Friday, January 04, 2008

blast from the past.....

I was going through a bunch of paper work the other day, and I found this letter that my Grandmother wrote to her Mother back in 1946 while she was living in India during the war.

Thought I would share some of it on here.

St Dunstan's,
DehraDun

Darling Mummy,

I am sorry it is such a long time since I last wrote but I hope this letter will more than make up for the gap! I have a very big item of news which I hope won't shake you too much, and that is that Richard and I are engaged. Oh, I am so happy Mummy, and I just wish you were here to talk it all over with, I have so much to tell you and am finding it so difficult to put all my thoughts on paper. He is the most wonderful person and we were just made for each other. I don't know hos much I have told you about him before but you will remember that he stayed with us for a month at Christmas when we got on tremendously well and grew very fond of each other, since then he has been back on the Frontier and we have written constantly and got to know each other very well. He put in for 28 days leave for July and has just left here after four glorious weeks, the happiest weeks of my life I think.


It's quite a sweet letter.
My Grandmother was over there with her Father; Sir Clutha MacKenzie, who traveled around the world helping blind soldiers, after he himself was blinded at Gallipoli. She was pretty much his guide, and was working in the office at St Dunstan's a home used for the rehabilitation of the blinded service personnel of the Armed Forces.

She traveled all around Asia with him, and lived quite the adventuress life - though I know so little about it. We have a lot of old photos that are taken of them treking through Nepal, which must have been an experience.

Obviously the adventuress spirit has been embedded in my genes, and I have much to live up to!

8 comments:

Snaggle Tooth said...

I want to wish you a Happy Year!

What a letter filled with happiness and passion leading to such a brave life. How inspiring!

I've been feeling I haven't gotten anywhere in the past year, myself. Stopping to evaluate can wake you up a bit, to what you'd like to happen by the next-

It's a new start- Good luck to you!

Anonymous said...

My word! What a sweet letter and an intriguing family history... I'm glad you shared it. I wish that I could have more glimpses into life in the past...

Using up the words.... said...

Snaggle ~ Bestest wishes to you too, my friend! I look forward to reading about your adventures, and just time spent living over this year!

Anon ~ Thanks! I have to say my family history here in New Zealand is quite something. Finding the letter spurred me on to find out more. Maybe you could find out more too?

mreddie said...

It is amazing to me to find old letters and then wonder all that was going on that wasn't written. My Mom saved most of the letters that I wrote her during my army days and I found them after her passing - over 30 years later. It was quite a treasure to me. ec

Using up the words.... said...

Mr Eddie ~
Wow! It would have been wonderful to have sat back and read all that you had written down while you were. I can imagine there were some real experiences! They are treasures, huh.

Anonymous said...

That is soooooo cool!

Robert A Vollrath said...

What a wonderful letter.
My favorite family letter was one my grandfather wrote from the trenches of France in World War One. He ran out of paper and wrote it on tree bark.

Using up the words.... said...

Jay ~ HELLO SWEETIE!!!
I owe you a letter. Sorry for the lack of words. Hope you are all good.

Robert ~
Thanks for stopping by and leaving the note. Always wonderful to hear other peoples stories, especially when it's about family.