"Men selling their souls & fate watching" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | W.P. Schreiner BC112/B31/17 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 19 April 1917 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | Chambers, Wale Street, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Who To | Bill 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 address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope.
|
1
9 Porchester Place
2 London
3 April 19th 1917
4
5 Dear old Bill
6
7 You would be surprised if you knew how much this small person’s
8thoughts have been running after you. I wasn’t a little sorry to
9hear you had the fever. I’d rather a man had typhoid or was wounded
10– if not too badly – because he may get over it & be better than
11ever or as well, but this wretched fever hangs about one no one knows
12how long. I met Smuts the other day & he said as soon as the weather
13gets cold & damp he feels it returning. I hear wonderful accounts of
14your thinness & your "?beard" Do if you have even a snap shot taken any
15time, remember your small Aunt.
16
17 I expect you get all their news from Mother & Dad every week Turnips
18^(Cyril)^ Thompson as no doubt they will have told you, has been wounded
19in the right eye & is back here in hospital. He’s married a bright
20clever girl of who he seems very fond. I saw Vernon Lewes last Sunday.
21He was just off to the front. When the daily lists of killed & wounded
22come up to over 1000 in the "Times" every morning saying "Good bye" is
23not very bright work.
24
25 Dot & Ursie as you will have heard have both been ill. Dot has a bad
26cough & is pulled down & they want her to come to England for a 6 week
27rest, but of course they are very busy at the hospitals just now in
28France.
29
30 When the war is over you must come over & let us have a look at you
31– but I know you’ll feel as I do – there’s no place like
32Africa I am feeling very anxious about Ol. He must still be in the
33region of sub-marines. But its quite probable you will have earlier
34news of him than we. His arms an ugly thing to look at. It will never
35be allright – though he pretends it is, & makes the best of it.
36
37 Do drop me a line some time, dear. I should value it so, & don’t
38fail to send me a snap of yourself if ever you have one.
39
40 Your smallest of Aunts
41 Ol
42
43^Address c/o Standard Bank 10 Clements Lane, Lombard St^
44
45 ^Address always
46 c/o Standard Bank
47 10 Clements Lane
48 Lombard St
49 London
50W.^
51
52
53
2 London
3 April 19th 1917
4
5 Dear old Bill
6
7 You would be surprised if you knew how much this small person’s
8thoughts have been running after you. I wasn’t a little sorry to
9hear you had the fever. I’d rather a man had typhoid or was wounded
10– if not too badly – because he may get over it & be better than
11ever or as well, but this wretched fever hangs about one no one knows
12how long. I met Smuts the other day & he said as soon as the weather
13gets cold & damp he feels it returning. I hear wonderful accounts of
14your thinness & your "?beard" Do if you have even a snap shot taken any
15time, remember your small Aunt.
16
17 I expect you get all their news from Mother & Dad every week Turnips
18^(Cyril)^ Thompson as no doubt they will have told you, has been wounded
19in the right eye & is back here in hospital. He’s married a bright
20clever girl of who he seems very fond. I saw Vernon Lewes last Sunday.
21He was just off to the front. When the daily lists of killed & wounded
22come up to over 1000 in the "Times" every morning saying "Good bye" is
23not very bright work.
24
25 Dot & Ursie as you will have heard have both been ill. Dot has a bad
26cough & is pulled down & they want her to come to England for a 6 week
27rest, but of course they are very busy at the hospitals just now in
28France.
29
30 When the war is over you must come over & let us have a look at you
31– but I know you’ll feel as I do – there’s no place like
32Africa I am feeling very anxious about Ol. He must still be in the
33region of sub-marines. But its quite probable you will have earlier
34news of him than we. His arms an ugly thing to look at. It will never
35be allright – though he pretends it is, & makes the best of it.
36
37 Do drop me a line some time, dear. I should value it so, & don’t
38fail to send me a snap of yourself if ever you have one.
39
40 Your smallest of Aunts
41 Ol
42
43^Address c/o Standard Bank 10 Clements Lane, Lombard St^
44
45 ^Address always
46 c/o Standard Bank
47 10 Clements Lane
48 Lombard St
49 London
50W.^
51
52
53