"Don't come, Cron's dear old mother" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold3/1914/48 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Tuesday 18 August 1914 |
| Address From | 30 St Mary Abbotts Terrace, Kensington, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | William Philip ('Will') Schreiner |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was resident in St Mary Abbotts Terrace for some weeks during August and September 1914. The letter is on printed headed notepaper.
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1
Tuesday
2
3 My dear Will
4
5 I was glad to get your letter. I don’t know if any good will my come
6of my talk with Lloyd George. You were right in your view of him, he
7is a man of genius. How false all his photographs are? I am thankful
8you are near our beloved children. It will rest your old heart. I am
9better today I am hoping I shall be able to go up to Hampstead
10tomorrow to look for a room I go to lunch with the Sydney Webbs
11tomorrow to talk over South African matters.
12
13 I am also going to see Gladstone & will tell you all I learn. I am
14better. It is my head is so bad. I feel something is going to burst in
15my brain. It has helped me to see Lloyd George, as you say, if one can
16only do anything. The heat here is very great I am so glad you are not
17here.
18
19 Olive
20
21 PS. ^Wednesday^ I dined with some military people last night. They told
22me that before war was proclaimed England had 1500 men at Calais,
23taken over from Dover – that is why Dover was closed. That the
24numbers of closed omnibuses ^& trains^ which ch ran nightly to Dover
25were full of military which were shipped from Dover. Also that there
26were 1500 men in Belgium bef from England before the Germans put a
27foot on Belgium soil. The son of the man who was talking to me was
28concerned in the shipping. We shall only know the truth when the war
29is over, if we ever know it. It is this atmosphere of lies which is to
30me so terrible. I have not yet heard from Cron.
31
32 Good bye dear
33 Olive
34
35 Let me know when you come that I may not be out please. I long to see
36you.
37
2
3 My dear Will
4
5 I was glad to get your letter. I don’t know if any good will my come
6of my talk with Lloyd George. You were right in your view of him, he
7is a man of genius. How false all his photographs are? I am thankful
8you are near our beloved children. It will rest your old heart. I am
9better today I am hoping I shall be able to go up to Hampstead
10tomorrow to look for a room I go to lunch with the Sydney Webbs
11tomorrow to talk over South African matters.
12
13 I am also going to see Gladstone & will tell you all I learn. I am
14better. It is my head is so bad. I feel something is going to burst in
15my brain. It has helped me to see Lloyd George, as you say, if one can
16only do anything. The heat here is very great I am so glad you are not
17here.
18
19 Olive
20
21 PS. ^Wednesday^ I dined with some military people last night. They told
22me that before war was proclaimed England had 1500 men at Calais,
23taken over from Dover – that is why Dover was closed. That the
24numbers of closed omnibuses ^& trains^ which ch ran nightly to Dover
25were full of military which were shipped from Dover. Also that there
26were 1500 men in Belgium bef from England before the Germans put a
27foot on Belgium soil. The son of the man who was talking to me was
28concerned in the shipping. We shall only know the truth when the war
29is over, if we ever know it. It is this atmosphere of lies which is to
30me so terrible. I have not yet heard from Cron.
31
32 Good bye dear
33 Olive
34
35 Let me know when you come that I may not be out please. I long to see
36you.
37