Thursday 7th July, 1960

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Leonard to the family (on the reverse of Table 105-continued: Cardiff, Newport, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucester, Swindon and London, and Table 131: Cardiff, Coryton, Caerphilly, Senghenydd and Rhymney):

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol,

We were very glad to hear you reached home safely on Sunday and in such good time. Hope Susan and Carol both had good journeys and enabled June to take things a bit easy. It is a fortnight ago today you arrived – how time flies. We had the best of the weather apparently for it has been very different this week. Plenty of rain and a cold strong wind which would have made things most unpleasant on the sands at Burnham or on the lawn here. At this moment (late afternoon) it is emptying down again and work outdoors impossible. We hope you enjoyed your holiday –  Mum and I certainly did and of course we were delighted to see Susan and Carol looking so well and obviously enjoying themselves. Several of the neighbours have since told us what lovely children they are. It was so quiet here for a day or two after you had gone back but I think we are more or less normal again now.

I’m sorry to say we have not had any response to the advert in the ‘Mercury’. I walked up around the hill last Sunday about 11:30 a.m. but with the long growth of grass and weeds it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. It does not look as if we shall recover the necklace now June and we are very sorry it was lost in such circumstances. On the same day (26th June) Alec Parker (one of our bell-ringers) met his wife after ringing for evening service and took a stroll around Poets Walk. They sat down on one of the seats near churchyard and as seat was very hot Mrs Parker took off her cardigan and sat on it. Whilst there Alec Parker told his wife they would walk slowly over the hill and see if they could spot the necklace of which I had just spoken about. They started off and in less than five minutes Mrs Parker realised she had left cardigan on seat so back they went but it had gone and although they retraced their steps through Salthouse Fields they could not see anybody carrying it. Loss was reported to Beach Supt. without result. The case was not to be compared with the necklace but it just shows there are some light-fingered people about. 

On Monday this week Mum and I went to library and on return – about 11 a.m. – Fire Brigade passed us  and when we turned into Tennyson Avenue the crowd were at the end of the road watching fire on the hill immediately behind Moggs’ house in exactly the same position as a fire last year which I mentioned to Alec in the week. I also noticed last Sunday on the far corner of Wains Hill (seaside corner) the shrubs and grass have been burnt to the ground for a considerable distance and understand Brigade had to turn out for this.

I filled the pond up on Monday but it leaks about half an inch per day and is now nearly down to the level of the shallow part. I’m leaving it alone for the time being to see how far it will go.

Tell Susan I am missing a young lady who last week used to open and close the front gates for me. I have to see to them myself again now. We hope you were able to get out on Monday with your friends and have a good time. It was a bit cloudy here and we had a storm or two during the day.

Had a letter from Don and I quote extract below:

“Glad you got back safely last Monday. Quite a car load. Was very pleased to see Susan and Carol once more. They are certainly fine children and growing fast.”

Put car into garage for servicing and attention on Tuesday and it is still there. Understand too small pars have to be replaced and these have to come from Bristol. Must get it out for Sunday in order to meet Geoff and family at Yatton. Hope it is fine for them the few hours they will be with us.

have been busy on garden weather permitting this week as you may imagine. mum has picked more raspberries and blackcurrants and we have sold 3 pounds raspberries to neighbours at bottom of field. had a small feed of runner beans this week but they will turn in quickly now the ground is soaked.

Well I think this is all except to say thank you both very much for such a lovely time and for the various articles including hosepipe and couplers which you gave us. So far as hose concerned before rain came to anything this week I  made good use of it.

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

Mum and Dad.

P.S.: thought June might see the funny side of the enclosed cartoon.

A visiting hovercraft

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This is really out of sequence as no doubt we will be talking about the hovercraft again when we reach the letters for 1963; however this is perhaps as good a moment as any to introduce the subject.

As the linked video shows, briefly in 1963 there was a trial hovercraft ferry service from Weston-super-Mare across the channel to Penarth. It was the very epitome of a ‘nine days’ wonder’, briefly enjoyed and then never seen again (like Costa Coffee’s Giant Jaffa Cakes … ) and it must have appeared to some people at the time almost as an hallucination. Indeed, mention it to some people these days and they look at you as if you’d lost your mind; however it did exist, and here’s some footage and some photographs to prove it.

The house in Exmouth

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Joe and Lydia’s house is described in the letters as 22 Shelly Road but is listed in more recent address books as 135 Shelly Road. They owned it right up until the time Exmouth Council decided to demolish everything in the area, and in fact they still owned it when all the other houses – most of which were made solely of wood – were in ruins around them. (Some time in the 1970s.) It’s likely that the road had been renumbered at some point, hence the change from 22 to 135; as far as I know they didn’t move from one house to another, but that’s not altogether impossible – maybe future letters will shed some light.

These pictures were taken in about 1970.

135 Shelly Road; Carol and Eva looking out of the window.
135 Shelly Road

Breakfast in the Park

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A few times in 1960/1961 Alec and June took the children to have breakfast in Pinner Memorial Park and feed the ducks – at a distance of just over three miles from home. Although described by Alec in his letters as ‘spontaneous’ or ‘spur of the moment’ these jaunts required a considerable amount of planning, in which he of course did not participate. The food had to be prepared and packed – without the use of plastic containers, which were not especially common then – and the children had to be dressed up smartly as if they were going to church. The following picture is from 1961, but will give a fairly clear idea of what was involved.

Sunday 19th June, 1960

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Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Your letter arrived on schedule for which many thanks. We have told Susan that she will be expected to help with the washing up so look out for breakages*.

Gather that June’s spree was a bit of a dry job apart from wine with meal. Could have provided that to save expense.

Susan and Carol have been told of the proposed visit, in fact they have known for some long time. I doubt if they will get really excited until things actually start moving on Thursday morning. We went out this morning early (of which more later ) and Carol wanted to know if we were off to Grandma Atkins.

Glad the Mobo toys are still there. I still get requests to see the Mobo toys every time I go to the bureau although the book has long since been torn to shreds (by them). It is a pity as I rather wanted to keep that book.

Re weather, the last few days have really been hot and enervating. It seems that the weather has changed for the better and I hope it will last for us. Since writing to you I have had an opportunity of studying a map of the whole area from London to Taunton and I find that I am going somewhat out of my way to go to Cirencester. It would have been better had I arranged to meet you on the London side of Malmesbury as I can get from Wantage to Malmesbury without actually going into Swindon. Still in case you come to meet us as you say, I will go via Cirencester and look out for you where you said. Should you not be there, and if we are not due for a halt and things progressing well, I will continue as per your A.A. point to point route and keep a sharp look out for hand signals etc.

Note your endeavours in the field, I expect we shall all get bitten. The midges usually lie in wait for us Town Dwellers.

The Grays went off on Saturday for their tour of Devon and Cornwall. I think they said their first objective was Lyme Regis. They will go along the South Coast and return via the North Coast and join the main London Road at Taunton or thereabouts.

Put the car in for servicing some days ago but all he did was to change the engine oil. There is some story attached which I will tell you when I see you. Have spent a while this week-end on car oiling odd points and cleaning. Have also rigged up the fan part of the old heater I had and connected it to fuse box. It keeps the air moving in the car which will be just the job for a long journey.

On the spur of the moment we went to Pinner Memorial Park this morning and took our breakfast with us. Of course we did not have egg and bacon** but the flakes and bread and butter and marmalade plus tea from flask went down well. There was no one about until after we had our meal.

Well we are looking forward to the trip and shall be glad to get started. As June says please do not get meal ready for us. I doubt if we shall feel much like it after journey. Love from us all till Thursday.

June, Susan, Carol and Alec

*The amount of energy and preparation devoted to a four year old child ‘helping with the washing-up’ is excessive! There is a real performative element to this: ‘Look, we are raising our daughter to be useful and domesticated so that she can attract a decent husband!’ It’s absolutely vomit-inducing!

**Oh, no, le scandal! The very thought of having breakfast in a park without access to bacon and eggs is almost too much to contemplate! If the presence of bacon and eggs at breakfast time is so important to one, then stay at home and have bacon and eggs rather than going out and then complaining about their absence. Again, this was a trait that continued in the family until very late in life when June, on being taken to Mumbles Pier, complained that it wasn’t as good as Southend Pier. Maybe not, but they are 250 miles apart; Southend Pier was not on offer that day, Mumbles Pier was, and it made better sense to evaluate it for what it *was* rather than what it *wasn’t*. Neither June nor Alec ever really seemed to learn how to live in the moment and appreciate what they had, rather than what they didn’t have. It’s a very unattractive way of looking at the world, guaranteed to breed dissatisfaction and discontent and to sour relations with anyone who couldn’t share that perpetually disappointed outlook.

Thursday 16th June, 1960

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Leonard to the family (on the reverse of Table 121 – continued: BRECON, MERTHYR, DOWLAIS and NEWPORT (Week days only) and Table 123: PONTSTICILL JUNCTION and MERTHYR (Weeks days only, second class only); and Table 125: TREHERBERT, PORTH, MERTHYR, ABERCYNON, PONTYPRIDD, CARDIFF, PENARTH, BARRY and BARRY ISLAND):

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Many thanks for both your letters received on Wednesday – glad June’s reached her safely – always a risk with loose notes. Now we are looking forward to seeing you all in a week’s time. Tell Susan that Grandma can always do with a little girl’s help to wipe up the dishes etc. so she must put in some practice. (Better break Mother’s before Grandma’s.)*

You had a nice time out June with Pauline etc. – hope you arrived home sober.

Sorry to hear about Miss Baker but I expect her age and infirmity is affecting her now. It’s the trouble with old age and there is no cure for it.

We wondered if Susan & Carol had been told of their visit to Clevedon as we know you like to keep them quiet until the actual morning of any special event. We saw the Mobo toys in full working order on Whit Monday. Mum and I had a walk round the Fair on Salthouse Fields and on a little way along the Front. The Mobo toys were in great demand and we commented that it would not be long now before Susan & Carol would have a go. The toy or rather model train** was also working and being Whit Monday it was fully loaded each trip including one or two mothers with very tiny children.

The weather here has been remarkable good in comparison with what you describe. Apart from the rain mentioned in last letter it has generally been fine except for the odd shower. Hope it keeps up now for your visit although it means me carrying water to greenhouse.

Sorry about your car number – just shows I was seeing double or nearly double during that weekend. Noted your intended route – looks as if you are avoiding main roads as far as possible. If you travel at not more than thirty m.p.h. you should make fairly good progress. Actually when we set out from here to come to Ruislip we cannot maintain the 30 m.p.h. until we have been on the road for two hours, i.e. after getting through Bristol and Bath. Be careful at Bibury – it is a lovely village but there is a sharp left hand turn over a very narrow river bridge – only one vehicle at a time I believe allowed over. I think I will make Cirencester and wait on the London side of the town near the place where it indicates Cirencester. Can then decide if to proceed to cross suspension bridge or not as I think the best move – if running over Bridge – would be to take a right turn at Yate on the Aust road and then turn towards Bristol on the main Gloucester to Bristol road. It would be much easier than trying to cross Bristol just to get to the Bridge. Alternatively we could run direct from Cirencester to Bristol via Downend and along Temple Way as mentioned in your letter***. Let’s hope it will be a nice day and that Susan and Carol will be alright.

Note your further alteration to shed and as you say this leaves the ground clear for concrete base of garage.

The broad beans may last till you arrive but it’s a bit doubtful. As you know they are past their best when the eyes are black. Today I finished the cutting of the rough grass in field or rather finished all I intend to cut. Have cut a way down to river and cleared the bank at the river end so when I’ve picked up the grass it will be possible to walk down in the dry.

We are both delighted to think you can stop until the Sunday – gives us all that couple of days extra together. I wonder how much of the place Susan will remember? I expect as soon as she sets foot inside the gate most of it will come back to her and she will soon find her way round. This time Carol will be able to run about too.

Had a card from Mr & Mrs Palmer this mornig – they are on holiday at Southsea. Mr & Mrs Aston are at Eastbourne and due back on June 25th. On the 21st of this month we shall have lived in this house for 32 years – do you remember the day we moved?

The new car at Lyng is good and most suitable for their requirements but personally I prefer a passenger carrying vehicle in its entirety – not a half and half job.

No more now. All our love to you and lots of kisses for Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad.

P.S. Thank you Susan for your lovely drawing.

*It’s almost impossible to express how revoltingly patronising I find this attitude. Not only must little girls be encouraged to help elder women around the house – because Heaven forbid that any *man* should ever do domestic chores – but the assumption is that they will be quite useless and cause a lot of breakages. Well, if you ask a (barely) four-year-old to dry up, the responsibility for any breakages is yours – not theirs.

**I’m surprised at Leonard here – and actually pretty ashamed, too. As he should have known, the railway at Clevedon was neither a toy nor a model but a proper practical miniature railway which is still – although not in its original form – in existence today.

***Again, this man is 37 years old and is assumed to need a native guide to cross a city he is thoroughly familiar with. The ridiculously patronising “I’m an adult and know everything, you’re a child and know nothing” attitude was perpetuated into the next generation; Alec could never understand that his children eventually became adults, and it’s easy to see where he got that from.

Sunday 12th June, 1960

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Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you for your letter handed into car as we were waiting to go to Ealing on Saturday morning, June writing separate note herewith enclosed. No activity in paddling pool since last letter for obvious reasons. We have had some very doubtful weather this week and very depressing with it. I suppose it has rained on every day and some of the showers have been very heavy.

Note you have had a run in the new car at Lyng. You do not say what you think about it. We can look in on Don and Joan one afternoon when we are down. It all depends on how the children react to travelling long distances by car. We can make up our minds at short notice so will leave it till we get down before making it definite.

Re route, – we shall travel via Beaconsfield, Marlow, Henley, Didcot, Harwell, Wantage and Cirencester. I had intended to proceed thence via your alternative route via Yate, Patchway and Bridge Valley Road to Ashton Bridge but if you think that is no good will go through Bristol via Eastville (Bristol Rovers Ground) Old Market, out through to Victoria Rd, turn left then right at traffic lights next beyond the station incline. After that there is nothing in it. I should certainly not come as far as Cirencester. Apart from waste of juice it will involve you getting up early whereas if you wait a little we shall be closer and you will not have so far to come. I suggest that if you want to meet us you could wait outside Bristol Rovers ground or even in Temple Meads station incline. Again the road between Old Market and Victoria St (I think it is called Temple Way) would be suitable. We do not intend to scorch as I am particularly concerned about not over­heating the engine and running dry. (This type of car has one of the smallest capacity cooling systems.)

Incidentally your memory of the registration number was not even partial. The number is G.J.O, 120. Grey. However you will decide what you will do so I will wait to hear your definite movements in your next and last before the visit. (What about going over the Bridge?)

Glad to hear that the Broad Beans are so successful. Hope you can keep some for us even if it means salting them. I expect that you will have a good assortment of veg, straight from the plot to regale us with even if Broad Beans are gone. Alter­ations to shed are only temporary job as a first stage to pulling it down. To-day between the showers I tacked a lean-to at the rear to take all the gardening implements and the children’s out­door toys. It is not finished yet but when it is, the garden tools lawn mower etc will go there and the original shed can come right down. This will make the way clear to lay down the first concrete for base of garage. None of your wine was in the effluent disposed of last week. It was all my earlier duds which had been put out into shed to see if time would improve it. It did not.

I have no contact with Gillette now so have not heard about success/failure of his Bristol interview. Should doubt whether they would want him. Stranger things than that have happened though.

Please let me know if there is anything we can bring down for you when we come. Now is the opportunity for transport. We hope the weather will change in time for our holiday as it will mean fewer trips to Sand Bay if it is going to rain like this. Re duration of visit, I am not due back until the following Monday week (after arrival) and had in mind travelling back on the Sunday morning if that is in order with you. Well will close now or will have exhausted all the news. We are all well. Had my second Polio jab on Friday – no after effects.

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

Thursday 9th June, 1960

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Leonard to the family [on the reverse of: Table 131 – continued, RHYMNEY, SENGHENYDD, CAERPHILLY, CORYTON and CARDIFF; Table 137 PONTYPOOL ROAD, CARDIFF, ABERDARE, NEATH and SWANSEA (Week days only) and Table 138 MERTHYR and HIRWAUN (Week days only – Second class only); Table 137 – continued PONTYPOOL ROAD, CARDIFF, ABERDARE, NEATH and SWANSEA (Week days only) and Table 144 SHREWSBURY, CRAVEN ARMS, BUILTH ROAD, CARMARTHEN, LLANELLY and SWANSEA (Week days only)

Dear Alec June Susan and Carol

Following up Mother’s letter posted today we hope June had a very happy birthday – it will be over for another year by the time this reaches you. Yes the cream arrangements apparently went awry at the Exmouth end. I gave very definite instructions for despatch and put dates of forwarding on both labels. Never mind – the thing that matters is that it reached you in good condition. I had certainly overlooked the fact you had a ‘fridg but of course can remember seeing it at Easter – if I saw very much at all just at that period.

What a wonderful idea to get a plastic paddling pool for Susan & Carol. I’m sure they enjoy themselves with it especially during hot spells of weather. Saw the sandpit at Lyng but did not think much of it.

Note June has been busy spring cleaning bathroom and kitchen – not a very nice job during a heatwave. It was really unbearable here last week but now we have had quite a lot of rain and these last couple of days storms with high winds. Much cooler too.

Glad June’s father and mother enjoyed the cream – expect Peter got in there as well. It was quite nice at Exmouth as I’ve already mentioned and we had another enjoyable day at Lyng on Whitsunday. In the evening Joan took us out in the new ‘Countryman’ to Jim’s new farm and to Jessie’s home at Collins [?] Barn and we finally arrived at Clevedon at 8.0 p.m. Don & Joan are anxious that we should look in on them one afternoon when you are here on holiday but no promise has been made. If you feel like it we can call them up on phone the night before.

I take it you have decided to travel via Beaconsfield – the Oxford bypass – Witney – Cirencester – Chipping Sodbury etc. I should like to meet you say at Cirencester when you will have done 80 miles exactly and another 50 to go. Cirencester is an awkward place to get through and I could wait on the London side of the town for you to arrive. I know the number of car is 230 but cannot remember the lettering. The first time we travelled home by that route we got hopelessly lost in the Patchway Filton area and always afterwards we have come straight into Downend and through Bristol. Incidentally the Bridge Valley Road route is not so good now-a-days because after coming along the Parkway a one-way street arrangement takes you back into Hotwells Road before crossing the river bridge.

Since writing the foregoing have just slipped down to Elfords with 12 lbs Broad beans @ 5d per lb to sell at 7d. This morning two of our neighbours at bottom of field had 9lbs between them at 6d per lb. This is a crop that turns in all at once otherwise we would like to continue eating them ourselves. The strawberries are a bit dry eating following the dry weather just when a good soaking of rain was needed. I watered quite a lot of stuff but could not manage strawberries as well although I notice our neighbour Heel put the hose pipe on his several nights. The runner beans are going up the sticks fast and will soon be in flower. A few people around us are also complaining of failure with parsnips but mine appear to be all right so far.

So you have altered the layout of the shed then – presumably you can now enter it from the garden side. Sorry about the wine – query any of the bottles I brought up. Have quite a little stock here for you to try and the Elder Flower wine which I sampled again the other day – am afraid it is destined for the drain but will keep it for you to taste. Shan’t make any more of that stuff. By the way there are several elder berry bushes now springing up in disused part of field and in full flower so shall be on the alert when berries ripen.

Did Gillett hear any more of the Bristol job he applied for? – a Spl B. in Freight Train section.

Am still in the throes of cutting grass in field but the rain these last couple of days has slowed things down a bit – have now cut a way through to the bottom of field which gives an idea of the progress. In places the grass must be five feet high. Have written for information re: motor scythe* but am not optimistic I can get a machine – at my price – to tackle the job.

Well it’s only a fortnight now and we too are looking forward to your visit. The trouble is a week will soon pass, but we must make the most of it** and let’s hope weather will be satisfactory.

No more now. All our love to you and lots of kisses for Susan & Carol.

Mum & Dad

*I had never heard of a motor scythe but apparently there are some of them still in existence – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQSgp_dg77Y for example.

**Since I rarely get more than an hour with my grandchildren – and that has been the case since the day they were born, with five or six hours being the maximum – I’m finding Leonard’s whining, on top of his suffocating insistence on supervising Alec’s travel plans (Alec is nearly 37 at this point), very difficult to stomach.

Sunday 5th June, 1960

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Alec to his parents:

Dear Mum and Dad

Thank you for both your letters and the cream which arrived last Monday. Glad you had a good week-end last week at Exmouth. Fancy running in to Bessie. I do not know what went wrong with your cream despatch arrangements but I thought you said ours would be despatched on Friday. June says she forgot about the buckets and spades at Clevedon. We shall be bringing the new plastic ones and the girls can play with them all. It would never do to leave them behind. Do not worry about Pyjamas etc., we can bring all we want; position not nearly so difficult as when we had to lugg it all by train.

I think I should still remember Tiverton as the parts I was used to seeing probably have not altered much. You would notice a greater difference. I can only remember going over the Bridge at West Exe South very few times.

We bought a plastic paddling pool for the children and they have been having fine fun with it. It pumps up with a car pump and looks like two large inner tubes one on top of the other. We shall be bringing it with us and they can have it on one of the lawns. We only give them about four inches of water and that involves only about six or seven gallons. They have been in it morning and afternoon on Saturday and Sunday (for short spells).

June has been spring cleaning the bathroom and kitchen this week-end. This involves washing down ceilings and walls etc. I have turned out the shed, and taken the front off to let car roll back further. Instead of bending the shed door it now bends the lawn mower.

The bungalow sounds very good, indeed. It sounds as though it would be ideal for us. Glad you were able to see Pat and John and families. Johns place sounds very good.

We had some excitement at S. Ruislip as you say, but did not go round to see it. I heard it on the South East England news. It could have been very disastrous but fortunately was not so. I gather that petrol cascaded through the roof on to the work and people below. Again fortunately it did not Ignite.

How nice to gather and eat your own cockles. I do not recall tasting any but I have had Mussels.

We learn to-day that Mr and Mrs Baker received their cream but could not think who could have sent it. They found it delicious and thank you very much for it. By the way ours was in good condition and by putting it back in the fridge after each session it kept till Thursday and was ” fresh to the last slice “. Have shoved in the runner-beans and also another lot of dwarfs.,- bought half dozen tomato plants and generally cleaned up the veg plot. My onions are growing very well and looking healthy. Parsnips are quite a success although I understand a lot of gardeners have lost theirs round here this year. The place is eaten out with black fly but I find ” Lindex ” chases them away. Trouble is that a spray is needed for greater effect. The syringa is now out in bloom and looks fine although black fly have even had a go at that. I hope your trip to-day was successful, cars on roads in the South East have beaten all records apparently. Our time of starting from here on holiday trip depends on many factors as you well know. We shall aim to get away between five and six o’clock, probably nearer six. After due consideration I think I shall go via Cirencester and Yate. It also depends on the weather and the Children as to the number of stops we need on the way. If they show any reaction, and/or if the weather is hot we shall stop more frequently and even possibly make some distinct breaks for recovery. If coldish and no troubles we may press on to get journey over. This all adds up to an unpredictable arrival. I should say you should begin to look out for us about twelve o’clock.

I remember Dittisham very well. It is a pretty place not far up the river from Dartmouth. Can also remember the “Commentator ” who filled in local colour.

No progress in the wine field. When cleaning out the shed took the opportunity to through [sic] away two or three early unsuccessful bottles. Made the place stink like a brewery.

Well that’s all for now. By the time you next write we shall be down to two weeks prior to trip. Must say we are all looking forward eagerly. Love from us all, June, Susan, Carol and Alec.

Thursday 2nd June, 1960

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Leonard to the family [on the reverse of Tables 118-119: NEWPORT, EBBW VALE, NANTYGLO and BRYNMAWR (Second class only) and 104: LONDON, SWINDON, BADMINTON, BRISTOL, NEWPORT, CARDIFF, SWANSEA, CARMARTHEN, TENBY, NEYLAND and FISHGUARD HARBOUR]:

Dear Alec June Susan & Carol

Many thanks for letter to hand on Tuesday – Mum has already replied to the one she received at Tiverton. Very sorry to hear about Stanley Baker*. I only met him at the wedding but had quite a lot to do with him in the Control days about Rolling Stock matters especially at holiday times.

Saw on TV last night you had had some excitement at South Ruislip with a Northolt plane down on Express Dairy roof – could have been another Southall tragedy.**

Yes we had a very nice weekend at Tiverton and Exmouth and weather was ideal. As Mum has told you we went out to John’s place at Chettiscombe on the Friday evening and over to Pat’s on the Saturday morning before going to Exmouth. The bungalow is quite nice and well furnished. Two double bedrooms – lounge in which is a ‘put-u-up’ which could be used as another double bed – living room, kitchen (electric & gas) and bathroom etc. Situated on what is known as the Docks but in fact is on the estuary of the river Exe and as tide was out on Sunday afternoon we went gathering cockles which Aunt Lydia cooked in the evening and they were much enjoyed for supper.

We arranged for a half pound cream to be sent each to June’s mother & Father and to you, remembering that last time we sent you some from Exmouth you said it was ‘off’ by the time you get home hence the posting on Friday this week assuming you will be home Saturday morning.

Uncle Joe & Aunt Lydia will be coming up here for a weekend 22nd July, that is as far as can be stated at the moment.

Glad you have now all got back to normal health again and hope you will keep fit for your holiday also that all the nice weather will not have left us by then. We do badly need rain now and crops already are being affected by the prolonged dry spell. We picked broad beans yesterday – very nice and lettuces are still holding out.

Mum and I are going down to Lyng on Sunday leave here about 10.0 a.m. and depart Lyng I expect after early cup of tea in afternoon. Although it will be Whitsunday the route over the Mendips will not be so heavily occupied as the main road.

When you have finally settled the route you will take from Ruislip to Clevedon please let me know and also approximate time of starting. I quite agree there will be very little about at Bourne End if you pass that way early in morning. Our next door neighbours (Heel) went to Dittisham (on River Dart) yesterday – started about 7.0 a.m. and stopping for one night only so sometime later this evening they will be back. Expect you remember Dittisham from a river trip on the Dart – it is a very pretty place.

Note position re: Work Study Dept. – not very satisfactory – but can only wait and see what happens. Expect your knowledge of work on Paddington terminal committee will have a bearing on matter. You had a nice trip last Sunday to Chessington – this is where you were doing Work Study with a private firm for a few weeks.

So Peter likes the sloe wine then – pity I did not make a larger quantity. Perhaps can have another try this season. None on hand here not but plenty of other varieties.

Have nearly finished cutting the hedges around the garden and today got the scythe out for the first effort on the rough grass – my word it was hot. A little of that goes a long way. Water carrying too is a problem. Last evening I took down 24 gallons to runner beans alone and then had quite a lot of other plants to water. Could do with a good pump to get water up from river.

The people who bought Cummings house continue to be very busy both inside and outside – somebody is there for a short while most days.

John’s place at Chettiscombe has a walled-in flower garden – shrubs and lawn – with a stream of spring water running right through the middle of it. The stream is about 4 to 5 feet across and depth of water about 1 [and a half] feet. Water is crystal clear and you can see bed of stream easily. This is the actual stream which runs through some of the streets in Tiverton. We did not see any of the folk in the shop at Bampton St***. but as Mum as mentioned ran into Aunt Bessie in Exmouth before we had been there a couple of hours – amazing isn’t it? I had just ordered the cream to be sent off and was then looking for a stationer’s shop to get the views [postcards] of Exmouth to send out before returning to bungalow.

So Susan & Carol both busy with bucket & spade. Don tells me that the people who share their house at Lyng have made a sandpit for their two young children and it keeps them busy for hours – but the tide never comes in. Anyhow we shall see this ‘contraption’ Sunday & will report further.

Well I think this is all – three weeks today and you will be with us – we are looking forward to your visit and perhaps I shall be in better condition this time.

All our love to you both and our darling little girls with lots of kisses.

Mum & Dad

*June’s Uncle Stan had died on 23 May aged 72.

**An Avro Anson made a ‘deliberate emergency landing’ on the roof of the Express Dairy building on 1 June 1960 with the pilot and co-pilot being seriously injured but the two passengers walking away unscathed. Apparently one of the passengers, a BBC cameraman, hitched a ride back to work and acquired a camera before coming back to film the aftermath of the incident for that evening’s news! (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/144469) Fascinatingly, this was not the first forced landing on top of a building in South Ruislip; it had also happened in 1946. There was also another incident with a much less successful outcome near South Ruislip station in 1942. The nearby ‘Southall tragedy‘ occurred in 1958.

***I don’t know the significance of Bampton St unless perhaps it was a monumental mason’s. A large portion of the family was in the stone quarrying business in that area; further investigation is warranted.

N.B. a previous (?) letter from Alec to his parents, presumably breaking the news of Stan Baker’s death, has only survived in part. The only way to identify it as belonging to this period is that it mentions Peter and his girlfriend arriving and drinking sloe wine. The rest of the contents are about parsnips, tomatoes, slugs, beetroot and Doug Matthews – not in order of priority – and it does not seem very sensible to include it here.