18.11.10

Postcards from the French Front



Mrs J.G Strangham, 7 West Avenue, Forest Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
'My dear wife and kiddies Sunday (undated)
This is a new series of cards and as I am busy with a long letter for you (so that you shall get it on Sunday (green) I thought that I would just let you know how I am getting on. I got your letter tonight and I see that you are troubling very much about me standing the weather conditions. Well dears, I am pleased to tell you that I am in good form again. The weather is much better and it has been glorious today. I was out today for a long walk and quite enjoyed it. Just got back to camp in nice time for tea. Best love and good hopes that you will...(writing is damaged at this point)...you have had bad (writing is damaged) yourself I see. (?) send another card tomorrow. God bless you all and keep you until I return again your loving hubby. xxoxxxxxxxoo'

Miss Isa M Strangham, 7 West Avenue, Forest Hall, Newcastle on Tyne, England
Wed 22/8/17
'Now my little darling, what do you think of this rose? I was pleased to get your painting it was very lovely I am sure. You want to put your hair in ringlets (?) do you? Well you can if you want to; you shouldn't have bothered to ask me about that when I am not at home, you know when I look at your photo I always see a little girl with wavy hair so you see it doesn't matter a little bit. I hope you have enjoyed your holidays but I thought you had another week yet. I was pleased to get Molly's photo. I am quite well, write later (word obscured) best love daddy oxxxxooxx Busy as usual'



Friday Nov 22 18
My darling little girl
I was very pleased the other day when I got that nice long letter letting me know all your doings at the wedding. Were you not afraid when the padre and the other two officers came in. He would look smart when he got your mother's apron on, especially when he was such a great big man. Wouldn't it have been grand if your daddy had been one of the privates, I just fancy what you would say to this. The very thing we were wishing. Well I am glad my little dear that you are helping your mother as much as you can, of course you are getting a big girl now. I am longing to see those photographs of Albert and you. I hope that all of you are still keeping clear of the flue (sp). (Referring to the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic) Poor little Betty, tell her uncle sends some xs for her. I hope your auntie Annie is a lot better now and all the others who are sick. Tell grandma she has to be careful and not any cold. I see that you have another week holiday why don't you keep it until your daddy gets home? I am quite well will close with best love and kisses to Albert and yourself from your loving daddy


I do hope he made it home to his 'kiddies' and in one piece.

16 comments:

Helen said...

I love looking at things like this and imagining how things turned out for those involved. I will choose to believe he got home in one piece!

fabriquefantastique said...

what a lovely, touching post.

School on the Heath said...

How moving and how tantalising.
Do you know what happened to them?
Somehow, even at nearly a century later, it really does matter, as much as we matter today.
I do hope that you are beginning to feel better and are regaining,albeit slowly,the use of your arm.

Tonia said...

Incredibly moving: I hope he got home safely too.

Anonymous said...

We may be able to keep constantly in touch now with mobile phones, texting, emails etc, but it would mean so much more to have wonderful handwritten postcards like these to look back on.

Soozcat said...

I wonder if you have enough information here to look at the English census from the years just after the war, to determine whether he made it home all right.

And yet in some ways it's better not to know.

BumbleVee said...

What a find! Where and how did you come across them? .....

Acornmoon said...

It would seem that he survived judging by the date on the last card.

I hope you are feeling stronger and well and truly on the mend.

Southern Lady said...

I love old postcards and letters. I fear that our generation will not leave anything of the sort behind one day. Carla

Frances Tyrrell said...

Such a poignant find. I hope he came home safely to his girl with the ringlets.
Very exciting about that thing that is still under wraps. I followed the links and it sounds delightful, can't wait (and yet must) to see them.

Anonymous said...

I have a load of old postcards from my family, written on the back. Nothing as poignant as this, though. Just day-to-day chat, making arrangements to meet, asking if a dress one of them has made could be altered as it doesn't fit right....silly stuff. But I treasure them.
Thanks for showing us these, Gretel....and I join everyone else in saying I hope he got home safe to his family.

natural attrill said...

Hi Gretel,

Not heard from you for ages, I hope you are well.

What lovely postcards!

I've just been working on an idea for work, using an old letter, written by a relative of mine in the mid 1800's, the handwriting is beautiful though very difficult to read!

Penny.
xx

rossichka said...

Very touching postcards! The fact that they are kept as souvenirs speaks a lot about the relationships in this family and the love this father had deserved!
My mother gave me some old post cards from the beginning of the 20th century - a part of her family's history.
Dear Gretel, I hope you are recovering quickly and the arm aches less. Do you sleep in a normal bed already? I had been serioulsy ill and I couldn't sleep well, so I know what it is...:(

Jackie said...

I hope your arm is better. Perhaps if you had been busy painting and felting you wouldn't have had time to share this lovely postcard post.

Yarrow said...

Such beautiful and touching words. I so hope he made it home too. Thank you for sharing these :D

Hope you are well and good luck with the check up.

Hugs.x

Adam Lee Jones said...

I love old ephemera, not many people write postcards or even letters nowadays. These are really nice little glimpses into how life was at that time.