining the next morning that she was very much better asked them over for a cup of tea. They are both retired teachers and quite good neighbours – even knitted Mum a cardigan and me a pair of socks for Christmas. During the year we look after them for a few apples and garden produce etc.

On Friday the 30th we asked our new neighbours (in Cummings house) to come in for a glass of sherry and a return visit was paid to their house (next door of course) on Tuesday this week. They have and are revolutionising the inside of the place and intend in due course to do likewise to the outside. As mentioned before they are both working and in the evenings we can see they are both hard at work until about 11.0 p.m. Mrs Cummings called on them last Saturday re: Church magazine and when asked in had a very big surprise to see what improvements and redecorations had already been effected.

Monday this week we paid a return visit to the Clarkes and stopped from 4.0 p.m. until 8.0 p.m. Did I say we had a quiet Christmas. We have never done so much visiting or been so often visited in all the years we have lived here but each occasion was certainly very quiet – just a talk on general matters or viewing on T.V.

Last Saturday night of course it was the annual ‘do’ of the bellringers. Fourteen sat down at 9.15 p.m. in the living room (odd numbers breathe out whilst even numbers breathe in) including the Vicar and Les Garland – who was invited in his capacity as verger. A good time being had by all. Mum had bought a piece of beef weighing 12 lbs 8 oz and this was actually cooking on the Friday when Norman Baker arrived with another piece weighing 6 lbs 6 oz. Mrs Marshall and Stan James provided a bottle of sherry each and we found two more and Alec Parker supplied three dozen mince pies and not one was left. After we came in again about 12.30 a.m. some of them started talking about cider and remembering I still had a couple of flagons of East Lyng’s* best on hand I challenged a couple of them to have a drink. They did and two of them drank the whole flagon up mixing it with the sherry. We finally broke up at about 1.15 a.m. but all turned up at the belfry at 1.30 a.m. again for Sunday ringing including the two cider drinkers both of whom said it was ‘lovely stuff’.

Note you are still having some fun with Baynton-Hughes – what is his position after the 31st inst? Should think Jefferies of the G.M. Work Study section a useful person to keep in touch with for future use.

Yes we liked the photo of Susan & Carol with the little boy next door and have shown it to all our friends here.

So Mann getting ready to move Bristol way – has he any idea exactly where he would like a house or bungalow?

Sorry about your wine turning to vinegar – may be good vinegar as you suggest but am inclined to think the best place for it is ‘down the drain’. Look after the rest or there won’t be any left for me.

After torrential rain and hailstorms earlier this week it was a fine – repeat fine – day Wednesday (yesterday) and a sharp frost this morning. I was actually able to rough dig a piece of ground about 10′ x 25′ today. Nothing further done to standard lamp this week yet but all ready for polishing now. Note rain beating under your garage doors but remember weather has been very exceptional lately.

Our hot water system ceased to function yesterday but on investigation of storage tank in attic found ball valve stuck preventing intake of cold water – soon put it right and in working order again now.

Don’t like the sound of the Transom House party – Work Study Section. I’m sure they won’t call him Burt even if that is his name.

Yes when I went to Durston I left car under trees opposite to platform on up side but I was only gone from Yatton from 8.11 a.m. until 10.52 a.m.

Now I must finish or Mum will have to find another piece of paper. Hope you are all now keeping in good health. All our love to you both and lots of kisses for Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad

*i.e. Don’s

Eva to the family on the remaining one-third of a sheet of Leonard’s paper:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for letters & the drawings. I keep all the ones Susan does. Glad the cardigans were not too small & the blouse alright. My slippers have been worn a lot & are lovely.

We survived last Saturday night, Mrs Cornish & I. Non stop until 2 a.m. for me. Mrs C left after we had washed first lot up then when they dropped in again at 12.30 a.m. had to wash up another lot of glasses & they polished off all the mince pies (3 doz) never had a chance to taste one. Dad fetched Mrs Hillman up for tea yesterday, she is 88 & looks the same as ever, been here since June but going back to Cardiff soon.

That was a lovely snap of the children the best so far I think. Mr James took a flash light photo of the table etc. of course Mrs C and I did not go in [three unintelligible words here that look like ‘enough there without’]

The Fish Shop in Alexandra Road is going to be a do it yourself carpenters requirements. The man who had the fish shop died only took over two years ago. Felthams in Hill Road have retired & ones who have it have made it a mess lots of oddments besides fish.

Did not come up again this time on the premiums.

No more now lots of love

Mum & Dad

Sunday 1st January, 1961

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1961 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Herewith letter to get back to regular working, and to thank you both very much for the presents you gave us all for Xmas, also for the letters since received. I am a little out of touch with what has been reported from this end as I did not see Junes last letter. However so far as the children were concerned, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and continue to get the maximum out of the prams. So far they have had two full scale outings with them. The first over Xmas under the eye of Aunty Pauline, and the second yesterday with June in charge. They are very proud little girls now. Unfortunately the weather being what it is, the prams come home with dirty wheels and it seems to be quite a factor. Nevertheless, with the possible approach of Summer this trouble should reduce.

As you must have heard, Carol was poorly at nights over the holiday and had us up and down to her a time or two. Delph suggested that her coughing was due to going into a cold atmosphere ( to bed ) and we might try putting some form of heating in her room. June put them in the small back bedroom after that and put the oil convector heater in with them. It seemed to do the trick so I have fitted an extra point in the children’s room so that we can now run the Belling electric convector there. Last night was the first time it had been used with the children in situ and we soon got coughing from Carol. It all seemed to be a failure but after getting her down, it turned out to be Biliousness instead. She is not too well to-day and bit her tongue at breakfast into the bargain. Apparently did not think much of the flavour either.

Well to turn to your last letter for a moment, I note the exceptional delays in the posts you report. Do not blame the G.P.O. for all of it as arrangements this end were a little out of gear. We had quite a good time at Xmas with Mr and Mrs Baker, Peter and Brenda over in the afternoon of Xmas Day. Peter and Brenda left fairly early, and I ran over to Yiewsley to take Junes Mother and Father home at about 10-0 pm. June came with me and we left the children in bed with Aunty Pauline to keep an ear open. When we got back we found her in attandance on Carol. The next day we went to Delphs for lunch ( Outsize Turkey ) and returned round about the children’s normal bedtime. The day following, we entertained Junes parents and Peter and Brenda to lunch and they all stopped with us until chucking out time. The wallop lasted out very well although I must admit that had celebrations gone on another half day we should have been down to Orange Squash.

Tried to ring you a couple of times after 8-0 pm but the exchange this end were not playing apparently. Could not get them to pick up. I suppose they were either inundated or inebriated. We imagined that the Astons would have been with you for the evening at least. Pity you could not have come here, the weather was good. The winds and hail etc. that you mention were also experienced this end, but I forget which days. The force of the wind was sufficient to drive copious amounts of water under garage doors and form two large pools inside. Water also ran down inside the garage walls and rests on the horizontal supports.. This is bound to happen if the weather is bad.

I hope you managed to find Don and Joan In good health, although I doubt whether you actually saw Joan. We had a card wrapped round a cheque from them. I should have thought that Don would have had the savvy to check on the platform that the train would arrive on ( from box if necessary ) to avoid racing from one to the other, especially as he was bitten that way the previous year. You were fortunate in having at least thirty minutes chat with Don. The trains have been truly out of course lately and for no apparent reason. The apologies to passengers catching trains at Marylebone are so frequent it is a standing joke among the regulars, Where did you leave the car at Yatton? Suppose you left it where we usually park waiting for the Up London trains? I seem to remember that at one time you had the hire of a garage at Yatton but I suppose that has lapsed.

Talking about my short visit and exchanging presents, I am wearing the slippers and find them very comfortable and warm. By being smaller than the last pair I had they give me a better sense of balance when walking. Through wear the others had become a bit sloppy.

Regards Baynton-Hughes, he had the cheek to send a roneo-ed* memo to all members of his erstwhile section thanking them for their help etc. in the past, and going on to a propaganda tirade on the achievements of Work Study in the Department. If he had let it go at thanking us for our services it might have been appreciated, but with the other bit tacked on it made it just laughable. He is still hanging on to the threads and has now reached the stage of giving people instructions that someone else has already given. Notley who applied a scheme for Bonus payment to the Cleaners at Westbury over Xmas was earmarked by him to do the same at Swindon starting next Monday. Dropped this one on Mc Donald by strong hint and I now understand that someone else has to do it. The agreement was that all staff would be devolved as quickly as possible and in position by January 30th. He is interpreting that to mean that he can have use of all staff till that date. We are gradually prizing them away however. Have got agreement for one to be released on Jan 16th, another two on Jan 23rd and the remainder on 30th Jan.

This is also the date on which I go. Saw Pattisson Just before Xmas and he gave me the outline. Who will take over I could not say. I Intend to spend as much of the remaining time at Cardiff so may see you at short notice. I agree with you that it will be a good thing to have Work Study at Headquarters, but in this case Headquarters is The General Manager, and he has a Work Study Organisation. I know Jefferies the G.M.s Work Study Officer quite well – he is another Baynton-Hughes.

Thought of you again seating all those people in the Dining Boom. I hope the occasion was sufficiently convivial. I suppose you could always get two or three in the conservatory.

The little boy in the photograph is Michael Benn. The picture was taken by Eric Benn with his camera when our girls went over to play. ( Back in the Summer. ) Eric was very pleased with it and thinks it to be one of his best so far. We have seen the colour negative of it projected on to a large screen and it is quite impressive.

The proposed party with McDonald has not come about. He had arranged to see me on the day of my return as you know, but sent a message saying he would be unable to see me. Since then I have not heard from him but then I have not been ordering my comings in and goings out on the assumption that he would ring so have not been put out. I did hear that he had in mind getting me to take Notley over to see him on Friday. (This from a round about source.) but as I had day off looks like he came unstuck again.

The Transom House Work Study do took place on the Tuesday, They were all congregated in the room following the arrival of the Bristolian, when Gerry Burt walked in. He said my name is Burt, so that you will recognise me when you see me, and not say who is that ————. I suggest we all go over to the Shakespear and I can meet all of you. ( Or words to that effect.) It seems that everybody did meet everybody and our crowd caught their train without so much as a sandwich all day. We all had a party in the office at Paddington on the Thursday (4-0 pm to 8-0 pm) and finished at Mid-day on Friday until Wednesday morning.

I do not know what is going to be included from Susan or Carol this week. There is a lot of spoiled paper lying about.**

Went over to see Mann in his house in Harrow yesterday. He has some good wine but is running his stocks down preparatory to going to Bristol, He is selling his house and the Estate Agent says he can get £3500 for it [£82,000 in 2020 money; try finding a house for that nowadays – the average UK house price in 2020 was £256,000], I would say it is a bit bigger than ours but externally it is not so pleasing. It is also rather older.

Had a look a some of my Plum wine yesterday evening to rack off into bottles and found that it had turned to vinegar, I really do not know what to do with it as do not know the treatment for vinegar. I realize that it is finished as a wine but as vinegar it does not taste bad. I expect the rest of the plum has gone the same way too. Should have attended to it earlier. The apricot wine is delicious.

Had a look round the garden, and what a sight, Pulled up the last of the Parsnips but they are not much size. There is a row of onions across the bottom patch and a lot of grass and weeds. The daffs are through and showing about two inches or so of growth. Managed to get some more of the better wood inside the shed and under the bench to dry, I think I may be able to make a shelf from some of it. Doubt if I shall do much there until the warmer weather though. It is even cold indoors to-day although the sun is shining quite brightly outside.

They are making good progress with the school in the next field, I see they have got the roof trusses up although as yet there are no walls – only the framework.

Well I hope you have a very Happy Hew Year and keep fit for your visit to us at Easter. By the way we must think of dates.

Love for now from us all. June, Susan, Carol and Alec

[*’Roneo’, for younger readers, was the trade name for a brand of mimeograph machines.]

[**Charming!]

Thursday 29th December, 1960

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1960 lettersLeave a comment

Leonard to the family:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for your letter of Sunday the 18th inst* which reached us about 11.30 a.m. on Friday and which of course crossed ours posted on Thursday the 22nd.** Perhaps now the heavy post is over we shall get back to normal deliveries.

We do hope you all had a very happy Christmas and that the girls were able to fully enjoy themselves. We thought of them on Christmas morning examining – among other things – their Dolls’ Prams and imagining that a walk in the Park might be necessary to give them an airing. Expect you were both glad when Susan & Carol had gone to bed that night.

We had a quiet day as anticipated but did not go to bed until about midnight. Quite a nice morning but we had some rain in the afternoon and evening. Since then however we have had almost everything except snow and even that fell as near as Tickenham. We have had several very heavy hailstorms – winds at gale force and torrential rain and sleet with thunder – not at all a nice holiday for getting about. Naturally we kept the fire warm as much as possible. I went to Durston on the Saturday [24 December, presumably] to take down a few things for Don & Joan and to bring back the Christmas dinner.*** Apparently the day before Geoff had made a disastrous trip from Paddington and for the second year running arrived at Taunton about an hour late and again at the wrong platform much to Don’s disgust who went into Taunton to exchange parcels with him.

I went down with Saunders as far as Bridgwater – he had been home to Yatton for the night – and of course had a nice chat with him. The train was about 30 minutes late arriving Durston whereas return train was right on time so I had about 30 minutes only with Don. Took car to Yatton and picked it up again there on return. Strange to say it was very foggy between Devonia and Clevedon station but much clearer thence to Yatton than when you returned the previous week.**** Noted from your letter you were also late into Paddington. It was a short visit as you say but we were glad to see you and it gave us the chance to exchange presents. You have had our letter b y this time thanking you for all the lovely things you brought down.

Still having some trouble then with Baynton-Hughes, but what is going to happen under latest reorganisation plan? Seems there will be good reason for keeping a Work Study Section at Headquarters – i.e. higher than at four Divsional levels – What do you think may happen?

Our ringing peal failures may very well be due to insufficient practice but the trouble is that it is a job to get eight experienced ringers altogether as there are so many learners and those less experienced to be found places in the band at practices and on Sundays. We shall probably have another try early in New Year. meanwhile Mum is getting ready for the ringers’ supper on New Year’s Eve when we expect 14 or 15 to be seated at tables in our dining room. (Odd numbers breathe out whilst even numbers breathe in.) The vicar is coming but the curate is in bed with bronchitis and lumbago so am afraid he will be a non starter.

Note your efforts to keep car clean – mine has recently been out in the bad weather and requires a good clean but after every trip I wipe the Chromium parts dry – this is the most important.

Your account of Susan & carol at the carol service and of their antics at home gave us both a good laugh and we can just picture them doing all you said. The congregation of one for instance is delicious and we can see Susan reading out the verses to Carol then presumably “all stand up”. Thanks very much for the photograph too – it is lovely – the little boy we assumed is Michael Benn? Both Susan & Carol look very nice in it.

No local news this time – have had a lazy week myself – no gardening and no work in garage other than to chop up sticks for fire lighting. Yesterday morning after a full night’s downpour of rain little pools of water were standing about on garden but they disappeared during the day.

Glad you got back with the lamp in one piece and that you can find use for it. The standard lamp has had a rest over Christmas but shall press on with it now.

Hope you enjoyed your convivial party with McDonald on the Monday before Christmas. I hear Transom House had a party on the Thursday and finished work at midday on the Friday for the best part of a week. I cannot believe it.

Well no more for now – hope you are all keeping in good health. All our love to you both and a very happy and prosperous New Year to you all.

Lots of kisses for carollers Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad

P.S. Nearly forgot – thank you Susan & Carol for those lovely drawings – you are improving every time.

[*Absent from the collection.]

[**Also absent from the collection.]

[***Don and Joan kept chickens, so this was presumably what Leonard went to collect.]

[****This would suggest that Alec travelled down on Friday 16 December and back on Saturday 17th and that Leonard drove him to Yatton to catch the train. This arrangement had clearly not been finalised when Leonard wrote and posted his letter of 15 December, however.]

Alec to his paternal uncle Don Atkins and Don’s wife Joan:

Dear Don and Joan

Thank you both very much for the card and contents sent here for Christmas. The children would also thank you but they cannot write yet. Susan occasionally tries her hand at it but until she gets to school it will still be a bit laboured. She draws and colours very well – much better than I could I am sure. She has a fair idea of picture composition and puts in the sky and grass and trees in the background as well as figures. Scrap paper from the office is in great demand you can imagine. Carol’s efforts are formless as yet but after all she is only two.

They both enjoy going to Sunday School and it is one of the highlights of their week. They both learned a couple of verses of ‘Away in a Manger’ and have driven us nearly dotty with repeating it. Can not seem to get the other side of the record. They had a grand time at Christmas. Lots of people came to see us including their small cousin Christopher from Greenford, and they paid a return visit there on Boxing Day. The centrepiece of the “stocking” ? was a large Dolls Pram each. Sundry other games and dolls, and sweets and clothes arrived and they were so confused rushing from one to the other and borrowing each others presents that we spirited some of them away to make a bit of room.

Generally speaking they were very good over the holiday but you can not expect children of their age to be 100%. Their cousin is a little imp and drives his Mother round the bend. He is a likeable kid though but certainly a handful. We had him here for the Saturday afternoon while his Mother did some belated Christmas shopping. He played quite well with our two but wanted a bit of watching.

I passed through Athelney a few weeks ago when the floods were at their height. It certainly looked grim. The men seemed to be shoring up the embankment on the Westbury side of Curry Rivel Box. The train came to a stand in the middle of what appeared to be the sea. I saw the pictures of Lyng in the Bridgwater paper sent up from home. We had very little to trouble us this end except the incessant rain.

Have not been able or willing to do anything on the garden lately. All activity has been confined to the house and garage. I have to put up some shelves quickly before the floor gets covered with all the odds and ends dumped out there from the house.

Well must close now so will wish you both a very happy New Year and hope that you are both keeping well.

Love from us all, June, Susan, Carol and Alec

Wednesday 28th December, 1960

On By Sue JenkinsIn 1960 lettersLeave a comment

Alec to his maternal uncle, Joe Fewings, and Joe’s wife Lydia:

Dear Aunt Lydia and Uncle Joe

Just a line to thank you both very much for the books/handkerchiefs you sent the children for Xmas. They arrived on Xmas morning – just right. I imagine you must have spent your Xmas somewhere near to Pat and her infants also possibly John and his. That being so you can well imagine the activity that went on in this camp. Two lucky girls had outsize Dolls Prams (how they came down the chimney we don’t know) and a number of Dolls and their clothes. Of course it was not long before they were proudly pushing the prams up the hill with their noses stuck up. As usual Xmas was very hectic and we are not sorry it is all over and we can slow down a bit. It is all very nice but takes a bit more energy to stay the course these days (poor old man*).

I hope you managed to steer clear of the floods. I saw something of the Somerset and Devon floods when I visited Plymouth at that time. Also a copy of your local paper found its way up from Clevedon. It must really have been fearsome at the time. We had nothing so severe at this end but on two occasions when out in car I had to divert owing to the road ahead being flooded.

The girls seem to have got over their car sickness now at least so far as local trips go. They have been none too well lately though, in fact we have been having interrupted nights due to Carol having a bad cold. She has bad catarrah and coughs a lot. During the day she seems well enough but the fun starts after she has been asleep for a short while. Susan being a bit older and more able to use her hanky looks a lot better and in fact is less affected by Winter ills. They are both growing rapidly and you would hardly recognise them. Pity you are not nearer so that you could see them, and they see you.

Susan will start school at Easter but has been going to Sunday School for about 18 months. Carol has been going to Sunday School for about 3 months. They have a Sunday School Party to attend on 21st, and that should be a short rest for Mother. Fathers are excluded so I have a rare chance to go and see a football match.

Well I hope Pat and John and families are keeping fit and yourselves, and hope it will not be too long before we meet. I read the Bowling results for the various tournaments this end and wonder if any of you get this far. Why not look us up if you do?

Love from us all, June, Susan, Carol and Alec

[*Alec would have been 38 at this point.]

QSL cards part 2: the collection

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As we discussed previously, some time in the 1960s Alec developed an interest in the hobby of amateur (‘ham’) radio. It is not known how or where this started, but I have a distinct recollection of him borrowing a reel-to-reel rape recorder – possibly from Eric Benn, the next-door neighbour – and using it to study Morse code for the first stage of the competency test in order to gain a license.

QSL cards were part of the process from the very beginning, used to record communications between hams wherever they might be in the world – and at first, of course, the distances were limited by the available equipment; for example, Alec’s earliest conversations were via the medium of Morse and it was only much later that he was able to graduate to using voice – which, as far as I recall, probably also needed an additional test and license.

Using their contemporaneous call logs (which have also survived, in Alec’s case,) operators would write up cards to send to their counterparts; these were collected in by the local radio club and sent off to RSGB headquarters where something like a Sorting Office must have been in operation. Returning QSL cards would be received by the local clubs and distributed to members at their meetings, and this presumably was a large part of the service provided by the RSGB.

At any rate, having found a large box of radio logs and QSL cards – collected by Alec and one of his friends – in the loft of the house Alec and June shared before his death, we turned these over to his grandson Robin. Robin, we should add, is very much a ‘chip off the old block’; in later life Alec’s ham radio hobby morphed into a love for computers, which Robin also inherited. He has therefore plotted all the cards in the collection onto this map, and would like to make the following point:

[A]ll the locations are approximate – sometimes the QSL cards gave the exact address, in which case I have tried to find the right street, but other times they just give the town or city name, so I have used a bit of artistic license!

He also points out that the collection tails off in the mid-1980s and should therefore be considered to represent roughly a twenty year sample. The 1980s were the time that Alec became infatuated with computers, so that could mark the swansong of his interest in ham radio – but there could also be other factors at play, and lacking better information we do not care to speculate any further.

Meanwhile, we will also add – with some sadness – that Alec never did succeed in achieving the Holy Grail of radio contact, a sought-after encounter with King Hussein of Jordan who was at the top of every ham’s wish-list. Nevertheless he made a pretty good collection of contacts around the world, some of whom subsequently turned into lifelong friends.

Robin has ambitions of analysing the log books as well, at some future date, but as he is currently working all hours trying to maintain his teaching commitments under less than ideal conditions we suggest that nobody should hold their breath. ‘Too much data, too little time’ is one of the heart-cries of the amateur family historian; there will never be an end to the subject matter, only a limit to the amount that any human being can process in a given lifetime. We’re doing our best, of course, but it can never possibly be enough.

The mystery of the missing brother; Part 2

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Back in September I promised an update including any further information that might be obtained from Teddy’s death certificate. It was a little disappointing, but such as it is I include it here.

Teddy died on 27 February 2001 in Hillingdon Hospital, Middlesex. The informant on his death certificate was a lady who gave an address in Hillingdon which turned out to be a community centre; as Teddy would have been just a month short of his 80th birthday at the time of his death, it seems reasonable to assume he was attending a day centre or a pensioners’ lunch when he was taken ill – and that either the manager of the centre or a member of staff went with him in the ambulance and was either present at the time of death or was listed in his paperwork as next of kin.

I have tried writing to this lady at the address given but – unsurprisingly – have had no reply so far.

The only further information yielded by the death certificate relates to Teddy’s address (a ground floor flat, probably Council-owned), his occupation – given as ‘Railwayman (retired)’, which is interesting – and the cause of death, which was ‘metastatic sarcoma’. It should be possible in due course to ferret out the details of Teddy’s employment as a railwayman, but other than that – unless/until his RAF service records become available – it seems as if we have reached a dead end. The only other possibility might be reaching out to a local newspaper or radio station covering the Hillingdon area, and that is certainly something we are well prepared to do when the time comes.