AU10/102/1/190

Typewritten letter

8 April 1970

From: 1970 To: 1970

"Many thanks for the magazines, two letters and some cuttings, all of which afforded some interesting reading. Many names in the magazines are of course strange to me. But that is only natural after 23 years. I don't remember Nurse Woods at the Cedars. But I do remember Doris Foster - I prepared her for Confirmation. In my very early days at Ampthill I was very taken with her brother Ronald. He was a lorry driver, and had a reputation as a rascal and a womanizer. But I spotted him in the gallery and asked one of the Manston boys who he was. I tackled him in the street and invited him to come and see me: which he did, and we became great friends. I even went down to the brick works with him on his lorry (disguised as a workman!) and helped him load some thousands of bricks, and then drove with him to a housing estate in London and helped him unload. I remember we called in at S.John the Divine Vicarage for tea with the Vicar and curates (the Vicar was Cyril Eastaugh, now Bishop of Peterborough), who were amazed to see me covered with brick-dust! Ronald was eventually confirmed (with his girl whom he married later ... she came from Woburn). I lost touch with him when he left Ampthill. He was a striking character, and striking in looks too. Like a character out of a novel. I always liked Doris too. You ask me about the voyage on the Pizarro. I don't know if I told you - but after expecting to sail from Liverpool in December, I heard from the shipping company it would be from Glasgow! I decided to travel overnight from Euston on the 11.30 p.m. and booked a sleeper. I had dinner at my club in London, and begin to realise I was in the first stages of 'flu. On arrival at Glasgow the next morning, I felt more dead than alive. We were not allowed on board until 5 p.m. - or so they said, though I found out afterwards that several had gone aboard in the morning. Had I known this, I should not have spent the day in the Central Hotel lying in an armchair in the lounge almost in a coma. When I did get aboard, I dropped staright into bed, and remained there for a week! By the time we reached the Bahamas, I was recovering. From Nassau we went to the Panama Canal, and once through that we were in perpetual sunshine and warmth for the next few weeks. We called at various ports with strange names ... Mollendo, Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Talcahuano, Concepcion - none of them very interesting: but from Callao two or three of us (there were 12 passengers) flew up into the Andes to Cuzco, to see the remains of the ancient Inca civilisation. This was thousands of feet up above sea level, and when one got out of the 'plane, one felt dizzy and short of breath. However, we were given tablets which helped. One really did feel out of the world at Cuzco. The main thing in Lima, the capital of Peru, is the magnificient museum with the Inca gold exhibits, which reminded me of the Egyptian gold in the museum in Cairo. The city itself I though unimpressive. Some of the smaller towns like Cajamarca and Arequipa - where they wear the ponchos - were full of local colour. But all in all, there is an air of sadness in South America (apart from Brazil, which is cheerful enough, owing to the mixture of Portuguese and Negro blood) which is difficult to define. Of course, the general standard of living (except for the very rich) is much lower than our affluent society. The shops seem full of junk and cheap stuff. There are no shops anything like ours, and window-dressing is an unknown art. The passengers were the usual elderly retired people. Younger ones cannot get 3 months or more off. I made friends, as usual, with the officers, who were all Lancashire men, with broad accents: even the Captain. However, I think this will probably be my last winter voyage. I have done nine, and now that the travel allowance is more or less abolished, I shall spend the winter in Italy or with my cousins at Menton in future: or combine the two. In the meantime, I hope to go to USA in the autumn, as I have a pressing invitation from the Marcollas - the family I met in Perugia, who came here for a weekend two years ago. As they are millionaires, I should be in clover! At the moment, I am content to stay at home. My invaluable Mrs.MacLeod has cleaned the flat from top to bottom during my absence. I have some engagements in London next month, and I go to Winchester as usual for Whitsun. Then I have promised to visit my Japanese friend and his wife and baby (they were here last September) at Oxford, where they seem to have settled down happily. But I do wish it would get warmer. The Telegraph says this morning that we cannot expect the spring to arrive until mid-May! However, the daffodils and hyacinths are out, and we have sunshine. But it will be a joy when one can open the windows wide and let in the fresh air. It seems this is going to be BABY year. Adam Stavert's wife is expecting their second shortly. They are hoping it will be a boy to carry on the Hoscote succession. Then Anne my second cousin in Yorkshire is also expecting. As her husband is nearly 20 years older, I doubted if they would start up another family. He has a son of 22, and a daughter of 20. However, I think it will be good for Anne. There seems to be no sign of a baby with the Norburys, and their daughter is now 6. The title will die out unless a son appears. Your new Rector seems to be a live wire. As for the new Rectory, I am sure it must be easier to live in than the old one. That really was a horror ... especially in the winter. It might have been different with central heating and electricity, but I had neither! Mrs.Olley kept me the cutting about Mrs.McC. and the house in Church Street [AU10/102/1/190a]. She is off to Tasmania to visit her daughter next winter. Give my regards to Andrew. I see he is writing a history of Ampthill, which should be very interesting. Yours sincerely,"

operas

item

Hillam, John George,
Grimmer, Honora,
Woods,
Foster, Doris,
MacLeod,
Stavert, Adam,
Waddington, Anne,
Norbury, Christine,
Sturman, Leslie George,
Olley,
McCorquodale, Barbara,
Underwood, Andrew

letters, typescript, parish magazines, newspaper cuttings, nurse, lorry driver, brick worker, MARRIAGE, ships, influenza, shops, weather, Daily Telegraph, Rector, rectories, AMPTHILL, Broadstairs, WOBURN, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bahamas, Nassau, Panama Canal, Peru, South America, Ampthill Church Street