(This letter was written during Michael's recovering of an an accident with an army vehicle
during night training, and was sent to hospital in Worcester.)
12 January 1941
20 Northmoor Road, Oxford
My dearest
Mick,
It seems a long time since I wrote:
and it has been a rather dreary and busy time, with a foul east wind blowing
steadily, day after day, and the weather varying from bone-piercing cold to
grey damp chill..... I have had one amusement lately: Dr Havard took me and the
Lewis brothers out to a pub at Appleton on a snowy skiddy night last Tuesday.
J.B. had given me a little pot of snuff as a birthday present. So I brought it
out of my pocket and read out the ancient label: 'AS SUPPLIED to THEIR
MAJESTIES the KINGS of HANOVER & BELGIUM etc. the DUKE of CUMBERLAND and
the DUCHESS of KENT'. 'Will any one have any?' I said. Many homy hands of
yokels were thrust out. And several caplifting explosions followed! You had
better not tell J.B. what I did with (a small portion) of the precious Fribourg
and Treyer stuff. Major Lewis — unaware that Blackwell lives at Appleton and
that the locals were all ears – gave an amusing account of visiting Blackwell's
shop with Hugo Dyson. When he came to the point at which the assistant returned
to Hugo and said: Sorry, sir, we have no second-hand copy, but we have a new
copy (and H. replied Well, rub it on the floor and make it second-hand: it's
all the same to me), there was loud applause. Apart from this brief interlude,
life has been rather dull, and much too full of committees and legislative
business, which has kept me up late several nights. ....
Air Raid warnings are frequent here,
but (so far) remain just Warnings ... I fancy things will 'blow up' earlier
this year than last – weather permitting – and that we shall have a pretty
hectic time in every corner of this island! It is also plain that our dear old
friends the U.S.S.R. are up to some mischief. It is a pretty close race with
time. .... I don't suppose mere 'citizens' really have any knowledge of what is
going on. But plain reasoning seems to show that Hitler must attack this
country direct and v. heavily soon, and before the summer. Meanwhile the 'Daily
Worker' is cried in the streets unmolested. We shall have some lively times
after the War even if we win it as far as Germany is concerned.
God bless you, my dear son. I pray
for you constantly. Remember me. Do you want anything specially? Very much love from your Father.
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