It's a quiet week here in the Nobby and Gail household. Having been entertaining visitors for much of the past month, we have a few days relaxing a home before heading south to England at the weekend.
As is her habit, Gail has been listening to the news too much, and reports of worsening conflict between Israel and the Palestinians prompted her to dig out an old letter from her Grandfather, written in July 1945. My predecessor Bouncing Bertie did once refer to the same letter on his blog, but Gail insists it is worth revisiting.
I'd better let her explain, as this is all a bit above my pay grade.
Gail here: At the end of WW2 my maternal grandfather was posted to Egypt as part of an RAF intelligence unit. My mother, age fourteen, was at boarding school in Yorkshire. When clearing out my parents' house, I uncovered a treasure trove of letters that my grandfather (who died when I was two) had written to my mother from Egypt.
In one letter he describes a visit to the 'Holy Land', and includes the following observations.
"It's a pity there's such ill feeling in that Holy Land and such distinctly opposite views on every subject. The Jews hate the Arabs and the Arabs hate the Jews and there can be no compromise satisfactory to both. If you please one, you fall out with the other, and you are lucky if you do not fall out with both, whatever you do."
What a tragedy that one reads these words nearly eighty years later and feels they could have been written yesterday.
I've included the letter, in three parts, below. If you enlarge the images the close-typed text should be legible. I realise that not all Nobby's fans will have the time or inclination to go through the whole letter, but to anyone with an interest that period, I think it makes for fascinating reading. As well as a telling my mother about a conversation with a Jewish girl, a refugee from what he terms the "Tyranny in Central Europe", he also has much to say about all the delicious food he was enjoying in Egypt! You should of course remember that everyone back in the UK was subject to severe rationing at the time, hence his priceless comment that "It really does worry us and we say imagine them at home with a bit of spam if they are lucky, but what can one do?"
How I wish my grandfather had lived long enough for me to get to know him.
Nobby will resume normal service on Friday!
That s a very precious thing to have all that correspondence from your Grandfather to your Mother. It kind of helps you to feel you *do* know him.
ReplyDeleteWe wish you well on your upcoming trip to England.
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nobby. Gail, this is so precious. I will be back to read the whole when I can fire up the laptop... Reading on the phone a challenge too far this morning!. YAM xx
This is very interesting, I've never seen a letter from so long ago. Carol says she will read it to me, and has said there are lots of kisses at the end!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very enjoyable trip to England, hope the weather is good and you make lots of nice doggy friends.
Love,
Amber xx
that is something what belongs to you and your family... and it is great to have it and to keep it... hugs to you
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious piece of family history. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteHappy travels to England!
just as it says in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. I did read the letter and it could be written today as it was then and all over the world the same letter could be written, with some starving and others throwing out food. even part of the USA, are that way, some have plenty and others nothing, even Cities are that way, part of the city starving part throwing out uneaten foods.
ReplyDeletethis is a priceless letter. I only have one letter from my grandfather, the one he sent to me 1944 when I was 3 months old. it is on my blog also. I was blessed to know and love him until i was almost 10, he died in a car accident just before I turned 10. He was my favorite of all my grand parents
The letters are wonderful and what a treasure you have, Gail!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cherished memento you have. It's sad that not much has changed in that region in all this time.
ReplyDeleteSo much turmoil then and now in that area and unfortunately over here everyone seems to be walking around with an agenda. We mainly stick to the areas we know. What treasure you have in that letter.
ReplyDeleteBryan's brother was an advisor to the Park Scholars at NCSU. Each year they took a trip. He chaperone their trip to Egypt in the mid 1980's. So many REAL photos. He spoke of there being armed police on the corners even then. He said he felt safe though and there were no incidences.
Hugs Cecilia
That was a very interesting letter! It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. How I wish people in this world would learn to get along.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find, and a prophetic letter. My dad has a letter from his grandpa from the trenches in World War I. Keep your correspondence. In later years people will be fascinated by them
ReplyDeleteThese letters are amazing, a window to another time, and unfortunately, times that don't seem to change.
ReplyDelete