Love from Boy

by Donald Sturrock

Love from

  Roald

  [undated]

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thanks awfully for your letter & the parcel. Has someone been sending some Norwegian chocs? The fishing hooks will be fine; I’ve never seen so many in all my life.

  . . . By the way, about speech day, I gather you are all coming down. I expect Alfhild will drive the car. I’ve just had a letter from Kari to say that she has received her permissions to come down as well. If Louis wants to come he could go & fetch Kari on his motorbike & sidecar.

  May I take Kari to the Speech Day dance on Friday evening? I promised to do it jokingly last holidays, but there are lots of people in this house going & I think it would be good fun . . .

  My gosh, it’s hot, I simply can’t write any more. I’m lying out in the Deer Park in my shirt sleeves, thinking of nothing but a bathe.

  We’re going fishing too this afternoon.

  Lots of love from

  Roald

  Wednesday

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thanks for your letter. Yes, I knew Michael had been expelled, and had asked Binks what I should say to you about it, and he said that it would be by far the best for all concerned to conceal the fact under a pretext of mental breakdown. But please don’t think that I had anything to do with him in that way at all. I was his friend and I knew that he had a kink about immorality. I had tried to stop him, as Binks knew, but it was no good. I have asked Binks, who knows my character here a good deal better than most, to assure you that I had nothing to do with it at all. By your letter I concluded that you thought I had been behaving badly and might be expelled if I was not careful. Well, please believe me when I tell you that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. But it was for the sake of everyone’s feelings that Binks and I thought it best to conceal the fact of his expulsion. The boss told me that it was not homosexuality but merely the natural outlet for a rather over sensuous mind often met hand in hand with great brain. He has asked him to come down to the school again in a year’s time.

  If the scarlet fever stays in the Hall only, there will probably be a speech day, but I think that the dance will very likely be cancelled.

  Lots of love from

  Roald

  PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

  Repton

  June 14th 1933

  Dear Mrs. Dahl,

  Roald came to me last night in considerable distress, because you thought that he must have been concerned in the unfortunate events which led to Michael Arnold leaving Repton.

  He had not told you about that, because he did not want to distress you; but owing to the turn that events have taken, I think I had better tell you about it. Early this term it came out that Arnold had been guilty of immorality with some small boys last term. As he was a prefect and in a position of trust in the house, and as his acts had been quite deliberate, we decided that he must go. It was a very unpleasant business for everybody and especially for Roald; not only because he lost his chief friend, but also because people were likely to think that he was implicated. But as a matter of fact there was no sort of suspicion attaching to him, in fact I am convinced that he had done his best to make Arnold give up his bad ways; but the latter is very obstinate and would not listen to him.

  When boys are sent away for this sort of thing, there is naturally some difficulty in accounting to their acquaintances for their leaving school. As a matter of fact Roald consulted me at the time about what he should say. I did not think it necessary to tell you about it—as he was not himself implicated—at least not at present, when he could only communicate by letter. So when Arnold’s father ascribed it to a mental breakdown, I thought he had better use that explanation.

  I may have been wrong in this—if so, I am sorry. But in any case you may set your mind at ease about Roald. I am convinced that he is perfectly straight about it all and has not been concerned in Arnold’s misdeeds.

  As to the latter: Some of these very clever boys have an abnormality in their minds, which makes them resentful of authority, and difficult to deal with, and may lead to disaster as in his case. Arnold was apparently convinced (quite wrongly) that he was not appreciated at his true worth here, and took up a defiant and revolutionary attitude to assert his independence. It was of course a very wicked and selfish method of doing so, as he deliberately tried to start small boys off wrong. It is a sad business, as he has many good qualities: I only hope he will be able to control his ‘complex’ in future –

  But my chief object in writing is to set your mind at rest about Roald—I’m sure he is straight and I hope you will tell him that you trust him to go right. It is of great importance that he should feel you believe in him.

  Yours sincerely

  SS Jenkyns

  [probably July 9th 1933]

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  . . . Last Tuesday we had a field-day. It was terribly hot. Just about the hottest day we’ve had. We didn’t leave until after breakfast, because we hadn’t so far to go as usual. Then at about 9 o’clock we all got into buses and started off for a place called the Weever Hills in Staffordshire. It took about one and a half hours in the bus—the coolest part of the whole day, because all the windows were open. It was rather a pleasant kind of country that we finished up in—all hills and stone walls. We messed about the whole day, firing our blank cartridges (of which we each had 110 rounds) eating our lunch and getting extremely hot. Then there occurred a thrill, which alone added spice to an otherwise dull and hot day. Some fellows in Trent College fired five live rounds (actual bullets) at us. We heard them whizzing overhead and hitting a wood behind and we went down behind the wall like shot rabbits. An umpire standing near on a horse heard the shots, and knowing them to be live rounds, rushed along and caught this boy in the act. He must have been mad—at any rate there’s been the deuce of a row about it. I’m not sure that the War Office isn’t going to do something about it!!! We all had tea in a field at about 5 o’clock and got back in time to have a much appreciated bathe.

  On Wednesday we got off all the morning’s work to go and welcome George and his wife.* We had uniform on of course and had to line the streets 15 paces apart in front of the pavement to keep the crowd on it. It was jolly hot, but few of the people were obstinate. Quite fun seeing George + Spouse, but even the old boy himself didn’t arouse in me those instincts which prompted a woman on my right to fling her arms around Hooper as the King came past, exclaiming ‘the King, the King’, (much to the embarrassment of the unfortunate Hooper, whose face took on the delicate hues of some of the finer beetroots, which by the way can be bought quite cheaply at any grocer (green, of course) Hooper, by the way, was the boy standing 15 paces to my right . . .

  Working for the ruddy Certificate now, which begins in about 2 weeks . . .

  Love from

  Roald

  A montage of Roald and three friends at Repton with a background of school landmarks. It was made by Roald in his darkroom at Priory House in 1933.

  [undated]

  Addressed to:

  Mrs. S Dahl

  10 Sloforks Hotel,

  Larkollen

  Norway

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  I suppose that you are in the North Sea now, and judging by the weather here you aren’t having a very rough time. Both yesterday & today it has been as hot as a ruddy furnace, and Smith & I have gone to Parson’s Hills behind Latham House to Sunbathe every day. Yesterday we took off our shirts & immediately became the centre of attention in the ant world. The little devils crawled all over us, taking a particular fa
ncy to my ears, where, no doubt they found a delicious food hitherto unknown to the ant. Then a large cow nearly mistook Smith’s head for a thistle, so as a punishment we tried to milk it. But it wasn’t having any nonsense and it was far too hot to chase it. We’ve done half the exams now; they weren’t so bad, I may enclose some of the Papers as they might interest you or Alf . . .

  Love from

  Roald

  P.S. Beastly nuisance having to pay 21⁄2d for this letter, the family coffers can scarce stand such a drain upon their resources.

  February 4th 1934

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  . . . We are having a great fives match this afternoon in the courts on our yard . . .

  We are also planning a gigantic fire balloon, to be 18ft high, with a diameter of 12 feet, outer surface area of 3,501 square feet! It should lift at least one boy, but we are going to have it on a rope (that is if it ever comes off).

  Do you think you could find a pipe of mine & give it to me on Thursday. It is one I often smoked, one you gave me in Norway (not the light coloured one) It is well smoked in & has a fairly long stem, fairly dark, with a little chip out underneath. If you can’t find it will you please bring the other one you gave me in Norway (still not the light one) It is in the rack in my bedroom, a fairly fat one with a longish stem & a short mouth piece!

  Love from

  Roald

  P.S. Let me know fairly soon what you think about meeting on Thursday, so I can answer.

  [probably February 21st 1934]

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thanks for your letter & the cheque thing to sign; I enclose it here. The wireless came as you expected on Friday afternoon. It is marvellous. It will get all the continent at any time of the day, and Oslo easily. You know exactly what you are getting because all the names are on the dial. The dial is accurate too and the tone is excellent; now I think it is a good deal better than the Ferranti tone.

  . . . I do Boxing twice a week now from 7–8 in the evenings. The boxing competition will be starting in about two weeks. There are only two of us in for the Senior Heavyweights, Downs & I. He weighs 15 stone, but I hope the burden of his fat will slow him down

  Just been out for a walk with Reuss. Had a good smoke a long way away; also rescued a cow that had fallen into the stinker, (the method used was to grasp the tail of the beast and pull very hard. It was awfully grateful to us afterwards . . .

  Love from

  Roald

  March 4th 1934

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thank you for your letters. What a pity we can’t go to Tenby. Did Alf know that we wouldn’t be able to go if she acted—tell her she’s a fool.

  At any rate I’ve got something else I want to ask you: next summer hols there’s a Public Schoolboys Exploring Expedition going to explore the centre of Newfoundland. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be really worth going. It’s led by the same man who led one to Finland last Summer, Surgeon-Commander Murray-Levick, one of the men on Scott’s Expedition. It lasts six weeks, four of which are spent in the wilds of Newfoundland! which hasn’t been mapped before so a bit of surveying would be done for the Government too. Total costs + journey & everything is £35. Is that a lot? There’s a friend of mine in Brook House called Horrocks also thinking of going; the summer climate out there is good, very sunny & not over hot. What do you think of it & is it too expensive? I wouldn’t be paying next Xmas term school fee, & suppose the Norway holiday usually comes to about £25 each, doesn’t it.

  Six of us have started work on our giant balloon; made out of bits of tissue paper 21⁄2ft x 13⁄4. We’ve bought 80 sheets (1/-) & lots of grip-fix & have started, in fact we’ve done 1⁄2 of it. We’ve got it all worked out, its volume inside is 3000 cubic ft, & it stands 15ft high.

  Lots of masters + Ma Boss have told us to tell them when it goes up, & are coming to watch! But it will not be ready for at least a week. We’re having 4 lots of cotton wool fires in the structure underneath:-

  Wonder if it will go up!!

  Love from

  Roald

  June 3rd 1934

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thanks awfully for the figs & biscuits etc. Those figs will keep me going in more sense than one for quite a long time. They’re jolly good; but one fellow in the study, who claims to have licked an Arab’s foot said he recognized the taste on the surface of his fig. I said: ‘not really’, and he answered ‘No, on second thoughts perhaps they were Italian’s feet.’

  At the moment all the fags are busy behind me devising cunning traps to catch mice alive. The study is being invaded by mice, they are eating our cakes & apples and everything except the good old figs. One fellow has put sawdust on top of treacle, and he swears that the mouse will think that it’s terra firma, will walk thereon & will stick. But our latest device is a basin (my wash basin) greased all around with Priory butter (guaranteed to kill any animal after the second dose); and in the middle of the basin stands a piece of choice plum cake, a chunk of the very cake on which the mice have been feasting for the last week—so they are bound to like it! We maintain that the mice won’t be able to get out, but it only remains to be seen whether they are fools enough to go into it.

  Love

  Roald

  June 10th 1934

  The Priory House

  Repton

  Derby

  Dear Mama

  Thanks awfully for the cakes—the remnants of the Norwegian party I suppose. But they are jolly good.

  I had another letter from Parrain, after I had thanked him for lending me his trout rod. He said he wasn’t lending it, he was giving it; and I was to take it in to Farleys in St. James; to have proper line & flies at his expense! Jolly decent of him.—I expect Ellen will be able to get it into her trunk.

  Our baths have been filled, I had my first bathe yesterday—it wasn’t at all bad. We’ve got a new device. A colossal filter has been fixed up behind the baths, and it is certainly drawing water out, cleaning it and sending it in again at the other end. It is a jolly good thing by the looks of it and it may save us bathing in a sort of green swamp towards the end of the term.

  We’ve made an awfully cunning trap for catching mice alive; it’s like this

  The mouse goes in and nibbles the cheese which is hanging by a bit of cotton. Have you ever tried nibbling an apple hanging by a bit of string, well the mouse puts his paws on the cheese to steady it & pull it down. The cotton is attached to the thing which lets off the trap. The trap springs down like a door & is stopped halfway, (it has been made into a door with wire.) The second night we caught a big one, but as we were emptying it into a box the darn thing jumped out before we could clap the lid on!

  I’d like the remaining figs if no one else wants them

  Lots of love

  Roald

  Thursday. At sea.

  Furness Line

  R.M.S. Nova Scotia

  Dear Mama

  This is Thursday and we are due in at St. John this afternoon at about 5 o’clock. We’ve had a marvellous voyage. Woke up on Saturday morning to find ourselves off the coast of Ireland. It looked a marvellous place. Later Scotland appeared on the other side & I took some photos of the Giant’s Causeway.

  After lunch, when we left the coast of Ireland it started to blow & we didn’t feel so good. However we remained on deck, and caught the wireless operator being sick over the side! We are sharing a cabin with 2 fellows from Uppingham—very nice chaps—in fact everyone with the exception of an odd tough here & there, are very nice. We all lay down
in our bunks that evening & at 12.15 midnight I awoke & found us all fast asleep & fully dressed!

  Sunday was a lovely day. We discovered Sam amongst the crew. Sam is a Negro who hails from British Guiana in South America, and he’s a marvellous fellow, black curly hair & a blue beret. After supper that night we went up to the bar & found Jimmy Horrocks, gloating over a Manhattan cocktail. After that he had a glass of sherry & then lo & behold he was tight as a drum. He called for more & got tighter & tighter. He was wearing an Old Reptonian tie & we asked him if that was the old school tie—‘Yes,’ he said—‘What school’ ‘the old Pentonvillians’ he answered terribly seriously.

  We eventually got him down to the cabin & shoved him on his bunk; he slept so we left him & went to the service. When we went down again afterwards the bunk was empty. We thought he’d probably dropped himself quietly overboard, but when we went up to look, there he was sitting in the bar over a glass of port! After a long time we got him down again without Murray Levick or any of the leaders seeing him, undressed him & put him to bed. We sat in the cabin & when someone mentioned the pub ‘The Pig & Whistle’, Jimmie, lying in his bunk half asleep got up & sang ‘Did you ever see a pig whistling’ to the tune of ‘did you ever see a dream walking’.

  We were never sick at all after Saturday. On Monday we had fair weather. In the morning an old boy of about 80 came on to the deck in an amazing smock & started to show us how to play a game of his called Stoolball. Evidently he’s absolutely crazy about it. He came on this ship especially to show us how to play it. He travels on ships to India in order to introduce it on the way. It’s a damn silly game, & when he came down again in the afternoon he found everyone playing cricket & so he went away & we haven’t seen him since—I think he’s in the Atlantic Ocean. The game has since been known as Toolball.

  That evening the Captain attended dinner—speeches all around. After dinner we dragged one fellow who had the most atrocious black beard up to the bathroom and shaved it off. I believe you saw him on the Station. Then as Murray Levick said we were all to have our hair cut short I went along to Sam who cuts hair in his spare time (there is also a ship’s barber) & had all my hair cut off! I’ve just got a tiny little bit of bristle on the top—I look fine. I had to borrow Sam’s blue beret to keep my head warm & I’ve worn it ever since.