DLA123-0216 Transcription
Thursday. 31. Jan. 1918.
My little Bud. So glad to hear that are allright again – & I suppose by now you are back at School? I heard from Mr. [McDonell?], that you are v. short of Butter, because they would not send it to you any more from Ireland! Aunt Eva[1] also had her supply stopped from Ireland! Well, soon we will have butter tickets & perhaps then we shall be better off. But it does not effect [sic] you much, because in any case you don’t eat butter!
The last 3 nights the Germans have been coming over!. Monday & Tuesday they reached London, but not if last night, so we had a good night’s rest – On Monday it was a v. bad raid, we did not have the guns so close as the time you were here, but it lasted a long time – Poor John[2] &
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Pat[3] were so tired & also Constance,[4] who you know is staying with me – A lot of lives were lost & damage done at Kew –
I saw Daddy[5] yesterday. He was looking better, there is no chance yet of his getting free yet.[6] He plays chess every day with a young lawyer, who comes to his room at about 7 o clock.
We had very nice letters from Stef[7] – He says he does not like Rugby football as well as the game at Twyford.
I hope you are feeling more at home at School now – And do you like the music master better? Stef’s violin master liked his violin v. much. Stef will let me know which Corelli[8] he is learning & I shall tell you to practise your part.
Have you put “If” up over your bed?
The Schoolroom where my dress-maker is working now, looks so different to when all the little & big Buzzies were there & the Mecano [sic] [Engineers?]!
A big hug to you my Pauli | from your own
Mummy
How does [illegible] [Derwent?] get on?
Editorial Note:
Mrs Philip de László, née Lucy Madeleine Guinness (1870-1950), the artist’s wife; for biographical notes, see [11474].
HJ
19/05/2020
[1] Eva Frances Guinness (1868-1930) [5440], elder sister of Lucy de László
[2] John Adolphus de Laszlo (1912-1990) [11622], fifth and youngest son of Philip and Lucy de László
[3] Patrick David de Laszlo (1909-1980) [9205], fourth son of Philip and Lucy de László
[4] Mrs Ernest Craig-Brown, née Constance Ellen Guinness (1876-1964) [3842]
[5] Philip Alexius de László (1869-1937) [9724]
[6] In the autumn of 1917, de László was arrested and interned on unproven suspicion of being an enemy alien. It was not until June 1919 that de László’s case, at his own insistence, came up before the Naturalisation Revocation Committee. The Committee ruled that, “there has not been on the part of Mr de László any conduct which would merit or justify the withdrawal from him of the British citizenship which he enjoys”. For further details of de László’s internment, see: ‘De László's Internment: A Summary’: https://www.delaszlocatalogueraisonne.com/de-laszlo/internment; Giles MacDonagh, ‘Philip de László in the Great War’: https://www.delaszlocatalogueraisonne.com/de-laszlo/the-great-war [accessed 13 January 2023].
[7] Stephen Philip de Laszlo (1904-1939) [4375], second son of Philip and Lucy de László