大象传媒

A few years ago, I visited Bletchley, home of the world's first programmable electronic computer and famous for the breaking of the Enigma codes. Talking to eh gentleman managing the Churchill room, holding the extensive Churchill memorabilia Collection, I told him I had two letters written to me by Mrs Churchill during the war. He said they would love to have them. They are now displayed, with an explanation of how they came to be written, at Bletchley.

About mid point in the war, I was 9 and my sister 6 and, like everyone else, young or old, keen to help with the war effort.We decided to raise some money to donate to Mrs Churchill's Aid to Russia Fund, very much in the news at that time.

On one occasion, we had a stall in the street below our garden. We had begged books, bric a brac and anything else saleable from friends and neighbours. One of my teachers said if I would go and pick them, I could have masses of flowers from her garden. I came home on the bus,laden. Passers by to our stall were most amused (bring and buy not being so familiar in those days as now!) and supported us.

The other occasion was a concert put on with the help of our school friends in ojr front room. My sister was a member of a dance school - years later she became a Tiller Girl - and I was learning piano. The audience consisted of neighbours and friends.

The proceeds of both events went to Mrs Churchill's fund and I had two handwritten letters of thanks from her. One letter included the sentence "to help the heroic Russians in their terrible but victorious struggle against the wicked invaders of their country"
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