1941-02-15 — Page 13

Dear Jane

I

Saturday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

February 15, 1941.

If Only Hitler Could Read This Girl's

HIS letter was written by Daphne Bayliss, who lives in Surrey, the outskirts of London,

to her cousin at Binnum, South Australia. Here is an Eng lish girl, not yet eighteen, who did not set out to write about the greatness of the English people, or to describe their ordeal, but simply to give a far-off cousin a picture of how she and her family are living through these formidable times.

She runs on, in schoolgirl fashion, interrupted only by the sounding of the sirens, quite unconscious of writing any-

62 Chadacre Road,

Ewell,

Surrey

land

Letter

thing out of the ordinary, and yet, because of that, achieving what even gifted writers have failed to achieve. Through her letter shines all those qualities which the world admires so deeply in the people of whom she writes-their endurance and courage and above all, their humour and cheerfulness, which are proof against any adversity. Needless to say, she never dreamed that her letter would be published, and it is given" here just as she wrote it.

"Lots Of. Soldiers"

"No Water"

!

***

89 balloons they have "Canada" written on their

I expect you are wondering have like silver rausages floating around, trullan and New Zealant men be the as was going to be cut off from He

huge henge of earth, and there are before 7. We have to binck-out just go one week in the mornings from back it was teu-lime. By the time eraters there, too. Up to Friday, 14 before 6 now, and last night the siren 845 to 12.45 and then the next week we hnd blacked-out and got the chil bomby had been dropped there. It went at 25 past 0. Alummy won't let in the afternoons from 2 o'clock till dren to bed, the siren had gone, and WH3 good job they were there and us have the wireless on, except for 5 o'clock. The week after next we that was the end of all our peace for not on us! It has spoiled the park the news, because she likes to hear are going to stay all day for the shel- the night. It was one of the loudest though. At night there are Home what is happening. The evenings ters have been made bigger. Then nights we have had for a very long A Merry Christmas and a Happy Guard men patrolling it armed with are inost gloomy as a consequence, we will e from 9.30 till 12.30 and time. Once we heard a screaming We do shorthand and bomb. It sounded like about 20 ex- New Year, I don't suppose thut rifles and most dangerous looking and no one ever comes now, for the from 2 to 4.

typing and spelling. My spelling press trains going Into a tunnel, and

30

having Mais will reach you until the end of eyes. I feel Fener sorry for the bringe starts almost at once.

people

hysteries. We simply dreadful. I never could spell about who is silly enough January an I think the letters had

at school and it hasn't improved all dived on to the floor, and Muminy to go in September to reach Aus- there!

All the same, trail for Christmas.

The London parks have been dug WE have lots of Canadian soldiers since I think I shall be going for went under the table. The explosien

WUR tremendous. We here. As their battle dress is a job in the New Year.

several bombs dropped in the park, hope you will have a peaceful one, up, and there are barrage halloons

A little just the same as our own soldiers,

and at least you won't be spending it hi and A.A. guns there, too,

the main road. We heard someone say that .an fald shelter as we probably while ago we counted

air

from our back garden. They

Jook shoulder straps. We often see Auts- AST Saturday the wardens came people running, shall!

he was knocked down. Later We L4 at half-past six and told us that heart people knocking glass out of ones who and foo, but they seem to be the

All our lights were We are quite all Sometimes they break louse, are getting on. right at the present in spite of com- then a plane toes after it and tries have friends here, and I think we see inidnight until nirtday Monday. We the windows,

the same ones each tim, because we have gus for rooking and we haven't broken, and the kitchen, windows We spent most of tinual air raids, and there are such to shoot it down.

never see them marching like we do got any other way to cook, so we were blown open. a lot of houses near here it will just "It Was A jerry" the Canadians. We never see be very bad luck if our happens to THE other evening we had just in- lorries either. The Caplan ones plates to cook the bacq foy in the house.

their

had to boil the kettles and cook the the evening under the stairs and the on the fire, and it was hope- table. Hardly a praceful Sunday We all wish we were in Aus-

for evening! Still, we are still here, and tralia with you.

ished tea when we heard gunfire have big maple leaves on the mud- ies We have almost

We went into the guards. They arrawl reimarks, breakfast.

To-day a water mam was hit when This letter has been typed_in_in- wondering if the sirens are garden und saw a plane in the dis- usually rude onen, aerom the wind-

dropped this morning and stalments. I've got to go and make It was a Jerry, and there was screens, too. going off at any noment, or to be tanet.

When we go into Epson or any of paine just after lunch a date pudding now, Later, The blc

We a thick line of black smoke coming to go without gan maz.k. have never had to use

the A.A. the other bigger towns we see lots of and said that water would be eut off pudding has been made, and Mummy the hetrid from it. We could see shells breaking round it,

we soldiers. Here we only see the ones and things and I don't suppose we ever watched it out of sight.

Who are coming home on leave. and initely. We have Alled the bath has gone to see if there is any dam- and all the kettles, saucepans and age to be found. Primrose has found shall, but it is best to be prepared, and Inter might rei. simply boiling In a few minutes some Spititres who are visiting their people. We jugs, but it it is off for long we shan't two of our tiles in the garden and mad with 4 and decide to give us came up and went off to look for it. see more R.A.F. chaps than anyone, know what to do. No one anywhere a lot more have heen chipped.

we see will have any water. Last winter ull gas. It must annoy him when he After a bit we saw the plane again, though, and some times

WC

furt it is like 10 RO out in the listance.

the

need we aren't all pante-stricken. In leaps of people were on the road sailors. They look funny without the pipes round here froze up and fact, most people have. #ven up worrying about raids now. Cone never went out during one we would hardly go out at all.

We all

sleep downstale's paw. Mummy, Primrose, Philip and i in stairs, our dining-room under the

and Dadily in the front room beside the fireplace. We haven't Kol sheller 311 the garden like most people because they will be fearfully cold in the winter and Mummy hus The nights a fear of being trapped. are usually worse than the duys. Somehow it doesn't matter even if bombs are dropped in the day time, but at night it would be so horribly dark if we did have to leave the house in a hurry--it would be most unpleasant.

"House Shook'

AST night we heard quite a lot of swishings and once the whole house shook for nearly three nin- utes. It was a very queer feeling-- the floor

the chairs quivered and moved. We don't know where the borabs dropped, but there must have boen at least six. It is rather hard to tell which are guns and which are bombs, as there are lots of guns all round us. Some of them make the _most_extraordinary noises, too.

A vivid an unusual picture of a London firefighter attacking a blaze in the West End caused by Nazi Incendiary bombs. Dombs were falling as the picture was taken, and the explosiers of

heavy-calibre missiles caused the Areman's ladder to "shiver."

foot of ours was wears the bomb which must have been:

broken, too. We were very lucky. httle while ale i had been to come.

back from the road than most and

cloud of smoke going up,

"It Was Beastly"

on fire. We went into the gorden and heard the James crackling.

A

bus tra

pictures and was waiting for my to come when there was a a peet-

were

to

"Queer Christmas"

CHRISTMAS will be very queer

this year. None of the aunts will come because it will be dark by 4. and they won't be able to get home again, and there is no room here for them to stay the night. We shall be able to have an leed Christmas cake, though. Mummy has got some leing sugar saved up, and we shall use that, as we can't spare our sugar ration to buy leing sugar. We shall have to have plain birthday cakes instead

10

of iced ones to make up for it. I don't expect that we shall have a turkey either as they will be awfully expensive.

I go to the pictures quite a fot. We have severn) cinemas quite near. lt inust be strange to live a long way away from even shops. I don't think that there is anywhere in England where you can get very for away from shops and cinemas. Even In Cornwall the tiny villages seem to have their own cinemas. Ewell is called a village, and when we come here it really was one. Now there are rows of houses where we

we used go for walks. The little old shopy have been pulled

down

wn and big new ones built. Last Saturday a bomb dropped on row of

of ald cottages which were built in 1723. They wil all have to be pulled down, and, I suppose, they will build horrid new

their red ones in

place.

flores,

р heard wa

We just c the concre

I grazed fully co

ort

is the

k, and we could feel

"Can't Come"

Overseas.

About a fortnight we hh:

nt the very ind raid when a road

yelling instructions to the

guns, anything on the band of their caps, burat. We were the only people in Dad's office was dive-bombed almost rompletely

about

five Most of them have just a plain the road whose pipes were all right; Friday. They never had any warn- demolished, We

Some have HM.S. Mine and all day we had a procession of screaming over the house and several miles away! Fin sure we could have II.M.S. times thought that we had been hit brought it down quicker than they sweeper or H.M.S. Submarine. If people coming for water, but now ing, and none of them were in the just flung themselves shelters. They did!

didn't see it come down, you or amcle know any of the Aus- we are all in the same hole. We

Well, Once the Wardens thought that we but we heard later that it did. We tralians who have come to England, we do see life!

on to the toor and hoped for the beat. had got a time bomb in

in the garden.

He is getting very good at flinging Philip will be pleased, 100: We himself down. One day inst werk and Mummy grabbed all her things te quite a lot of donights over us, we would always welcome them here.

Once

we saw a plane coming down We seem to have plenty of ten, in won't always be pulling him off, to p

standing in case we had to get out. We had a lanes and then we saw two little spite of rationing, and if they don't the bath-ropm to

Werc WP

in the garden be washed! We

watching the tracer bullets in lot of plaster down and some of the

Care know anyone, they might parachutes calling down to earth.

tight floor boards in the children's room

be worse off too. Auntie Lil de

sky.

planes were dropping hasn't had any gas in her fat for over fares..

and there was a huge fire were tom up. Our ball light was

London way. Bun I want to join the Women's Auxi- six weeks and she depends on gas over to though, because our house is further liar noise. The All Clear had just liary Air Force, I shall be 10 in for everything. She has no coal fires thing 39. quiet when we heard a wn. The next thing we le scream of the bomb. so it is sheltered by the houses one after quite a noisy raid, and April, and I don't see why I shouldn't, and she can't even make a cup of plane

there

hraps of people about. Mummy says that I mustn't. She en, so she just went away. elther side.

"Quite A Mess"

ised where we stood on A German Bghter plane came into thinks I shall be much belier in on

It was jolly hard and Nearly all the houses had their view above the houses at the far end ordinary job, which I wouldn't lose

ONDON is in quite a mess. This

my lights broken (the third siren this of the town and then it came diving at the end of the wint Met the time last year I went up with and ruined stockings. The bomb hands murning is just going and it is only down. A Canadian who was stand. It doesn't seem like doing so at the Daddy, and I bought a now winter fell in the half-past eleven), and a lot had their ing in the road shrieked out, "Lie moment.

coat. I got it at a very big shop the earth sing! We are not so doors blown open. In the road that down!" and hair the people flopped us is four hours later. I had to called John Lewk. Now John Lewis keen to go and see the fracer was hit there are about thirly hours on to their tummies where they stood. get unch and then I did some isn't there except for four walls bullets now!

2211 and everyone is uninhabitable. We The other half, including me, leapt could hear the people calling for help, and we could see a tremendous in the nearest doorway, I had no knitting. I want to make gloves for which are in danger of falling into my friends,, but I never do much be- the street, Lots of other shops in iden that I could jump ro far! could hear the machine-guns going, case, once I get hold of a book, I Oxford street and Bond street and Regent street have been hit. St but it was gone, in a second and two forget about everything else. I love ul's Cathedral looks horrible from NCLE DUDLEY is In Die RAF.

reading, and have got over two

gone now, and has Spitfires were after it. No one was hundred books of my own. It will the inside. There is a blet in That might be anywhere from FEW nights later some incen- killed and no one was badly hurt, be awful if they get bombed! We the roof and where the diary bombs were dropped in can do without so much excitement, have had two more raids since lunch, there is a

wood Canada to Palestine or Aden to Aus- the next road and they set six houses though,

a heap of stor

tralia. We had letier written from and I think that the siren will go

London is off Considering how "Screaming Down"

nawful lot of him, "Somewhere at sea," but that any minute now. There are lots of they haven't don

he'll not knit as much as we must land up in Australia and see you. duesn't

say much, Perhaps was beastly. The whole place we rus morning the All Clear went means that we shall get one. It

planes about, and that generallying to their buildings in

be it op for inlles, and about three hours later some more planes corse at ten past seven and the next Ferfect day, from the Germon point precious cities. Even Buckingham I wish Untie Dennis would Join the over and dropped some oil bombs in stren at ten to eight. I was on my of view, It is dull and misty and Palace looks rather a mess, although Navy or the RAF and come over

here. It

seems to be the only way the same place. The oil bombs are way to church them, but although very cold. We have a huge fire, and it has been cleared up now. I jolly that we shall see any of you. very smelly and they do an awful there was quite a lot of gunfire in Mummy very cheerfully says it will well hope we are blowing Hitler's it Daddy and I could get exit per- come to Australia to you, we lot of damage even if they don't the distance no one worried muck, have to get much colder before it home sky high. I expect he spends mits

we gets any warmer. Nothing like hen ayful lot of time in his air raid wouldn't like to come now, with the start a fire beenise the, oil gets all The All Clear hadn't gone und ut in cheerful?

shelter. over the road and, if it is a house, came out, bul there was no

possibility of being torpedoed on the ver the furniture

alone and simply ali

Philip is perfectly sweet, but he way. Mummy couldn't go on the way home except for a I go to a secretarial college now. ruing

and I can't II.

few planes.

us silly. He's the the babies, and' nes. We had breakfast the All Inst winter I went to evening nearly drives There has been quite a lot of dam- some as usual and I was In the classes. Ever since the spring I have naughtiest and most disobedient child come because we are

land h

better wish you many happy age done in other parts of Ewell, too, middle of a large and very mar- had to be at home, as Mummy was that was ever born. (The sirens are

ill. It was fun running the house, going again). The other day he returns, as well as Merry Christ-

to censored lost on getting: and, once you use the railon skipping rope. We have had to stick way. It won't arrive for months. We have a big park at the end of sereurning town. None of them feil up, you have to wait till next week, have been so many windows broken get blown up by anyone. You'!!

a piece

of paper, over it for therd I hope you stay all right and don't the Harden no

and it is a lovely place, in the read, although the thought each The only thing we have really had

Christmas anyway. We big house in middle one going to hit us. The win- getting golden treacle, one can get which Stenry VII built ter Able dows in fine dining-room bent vul- We haven't fuck any since the war them with, Lie in beginning to talk are all militing freezing now. In our Boleyn. I expect I shall..

(I was wards like a bow, and then came began, and so we can't have suet

we were afraid he would early this year. dive under the atoirs in n thement,

quite all right, though. We think kinds of eggs though. There never begin. Now he never stopst Give my love to Auntie, Uncle, for the planes seem to be very near, that it was a plane that was being has been indre giher day Mum-gians and bangs and bad planes. He

And have Mo but I dived before I could type It. chased by some of ours, and just been rationed. The There were several terrife crashes chucked liis bonibs over. He might my bought some and they had ilun- always known the sirens and Daddy saw a cloud of smoke go- have chucked them somewhere her old they were. We are getting quite whenever it went. He hated being F.B-We have a 30-gallon water

elsel garian on them. We wondered how hates them. At first he screamed ing up across the way, everything

We

like our breakfast in peace! shook and some of the pictures have All Clear went at 10 o'clock. The used to having Chile or Uruguay on brought in from the garden and be- barrel in the garden which everyone gone crooked, so suppose they were second Firen went at 20 past 10, and them. We get quite a lot of South Ing put into his pram. Now he has forgot about, so we gave Trimrose homba),

the All Clear at 11. The third All African ones and Canadian end Te no back to the park. Before Clear is just polny, and it la 12.15. they Anund better than once, but got used to it.

Hungariant

"Peaceful Evening" "Be- cloases.

were going to get out of them for the war we used to go for plenies I suppose we shall get at least three I go each day to my there, now It has been dug up so more before dark.

Monday Morning.—I couldn't finish once. cause of the raids the education

P.P.8.—This seems to be all sir that "Nazi planes can't land. Wher- Now tint the evenings are getting authorities wouldn't allow more than this yesterday. because I had to go to ever you go there are trenches and dark so early, the evening siren goes twenty people to go at a time, so we the post for Mummy, and when I got ralds and nothing else.

all

Over

can't think unless they are trying for a 'terrifle crash outside

We new, into the

the window. olher

room, and

Even

with

"Daday o

old!!

Why they drop the tombs here we molady slice of toast wheit there was but an awful bother with radioning, broke one of our windows bỳ bang, mas, If this letter vor ala tho railway ines, and if they are we we went we could hear the bone" We get quite a lot, but I keep on for- ing it with the handic of Primrose's without being

they are folly rotten shots.

out.

hny

to

mand

have

UT

you

the.

going to say 1 expect I shall have txuk with a twangy noise. They ing and treacle. We have some inking now. He was so slow at warnest riolhes. It has got cold very

Most of his conversation in about Timothy and Richard.

Lots of love and a Merry Christ- and The mas, from,

Daphne

and Philip baths last night. - They were furious! They thought ther

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