ENGLISH SIDELIGHTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 260, 20 January 1941, Page 5

ENGLISH SIDELIGHTS

POISE AND ADAPTABILITY

NO COMPLAINTS

The following extracts are from a letter recently received by Mrs J. Edwards, Wellington, from a cousin in England. "The people, rich and poor alike, are wonderful," state's ihe writer. . "They tell you their hardships but there is no moan ing or groaning over them. The organisation is excellent and Ave all do everything we can for each other. The kindness wo have received from utter strangers lias been extraordinary. The common danger, the common losses seem to have bound people together in a way nothing else could. May this ,new spirit of comradeship long continue.

"A Aveek after the Avar broke out we had frve boys billeted Avith us,," she continues. "They Avere such nice lads. The eldest had his fourteenth birthday Avhile with us, and the youngest Avas just over eleven; so you can imagine how busy it made mother and me.

"Mother, in spite of the fact that she is in her eightieth year, did the cooking and mending for for our little handmaid was quite unable to cope with all the extra housework. Really, we all had a very happy time together.

"Towards the end of May the Gov ernment moved our boys to Monmouth. We did miss them, you may be sure. We came away ourselves when the authorities began evacuat ing ; the old people and the invalids, as Ave felt we ought to go while the going was good.

' "We are now slaying with a retired schoolmaster, and both he and his wife are most kind to us/' the writer concludes: "It is sad for mother having to leave her nice home and all her little comforts, and conveniences, but she is very brave about it and never complains"