Archives Record
Metadata
Catalogue Number |
2022.50.115.5 |
Object Name |
Letter |
Title |
Letter, Nancy Ward to George Ward, 1942 |
Date |
4 June 1942 |
Year Range from |
1942 |
Year Range to |
1942 |
Description |
Letter (.1 - .4) and envelope (.5) from Nancy Felicia (Howitt) Ward to Captain George Everett Ward, dated 4 June 1942. A four-page handwritten letter in blue ink on blue air mail paper. The letter reads: 221 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ont. June 4th 1942. Thurs. night. Hello Darling- I've been horribly slow with this letter and oh gosh! How I've been hoping & praying there won't be a long lapse for you between my letters. The thought that there might be a lapse makes me almost sick to my tummy. I've just finished playing a couple of games of rummy with Dad and listening to the ten o'clock news broadcast. Mum is in Toronto staying with Fiorenza - they are going to a concert to-night so Dad and I are left holding 221 - Emily is out. This afternoon Issy Alyward [sic] and I puttered around and she had tea with us to-night. I was the chief cook and bottle washer - every Thursday night I take over in the kitchen but to-night we didn't have the usual 10 min dinner to prepare! Because of Issy - I tried out a recipe I discovered in the Ladies Home Journal and it called for a bit of time to whip up but it seemed to be worth the effort. When I woke up this morning I had that "funny peculiar pain in my tummy & all that goes with " !!? So feeling dog tired at this hour of the night & not particularly hot - I've poured myself a rye and ginger to see if it will help me any. The weather man has done nothing but let it rain and rain the past week and over the weekend in Hamilton we had the worst storm I have ever seen - it hailed - the size of eggs! At one stage and I'm afraid did quite a bit of damage. The lightning that went along too was pretty scary. Darling I don't know where to begin to tell you what has happened on this side since my last letter - to keep a diary would be rather futile for me but I think it might help out when I sit down to write because I more than often forget little things you might like to hear about. - I'll start off from a week ago to night Sweetie to bring you up to date. - Fiorenza. George, Uncle Edward, Mum, Dad and I went out to the Country Club for buffet supper. F. Geo & E were in town all last week - so the week seemed like quite a gay one - every night they were here - we'd have dinner together at the Drew's, Country Club or here. They asked after you Darling and send their love and send their love and best wishes to you. When I got back to the house last Thurs. I got the message to phone your Mum. She asked me down for the weekend. The next morning (Fri 29th) the postman came through in great style your long and interesting letter of the 17th and sweet cable - thanks ever so Sweetie they worked the trick in pepping me up for that weekend - Last year I was so excited and happy over that weekend - you were coming up the following and I could hardly wait but this year I was anything but excited. George Darling I'm missing you something awful and with a whole year it hasn't helped in easing the ache in my heart for you. It grows stronger and stronger everyday we're apart. I sent a cable off to you Darling after lunch on Friday. Then just a few seconds before I left the house at 4 PM to catch the bus for Hamilton the postman brought a parcel for me!? - Darling I am simply coo-coo about my artillery bracelet and 3rd Div pin. A million, million thanks and hugs and kisses. I'd be a much happier girl if I could REALLY thank you for them. I have never seen another bracelet like it and it goes so beautifully with my gold wedding & engagement ring. Bye the bye Darling do you remember the night you wished my wedding ring on? I have never taken it off since that night and I'll never take it off even to show anyone until we're together again. With my bus leaving in a few minutes I couldn't send you a cable to let you know it had come through safely but sent one on the Monday Dear. -Your Father met me at the bus depot - he always does - will never let me take a taxi up. After dinner on Fri night we three went off to see Leslie Howard's picture "Mister U" and simply adored it - want to see it again. It is coming to Guelph this week. On our way down to the Capital - saw Betty Hatch on the verandah - so yelled Hi out to her - Betty had just had a phone call from Helen Gamble and screamed out Gams news to me - she had just received a cable from "Huffy" (her fiance) and Huffy wants Helen to go over & be married!!! Apparently he had been to Tony Carsells wedding & it had given him a very good idea & wants Helen to go over as soon as possible. - said he would phone over the weekend if humanly possible - but naturally there was no go on this - I got so excited for Helen I could hardly restrain myself from screeching & screaming all over the place. - I can't understand Henry Hussey - he has been damn mean about writing to Helen - over three months since she's had a letter from him and then this! Mr. & Mrs. G. will let Helen go if there is any way of going but the last M.T.C. left several weeks ago & if she goes on Active here - she might never go over - so Gam is up a gum tree trying to figure out a way. Saturday morning your Mum and I went to market. In the afternoon I went down to see Hope Pigott and their baby. Olga Piggott came over later - the three of us pulled a rug out on the lawn & spent the afternoon sprawled out on it trying to get a tan. Jock and his wife and baby were in St. Catherines over the weekend. Hope told me Jock has grown a terrific beard! The three of them flew up from the maritimes - the baby is only two weeks old - or around there! Laird Jennings is being moved from P.E.I. to Mount Hope - I got all this dope from Hope! - Sat night Dave and Jean had quite a few out for a bit of a party then on to the Gold Club dance. Dave told me about the party at noon on Sat. - I didn't go down prepared for a party but got the brain wave of phoning Mum and asking her to ship my white dinner dress down on the 4 o'clock bus - Mum was marvellous. She didn't forget a thing - sent down the right pair of shoes - & slip - Do you remember the dress I wore the night of our engagement party Darling well this is the job I wore and all night I kept thinking and thinking about that night we had so much fun together. Dave got a Polish chap for me a Flt Lieut - he could hardly speak English. This is the most interesting thing about him. He is going back to England in a week or two & told me he would try to look you up. He expects to be down around your part of the world. His name is George "Ousuchoske sp?" He says he is 44!!! Has been with the A.F. 15 yrs - and has had some pretty terrific experiences. (written down the left had side" ?excuse my trade mark Sweetie - charmin 'eh what?") Found it terribly hard to understand him but managed to get the drift of what he was talking about every now & then. Dave got hold of him thru a friend of his - & to make a long story short Sweetie Hope & I were detailed to pick him up in the Connaught lobby at 8.30 Sat night & bring him out to Ancaster - what a ghastly experience it was - trying to find a man in the lobby (with millions of others milling around) you had never set eyes on before. Never again thanks but after a few scouts around the lobby we finally spotted him and what do you think? He wouldn't believe us when we told him he was to come with us - & we'd take him out to Ancaster!!! - This just made everything more embarrassing and God awful but after a few long min. we finally convinced him that we were asked to do this & he came along with us! Thank heaven his friend Thompson was already out at Dave's when we got there - if he hadn't been it would have been awful because he didn't know a soul. I wish I could remember the names of all the people who were on the party Darling - most of them were strangers to me but the Jack Langs were there and out at the club were the Slater gals. Ned Rodgers sister? (the girl who had the twins) - Miriam Bell - I guess that is all I knew who were out there. After the dance we went back to Jean & Daves for a breakfast party and then home. By this time it was pretty late. Hope & Bill brought me back and when I tried to get the front door open it just wouldn't push - didn't want to ring the door bell & waken your Mother & Father - Bill & Hope asked me to stay with them - I didn't like the idea because thought your Mother & Father would have a fit the next morning but it seemed to be the best thing to do under the circumstances & followed through. Phoned your Mum first thing in the morning & I nearly conked out when she told me the door was "stuck" not locked. This nearly killed me [Page] five but she was awfully sweet about it. The front door to 69 Sweetie is the darndest door to open from the outside - had trouble with it on Sunday morning - it calls for one gigantic push and apparently I didn't give it that early Sunday morning. We had Sunday dinner quite late and then I took the 6.10 bus back to Guelph. On the bureau in the spare room your Mum had two of the most super snaps of you Darling - ones I had never seen before of Dave May & you together - the close up one I'm mad about - I have snitched them for a week or two - going to try to have one struck off. Darling did you ever send the snap out to me of the one taken - I think you said it was in the Cheaquers Inn? - just a [sic] wondering because it hasn't turned up and it seems a long time between pictures - have the one of you at a make shift desk but it [sic] not a very clear one - not complaining but could go for some more - could never have enough of you. Your Mother and Father gave me a lovely present and one that is going to look the nuts on a table in our house someday Sweetie. A striking Chinese cigaret [sic] box - match case - and ash tray. Having to pack all our presents away breaks my heart and there are so many you haven't seen which makes it all the harder. Last Thursday afternoon up popped another present! Mrs Day gave us a glass bowl which will make an attractive centre piece. I've worn a track down to the cellar where our presents are packed away - I scoot down all the time to take a peek at them. Last Thursday afternoon Dorothy & John Russell came over to see me - Doday brought this present over then. - Doday & John were married last year on my birthday - you have heard me mention them Sweetie. It is getting awfully late and I can hardly keep my eyes open Darling but I want to finish this to night so if I "yump" all over the place I hope you will be able to make a little bit of sense out of it. It is not the drink I had Sweetie it's the hour - believe me. Yesterday afternoon Jessie Tate asked me to take over for her - she is down at T.G. Colleys Insurance Office - I was terrified someone would come in and ask about a policy & I wouldn't know what the devil they were talking about but all went off okay - Last night it was Canteen night - a number a [sic] chaps had just been issued their summer uniform and so I sewed on their stripes etc. It made the evening quite a busy one - with selling cigarettes stamps - choc. bars etc at the same time. The St. Geos War Service Club is thinking of throwing a garden party & I was asked to be the convor [sic]!! An honour but definitely no privilege so I told them I'd like to help them out in any way I could - but wouldn't take on the job of being chief convor. It is a stinky job to get yourself up to your neck in. Tuesday Betty Charlesburg and I had lunch with Joanie B. and Kit W. at the Balfours. I hadn't seen Kit for almost a year and am looking forward to seeing her baby someday soon. The four of us had fun together and we just spent the afternoon talking about our Darlings - funny times in Sussex and such. Betty is leaving for Alexandria on Saturday but will be back around the first of July. We had dinner together last night in one of Goofy Gulfs restaurants - and "Blitz" was with us too! Betty Quint is in town until after the baby arrives which should be any day now - Walter was home for five days and went back over the weekend. The Kay household must be a delightful! One!!. Margie Bright is up there now with their three children! - she and Dick are feuding and heaven only knows what is going to come of it - I don't know very much about it but it all sounds pretty awful - tragic is really the right word. Dick at present is at home - doing nothing that I know of and his crazy wife isn't making an attempt to help smooth things over - there is no co-operation so consequently everything is hanging in a horrible way. Last week Dick burned all or nearly all of Margie's clothes in a bonfire in their garden!! It sounds terribly childish but he was driven to it I guess!! when he discovered she had spent his money in that way & was deep in debt! She stands now the way she did when he left her two years ago - Darling she has some clothes! but not the no. before the bonfire. Apparently the bonfire business fixed things & Margie is hopping mad. - If you knew her - clothes mean more to her than almost anything and this all falls back on her Mother - I sound like an awful cat Darling but this is what is going on between the two of them now - and the true reason why? Margie was a skunk when Dick was away - didn't even keep him posted to how the children were. Granted neither of them had clear records but Mrs. B. is getting the blame for it because the very start of this mess is tacked down to her - Enough of small town gossip Sweetie. Darling I've been wondering and wondering about your leave - wondering how you spent it - or are spending it and if you went with the Navy! The A.F. has been doing a magnificent job especially the past couple of nights. I'm getting myself involved in a subject we can't talk about because of our censor friend so I guess I'll have to drop off here. Every morning, noon and night I listen in on the news broadcasts - Darling if you only knew what goes on in my heart and mind when I hear or read about your part of the world. I'm on this side but only in body. I hope by the time this reaches you your watch will have turned up and will be one you like. This morning I had a very nice cable from Dick for my birthday - he had received an airgraph from me which must have gone through very quickly - and he also said you read him parts of my letters - it is so hard to make "two" out of it and Mum gives him what little news there is every week and therefore I'm sunk when I take pen in hand. It is not that I don't try to whip one off - but I can never get them to reach the post box stage. It's about every third attempt that makes the grade and Darling you should know that this is more than true. If I were to read over the letter so far I know I'll toss it into the basket but I'm not going to read it over - I only read them over to check up on all the mis spelled and left out words but always come to [the] conclusion - they're terribly dull & pretty poor and too often obey the impulse to crunch & throw away and then I get madder than hell at myself Darling because you're not hearing from [me] as often as I like you to - me thinks I'll soon go mad! - on the subject of letter writing Darling I do wish you would drop Dad a line even if it means I'll have to fore go one. It would pep him up no end if he heard from you - he won't admit it but I know darn well he is feeling quite put out because he hasn't heard from you. Your brother-in-law Sweetie I hate to admit has beaten you here. Poor old Daddy the past couple of weeks has had a pretty tough time with his arthritis - the damp weather stiffens him up terribly and it is hard to watch him getting out of a chair because it bothers him so. Last week I had a letter from Cee Yarrow and Eleanor Riley (Winnipeg) - asking me if I could come and stay with them sometime this summer - two very nice invites but too far away. George Darling I'm forced to close down for now your wife can hardly hold her head up and pen in hand for another word. Must wash, brush my teeth and say my prayers Darling With all my love, hugs and kisses and even more - always to you my Darling Ever your own Nan (.5) A blue air mail envelope handwritten in blue ink and date stamped Guelph 14 Jun 5 42 Ont. Addressed to "Captain George E. Ward, 12th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Canadian Army Overseas." |
People |
Drew, Fiorenza Johnson Drew, George Alexander Dunbar, Amy Grace (Howitt) Gamble, Helen Johnson, Edward Russell Ward, George Everett Ward, Nancy Felicia (Howitt) |
Search Terms |
Colley (T.G.) and Sons Insurance Ltd. Guelph Country Club Woolwich Street World War II |
Subjects |
COMMUNICATION - LETTER LETTERS AND MAILINGS VETERANS WORLD WAR II (WWII) - 1939 -1945 |
Collection |
Archives |