PS. Weather better and sky full of great big bombers!
26 July 1944 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama
Thank you so very much for your angelic note. I know that you understand my secret intense anxiety when Bertie goes off on these visits,* for one cannot feel happy about the long journeys by air, and all the hazards are great. But he feels so much not being more in the fighting line, and I know that it heartens the troops, & one swallows one’s anxieties!
Lilibet & I went to see him off. It was nearly dark when we drove onto the airfield, and we at once got into the aircraft, & looked at all the arrangements. It really is quite comfortably arranged, with a nice little kitchen to prepare the food. When I went into the cockpit to see where the pilots sat, the first thing I saw through the glass was a flying bomb caught in the searchlights, & coming straight for the plane! I really felt, well this is too much, and averted my eye in anger! Luckily it buzzed over, and was going strong when I looked again! What emotions one goes through these days. I haven’t heard a word from Bertie, but only reports that he had arrived at Naples, & then at Alex’s HQ. I will let you know directly I hear any more news.
I think that he thought he would not see Beppo or any of the Italian Government as things are still a little ‘mixed up’.†
Today I went to see a large American hospital at Oxford. It was very well run, & very full of wounded, some fresh from Normandy. One feels so sorry for the poor boys, they feel things so much, & are so homesick!
Much love darling Mama, ever your loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
10 August 1944 to Sir Osbert Sitwell
Buckingham Palace
My dear Sir Osbert,
Your birthday present has just this moment arrived, and as I am on the point of leaving for the station to go to Yorkshire, I will quickly send you this word of thanks, and shall look forward immensely to reading ‘A Letter to My Son’ in the train. It was most kind of you to think of sending it.
What a tragedy that Rex Whistler should have been killed.* I know how much you must feel it, and I too, feel great sadness.
In this vulgar age we live in, with so much ugliness around us, his exquisite taste and essentially good & noble outlook on life are a terrible loss to England.
In great haste, & with all my thanks,
I am Yours very sincerely
Elizabeth R
19 August 1944 to Queen Mary
Balmoral Castle
My Darling Mama
[…]
We came here via Yorkshire where we spent a day with the Canadian bomber squadrons, and the peace & beauty are even more heavenly after the violent two months just passed. We have had a lovely week with fine weather, for which we feel most grateful! Marina seems very happy at Birkhall, & is out all day with the children. We have met for picnics, & she brought Eddy to lunch after Church – he is a dear little boy, & much improved in manners.
The children are well, and it is so nice to see very bright eyes and pink cheeks again – the life at Windsor is really rather trying now, but they are really very good about it all.
One hears a lot now of the hopes that Paris will soon be freed, but it leaves me quite cold compared to the longing I have that London may be freed from incessant bombardment. I don’t think that anybody has any conception of the strain and horribleness of the whole thing, and people are so wonderful about it all. Up here, away from it all, I find that I think all the time of those little rows of houses, & everyone carrying on so splendidly amongst all the ruin and death – one feels almost conscience stricken to be so peaceful and quiet. It is marvellous too! […]
Much love darling Mama, ever your loving
Elizabeth
4 October 1944 to Sir Alan Lascelles
Balmoral Castle
Dear Tommy
I am so very glad to hear that the Home Guard are to keep their battledress, boots & cape, and I am so grateful to you for letting me know so promptly. I am sure that this little douceur will be very well received, for I feel that many of those good brave self sacrificing people were rather depressed by their sudden & rather curt dismissal by radio.* I felt rather depressed too.
Perhaps the King will be able to give them a medal or flash or something, soon. It would be nice if he could announce it himself, say at the farewell parade. It gives so much more pleasure that way, & much more personal as well which is what matters. The George Cross & medal gained so much from being announced by the King himself.
We have had the most awful weather here, driving rain & cold & strong winds, but everyone is most friendly one toward another, & a little energy seems to be creeping back into the poor tottering human frame, which is a mercy.
We had a most exciting lesson & sermon on Sunday from
Zachariah, about a flying roll & an ephah, & when Mr Lamb* was describing to us what an ephah was (mooor than a boooshle of wheat) & that when the lid was removed from the ephah, sitting on the corn was a WOMAN, & this woman was a WICKED woman, his tones became so denouncing that the kirk was stilled like magic, & all the Manchesters† leant forward eagerly to hear how wicked was this WICKED woman. But their coughing was smothered for nothing, for the lid was quickly replaced on the ephah, and it was picked up, wicked woman & all, & whisked off to Babylon by two women, ‘and the wind was in their wings, for they had wings like the wings of a stork’, & that was the end of the ephah & the wicked woman. The flying roll was passed over.
ER
9 October 1944 to Arthur Penn
Balmoral Castle
My dear Arthur,
I return the letters from Eric Coates. I trow sir, we mustn’t waste Coates or my hat, he might get the boot.‡ Then the Master of the King’s Musick will have to pull up his socks, or Coates will get hot under the collar, and his pants will be deafening. But I’ll put my shirt on the M of the KM, and he will probably be invested with the garter. To be continued.
I shall be returning next week to the house I hate most in the world [wartime Buckingham Palace], and shall hope to find you well. I think this last six months has been the most miserable of the whole war. So many wonderful people being killed gives one a permanent ache in one’s heart for their relatives.
[…]
Yours ER
6November 1944 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama
One line to say that my Father is very ill, and I am going up to Glamis tomorrow night. He had influenza about a month ago, & he has never really recovered, and he is now extremely weak & there is not much hope of his regaining strength.
One feels great sadness at this moment, but he has always been so active & virile, that one could not wish him to live as an invalid.
You are always such an angel of understanding & sympathy, & you will know how one feels at this breaking of many links.
Your v. loving
Elizabeth
7November 1944 to David Bowes Lyon
[Telegram]
FATHER DIED VERY PEACEFULLY IN HIS SLEEP THIS MORNING. SO GLAD YOU ARE COMING OVER.* ELIZABETH
13 November 1944 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama
It was such a joy to be with you yesterday, so comforting & helpful too, and I felt much better after our talk, ranging as it did over many subjects.
There was one matter which I had intended to ask you about. It really has nothing to do with me, except that I became extremely interested over a scheme put up by Miss Amy Buller and the dear old Bishop of Lichfield among others, to use part of the Royal College of St Katharine’s in Regent’s Park as a centre for the study of the Christian philosophy of life.* It would be so wonderful if one could attract, particularly, the teachers of psychology, science, medicine, etc from the great universities all over the country, for they many of them seem to be almost pagans, and there seems to be absolutely nowhere where clever people can go to study and discuss the Christian way of
life from an intellectual angle. It might lead to such great things if only one could get it started, and I believe that the scheme comes up to you as Patron of the College, and I do so wonder what you feel about it. The College seems an ideal place with its old associations with the Queens of England, and though of course it would have to be an experiment, there would be room for that, as well as its more ordinary & excellent work in the East End. There is nothing like it in the country and I did so want to ask you whether you liked the idea or not. Miss Buller is such an interesting little woman, I wonder whether you have seen her since she wrote ‘Darkness over Germany’, and she has seen so much of university life & its lack of intelligent Christian guidance. I am sure that people are badly taught about religion, if at all!
So sorry to write at such length darling Mama, ever your loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
14 November 1944 to David Bowes Lyon
Buckingham Palace
My Darling David,
It was terribly sad that you were not able to come over for the funeral, though I quite agree that you did the right thing. […] Father weakened so quickly that only May got there in time, and one must be very thankful that he had such a quick and peaceful death. The night nurse told me that he was breathing very lightly on Tuesday morning, & just gave a little sigh & stopped breathing. It couldn’t have been better, but it is extraordinary how one misses him isn’t it?
I can’t tell you what nice letters I’ve had from all sorts and conditions of people, & so many stress Father’s ‘kindness to one and all’ & him being an ‘aristocrat’, meaning I suppose that class meant nothing to him, Charles May or Crabbe or Bertie or Nurse Barrie or a Bishop, or Rory or me, or Olive Drummond, all the same.*
Of course there is that awful feeling of one’s old home not really being a home any longer, which is a horrid thought, and I felt very sad during the 3 days at Glamis last week. But one must face up to it, and the main thing is that Glamis should go on as a centre of good will, & let us hope, good example and real leadership. Pat was awfully nice and is determined to live at Glamis.† If only Dorothy could move, I think that they would settle there at once. He seems to really love the place, and perhaps he will become more ordinary & easy when he is ‘himself’ at Glamis.
The funeral was much the same as Mother’s, and it was very simple & just right.
Pat, May, Rosie and I went in the car, & in front, just behind the coffin walked Bertie, Mike and Sidney. […] It was all just right.
One feels very sad, and I am afraid that you will feel it all so much darling, being so far away.
I have given Tommy your message and he will do what he can. I enclose a letter from Alah, so nice, dear old Alah.
Goodbye darling,
your very loving
Buffy
The new fun is rockets. Less trouble than flying bombs because you can’t take shelter, & it’s just luck or perhaps the Almighty keeping an eye.
14 November 1944 to Winston Churchill
Buckingham Palace
Dear Mr Churchill
I was very much touched by your kind letter of sympathy, and I send you my heartfelt thanks for such understanding & helpful words. It is a very sad moment for us all, my Father loved us, and we loved him, and it was so comforting for me to go home, and feel even now, with old age coming on, that I was a loved child. That has gone, but I am very grateful to have had him so long, & it is good to know that Glamis was a centre of good will & unity for the people around.
I am glad that you had a successful visit to France,* & only hope that the cold was not too trying. Do you think that there is any chance of London being ‘liberated’ in the coming months? My heart aches for our wonderful brave people, they have been tried so high, & of course can go on, but it really is rather a bore to feel that one might be blown to pieces at any moment. There is no limit to their courage & cheerfulness, and I long for them to have a lightening of their burden.
With again my thanks for your kind letter,
I am, Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
1 January 1945 to Mrs Way
Buckingham Palace
Dear Mrs Way*
The thoughts of the King and myself have been so much with you & your sons these past few days, and I do want to send you this personal note to say how deeply we feel for you in your great sorrow. Our sympathy is most heartfelt, & we share your grief, for we looked upon Way & yourself as old & true friends, and are deeply distressed by his death.
He gave such good and faithful service to his King, and when we came to Sandringham, the first place that our steps turned to, was always to visit you & your dear husband. I know how bravely you are facing this sad time, & am so thankful to hear that two of your sons are with you.
With our deepest sympathy,
I am, Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
26 January 1945 to Queen Mary
Appleton
My Darling Mama
It was most kind of you to write so sympathetically about Michael’s illness, and I am so grateful to you for your dear thought. I am thankful to say that he is now well on the road to recovery, thanks to our old friend M & B!†
We have had a very agreeable and icy cold visit here, punctuated with bad colds & flu, & now Margaret has got mumps (luckily very mild), and so Lilibet & I may be catching after next week. It is a great bore, the whole place is full of it, Ruth Fermoy‡ has it, the Birkbecks and all the schoolchildren and so it has been difficult to avoid.
I think that your idea of Lilibet visiting some hospitals is a very good one, and it had occurred to me too. She is going to do a course in mechanics with the ATS* when we return to London, tho’ this is to be kept quiet for the moment, and I think it will be a good thing for her to have a little experience from the inside into how a women’s Service is run. She will learn something about the inside of a car as well, which is always useful. The course takes about six weeks I believe, & she can do it by day, & I do hope it will be a success.
She has been working fairly hard with Henry Marten and has learnt quite a lot of European and constitutional history. He is such a good teacher. I long to join in myself, only am always in London during the week.
The Russians seem to be getting on very well, oh how one prays that with us pressing all along the West, & the Russians all along the East, that the Germans may be compressed & harried & beaten at last. They have brought such untold agony on the world – I do hope that we shall stay well armed after this war, for it is the only way to stop another one.
The Greek affair† was very depressing, wasn’t it? One could hardly believe that the Press and the intellectuals of the socialist party could be so blind as to back up a gang of bandits who wanted to seize power by force. We have suffered so much in the fight for what is called Freedom, it was very sad that at this moment people could be so misled as to what freedom means. It certainly doesn’t mean government by tommy gun, and one can only hope that it has done good in the end by making people see the dangers of armed rebellion.
Much love darling Mama,
ever your loving daughter in law
Elizabeth
14 February 1945 to Sir D’Arcy Osborne
Buckingham Palace
My dear D’Arcy,*
I was so pleased to get your letter today, and I want to thank you also for a very charming and interesting letter which I have been meaning to answer ever since it arrived in August. Like you, I find it extremely difficult to write to one’s friends nowadays. I suppose that it is partly because one is exhausted by the agonies of war, & partly because there is so little to write about except war, and the effects of war. It will be delightful [to] see you again when you next come on leave, and there are thousands of things that I want to discuss with you.
Your account of Italy is very sad. I do wish that we could take them over, & govern them, & give them a start, & some hope for better things. Are they cultivating the fields ag
ain, because food is such an important start to sane thinking.
How one longs for the war to end. Life is very hard here in London for most people, tho’ they are wonderfully patient and self sacrificing, and even when they are being blown up by day & night, are still passionately interested in the poor French, or those poor Chinese, or those poor refugees, or those poor starved Indians in Bengal. I do believe that we are the most warm hearted people in Europe, or outside, with a great sense of obligation towards the more unfortunate people who don’t happen to belong to the British Empire!
I am so glad to hear that you have a house at last.
[Not signed off]
20 March 1945 to the Hon. Sir Richard Molyneux
Buckingham Palace
My dear Dick
It is curious that your letter arrived today, because last night the King & I were saying that we had not seen you for AGES, and I said that I would write & ask you to come and spend a weekend at our little weekend cottage. And, lo and behold! on my table this morning what do I see? That well-known writing – is it? Can it be? Yes! No – Yes; it is! I suppose that my thoughts whizzed out of the window here, turned sharp right, cut across the Green Park, past the Ritz, down Berkeley Street, and entering your flat, elbowed their way through the guests thronging your hall, & crashed into your mind. Anyway, I was very pleased to hear from you, and we do hope that you will be able to come and see us very soon. Can you come to Windsor next Saturday 24th? Or perhaps Saturday 7th April would suit you better.
Mr Kelly has very nearly finished the portraits, & I shall be so interested to hear what you think of them.
Down with Hitler!
Your friend ER
10 April 1945 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama
Thank you so much for your letter. It was so really delightful having you for that little visit on Sunday, and we all enjoyed it very much.
Margaret has not been very well lately. […] I am longing to take her and Lilibet to Appleton for a little change of air, for Lilibet really was bad with mumps, and she is tired (like young people do get tired) with her really hard work at the Motor Company – I don’t mean tired of it, for she likes it so much, but tired by the day’s hard work! But it has been such a success I am thankful to say, and the experience will be of use to her in the future. […]
Counting One's Blessings Page 39
