"Emily Hobhouse, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceE.L. Earp MSC 47/1.17/12
ArchiveNational Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date20 February 1919
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address To
Who ToEmma Earp nee Findlay
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections. The year has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
1 9 Porchester Place
2 Edgeware Rd
3 London W.
4
5 Feb 20th
6
7 My darling Emma
8
9 Yesterday afternoon I heard that your boy had passed away. His funeral
10must have been taking place just at the time I heard the news. If I
11had known soon I would have tried to go out to Woking in spite of rain
12& snow, so that there might at least be one of his blood to follow him
13to his rest. I will go out as soon as the weather gets finer & take
14some flowers to his grave. The place where he is buried is about an
15hour from London. I have not yet heard whether he was ill long, the
16young man who told me did not know. If I could only have seen him to
17tell you about him.
18
19 I know how your heart cries out because you could do nothing for him -
20your first born, to whom you twice gave life, at the risk of your own.
21
22 Please give my love to Charley & tell him how much I feel with him.
23
24 My dear love to you Emma & give my love to the children. I know how
25busy you are, but if ever you have time write & tell me how it goes
26with you all. But don't feel you must answer this. I shall quite
27understand if you don't. I can never forget all your kindness to me
28when I was ill that time at Newlands in Lyndall. You are such a
29wonderful person when anyone is ill or in trouble - it is so hard you
30could not be with your boy.
31
32 Good bye.
33 Your small Aunt, Olive
34
35 We are expecting Oliver here soon. What I have lived through in
36anxiety about that boy I could not easily tell any one He is the apple
37of my eye. Dear little Ursula's husband arrived yesterday from France.
38She is developing so wonderfully since her marriage, so sweet &
39thoughtful for others. She is just charming, & beautiful.
40
41 9 Porchester Place
42 Edgeware Rd
43 London W.
44
45