Early April 1936 - Letter to Terrick from his mother

My dear Terrick

As you have not the means to marry I can take no notice of such a childish engagement.  It was not done in my day & as I only cut this paragraph out on Wed. in the Daily Mail it is not done now.

I should think jobs as elocution mistresses could be very difficult to get & badly paid.  In my day we always had professionals teach us & I can't think it is different now.  

The weather is beautiful now.   You will want your summer things in there.  Anything you send in Holy week, 6th April, you can't have back till Tues 14th because they won't return it on Good Friday & there are no parcels delivered on Monday Bank Holiday.  So send everything in the next 2 weeks you want.  My dreadful cook leaves today & old cook comes back again.  I wish she could stay.  Baker has been very quick this time with Herbert's collars & cuffs.  Ribbentrop is very nice looking.  Eden is just too splendid looking!  Baldwin wants to avoid war at any cost & he is right.  France longs to smash Germany & this is her opportunity as Germany is not ready yet.  I hear there are search lights over London now.  

We went to such an interesting lecture at Aysgarth School given by Major Harrison D.S.O. on his escapes from Germany during the war.  Someone had made very amusing drawings on it which were shown on the screen.  You would have liked it.  The boys revelled in it.  

The ??s give up this summer & the Thompsons, a young couple come in.  I wonder how they will get on.  Miss Lunt, the Bishop's daughter is engaged to be married to one of her father's curates in Portsea.  He is going to be Vicar of Jarrow-on-Tyne.  An awful place.  It is a pity because she is so young, only 20 & so pretty.  Fawkes has not given up his living yet although he has come into his brother's estate.  I see the Cecil family are agitating against this tithe bill.

I hope Mary never says a word bout Uncle Bill's money to Aunt M. as she would write at once to him about it & then goodbye to it.  We are going to see George Arliss in The 'Guv'nor' Daddy saw the beginning of it & says it is the finest play he has seen.

I am making a rug for the W. I. exhibition in Leyburn.  Do you think you should write to Lord Wharton?  It is a shame!  I think it was funny about Nancy Capes.  Has Studd said anything?  I suppose the Western Brothers wanted to shock you.

Your loving 

Mother