Old communications

Sifting through the old photographs for my Sepia Saturday blog I discovered these old greeting cards, along with various notes and scribbles done by me when I was young. Parents do love to save everything made by their offspring but I never magined they'd still be around so many years later.

First are three glossy postcard style greeting cards which were sent just as they are, without an envelope, a bit like the postcards sent from holiday resorts

Written by me, and including Gordon, the son of people I stayed with in WW2.
I always counted the amount of 'kisses' ... probably needing to prove I could count


and on the back

Next is a card that had to be coloured.

I thought my crayoning skills were pretty good for a youngster.

and inside

According to a note on the back, this is the first Christmas card I ever made
at the age of seven.
I've improved since then!

and inside ... Wot! No kisses?

Now for a couple of notes from me to Dad


A message sent to parents from my wartime evacuation address

For the whole of the war years I was billeted with Mom and Dad's friends, pseudo Aunt Carrie and Uncle Fred ... Dad's best man at his wedding. At the time Dad's woodwork skills were put to good use inside airplanes. With so many men occupied with war, women had to take their place on the work front. Mom was taken on as a bus conductress and I still have the piece of shrapnel that one day fell at her feet as she walked to work.

For the youngsters wartime was more of an adventure than something to fear. Blackouts didn't worry us and the sweeping searchlights seemed spectacular to young kids. Parties in the air raid shelters were fun and defying air raid wardens even more so. Gordon's sister, Diane, was born while I lived there ... a real war baby.

Maybe one day I'll write more about the half-remembered experience of wartime from a child's point of view.