All posts tagged Trusthorpe

Tue July 4 10.30 P.M [1944]
# BACK-DATED PENSION SURPRISE
# BUSY IN GARDEN – WEEDING
# SHOPPING IN SKEGNESS
# NEWS FROM RON

To my surprise I received a Sup[plementary] Pen[sion] book on Tue 27 June with 3 weeks back money. £1.4 a week, far more than I expected. With the other Pension of 15/0 and Rene and Ron paying rent I am able to live I hope even if I can’t make toys. If I can, I may make up to 10/6 profit a week and still get same Pen. I still don’t much like the idea of it but feel easier now I have it to fall back on. One has to live and as the Widow’s Pension won’t keep me I have to accept help from somewhere until Jean earns a good bit or I can make a lot with toys. It is doubtful if I make a living with them.

The garden is rather a burden in spite of help. I hate to feel dependent on other people. Perhaps when it is once in order it won’t be such a worry. I still have the triangle in front to dig and weed and there is so much of that twitchy weed with a leaf almost like a sycamore. A lot of it grew in Mrs Leivers garden. It comes up time after time and grows under path pavings. They are not set close together and weeds came up between them and between them and the wall. We have finished digging the plot for lawn and rolled most of it and I have run the Dutch hoe over it tonight to uproot little “weedlings” to coin a word.

Went to Trusthorpe Monday last week as it was Jean’s half-term. Aunt J[et] gave me £3. Fred gave Jean 2/6! Went to Sk[egness] Sat morning, hate going on crowded bus! Did not get to Chapel Sun as it was so damp and close. Miss West came at tea-time and stayed almost 2 hours, very depressing. It has rained nearly every day for ten days and is serious for the seeds which were out before it rained. Hallgarth’s were turning theirs tonight and clouds of dust were going up. Mould I should think. I made a weather-glass today with a sauce bottle and Horlicks jar. Should have been June water, hope it’s not too late, June water keeps indefinitely.

Flying-bomb menace gets no better I fear tho’ we bring a lot down. Rumours of evacuating London but think this is an exaggeration. It seems Govt. knew of them a year ago. They don’t seem to have made much prep. for them. War going well on all fronts in Allies favour. Letter from Ron last week, he had been very sick one day but said he was better. His letter seemed rather bleak. He said not to worry if we did not get money for a while. I fear he is moving.

On 5th June 1944 Ron’s RAF Squadron (93) had moved from Lago, their base in Italy for nearly 5 months, to Trecancelli, the first of a series of moves within Italy during June and July. See 93 Squadron History.

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

Friday Mar. 24. 8.30. P.M. [1944]
# DIARY RESUMES AFTER 2½ WEEKS
# CONSCRIPTED NIECES OVERWORKING
# RECOVERING FROM INFECTION
# WILL UNWELL AFTER NIGHT OF DRAMA
# BOMBS FALL ON TRUSTHORPE

Alas, it is more than a fortnight later and I have done no more, violets are in full bloom now. Later on Tue. 7. after starting the wash I felt rather shaky and had to sit down. Then Harriet came for rabbit (gave me 10/6 for it). I walked a little way with her, wind very cold. She was full of news about Jack Milson’s sudden death and his mother’s stroke, she has died since, and news of Grace and Ivy who are both overworking owing to shortness of staff. Grace cooking at Revesby for Land Army Girls, and Ivy at Alford Hospital. I felt cold and had to leave washing and sit by fire again. Thought I had a nasty head cold but it turned out to be a boil in my nose or face which did not come to a head but infected my skin thro’ a tiny spot on my forehead. Dr. said it was a streptococcus germ from my nose which had infected and poisoned my skin and was a form of erysipelas, but not true erysip. I had to stay in bed from Sat. night until Thursday, but it yielded well to treatment, odious thick black lotion on my head, and as much water as I could drink, tea too. I did not feel very ill after my nose started to discharge except for the discomfort of my swollen face and dry mouth. Nose still discharges, and to-day my forehead just above left eyebrow is a little puffy.

Father been in bed all day with bilious attack and feverish cold. Think he is a little better tonight, he had a bit of cold and I think got a chill standing outside on Sun. night. It was very cold tho’ Jean and I were not so starved. It was an awful sight, the chandeliers and flares made it as light almost as day and we could see fires in several spots, some were Ger. planes I expect, as 7 were shot down (3 by one fighter). Kenwick Hall was partly burned by incend[iaries] and a plane came down at Legbourne but no casualties that night at all. Radio said a few planes. If that is a few, what must 800 or 1000 seem like. We did not realise they were so near as Trusthorpe but Amy wrote to say about 12 bombs were dropped between them and Hall chiefly in fields and that except for a few broken windows and a good! scare they were none the worse. One unexploded bomb was in centre of road between school and Hall so their road was closed. Ken had had three fingers in turnip cut[ting] box, fortunately only flesh wounds but very painful. I was still shaky from being in bed so perhaps that was why I was so nervous but the chief thing I felt was of utter helplessness as the planes roared high over head and all the doors and windows in the whole row of houses rattled before we heard each bump of bombs or planes. Wonder if they are about tonight again. There have been bumps, but it may be some of the unexp[loded] bombs going off. Still some of the planes sound sinister to me. Ours have gone out in great strength but not so many as Wed night. I have never seen as many as that before, they were like this all over the sky. Jean is at G.L.B. [Girls’ Life Brigade].We’ll soon go to bed when she comes. I am nervous especially with Father in bed ill.

Jack Milson, and brother, Len, had a farm in Bradshaws Lane, Hogsthorpe, near Sharpe’s market-garden (see 15 Jul 1941 and Village Map).

‘Starved’, here, meant ‘suffering from being cold’.

‘Chandeliers’ were large-area illumination flares used to expose bomber targets

Kenwick Hall and Legbourne were both near Louth (see East Lincolnshire Map).

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

Thur Jan. 13 1944 9.15. PM. [1944]
# VISIT TO RELATIVES AT TRUSTHORPE FARM
# LETTERS FROM RON IN ITALY
# NEWSPAPERS RUMOUR SECOND FRONT

It has been raining nearly all day but not cold for Jan. It cleared once or twice but came on again, and is raining now I think, tubs are too full now to hear if it is running in and wind seems to be rising. It was fine and sunny on Mon and dried all the clothes, but very cold. Tues it was colder still and snowed in the afternoon but turned warmer afterwards.

On Wed Rene and I went on 9.30. bus’ to Trusthorpe. We had to sprint to catch it and but for the fact that the driver and cond[uctor] have a hot drink at Miss C[anning]‘s we should probably have been left, as it went to village while we were on the wrong side of G.ma’s. It was damp and misty but cleared before we came home. Found them all pretty well, having escaped colds and flu’ so far. Aunt J[et] looks very well again and is endeavouring to “peg” a snip rug. It helps to pass the time. She gets tired of knitting and the cotton is dear. I try to think of something she can do, but do not seem able to find anything and I am sure the hours seem very long, and she does not seem able to accustom herself to going about the yard alone with a stick except just across and back [see note]. Amy says she has been much better to live with since being here that week. So perhaps she found she would have some trials wherever she was.

Had 2 letters from Ron to-day. I was writing to him after Jean went to school and it is still dark until nearly 9 indoors, Father went to bed when he came off duty at 6 am after making tea and having his porage. While writing I thought I heard someone coming and as no one knocked went to door. No one there so went to front and to my surprise found letters at 8.45, usually it is 9.45 or later. Perhaps as it was so wet, the Anderby postman dropped them in. Ron’s letters were dated 21 Nov. and 12 Dec. so not very recent. They were the ones saying he had received greetings cable for Birthday (Nov 26) and Xmas parcel. We had heard all this before. His letters were very interesting this time. One very funny. When putting away his washing the vest unrolled and it was a ladies! His pals were much amused. He had seen the laundress and she had promised to retrieve his for him. He gave us a nice little word-picture of the room where he was sitting up in bed writing, some of his pals reading, some just smoking and one packing parcels, another one, like him, sitting up in bed writing. They are a decent lot together there I think. He sounds quite resigned if not exactly content. His parcel arrived with everything quite safe and undamaged. He is very pleased with Writing Case.

Papers are full of sec[ond] front and invasion lore. The many new air-bases in Britain are ready for use, and are to be the invasion bases. There are such a lot within a few miles of us that I fear we may see more of the war than we have so far done. I am not looking forward to the start of sec front. It might mean moving off the coast too. Ke[ith] and Ma[rion] were on bus’ when we returned last night. They had been to Legbourne. Said there was snow there. Hope we don’t get it. The winter has been mild so far. Amy had a lot of ‘Wannias’ out. I noticed a flower on one of mine. Fred was having to help a neighbour to thrash so he could get help in return. Labour is scarce. Was grousing (the farmer’s privilege) because he has to grow sugar beet. Would not mind if all had to but some get off. It is the same in everything. Ken belongs to Young Farmers League or Club. It will be good for him to get about and mix with people I think. He is a nice quiet boy.

Heard from [sister] Em L. Gl[adys] had a son on Jan 4. They are pleased as they have two girls. So E has 4 Grand-d[aughter]s and 2 G.sons now. Jean is wanting to go to bed so I had better make an end, indeed I’ll have to as my new book is in the other room. Jean and I are in kit[chen] tonight. Amy tells me Aunt Fanny says Mother used to write poetry. I have a stiff covered ex[ercise] book with poems in her writing. I wonder if she wrote them. I remember my father reciting one of them once.

This began on S. Swithin’s Day in a shower of rain.
It ends in January of another year and still it rains
But sunshine has heightened many days in between
And this year’s wheat grows fresh and green.

‘Across and back’ referred to visiting the outside toilet, across the yard from the farmhouse.

Legbourne village is near the town of Louth (see East Lincolnshire Map).

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