Tom Critchley to his sister Mary Platt January 23rd 1941

23.1.41

My Dear Mary,

Ever since we started fire spotters I have been seedy and Tom has been doing my duty. He is one of the lucky ones & he's never had to turn out. In some mysterious way the all clear goes just before he is due to turn out & the warning doesn't go until his turn is over.

My cold (or flu) is just about better & so is that part of it I passed on to Annie. How are your colds? I can assure you I didn't give you my cold, that I gave to Annie, so you must have pinched yours from some other body.

I doubt if you would have coal fires in every room if you lived here. We can't get the stuff now. We have had it on order for about a month & only had a little to put us on.

We weren't short, but like to keep well supplied these days. What our electricity bill will be like goodness knows as we have had a fire on all night for some time now & Tom has one in his room to warm it up before he goes to bed.

We had some onions once, it was about a fortnight before Christmas when by some strange accident we got a pound. They were used on the chickens, so I am afraid I cannot send any along. As for meat, well that has been scarce too. You should have seen me the other Sunday when Tom was in for dinner, hacking recklessly at a 2/4 (about 12p in today's currency BC) joint.

Now he is billeted out his coupons help as he gets more than we two together.

I wanted to buy a cow when war broke out. My idea was to operate on the beast now & then – a leg one week & cut off the rump later. When she had got used to her wooden leg, then off could come another. (This is Tom's sense of humour BC)

I was overuled. The objection was the shocking state the grass would he in by the time the animal was hobbling about on 4 stumps. In wet weather she'd make holes every time she moved.

I have got L Goldings books out of the local library. They are very interesting but not so good as Morton's. Mollie must try and get his "In the Steps of the Master". The chap who showed him some of the special sights in Jerusalem & later showed the Princess Royal, still later, took Ronald round.

As Mollie evidently enjoyed Ronald's letters I am sending one or two more for her perusal, also some photos, all of which please return.

Your letter came early this week, perhaps because your old man posted it in Edinburgh.

Sunday

This letter never got finished, so I'll have a go now. anyhow you'll know we haven't been bombed because there have been no night raids since last Sunday. What Jerry is preparing for goodness knows: one of two things I think, either an intensive attack on ports & shipping in which case Glasgow will get a dose or a big attack in the South leading to an attempted invasion. If the latter, it wouldn't surprise me if he uses gas. We went to have our gas masks re-fitted today. Gas is no good except in concentrated areas such as city centres & even then, I think it is more of a nuisance than a danger. Harry should know all about that.

The weather has been pretty foul lately, fog snow rain, & Scotch mist, so that may be partly the reason for the quiet nights, but he has been in bad weather lots of times so it's not the sole reason. We don't lie awake wondering &, as we see it, the worst thing will be once more having to get used to being raided. We've had a nice rest thankyou (or Goering) so ought to be ready for the next dose.

Love to you all from us all

Tom

Letter from Tom Critchley to Mary Platt 15.1.1941

 37 Lonsdale Drive, Enfield

15.1.41

My dear Mary and Harry,

Thank you very much for the bottle which has just reached us safe & sound. I expect it will keep us going for the next three years or so.

I have somehow managed to get a lovely cold; folks at the works have all been having one, so I suppose I must have caught it from there. It started on Sunday & I was ass enough to go to work Monday & yesterday & now have nearly lost my voice, so I am having a day off.

It's no wonder you couldn't get through on Saturday night. Until two o'clock things were happening all over the show & the row would have been quite interesting to hear if you had managed to connect before it was all over. There were a few more fires, but nothing like the big ones a fortnight earlier. Either the guns or fighters, the former I think judging by the noise, scattered the Jerries so they dropped a few on the outskirts. You & Mollie saw the new Grammar School at Barnet, didn't you? That night one dropped on the junior school & another in the playing fields. I hear the laboratories & refectory are in a bit of a mess & the new swimming bath damaged.

Another lot dropped at the back of our old house in Bosworth Road – 7 people were killed there.

Saturday night Tom's Margaret was here with us & he was just getting back from taking her home, when the phone rang. We were in bed & I heard a bell & suppose, being half asleep. thought for a moment it was Tom on his bicycle & he had forgotten his key. I must have been dopey because I heard the car as well.

It was very nice to hear your voices; on some quiet night I must try again to get through. We look on Sunday night as booked as a general rule – it's Jerry's night – Saturday night he does let us off, now & then, but very rarely on Sunday.

During a raid the exchanges have a skeleton staff only that makes calls rather hard to get, even local ones & Saturday night was quite a nasty bit of work while it lasted. We sat it out round the fire, chatting.

Bye bye. Love to all three of you from us both

Tom

PS Your weather has come south, it's snowing hard today.

Later

As it is snowing hard nobody has been out to post your letter, & as yours has just arrived I can answer it now. The parcel was here the here in the post before the letter.

Ronald said that he had sent a number of cards & letters off: it's just like him to leave them late & for them to arrive after Christmas. He sent us a calendar which arrived last week.

When Ronald went away, he invented a game for his do. To see who was the first male to knit so many stitches, the female first teaching him the art & then:- She had to undo his tie & see who was first to retie it properly.

Another of Ronald's games, but this is a bit messy this time & wants sheets of paper spread over the carpet. A couple hold hands (one hand each) Each couple is given an orange with the 2 free hands here to peel & eat the orange to see who wins. It's a bit difficult with only one hand from each of two, & is usually followed by a run to the bathroom. I suppose Mollie's pals are much too genteel for our games. One thing about our parties, everybody seems to enjoy them & they never seem ready to go home. Some day you'll have to come when R J gets back.

Perhaps the enclosed may be of some use.

Tom

PS I hear that the subway hit was the one between the Bank–Mansion House & Exchange. There was a wonderful underground place there with shops etc, all of which has been smashed up, making a tremendous crater.

Tom Critchley to his sister Mary Platt January 7th 1941

My Dear Mary,

Millom rang us up on Saturday night, so I thought I would have a bob's worth & give you a ring last night. I tried for 3 hours but had no luck, I expect it was because we had a lively, noisy, evening. There certainly was plenty of noise, but around here very little after effects to show for it. Snow doesn't keep Jerry away; it has been snowing today & off & on all day he has been hovering about. It's a strange thing but at night we hear him & the guns bang overhead & we go to bed. In the day time for less we go in shelters, or are supposed to; it was too cold today & one preferred to be bombed in comfort. Some of the planes were very low today, so low the gunners outside the works rigged up a Lewis gun but had no luck.

What a pity you can't get somebody to deliver one of your bottles of whisky to this address. Not that I drink the stuff except as medicine, but I do find that a tot in some hot milk on the first signs of a cold will often do more good than the ordinary remedies. I bought half a bottle just before Christmas as our supply, bought about 18 months ago (a half bottle), had all been boozed. We hadn't a drop of wine in the house, this Christmas save for some Raisin wine left from Tom's 21st Birthday do. As neither of us wanted it, I didn't see the fun of buying it for other folks in these days of economy.

We have just had a letter from Ronald, he has been enjoying a visit to an ancient Samaritan & amongst other interesting things was shown this chief treasure – a roll of scriptures 3.000 years old. It was the Pentateuch, the only part of the Bible they use. There are very few true Samaritans left now.

A week last night Jerry made a mess, but then I remember I told you about that do last week, so I won't inflict it on you again.

Tell Mollie I'll read "The Moses books" & see what they have to say about the places Ronald has been to.

Love to you all from us both,

Tom

Tom Critchley to his sister Mary Platt January 1st 1941

1.1.1941

My Dear Mary,

What do you think of Jerry's latest efforts to set London ablaze? The fires were something like those of early September & it was a case of London's burning, look yonder, and when we looked we had no doubts. Within ten minutes of the warning we looked out & saw the first fires start. In a short time the sky over London was red with the glare of fires & as the night progressed instead of getting fainter the glow spread. It was terrific but not so huge as those in September when the docks & that district went.

I haven't been to see the damage but from all accounts it is extensive & looks a shocking mess; even today the firemen are still pouring water on smoldering wreckage. The district affected is Moorgate St & to the West of that place, what has always been known as the danger spot as regards fires because of the very narrow streets, streets of the old London such as Wood St, Bread St etc. The chief sufferers are the haberdashery firms such as Marley & Rylands, it was the centre of that trade, so if you are likely to want such things in the near future, get them while the going is good. Rylands warehouse at Manchester has gone as well as their London house, Our old place at Paul Street has escaped but buildings all round it have been burned out.

Our  next door neighbour, the one next door but one on the other side & a man living directly opposite are all without a sign of their London place of business – burned to the ground. One of them has been with Rylands for 50 years & he says they had 20 fire fighters on the premises, but the bombs came so thick they couldn't cope with them & then the water supply failed. Another said his firm had 7 men on the premises & they tackled other folks fires but the flames from these leapt across the road & engulfed their place.

One thing is certain, it hasn't done much to help on Jerry's war effort. London can still take it. Can Glasgow? The rude remarks I have been hearing this week about Glasgow bus and tram drivers decided by such a huge majority not to carry on during an alert!  When our men are whistled to cover because of planes overhead most of them don't go – give them a tin hat & they feel quite safe (most of them have been so provided by the firm). I remember an occasion, when, after the whistles had gone, hearing shrapnel falling on the roofs: it sounded like very heavy hail. Knowing the men, I went into the Copper Sulphate shed & saw a great hole in the roof. One man had picked up a chunk of shell about half a pound in weight, said it was hot when he picked it up. I told him he had no right to be in the building when the whistle had gone. His reply was "Damn Jerry I have my work to do."

I cannot understand how those drivers could come to such a decision. Perhaps a few bombs on their homes would encourage them – make them want, in their own peculiar way to get their own back. After all, everybody by carrying on is doing that.

The tummy is at last better, but I stayed in for Christmas & treated it with great respect just as if it had been Lent instead of a festive season.

The sirens have sounded tonight the first time since Sunday, but although it is an hour ago, we have heard & seen nothing & the wireless is nice & loud so goodness knows if anything is happening.

Thursday

We had three alerts last night, the first very quiet, the second medium & the third in the early hours or rather between 5 & 8 plenty of noise, but not a great deal of stuff dropped.

Today it is horribly cold & trying to snow, some of your weather I expect. Does anything good come out of Scotland? except shortbread? You are lucky to have the 16 eggs, we get three a week but whilst I was seedy, a friend gave us 6 & another one 3

Bye bye, Love to all of you from us both

Tom

Tom Critchley to his niece Molly Platt December 25th 1940

25.12.1940

My Dear Mollie,

People have obeyed instructions and posted their cards early this year; this morning, Christmas – the postwoman (it's a she now) brought only two things to our house, one was the receipt for the coal bill & the other was your delightful calendar. I think you have done it beautifully & I hope you will be able to come and see it adorning our dining room and recalling pleasant memories of happy holidays.

So low has our opinion of the huns sunk, we quite expected they would come and see us, but evidently they still regard world opinion to some very slight degree & have left us in peace.

What sort of books do you like these days? I gave Tom the "Herries Chronicles" by Walpole, I should think it is still a bit old for you, it is of particular interest to those who know the Lake District. There are 4 books bound in one volume.

Talking of books, tell you mother & father to bed borrow or steal "Jonathan North" by Hudson. It's a book about a goodly Lancashire Lad and truly depicts life in the Manchester district. It's Good!!

What sort of a Christmas have you had? Quieter, I expect, than when you were taught how not to behave by my offspring, that Christmas we all met at St Helens; perhaps we will all meet again when this spot of bother is over & Ronald can drape himself in his arab dress for our benefit & tell us about all the exciting things he has seen.

We have been exceptionally quiet, bad tummies & Christmas should never be mixed, it's the height of foolishness to try. I speak from experience.

By the way, have you read Morton's "In the Steps of the Master", if you haven't, you ought to, I'm sure you would enjoy it. Ronald has it with him in Palestine and finds it most helpful. All Morton's travel books are good & well worth reading, there are no dry facts and he puts information into the pleasantest manner.

When I got to that part of your letter about the nativity play in which you said you were an angel, I got a shock until I remembered there were two sorts of angels, heavenly and .......

& that heavenly angels don't have such vulgar things as human parts on which to sit requiring a soft seat, lest they should feel discomfort. A long winded way of stating a simple fact of anatomy.

On Sunday night we had visitors for tea & we had hardly finished when the sirens went. I told these folks that when the guns started it wasn't our raid, but I don't think they believed me. By now we can tell fairly well by the sound of the gun fire, whose turn it is to be entertained. Of course they have to drop a bomb or two around London no matter where else they go, but that is nothing like a proper do. Anyhow, these folks decided to go home about 8.00 pm; just as they opened the front door they got a shock, the place lit up and a good hefty banging started. So they came back to wait for things to calm down a bit. If you aren't used to it, it does come as a shock in a pitch dark night, if you happen to be near the guns and it so happened that night there was a mobile gun about 50 yards from our front door. It's a pity they come over this way on their way to Lancashire, Birmingham and Bristol, but as I say, we can usually tell if they are trying to bomb us or somebody else & if we think they are entertaining somewhere else, we don't worry at all now. Tom took them home in the car. He stayed with us that night and a good job too, as the next morning he found the place where he usually sleeps full of broken glass due to a bomb dropped near.

Saturday

I'm afraid this letter hasn't got posted, so I'll see what I can do today. Jerry called on us last night and set up a few fires, but they were quickly got under. It was a half-hearted effort on his part & was all over by 11.

I am enclosing some of Ronald's letters, will you please return them after reading.

Love to you & your Mater and Pater

Uncle Tom and Auntie Annie

For you information Kevin and Forest are blokes who went out to Palestine with Ronald.

Skipper is an army captain, a particular chum of R's. August is their car driver.

A Happy New Year to you all & may it bring Peace. 

Tom Critchley to his sister Mary Platt November 21st 1940

My dear Mary and Harry,

In these days you should not have sent the hankies. Annie, nevertheless is very pleased with them & thanks you very much indeed for them.

We had a letter from Gertie Boardman at Birmingham, the other day. My word, she has got the wind up. Judging by her letter you would think no-one else had heard a gun or bomb & nowhere but Birmingham had been damaged. It's a good job for England, London bore the brunt for so long. One hears of far more windy people outside London than in it. In a war somebody's got to be killed and I suppose it's better to kill the old and middle aged than the young folks as happened last time. (Two of Tom Critchley's brothers, George and William, were killed in action in WW 1)

Quite pleasant thoughts for Christmas – what!

Jerry doesn't unduly trouble us these days, not like he used to. I believe if I had charge of the Luftwaffe I could make a lot better job of it than Goering does.

Don't get a chill on the stomach in wartime. That's what I did and find it awkward with a shortage of this and that. It's just getting back to normal now and with a bit of luck will be ready for Christmas.

We hope you all have a pleasant Christmas and continue to discuss holidays next year. If you go to Blackpool then I'll be convinced there is a streak of insanity in the family.

Love to all 3 of you,

Annie and Tom

PS  firm started making luminous paints and other luminous articles & approached us about supplying them with the baisc materials as they were stuck. We undertook the job & when I went to see them to give them some advice about the troubles they encountered & brought away a piece of rubber, a strip of which may interest Mollie (enclosed).

This rubber has Strontium Sulphide incorporated in the material & if exposed to light (daylight or electric) & then put in a dark place it will glow quite nicely. Expose in a room to the light then switch off the light. They have incorporated it in plastics. I should think it would be a success in switch covers and so save fumbling in the dark.

(This letter is slightly stained with its former enclosure, which Mollie assures me was put smartly in the bin by her mother)

Tom Critchley to Mollie Platt 17.12.1940

My dear Mollie,

I hope you will be able to find something entertaining to swop for the enlcosed, something as amusing as some of Ronald's letters.

We had two letters this week from that hair-brained cousin of yours, posted while on holiday in Transjordan. He certainly seems to have been in the less civilised parts & to have thoroughly enjoyed it too.

Three of them went together & hired a car & driver for the journey across the desert; they took with them provisions, mineral waters, spades & letters of introduction to various sheiks. Meeting these sheiks seems to have been not the least thrilling part of their trip. He told us of one, dressed in whilte silk, who invited them to his house, gave them coffee, invited them to stay for 2 or 3 days & was most disappointed when they told him they had to hasten off. Anyhow, he mounted a lovely Arab horse & escorted them on part of the way amidst the cheering villagers.

If you have a good Atlas perhaps you can find some of the places he visited. Amman, Kerak, Ma'an, Petra, Agaba (at the head of the Gulf on the Red Sea) Jerash and Samak.

The most noted place of all is Petra, a relic of an unknown civilisation only rediscovered in fairly modern times & even now rarely visited. They had to hire horses & an armed escort to get to it & found it a most wonderful place with magnificent buildings hewn out of the sold rock (if you can call such by the name of buildings) who built them & when nodbody seems to be certain of, although the ubiquitous Romans seem to have been there & known about them. Apparently the road leads down a steep gorge, so steep that the sun doesn't penetrate & then opens out among steep red mountain cliffs, into the sides of which have been cut most wonderful high termples & you can find a book in your library which will tell you something about it.

Another thing he found a kick in, was scudding in the car over miles & miles of desert & seeing the darkness come suddenly while they were miles from any sign of habitation.

Agaba, he found most fascinating & like the pictures one sees of the South Sea Islands with palms growing down to the deep blue sea. There they went bathing & fishing & caught fish of all sorts of brilliant colours.

When the seasonal postal rush is over I must send these letters for you to read, they are full of superlatives, but he seems to have had a superlative holiday.

I hear you are getting quite expert with your camera & doing enlargements. Your other cousin Tom made his own enlarger, but it is't the sort I can recommend as now there are pieces of it strewn about the house. It can hardly be described as compact. Ronald, you know, had a very good camera which he dropped to the bottom of the Dead Sea to his great sorrow. since then he has purchased one of the very posh Lica cameras which take very small photos, but as they are of perfect definition they enlarge like contact prints. He is taking photos to illustrate the Bible, so, when he comes back his pictures should be well worth seeing.

By the way, Ronald & Tom have a cousin, a photographer in the Air Force, Harold Collett.

At last we come to the real reason of this letter, we wish you a very Happy Christmas & hope we shall be seeing you in the coming year when the Blitz is past history.

Love from Auntie Annie & Uncle Tom

(Annie writes)

Mollie, many aplogies for calling the (Glasgow) buses dirty. I expect it was the dark colours which made them look so funny among our bright red ones.

Anyhow, we ought to be thankful to all the places which have lent the the buses to "poor old London", as I have seen quite enough at poor old Enfield and Barnet. Do you remember coming to Somaford Grove? They had seven delayed action bombs round that district. We heard that all the people round there have been temporarily evacuated... that was last week. I am going down to East Barnet this afternoon, so may hear more.

What do you think about your young cousin going away to school?

The enlcosed are stamps from Ronald's last letter, which I don't expect you have, as they are "Trans Jordan". Uncle Tom didn't tell you that they (Ronald and his two pals) each bought a dagger, & that there were hyenas, leopards & wolves & cheetahs in the desert. Also the spades they took with them were in case they had to dig the car out of the sand. What a thrill!!

Well! We hope you will have a nice Christmas in spite of old Hitler & perhaps next year we may all meet again... I hope so.

PS (from Uncle Tom.) We have a 1936 Whitfield King Stamp Catalogue, is it any good to you? The Palestine stamps depict:- 3m, Rachel's Tomb, 50m Sea of Gallilee, 13m Mosque of Moer,  5m Citadel of Jerusalem.