Father got all the potatoes home and to G.ma’s yesterday, a good thing too as there were heavy showers in the night. It was very stormy when Jean went to school, after 3 weeks holiday, but cleared later and was fine and sunny all day but very windy. Heard from Ron. He hopes to get home on Tue night and go back Wed from Sk[egness] at 5.30 pm. Emmie has gone back to Yeadon and doesn’t expect to get to the wedding as she has had so much time off. We had our photos taken on Tues. so hope they turn out well. Phyllis F came to us in Sk. and we brought her case home but could not bring her as Mrs Balding sen[ior] and George were with us. Jean went to Joyce’s for tea and came home on 6.15. bus’. Ph[yllis] came for tea yesterday, her baby John 17 months now is a lovely boy, not shy and very friendly. Before we finished tea, Keith and Marian came and Colin after them. Rene had made a sponge sandwich and I got a new scone from Blanchard and we ate the small cake made off Rene’s wedding cake. What a job it is finding something to eat. Some days we should have no cake at all so it was rather fortunate. Mary sent Ron’s wedding present a glass salad bowl and servers, glass too. I shall be pleased when Emmie has got it, the servers look so very breakable. Miss Brown came on Tues. morning and brought two blue and white plates and 2 soup plates very old at least 150 years. They are for Rene and Ron so they will make the choice when Ron is here tho’ Miss B. said Rene was to have first choice. Have made Jean’s old gym dress into a skirt, as it was so short. It is very fragile. Am getting on fairly well with her B.M. [bridesmaid's] dress. Rene has given her the butterfly wing ring to her great delight. Rene’s ring has come. It is heavy 18 ct. gold with diamond chips in a claw setting. T’s mother values it at £12. I am pleased she has it.
Father is on watch until 2 a.m. so we are going to bed. It is getting increasingly difficult to know what to get for dinner. Butcher calls once a week. We finished up mutton on Tue., Wed. Rene brought sausage, and to-day Father and Rene had bacon and ½ a sausage with turnip and pot. and I had a small piece of meat pie, a 4D one. We had a jam pudding and a Quaker oat pudding to make out with. To-night Rene has managed to get a little cooked ham and tinned chopped ham “Spam” so we shall have to do with that tomorrow. Mr Hall sent 1 lb farm butter today also 3 oranges, 11D but large sweet ones, they seem worth the money.
Phyllis, née Faulkner, mother of baby John, was the sister of Ralph, Herbert and Maurice (see 9 Feb. 1942).
Mrs Balding senior was the mother of carpenter Billy Balding (see 21 Apr. 1941) whose eldest son George was a Boys’ Brigade member.
Mary Hill, here, was the wife of Will’s brother Charles. This Mary should be generally assumed unless otherwise stated or obvious from the context.
Miss Mahler Brown, an elderly spinster, lived in ‘Alexander Cottage’, opposite Fairfield Farm access, on Sea Road between the village centre and Tylers Bridge (see Village Map). Her brother was Eardley Brown (see 31 Jan. 1941).
‘T’s mother’ the valuer of Rene’s ring, is a mystery since the mother of ‘Tom’ (Mr A) had died in 1919 but it is possible that May intended to refer to Tom’s first wife, who had died in 1940. Otherwise ‘T’ may not have meant ‘Tom’.
Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?