Edith Wilson to H A Hall, 12 September 1940

File: Edith_Wilson_1940_09_12.doc File:Edith_Wilson_1940_09_12.pdf

Typed 26 February 2012 by IB, and checked against MS

Cover: addressed to “Mr A H Hall / Block 411 / Marvel Loch / via Southern Cross”

Edith Wilson to H A Hall, 12 September 1940

Transcription

98 Herbert Rd

Shenton Park

Sept 12^th 1940

My dear Aubrey

Your nice chatty letter of last month should have been answered long ago, my intentions were good.

I am very sorry that you are so far away, as I should have loved to have visits from you & you poor dear you must be very lonely up there.

Eva enjoyed her stay with you & I am sure Joy must have do [sic] so also.

Margaret has had far more than her share, poor little girlie, but as you say, she is so brave, & take it all without flinching. She went to a card party at Jean’s last month & I think enjoyed it, it was in aid of Camp Comforts Fund. Jean works very hard for that object, has hand knitted more than a dozen pairs of sox, herself, & has collected quite a good bit of cash, one way & another & now her husband Bob Agnew has been loaned by the Perth City Council to the Administration of the Interior, as civil engineer for six months.

Besides the three boys being in the Airforce (2) & the Navy, Rae is in the Army nursing service, & is stationed at Northam, or rather at the camp, 3 miles out, at the Camp Dressing Station, CDS they call it. There are 80 beds & all occupied, seven nurses, just now 2 down with measles, & one with Flu. They are well looked after, have a splendid woman cook, & housemaid, who also is an expert cook. Rae was at home on Monday & Tuesday returning 8 a.m. from here on Wednesday, her first leave. There are only 12 nurses ahead of her to be called for overseas if they do send any more from here, I believe a large number of men, & about 8 nurses are leaving shortly.

Murray is still at home & doing a good deal of study, he is on the air force reserve. Gordon, the eldest lad, is in Melbourne, he is a Flight mechanic, just recently passed an exam with 80% marks, they have these exams every three or four weeks.

When we (Jim & I) were in Melbourne we saw quite a bit of Louie & Harry, two of old George Bracher’s children, there are six living, you know, all married, in Melbourne. I visited them all, but know Louie Hester & Harry better than the others.

I have written them that Gordon is there & also told him to look them up.

Jim’s brother Charlie lives in Melbourne & Gordon spends his leave with them. Charlie is a bachelor & has three unmarried sisters who live with him, at least he has a house in Canterbury (about 7 miles out) who two of his sisters live, with a maid, & another in the Dandenong Ranges at Sherbrook about 14 miles from Melb, about 2000 feet up. He lives there mostly with the other sister, but they go from one to the other as they wish. The sisters all have independent means. The house is opposite the beautiful Sherbrook Forrest, where the Lyre bird lives. Gordon spent last week end there & was fortunate in seeing a young Lyre bird on a nest while walking through the Forrest.

I had heard how ill poor old Ernest had been, & was very sorry to hear it, how great a comfort it would have been to you & Joy if he had agreed to come south, & be where he could have attention & comfort. Some folk have a very great objection to being uprooted, haven’t they?

Yes, ‘Grandpa Harry’ was very delighted with the news of the arrival of Gee’s little daughter, I rang him up, he was just thrilled.

In today’s West is the announcement of Mrs Maude Geyer’s death, she must have been a good age, she passed away last Tuesday. There are not too many of the ‘old ones’ left.

Murray is expecting to be called up about the end of next month & will probably go to [?Lamers], Vic. Next Saturday night he is taking Margaret to see ‘Gone with the Wind’, have you read the book?

Rae & I went along to see Constance & her husband on Tuesday evening to say ‘Good bye’, what a pity that they are transferred back to Carnarvon. I hope you have had some of the rain that has been falling, we have had a few heavy down pours lately but nothing like the usual amount.

Went to see Sam this afternoon, he has been troubled with neuritis, but was taking a mixture called RUR & was feeling the benefit.

Maud had another serious turn last month & was rushed to hospital, but after some treatment was allowed to go home within the week, but had to remain in bed. Years ago she had Rheumatic Fever & this heart trouble is the result. She was much brighter yesterday when I saw her, & had been out side in the sunshine the two previous days but yesterday was wet, so she remained in bed.

Now my dear you will be bored to death, with all my chatter, I am afraid. Forgive me.

With much affection

Edith

Glad to say we are all well & small grandson Stuart James coming on well.

E