Authors

Mary Metcalfe

Document Type

Personal Letter

Transcription

[Transcription begins]

April 10, 1944

Dearest Mommie,

When I wrote you the other day I forgot to answer some of your questions. Surely you have seen E.T.O. in the newspapers. This mean European Theatre of Operations.

Leslie did not live with us at the Drumneil (or Drumboogie as we always called it to tease the Andrews). We also named Andrew, the Earl of Drumboogie. Anyway to get on with the point, Leslie had a room in some older womans house not very far away down facing the water. I was only supposed to have my room for a few days, but there was no other place to go that would have been as convenient, + we were always having such a hilarious time with the Andrews so they let me prolong my stay on + on.

My hands are entirely back to normal again. My ring goes on easily over my knuckle. All of our knuckles were swollen. They couldn’t help but be, since we worked in the bitter cold + wind + had our hands in water all the time.

I don’t think I told you that I received such a nice note the other day from Jane Atwood’s friend. I can’t make out his last name + I can’t find Jane Culver’s letter telling me his name. It is either Tom Waterlaw, Waterlas, or Waterloo. He said he + his wife would like to have me come see them or meet them in London, or he comes up here from time to time + they have many friends in this country who would be pleased to see me. Wasn’t that nice of him to write such a nice note.

The part of my letter you didn’t get was just explaining about Mrs. Chivvis.

In that article of Virginia Irwin’s, we thought it was very funny where it said it is an honor to be chosen for these operations. If you are needed, they send you + that’s all there is to it. We wear our battle dress while working as you could probably tell from the picture.

Leslie came back from London today + she says that Bibby + I should be called in soon for the five day driving course as we are definitely to be together and the new GMC Clubmobiles should be ready before too long.

(She started a new page on paper with the American Red Cross letterhead.)

That’s the last page of that air mail stationery.

I had forgotten about that little family group on the post card which Tantie unearthed + Jane sent to me. We are a bedraggled looking bunch except for Daddy.

You seemed to enjoy the expressions Mrs. Andrews + others over here use. One day we came in + Mrs. Andrews called out to us “Hooey.” You can imagine the gales of laughter we went into when she told us this a greeting meaning “How are you.” Another one they taught is if anything is “buckshe” or “on the nod” (pronounced naud), it is free or on the house. Instead of thank you they always say “ta”, + of course “aye” for yes.

Bibby took Andrew to the enlisted men’s mess at the base one day + they had steak. Andrew said it was “chaugh.” When Bibby said “What do you mean it’s “chaugh”?” he explained that that means tough. (Did I ever ask you for some yellow string or knit gloves with a matching scarf if possible.) Yellow would be very pretty with the blue of my new uniform + coat. If you see anything that you think would be right I should like to have them, otherwise don’t bother.

What picture was that of me in the Globe? Was it one of the Harris + Ewing pictures?

Some more things I thought of which are different. If you want a dessert over here, you ask for a sweet. Then you don’t go to the drug store for almost anything as we do. You go to the Chemists for drugs, + to the Tobacconist for cigarettes or cigars etc. I can’t think of anything else unusual at the moment.

How does everyone like the new decorations in the apt. I love hearing about all you are doing like going to Mrs. Smith’s + having Aunt Mary + Liz for dinner. Tell all of them hello for me. What has Mrs. Crawford heard from Jinny? Does Liz know where Bud has been sent?

Give my love to May. What has she heard from Joe?

Have the children made any startling clever remarks lately? I love to hear about all these things.

Good-bye for now – lots + lots of love to you and everyone.

Chichi

[Transcription ends]

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