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7th March 1988

Dear David,

I hope you will excuse any mistakes in this letter. I have special fame for writing letters and have to trust to luck that the finished product is legible.

I can fill in a couple of details that may or may not be interesting. My mother had a sister and a brother not entered in the table you sent. Her eldest sister was named Millie! We all called her Mickie. Her husbands name was Dove. I can’t remember his Christian name. They lived in Albert Rd, Peckham, late re-named Consort Rd. They had a son and a daughter seven or eight years older than me. She also had a younger brother, Fred. Fred’s wife was named Alice and they had a large family. At the time of mother’s death (1930), they lived in Roman Rd, West Norwood S.E, not far from Crystal Palace. He was in the printing trade and not very popular with the rest of the family. Your father couldn’t stand him or her.

My mother had two maiden aunts, Emily and Charlotte (Sloman). According to the papers you sent, they lived in Benhill Rd, Camberwell, but I always thought they lived in Chadwick Rd, a short distance away. I remember Great Aunt Emily coming to tea occasionally on a Sunday afternoon, a little old lady dressed in black with a black bonnet perched on top of her head. We kids had to be on out best behaviour and all nicely scrubbed. Dear Aunt Emily was very fond of shrimps and it was my job to have them nicely skinned for her, as her eyesight wasn’t too good. Emily and Charlotte died about 1921 or 1922. Their estate was shared out and I remember mother coming into the princely sum of about £500, which was quite useful amount then. I can remember accompanying her to Barclays Bank to cash cheques, as a bodyguard. Good job mugging hadn’t been invented then.

I don’t know if my own life has been terribly exciting. I was born on 4th May 1911 at Reedham St, Peckham and shortly afterwards we moved to Bidwell St, where Bernard was born. We moved to Harders Rd on 13th Feb 1915, which if you are interested, was a cold, dry Friday. Well all went to Woods Rd School, with varying degrees of success. I went to Wilsons Grammar School in 1922, where I matriculated in 1926 and left to make my fortune in 1927. I went to work for a firm in Great Eastern St but couldn’t get very far. Then in 1934, I went for training with the PDSA. In 1937 I married Dorothy and we lived and worked in various parts of the country, Chatham, London, Liverpool, Southport and Maidstone.

I was called up in 1941, in the Royal Artillery, where eventually rose to the dizzy heights of Bombardier. My job was a signaller and driver/operator, and I spent the first three years crawling through every ditch, bog and mountain in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. I got my feet wet on the Normandy Beaches and finished up in Germany without a scratch. After 5 years, one week and one day, they sent me home.

My boy, Brian, was born on 11th May 1941, at Maidstone. I was on leave that night and Hitler decided to set fire to London. The West Kent Maternity Ward had been moved to the cricket pavilion in the park. I had the job of escorting Dorothy to hospital (no chance of a life), with the Luftwaffe overhead and the A.A guns making a lot of noise. I gave her my steel helmet to wear — she was undecided whether to wear it on her head or over her tummy. I am sorry to say our marriage suffered by my long separation. Dorothy developed Tuberculosis and after a long illness, died in September 1950.

The PDSA offered me the job of starting a Mobile Dispensary in Cornwall, so I spent the rest of my time travelling around Cornwall until my retirement in 1976. I have turned down one or two offers to move, but I have been quite happy here and dug myself deeper.

I must mention my dearest friend, Francis. We both live in this block of council, she at No.25 and I nearby at No.19. I moved here a few tears ago when I sold my house in Fowis Town. We are very close and spend most of our lives together. I think the precise nature of our relationship has given rise to a great deal of speculation. I suppose there must be something solid in what has lasted nearly 40yrs.

I hope you have been able to read my terrible scribble. If I can ever dig up any ancient family history I will get in touch. In the meantime I wish you all the best and send my love to your mother.

Yours very sincerely,

Len

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Jim Salveson from the CSV Action Desk on behalf of David Feltham and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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