England in 1941

English Lady Writes of War Stricken Family Life

Bainbridge News & Republican, January 9, 1941

Miss Dorothy Dickinson received the following letter from a friend, Miss Doris F. Robinson, Ferriby House, N. Ferriby, Yorkshire, England.

Dear Miss Dickinson,

The coat arrived some days before your letter and I was much puzzled as to whom could have sent it.  So when I had your letter yesterday I was greatly pleased, and even more pleased when I had read it and the delightfully kind things you say about England. We do indeed turn to America as our greatest friend, and hope that she will increasingly help us to win, as together we most certainly can.  Sometimes we have a little fear lest she will make the same mistake we made of being two slow in seeing what the menace really is, and how big an effort is needed to meet it, but I believe there are really many people like you, who understand what is happening and how urgent it is to do our utmost everywhere to get on with the war.

 

I have gotten terribly in arrears with letters to my friends over there, but since some months before the war I have been working hard in Hull as second officer in the Woman's Voluntary Services, seldom less than nine hours a day, six days a week, and often 10 or 12.  So as I have a mother of 78 and many family claims, there is not much time or energy left for writing.

 

Three brothers, two brothers-in-law and a nephew are in the Army or Air Force (all of them older or younger than the compulsory ages), and that leaves on the brother who was blinded in the last war to carry on all the family affairs.  One sister, whose husband is in the Indian Army, took her four children out to India a few months ago.  She hadn't seen her husband for over two years, and after a fortnight he was ordered "overseas," and she had to leave again and take them all to Australia!

 

The other sister, who had broken up a home and followed her husband to China, only to evacuate three months later, with small children, because of the Chinese War, two years ago--has now had to give up a second home and will be coming to us here.

 

We have an Army officer and his wife, an Air Force officer, and a Land Army girl billeted with us--So home life is very odd--but, we all get on happily together when we meet, which isn't very often as we all keep such differing hours.

 

Our district has so far been relatively lucky about bombing--we've had some of course, and I had one narrow escape.  Part of our work in Hull is to deal with distress after raids, and I have been in many damaged houses and dealt with a lot of the people concerned, opening special offices the morning after a raid to arrange, with various city official, for rehousing or billeting, moving furniture and giving whatever urgent help is necessary.

 

Your coat will go to one of these people--it is a splendid one and will be an immense comfort to somebody.  I am keeping it in my wardrobe till the next raid so that it doesn't risk careless storage--though we always take as much care as possible of the gifts we are lucky enough to receive.  We have had some excellent things from the American Red Cross--received with much gratitude.

 

I had a night in London last week and in the districts I saw the damage did not seem so bad as I was prepared to find it.  It is bad, in places, certainly--and I was not by any means in the most heavily hit areas.  It was a nuisance to have one's business interrupted by various special warnings and consequent retirement to shelters--but we had one of their rare quiet nights.  People seem to stand it all wonderfully well.

 

When one has responsibilities for giving help in raids, it is of course, difficult to keep in the necessary state of readiness without living in a state of tension which would be too wearing--but when a thing had to be done, one finds a way of doing it.

 

Now I must really end this letter--I didn't mean to make it so long--but I was so grateful to you that I have wandered into all this personal story!  Thank you so much--and with all good wishes I am

 

Very Sincerely yours,

Doris F. Robinson