Letters from Norman

5th May 1929

Included with the above letter were some newspaper cuttings about the school and also the Pettits college details. This is obviously how Norman was learning his typing and shorthand

27th July 1932

23rd June 1933

I have typed this letter out as Norman had handwritten it while lying in bed.

Elmbank
Park Lane
Deal

23/6/33

Dear Alf
Let’s hope this letter finds you in a better position than I am at present for I am writing in bed and I suppose you know how hard it is to do that the Doctor says I have had haemorrhage of the brain but I don’t believe him nor does mother. This is what happened:- On Whit Monday I went sailing and rowing which I will tell you about later and went back to work for the rest of the week. On Sat following I had a headache but I carried on as usual. All Sat, Sunday it lasted so on the Monday I went to the Doctors it still aching then. The doctor said that I had a touch of sunstroke. He gave me some medicine but as it was still aching in the evening (Monday) I went to see hm again and this time he gave me some tablets.

On waking up on the Tuesday, my head was aching worse than ever, but mind you I was still walking about and during the morning it got on my nerves that I told Mum to fetch the Doctor so I went to bed (about 2.15pm) and the Doctor came during the afternoon. He gave me an injection then another in the evening and one next morning (Wed) and a fourth that evening. He told mother that I had got a haemorrhage on the brain and was a serious case. Mother however did not believe him but of course she did not say so

Now do you think I could have walked about nearly 4 days with a broken blood vessel in my head because I don’t. Also, Alf, according to 3 or 4 people who know a bit about such things I would of had a fit in the first place taking two or three men to hold me down & if I survived that I would have been paralysed down one side and funny enough I had read about this before the people told Mum.

What I have really have is a touch of sunstroke, over exertion and inflammation of the brain but I am ok now so that is alright.

Well Alf, I have also taken to the sea, only in a sense of pleasure, Here is a short account of the mad tricks we get up to:- the crew comprising a Deal lad named Bert Fielder, now working in London, Ted Goodburn and myself, The boat we use is a galley, 25 years old, 29 ft 6 in long 6-7 cwt of ballast , common big sail. Easter Friday we sailed down the coast to Sandwich Bay where those nasty rollers which you no doubt remember in the bay broke over our gunwale and swamped us. From there we headed E a round 5 miles to the Brake Lightship which we boarded as usual. On the Sat we sailed again to Sandwich or Pegwell Bay then rowed 16 miles up the river Stour past Sandwich and “The Mystery Port”. We spent then night in the boat trying to sleep on the oars placed along the seats. Gee it was cold and at day-break we re-rowed the 16 miles to the mouth of the Stour and then sailed home.
We are the first to sail a galley into Ramsgate Harbour for about 15 years, The very first to take a galley up the Stour and on Whit Sunday we rowed from Deal to Ramsgate, sailed for 10 minutes past Ramsgate having encountered a little breeze & then rowed to Broadstairs. From Broadstairs we sailed to the Brake Lightship then on to the South Goodwin Lightship and then into Dover Harbour where we had tea. We sailed from the entrance of the harbour to nearly St Margarets Bay (ratching by the way) where the wind dropped and we had to row home, In that day we covered nearly 50 miles out of which we rowed for about 20 miles

I am getting on fine at my work and since I have been ill the boss (Mr Daniels) has told Wilf that he misses me a lot and that I am the best hand he has had for a long time. The manager has also praised me up to some people who are friends of mine so that is alright.

On the 9th May Frank had a little girl (Audrie Florence Mockett) note:- A.F.M mothers initials. He was down here last week end to see me and is still out of work.

I hope you are getting on with your work alright and are interested for that I do know is half the battle.
Well, Alf, there is a lot I would like to tell you about but I do not know where to start and I cannot scribble much more to you long here in bed. I get stiff all over
Everybody OK here
Cheerio Alf
From your loving Brother
Norman

You should now read the letter from Florence, dated August 1933, as it goes on to explain just how ill Norman had been. The Doctor gave him just 48 hours to live!

9th NOVEMBER 1933

1st February 1934

8th february 1933 – Norman’s 21st birthday

                                  8th February 1934 Page 2

1942 – when in the dessert.

A card sent to Alfred by Teddy in 1948

 April 23RD 1952

I do remember the lovely days we used to have in Willow Woods and all the flowers we picked. I also very clearly remember hearing the results of my 11+. We were told in the assembly and I was allowed to run home to tell my mother . We lived very close to St Mildred’s School, so it would only have taken me about ten minutes to do that but I also wanted to tell my father who was at work in Blackburns, so I ran all the way down there to do so. By the time I got back to school, I was in trouble for being so long!

I thought you might like to see a photo of our old dog, Kiwi.