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These letters were submitted to the People's War site by Michelle Bullivant on behalf of Joan Punter and have been added to the site with the owner and family permission. The owner fully undersatand the terms and conditions.

These letters belong to my auant Joan Punter ( nee Toller ) and were given to me to copy onto this site. These contain interesting home front information and political views of the war. They were written by my Great Aunt Marie to her husband George Cruden. ( both now deceased. )

In several of these letter Marie refers to George as Peter Precious- as she was a Catholic from Ireland and didn't want to introduce him to her family as George ( the English kings name ) she called him Peter.

Wednesday Nov 15/1944 [written from Nottingham]

My Dearest x
I forgot to mention yesterday not to worry about a wrist watch strap as I got one on Saturday at Boots for 1/9. Its another like the leather one you got me at Cambridge- so if this wears as well it will be OK- because it鈥檚 the cheapest I鈥檝e seen, anyway. I had a letter from mother this morning- & she tells me Con is expecting again.. Well I hope the jag in your hand has healed up alright- I always remembered to ask, as soon as I had posted your letter!!! Barbara is not coming to Nottingham after all with Nicolas- so they are a bit disappointed about it. Isn鈥檛 the weather awful- nothing but rain- & now its so cold with it. Had a letter from the old boss yesterday- he seems to be Ok in health but seems to have trouble with an ill-fitting artificial limb. The paratroops are all clearing out from W.P. now, so expect theres something due. We hear the Hall is to be an Officers Convalescent place. Well darling, I don鈥檛 seem to have much to say- but hope you are OK & things are going will with you. All my love as always your Own loving wiff xxx Marie xxx

Monday ( whit ) May 21/1945 letter 3 [Cambridge]
My dearest & Best x
Have taken Cons letters to the hospital this am, & we鈥檝e just had our dinner- was going to take the kids on the rec: but its turning with rain again- proper thunder showers- so thought I鈥檇 write a few lines. We had a nice time together last night. Plenty to drink & they all got merry; old Ivy is a scream when she has had a few- she kept us in fits- & on top of that she goes home in the middle of it all, comes back with a basin of what looked like beaten eggs- plus the egg beater, & made us all beat it up like juice & when we all wanted to know what it was in aid of, she told us it was egg flip! 4 eggs, gin, brandy & port- & my goodness 鈥� it was lovely!! Wish you could have some- Arthur made me laugh to kill myself!! His soppy grin & then he says- drunken rabble- take 鈥榚m away- bring me dancing girls- then she started doing the can-can with the egg beater as castanets- I thought I should have collapsed! It was damn funny- but it bucked mother up no end- I鈥檓 going back tomorrow afternoon, as I have an appointment for my hair Wed: morning, so must get back. I wanted mum to come to the pictures but she didn鈥檛 feel up to it and said with this bronchitis she dare not go far- & as the sun has come out we鈥檙e off to the Rec! Cheerio my love, they鈥檙e waiting, Aunt Phobe has called & sends her love to you all my love, as always your Own loving wife Marie xxx

Leter21. April 26th 1945 138 Harrow Road Wollaton Park Nottingham

My dearest Precious, x,
I鈥檓 typing these few lines. I can鈥檛 seem to sandwich time in during the day to write to you, and I find this is quicker. I鈥檓 answering two letters in this one, one of them from you in the 鈥渂lue envelope鈥� and the other written on Salvation Army paper. It is only natural you鈥檇 lose track of what letters are about because of the long transit, yours taking four days to reach me, and I expect mine to you take about a couple of days- but getting my replies in their sequence, I think you鈥檒l find I comment on most things you write about. Anyway, I鈥檓 answering the blue envelope one now first. I only get the chocolate once a month, so I can鈥檛 send you much in any case, and I send it in case you don鈥檛 get a change of diet much, or feel like a nibble when you are out for a stroll. I only like milk chocolate really like those Cadbury鈥檚 you used to give me, so my sending the plain chocolate is not really generosity is it? You would have liked the shawl I sent Con it was a nice one only a few pence short of 9/- - and she certainly seemed pleased with it. No I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 paying a good bit of I.T, on the 212 pound a year, as it works out at about 6 pound on the year- but that is actually up to date, although I suppose I shall shortly be receiving a new Code Form, and hope the number wont be changed. Well. I put 10 pound in the P.O. just before Easter, and now saving for my holidays, which I shall make the last big splash for the year. Anyway, going down to Gidd will no involve a lot of extra spending, not in the drink line anyway, because they only indulge in one, and then only shandy or cyder- but of course with Ann being there now, it may have even altered that habit. D.V. I鈥檒l try and get to Buckfast again, if the buses run there- the last time I was in Paignton, there were no long distant buses, but rumour has it there are many more cars to be put on the road- by more petrol becoming available.. Then I can keep a little spare cash handy for inclusion in the old tin box. By the way dear, while I guessed perfume would be expensive, I had no idea when I asked you to get some that it was so dear as it is- better cut that lark out anyway, as I reckon it left you pretty broke after that purchase. If you鈥檝e got to pay tax, well, I guess it鈥檚 better to wait until you get home again, because after all they will surely allow you to come home with as much stuff as 鈥� presents鈥� I see that you are due for your 48hours in Paris from to-day, so hope you will have a nice trip, but don鈥檛 run into any more trouble with yanks and revolters and things, will you? No, in your reply to your letter of the 19th written in the S.Army- I鈥檓 glad you got the other cigarettes. I intend to send them all service rates duty free, but what with the Cooks lot not arriving, and possibly being stolen ( which they nearly were ) I sent you a big batch to start you off. Then mother got worried too in case you hadn鈥檛 any fags, so that was her contribution- sent you in the towel. You should be getting another 200 Churchmans in the course of the next week, and that will be the last lot I have ordered for you, so when you get them everything will be in order, and you will be set up for a little while in smokes. Don鈥檛 worry about soap- if you want some, tell me, and I鈥檒l send you a tablet. The position as regards soap is this. There are four points allowed on the ration book for soap washing powders, etc. Mrs Wilde takes two for doing my washing, and I take the other two for soap, which is two for a big bar and/or 1 each for two smaller ones. With the soap you kindly collected for me when at Kettering, it put me 鈥渋nto fund鈥� therefore I can easily spare you a bar each month from my current allowance. See?? So don鈥檛 forget to ask for it, love. By the way have you any use for soap flakes IF I can get hold of any for my ration? Will it help any, because I can soon find a tin to pack some into! I鈥檓 going to crochet myself some gloves in fine white string- I have seen some, and examined them, and am sure I could make a pair if I tried Don鈥檛 write to Rotherhams- love. Yes, it鈥檚 a fact that the German prisoners are getting the same food ration as our fighting men- I can鈥檛 think what the heck our authorities are about what with trying to feed Europe, our armies and navies, etc, this lot of islands seems to be a well of everything but there鈥檚 such an outcry about it that I think that are 鈥渢hinking鈥� about lowering it. Well for my part I鈥檇 swop my job any day at the present time for the lot of the prisoners in Wollaton Park- this lovely sunny weather, in beautiful surroundings, and no work to do but just laze around- its scandalous. We will be sending back to Germany a few thousands of full healthy men, while our own boys coming back are diseased and half starved- we鈥檝e had the gloves on too long, and the terrible things which are coming to light in these Concentration camps beats even the wildest imagination- talk about Jules Verne in the 20th century it鈥檚 fantastic- the swine they are- they should have the life as a nation crushed out of them for centuries, and never be allowed to rise again after such fiendish treatment of those under them. I only hope they鈥檒l get the gang of them, and shoot them without mercy- they should not be allowed a fair trial, but just a drumhead trail, and shoot summarily, I had a letter from mother yesterday. She says they all enjoyed themselves at Joan鈥檚 party, and also mentioned that Arthur was going home this weekend, and having another birthday party; I somehow thought that he wouldn't let that occasion pass without having another 鈥渄o鈥�, in spite of the fact that Vi鈥檚 birthday and his were to be celebrated jointly. Mother also mentioned that Mrs Bavister died a week aho to-day and was cremated at Huntingdon on Saturday. I expect she will be telling you in her letter. I鈥檓 sorry I didn鈥檛 go across to see the poor thing at Easter- although Mother mentioned that she didn鈥檛 think then she was long for this world. Well springcleaning is now finished, and of course everywhere looks spick and span- but Mrs Wilde got a letter from her sister yesterday saying that she could not say when she would come, as her husband was still to unwell to travel. Mrs Wilde said that she wasn鈥檛 going to be messed about, as if there was a chance of getting away while I was on holiday, she wanted to have a change. Well, seeing that she hasn鈥檛 had a holiday since we鈥檝e been up here, I guess she needs it. So she鈥檚 written off to Worthing Town Hall to get some addresses where she is likely to stay. Well, don鈥檛 you think this incident is a bit of darned sauce on Guy鈥檚 part. When she went home , she had the last lot of her luggage sent home through the Firm by passenger train. Well, on the day she left Beale didn鈥檛 know the cost, so she said well, I would pay what was due and settle with me. Well, it came to five bob, so I paid up and looked big, and blow me she鈥檚 been gone a month, and never sent me the cash!!!!!!! I honestly didn鈥檛 think she鈥檇 serve me like that- whether I want it or not at once, it鈥檚 a matter of principle I think. Mrs Wilde had to write and ask herto return the street door key, which she did in a registered envelope, but never put my five bob in it too and got out of that debt!!! I should have thought her thrifty mind would have worked that out before hand, and so saved poundage on the P.O. WHEN she deigns to send it to me. I think it鈥檚 the best bit of sauce I鈥檝e had for years- because if she was hard up, I wouldn鈥檛 think any more about it until she could manage to pay, but being the mean thing she is, it鈥檚 made me really downright wild. After the rain we鈥檝e had it鈥檚 turned very cold but I hope that it will be warmer on Saturday when I am selling flags. Jerry sounds as though he鈥檚 鈥渃opping a packet鈥� in Berlin jut now- what a hell of a place it must be- but serve them right, every inch of the way- the Russians will take their gloves off, and hold no brief and give them everything they鈥檝e got, - but they are so sadistic they鈥檒l die in the resistance of such an onslaught. Glad to say I鈥檓 feeling much better again now, that pain in my hip has gone away, and I鈥檓 sleeping better. I hope you continue to keep alright dear. Take care of yourself won鈥檛 you? Bill Cox has been in the house this week , paid for my lunch one day, and comes and sits besides me every other day he鈥檚 here. He hoped I didn鈥檛 mind, but he was on his own, and so鈥� someone said we looked nice walking down together in Houndsgate, and the others in the office tell me they won鈥檛 split to you!!!!!! Well, my love , I think I鈥檝e said all I can think about just now, so will get this posted to you, and hope you have a nice leave. Would be nice if I could hop over to see you wouldn鈥檛 it- or better still if you could hop over鈥檈re! Never mind, heres looking forward to July. All my love and thoughts, dear, ever and always, your own loving, MARIE x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

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