Read the Letter

Old Downie
Beauly
Sept 11th 1946

Note on top of Page 1:
Aunt Mary keeping pretty well.
Ian expects to be sent to Greece
What do you think of the snap. Hope you get it
Write soon with all your news
Love H.F.

My Dear Pat,

I was so pleased to get your letter some time ago that I was sure going to reply right away. We kept wondering what on earth had come over you. As we had no reply to our last letter. I think it was written in the first week in June. When William was here & we enclosed the photo of the new Lovat baby which we got from Lady Lovat for you. I do hope you got it. We will tell her you did & say thanks so I hope we aren't telling fibs. So many things seem to have happened since I wrote last but I think I will begin about William. He was sent to Aldershot on the 11th of June to finish in the R.H.M.C. It was very hot at that time & he found it pretty stiff going but he came through all right. He kept very fit & the food was quite good as food in the army goes. He got leave on the 20th July arrived in Ians at 5:45 AM. Dan guessed that would be his train & so he ran in & met him. He was home here by 6 20. He had to report to a Glasgow hospital when his leave expired & we thought he was ok there for a time when here comes a letter written on the train on his way up to Fort George again to be a nursing orderly there. He was home next night & once a week he gets a day off & gets home the night before. But this week and for two more

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he is on night duty & he wont get home unless he comes when I should be sleeping which he did on Sun. He gets good food as he gets the hospital staff when on this job so he is quite happy. In his ward when on general duty, he has a lot of Jerries but he gets on all right with them. We hope he will be left there but we leave all in Gods hands.
Simon is back to school after 8 weeks holidays. He was down near Perth with a farmer friend who was up here by car & took him back. He would have stayed till Don went down later but as Ann was coming on leave he had to come home. Don took the car down & had great tours all round the country. I wish I could have been with him but no such luck. I am still waiting my holiday. It did Don the world of good & he is really keeping fine always getting the help of course but as long as it keeps him going.
Simon has a lot of lessons now he is kept busy but he is not very keen.
You may have heard from some one that our dear Dr. McKay died. He took suddenly ill with heart trouble & the poor man must have suffered agonies untold both bodily & mentally before he passed away. It must have been so sad for him leaving he was never to get better & leaving his nice boys after all he had probably hoped & planned for them. A Dr .......

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who was an assistant with Dr Leech has taken over the practice. He is very nice but maybe a complete stranger would have been better for the public. Dr. L. is still going tho face ..... & worse. I dont know if Dr. McKays house goes with the practice you hear so many rumours. Dr. McKay is buried in his native Plockton in the west & the funeral was the largest ever seen in Beauly. The square was packed with cars.
I should have said before this we were sorry to hear you had a turn in hospit. and I do hope you are quite yourself again. So pleased to hear all your news. Fancy Anna married & a Norwegian. It would be lovely to see them. I do hope they can come. It is not so very far. She will be home sick I expect. Her man & all will miss her. It is nice Bruno being beside you & Bobby will be Mamas only help now. Who told you Father McGuire was back to Canada? He is still in England. Who had we here but Bob Woortendyke an his wife. he managed it at last but I dont know is that he danced in or not anyway the first we saw of it was in the paper. Simon noticed it & made me guess & he imitated him on the bike & I did guess. They are both here an Sean & he tells us Father McG is down in a repat camp where he is in Surry I think & he is a great favourite I wouldnt be surprised if he was out this way ..... as Laura has come North. Mrs Hugh was

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ill with pneumonia & was only able to travel by ambulance coach & 2 nurses so Laura was late in coming. They are at the Island. The rest of the family are in Eshadale House Lord L just back from S. America yesterday. The Castle to ..... another wedding in the same paper was Bob Younger who used to be in the Canteen you remember he had a lady around here. he has got a widow. I have just turned on the wireless to hear the St. Leger. so I will make a droppie tea & continue later. Don is at a fence somewhere so wont be home till 3. Simon will be home at 4-20 as usual. They dont get a lunch at the school now. The Churchill restaurant where it used to come from is closed down & now they have to wait until a kitchen is got ready. He takes a lunch with him & gets a cup of tea somewhere.
When you come to see us you will have to bring your B. Us now. Bread units. Oh its really awful the humbug it is not but we get enough. don gets extra also some get some extra. so ..... & I have to get a slice from them. We really have ample the thing is we cant go & get when we want & the bakers are scared of making more then they need. Tullocks is awful black & like dough but we get it on Fri from Anderson's and from ..... with ..... here & what do you think they have but our porridge no points 2 points a bb & the ..... feeding a

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cat .... nothing we will have to kill if most of our stock but the young ones we will try to keep. We just are allowed 1 cwt for the next ... month & you know how many we keep. It is very hard on the big breeders as it came at the worst time. However we are always living in hopes of better days ahead altho with this weather we are now hoping for harvest it doesn't look very promising at the moment. Rain rain & more rain every day & night but they are worse in the south as the crops were .... earlier. It is all out here but none in stood only .... barley in the rack.
Did I tell you in my last letter that Uncle Johnnie had arthritis He was in Dingwall hospt. for treatment for several weeks & it has helped him but he gets spells yet. Don & I took him home last Fri & he & Alice were asking for you. Nana ...... & family were there early ..... ...... ..... but came & stayed as long as they could. Just left the week before & Maire was with Alice for the week. Maire is working in the new engineering place in Beauly now so she is more handy. She is one of the firm now. Dan & Meg are well. Also Murdo Ella & Duncan. John Garve was here for the weekend. he is in ..... he went .... ..... all Feby. Marg & her Dad are well. Did you know that Major Stirling died & they have sold the farm. Oh did you hear that your old friend Col. Wifford died. I have a cutting out of the paper

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a Canadian wrote for you to all I will enclose it. He was ill for a long time.
I think all the Canadian wives are away to Canada now. ...... Marget McLaren & I hear she is not going. I haven't seen lachie for quite a while. One of the 2 younger boys is in the engineering shop in Beauly. Ian I expect but I think he will be called up soon.l there is nothing but dances every week in the hall & also in the Poles camps. Old & young I must pull up my socks. I saw Peter Price at his cousin's .... is Eileen was on holiday & they were up seeing her. What lovely children Sandra nearly took Ms Price down country to stay with her Granny. They have got one of the Prefab houses. Great rows over the ......... this we get & this we didn't. Peter P. has a job in Germany so he is all right. I had ...... ... Targelt yesterday. She has given up her job but still in the Cottage. Kitty is retired also & expected an event in Nov. They had no word from Canada for quite a while. Dad I tell you George also mentioned in dispatches for the way he carried on under difficulties I think I hear you laugh. We havent seen Father Geddes for a time but it is ...... had a message for Don from him an .... Mrs Grady is at Eskadale & Don says busy cutting plums. When he was there the other day. She had a rest with us in ........ before going there. The old bridge is still out of commission it is very awkward. The entrance gates are smashed againa fter Don & the masons putting them up about 5 weeks ago. Well Pat as usual this is an awful scrawl & I must stop. I feel better writing and as I had a lot on my mind.

Note on the side of the last page:
Lots of love from Don & the boys & from your old friend Hannah Fraser

Envelope - front
2 1/2 D postage stamp with Princess Elizabeth's image
Postmarked Inverness-shire

Mr. P.J. Hennessy
West Bathurst
New Brunswick
Canada