27 February 1944 to Sir Osbert Sitwell
Buckingham Palace
My dear Sir Osbert,
I am so delighted to have that charming book which belonged to the Prince Consort, and I send you my grateful thanks for your very kind thought in giving it to me. We do not seem to have progressed very much since the days of the Hero of Alexandria,* and paper & printing and trouble-taking in 1851 were much superior to 1944! Down with utility, & up with expensive creamy paper & lovely bindings & all that. (After the War.) (Patriotic afterthought.) It is an entrancing book, and will be much prized by your sincere friend,
Elizabeth R
PS Please keep the bookplates.† I meant that you should keep them. I wonder when you will next be in London as I would much like to see you.
7 March 1944 to Lady Violet Bonham Carter
Buckingham Palace
Dear Lady Violet‡
I was so touched to receive your charming letter, and so delighted to hear that your son§ has regained that gaiety of mind & spirit, which the strain & agony of all he went through must have greatly tested. He is so absolutely charming in every way, everyone is so fond of him, and I am so glad to know that the respectable routine at Windsor has rested and restored him. There is a ‘governess & schoolroom’ atmosphere there at the moment which, in these days of war, is very healing! […]
I am so sorry that he is leaving, for though we only get to Windsor for weekends, it is a delight to see him occasionally, & he will be greatly missed, not least by his Colonel!
I am, Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
11 April 1944 to Queen Mary
Sandringham
Darling Mama
I was so glad to receive your letter last week, and many thanks for writing. It is very sad to think that two such real old friends have gone, tho’ I think that Mrs Rawlings’* death was a great relief, as she had been so unhappy & suffering, and there was so little that could be done to relieve the poor old thing. I think too, that it was a mistake her living so near to her beloved Castle. She hated leaving it, and couldn’t bear to think of another housekeeper there, and all these feelings combined with such ill health made her very miserable. I hope that the dear old thing is now at peace, and I trust that she won’t return to haunt Windsor Castle – I can almost imagine seeing that spare black silk figure whisking down a dark passage, jangling her keys! How devoted she was to you and how she loved Windsor.
I must admit that I do too, & I am glad to say that Lilibet has also a great affection and admiration for the whole place, one gets a very great sense of history there too.
We are in the throes of trying to find a new Dean – not an easy matter in these days, and so important to get the right man. There seems to be a sad lack of the vintage of Cosmo Lang.
Bertie did the Maundy at Westminster,* & the dear old Archbishop [Lang] looked very well & wise & completely & utterly bald. I do feel how immensely lucky we were to have him for the Coronation, for we both felt the depth and meaning of that great service of dedication with all our hearts and souls, and he raised the whole thing above pageantry & history, & made it so personal. I am sure that the present Archbishop [William Temple], clever & nice as he is, could never have raised it all to such spiritual heights, or felt so deeply about it, as the old one.
I have had a bit of bad luck, & through these lovely spring days here I am in bed with a sort of flu. […] Luckily Bertie is well, & he and the children are out all day on their bicycles, & seem most happy. They are rat hunting this afternoon – what a sport!
We have a very nice temporary equerry from the R.A.F. called Townsend.† He is a Battle of Britain fighter pilot, & charming and fits in beautifully. […]
We are so looking forward to seeing you on the 21st, and then we can discuss dates etc for visits. How one prays that the War may end soon, and then what a Europe to re-make – devastated, starving & unlawful to a degree. […]
With so much love darling Mama, ever your loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
PS I am giving Lilibet a small diamond tiara of my own for her 18th birthday, & Bertie is giving her a little bracelet to wear now. It is almost impossible to buy anything good, but he may find something secondhand.
4 May 1944 to Elizabeth Elphinstone
Buckingham Palace
My Darling Elizabeth
Thank you so very much for your charming letter.
I do so understand what you feel about nursing – it is a very great pity that intelligent & well trained V.A.D.s are not given more of a chance to take responsibility and prove their worth, but, as you say, it’s no good discussing that now, and I know that the pigs and sheep & cows are mooing and baaaing & grunting & that you long to answer their call. I really think that it is high time that you came down for a week or so, and then we could discuss the whole question, for it is a big subject to write about, and there is much to think over.
I expect that with an income of your own, even a small one, farming would be an ideal life. And you do like country things best, don’t you? I think that if I couldn’t occasionally rest the eye & the spirit by a glimpse of green fields or purple mountains, I would go stark staring mad. Life is so very complicated sometimes, the problems are so vast, the whole picture of the world so black and unhappy, that one feels a very strong urge to be able to look at nature & remember how small & petty human beings are, & gather a little fresh strength from the everlasting hills.
One thinks so much of these big problems nowadays, that I feel I don’t give enough time or thought to one’s own home things. Anyway, it would be heavenly to see you – do you know that it’s over six months, nearly seven, since Balmoral? Do come and stay for a week. You can have a room (with no view) and I would ADORE it.
Come on – Your very loving Peter.
It is delicious having Andrew [Elphinstone]. He is such fun, & so intelligent & so good-looking. He has just bought me a piano, or rather he found it & I paid for it and he plays on it, & I listen!
Thursday 4 May 1944 to Sir Osbert Sitwell
Buckingham Palace
My dear Sir Osbert,
Thank you so much for your letter. […]
I spent last week in Norfolk and the beauty of the countryside was amazing. It was so lovely that one could hardly bear it. It was such luck hitting the week in the year, because the week before nothing much was out, and this week it’s all there, & last week one could watch the leaves unfolding and the lilac coming out, & the double cherry trees blazing. How lovely it was. I noticed that some of the young soldiers minded the beauty very much – it is true that the war does make anything as glorious as England in April very agonising. It makes me think of
‘Years of gladness,
Days of joy,
Like the torrents of spring,
They hurried away’*
It’s all very sad. […]
I am, Yours sincerely
Elizabeth R
18 June 1944 to Arthur Penn
Windsor Castle
My dear Arthur
I simply cannot tell you how much I feel for you over this ghastly tragedy of this morning.† It seems so cruel that you, so good, so kind, and such a true and appreciated friend should have to suffer like this, and in such a terrible way. I know that your great courage and great heart will take you through this agony, & into the better days, and I am sure that you know that all my thoughts and most sincere prayers are yours.
I feel quite stunned by it all and what you must feel – I do pray that you may be helped and sustained. Oh Arthur, it all seems so terrible – we must be brave – I know you are and I shall try all I know in case one can help. Yours ER
Wednesday 21 June 1944 to Sir Osbert Sitwell
Buckingham Palace
My dear Sir Osbert,
I do wish that I could find words to tell you how very very much I have enjoyed your enchanting book of essays.* […]
It has been an exhausting few months with
the anxiety over our invasion of France lying heavy on the heart & mind, and now these great battles raging, & so many precious people killed, makes the days long & worrying. But truly, your essays were a great help, & most cheering and sustaining. Now we have to fight the new attack on London, and once again it is the people who will ‘take it’ and let us hope, give it back after the war, by remembering that the Germans are dangerous, & insisting on our remaining strong. What a lot of war we have seen in our generation. On Sunday in Church I weakly let a tear leave my eye, thinking of the sorrows of so many good & brave people, & feeling unhappy for them, & as I did so, I felt a small hand in mine, & the anxious blue eye of Margaret Rose wondering what was the matter. As she touched me, I remembered with a dreadful pang that I did exactly the same thing to my mother, when I was just about Margaret’s age. I remembered so vividly looking up at my mother in church, & seeing tears on her cheeks, & wondering how to comfort her. She then had 4 sons in the army, & was so brave. I could not bear to think that my daughter should have to go through all this in another 25 years. It must not be.
We were bounced about by a bomb last night, but always hope for the best! With again my true thanks for the book.
I am, Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
26 June 1944 to Sir Kenneth Clark
Buckingham Palace
My dear Sir Kenneth,
Thank you very much for your two letters. I am most relieved to hear that you think the pictures in Buckingham Palace should be left where they are for the moment, as I feel that the accommodation at Windsor is rather strained, and anyway there are far too many valuable objects there already!
I am also very pleased to hear about the cellar at Hampton Court, & do pray that the lovely old place may be preserved from the fury of the Germans. This [the V-1 bomb] is such a different type of attack, and one must not make the mistake of being 1940-minded in fighting it.
I do hope that both you and Lady Clark are well? Last week we had to use our shelter a certain amount & I much enjoyed the pictures – some of them are really lovely, & one would never get tired of them. I was thinking that if I had put a couple of Matthew Smiths down there, they would not have soothed one, after being slightly bounced about by a bomb, in quite the same way as did Mr P. Potter or Mr Hobbema or Mr Van de Something. I must try and learn a little about them, I am so grateful to them!*
With so many thanks for your letters, I am, Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
27 June 1944 to Princess Elizabeth
Buckingham Palace
My Darling Lilibet
This is just a note about one or two things in case I get ‘done in’† by the Germans! I think that I have left all my own things to be divided between you & Margaret, but I am sure you will give her anything suitable later on – such as Mrs Greville’s pearls, as you will have the Crown ones. It seems silly to be writing these sort of things, but perhaps it would be easier for you darling if I explained about the jewels.
I am sure that you would find Cynthia Spencer & Dorothy Halifax very helpful over any difficult little problems, & of course Granny!!
Let’s hope this won’t be needed, but I know that you will always do the right thing, & remember to keep your temper & your word & be loving – sweet – Mummy
8 July 1944 to Queen Mary
Windsor Castle
Darling Mama
It would be too delightful if you would come to luncheon on my birthday, there could be no nicer ‘treat’! But I do think that, if by then the flying bombs are still being a bore, you should put it off, as the whole thing is so very unpleasant and your journey might be rather difficult.
One exploded this side of the Copper Horse* yesterday evening, & I thought my windows were coming in! We lost a few at Royal Lodge, but I am most thankful to say that nobody was hurt, even at the Workshops which was quite close. But let us hope that by August 4th the situation will have improved.
It is too kind of you to say that I may find a present. The other day I found a pretty Fabergé cornflower in a crystal pot, so charming in these grim & grey days that I thought it would look cheerful in my shelter room at B. Palace! If you would care to give a little towards it, I would love that.
We spent two very interesting and lengthy days this week going round our own bomber stations, and the American VIIIth Air Force as well. It was also very agreeable to feel out of reach of the disgusting robot bombs for a little time!
The Americans were so very nice, and charming hosts. We saw a formation of Forts† coming home after a mission in France – it was really very dramatic seeing these great ships cruising round waiting their turn to land, firing two green lights for successful results, & a red if any wounded on board. They [the American servicemen] seem to be most efficient, and ready for anything, and making friends all the time, which is so important.
We are returning to London on Tuesday, & I admit quite frankly that it is much worse than the Blitz of 1940 – I don’t quite know why. Perhaps because after 5 years of war people have been through so much that this extra burden lies heavier. Also there is something very inhuman and beastly about death dealing missiles being launched in such an indiscriminate manner.
Edward and Dorothy Halifax came to dine this week – they are so delightful, & such a pleasure to have people to whom one can talk quite freely. It seems so rare nowadays, alas!
I am so glad that Marina’s children are with you. They really are very sweet now, & I am sure that it will do Alexandra a lot of good to be with you. I know that Lilibet & Margaret learnt a great deal on their visits to you in the old days.
Much love darling Mama, ever your very loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
17 July 1944 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama,
I must quickly write and say how sorry I am that in the stress of bombs etc, I quite forgot to tell you about Mary Palmer.* I was on the point of writing when your kind letter came, & in answering I stupidly omitted to include this item of news. She seems a most charming girl, well educated, poised, intelligent and delightfully natural & unshy, and I do hope that she will be a success. I am so vexed that I did not tell you before the announcement came out, as I meant to do. She has been working in a day nursery in London, amongst the Gibraltar refugees, and as (thank goodness) they are now being sent home, that particular work is coming to an end. Bertie likes her very much and she has come from good stock which has served its country well.
We have a very busy week behind us, and we saw two aspects of the battle of the robot. Wednesday we toured gunsites in the South, and spent the afternoon with a battery of heavy guns. The bombs came over fairly frequently, and the guns let go everything at them, tho’ without much success. An occasional fighter came hurtling past on the tail of one of the robots, and one flew straight into the bursting shells, & my heart nearly stopped, as he started to wobble about, & we thought he had been hit. However, the bomb crashed a little further on, & the fighter seemed to recover. But really war is very exhausting! This particular site was a mixed battery, & the girls are doing very well indeed. They all looked so well, and though they are constantly on the alert night & day, they do get their sleep which is the main thing. The food was good, & well arranged tents & good beds.
The worst part was getting back to London through Croydon & Streatham which get a great many hits.
On Friday we went to fighter stations, and heard a lot about their work in shooting down these things. Some squadrons were operating in Normandy in support of our troops, and it was very inspiring to talk to these shy modest & very brave men. At one place there was a squadron of Norwegian fighters, such splendid young men, & mixing so well with ours. We saw two French squadrons, quite good too. Air Marshal Coningham* told me that a little while ago, some of the French in one squadron were Fighting French, some were Vichy & some were pro Giraud,† & feeling ran so high, & became so bitter that they took to sending each
other little black coffins, & daggers & rude letters, until he had the brilliant idea of removing the squadron leader and sending in two good New Zealanders who in no time had the whole thing running smoothly and happily! It just shows how well they react to the right leadership, someone they can really trust. […]
Much love darling Mama, your loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
On 23 July 1944 the King set off for a ten-day trip to visit his troops in Italy under the command of General Alexander.*
26 July 1944 to King George VI
Buckingham Palace
My Darling Angel
I have a chance to send you a line by Walshie who thought he could deliver it to you, so here it is!
I do hope that you had a good journey, and that the tum tum tummy is behaving nicely, & not revolting at the climate, or the chianti, or the macaroni or spaghetti! It seems at least a month since you left, & the children and I are longing for your return. Everybody is well – the guide and Ranger camp was a great success, & ‘Captain’ & ‘Skipper’ parted without actually coming to blows which shows what a great success it was! I do hope that you are being able to see the troops, and not being too exhausted. Please give Alex [General Alexander] my greetings, and tell him I think he’s a magician to weld British & Canadian & Polish & French and Goums† into one great Army – And such a splendid one too.
There is very little to tell you from here – Lilibet and I have signed a few papers dismissing people from the Services for various ‘orrible offences! Also a bill which they want approved in a great hurry called the Validation of Wartime Leases Bill, & I hope that this is alright, tho’ I do think it is wrong to ask for approval for the next day as it comes up for a second reading. It really doesn’t give time to look at it! Well darling, I shall look forward tremendously to your return – Don’t use any water that is not boiled – most important. From your loving and rather lonely Elizabeth
Counting One's Blessings Page 38
