Tom Critchley to his sister Mary Platt 12th February 1941

12.2.41

37 Lonsdale Drive

My dear Mary,

Perhaps you know, or perhaps you don't know that we can get lots of things in the chemical line at discount prices. Whether "Supervitts" is amongst them I don't know, but I have put an order through for a 5/7(+ha'penny)

I know I forgot to send the Adexoline last week so I am sending them now – if I don't forget again.

At last we have got letters from Ronald. The latest are dated December 29th and Jan 3rd, which came together yesterday.

He tells us about going to a party, which was rather flat until he started to wake them up. They had rather tame forfeits, so he introduced them to "making ones will to the company." You know, the one where everybody claims their own peice of the poor blighter who's made his will! Then, next, he got the gentlemen to try threading a needle with one eye closed – the old stunt of having a sooty hand and clapping it over the bloke's eye to make sure he keep one eye shut. He says that he & his pal Cyril then took charge & things went in a grand style. It all hardly seems in keeping with the dignity of the Critchley family. I don't know where he can get his low tastes from, unless its from his mother.

Now he & his pal are going to throw a party at their flat. I'll bet it's some party.

They had a good Christmas from what he says, with good things of all kinds.

One thing makes ones mouth water is when he speaks of squeezing 4 oranges to make one glass of juice for one drink. At present it doesn't pay to pick the oranges from the trees & we pay 9d a lb – he gets about a dozen Jaffas for 2d.

Jerry still leaves us pretty well alone, but that I think, is simply because of the weather; yesterday was thick fog. The breathing space is very welcome & it does give time for our folks to prepare.

We have had your "smelling" game, as a matter of fact there are few games we haven't had at one time or other.

One game we used to play a lot at one time was a writing game in which somebody gave a letter & or a subject – say flowers or towns in England or abroad & you had to write down as many as you could in a given time. a variation of this which is rather entertaining is towns which incorporate in their name:-

a) an animal like Mullion  Ramsgate  etc

or

b) an article used in furnishing a house Dunstable, Rugby, Basinstoke etc

c) Vegetable matter Oakhampton Stockport Elstree etc

d) The Roman castle ending – Chester Lancaster etc

Things in the room which begin with a certain letter. Any number can play.

We have had fire watchers at the works ever since war broke out & now the Home Guard as well. I have been freed from both, but do my turn twice a week at home, to night I am on the 2 am– 4 am shift, unless Tom does it for me.

I am sorry your cold is still troublesome, try these things I am sending, but don't expect wonderful results, stuff of this kind is meant to build up rather than cure,

Love to you al from us both,

Tom