Thur Feb. 20 8.15 am [1941]
# WHERE NEXT FOR RON?

Had a letter from Ron yesterday. He may get sent to Canada or the near East. Out of the last batch of 180, 120 went abroad he says. I should not mind Canada so much once he was safely there, but hope we may have him nearer home for a while yet. He has put down for Manby, but you are allowed to state a preference, that doesn’t say you’ll get there. He is getting about fed up with his course I think. If it was practical work he could do it, but it is the head-work, so much crammed into so short a time. I think as Winston says of German armaments “they are full to saturation point”. However his total marks are over 50% so far which I think extremely good as he has been left school 6 years. He went to Devizes on Sat. Of course it rained.

It is a mixture of rain and snow here this morning, very wet and nasty. I shall have to dry my clothes indoors if it does not clear in an hour or so. Have got a few dry. I can hear the wind sighing a bit so hope it clears. We have not had so much snow this winter but I think we have had fewer bright days than last year. The birds sing in the mornings and snowdrops are blooming and a few polyanthus but it does not seem very spring like yet. My primrose indoors is flourishing. Rene got on ok at W.V.S. She liked the change, Rosa and Connie were with her. They are to have an orderly from the Camp to help now there are so many soldiers. Father brought me a cannon-shell case from Grantham’s (Lone Farm the soldiers call it), they had picked up a lot after Sunday morning’s gunfire. Scared their horses a lot. Jean has taken it to school to show her pals. Jessie approves of my gloves, doesn’t know yet if they are continuing to make them. Rene finished another pair of socks, at least she did one and E Crow the other. That is 3 pairs between them. Jean and I wrote to Ron last night and are sending him parcel to-day, hope we get his tin to-day, they do not treat parcels very kindly in the post. Father not very great this morning, he is very nervy, not war nerves but after the flu.

RAF Manby, near the market town of Louth, about 20 miles from the village, was one of the nearest RAF bases to which Ron could have been moved (see East Lincolnshire map).
Rosa was the daughter of retired farmer Charles Harness who lived at ‘Beecholme’ on Sea Road, near Ship Bridge (see village map). This Charles Harness was the brother of farmer Jack Harness, the husband of Will’s sister Harriet (whose son was also a Charles Harness) (See 28 Nov. 1940.)
Jessie, May’s brother’s wife (see 6 Dec. 1940), was a leading organiser of the local WVS (see 16 Dec. 1940).

Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored ‘The Casualties Were Small’?

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