Badsey
Evesham
Nov 29/99
My Dear Ethel,
While Mother and May have gone to Church this evening I will write to you as when they come in I must read to them from the paper, as I usually do in these stirring times. I am having just for the present a Birmingham paper by morning post, with the Woods, just to get early news, then at the office we have telegrams of anything important, at noon to-day we received one about a very severe fight yesterday in which, after 10 hours' hard fighting, Lord Methuen compelled 8000 Boers to retire. I expect it has been a very costly victory but it brings the relief of Kimberley nearer.
To-day we had forwarded a letter from Tom dated 3rd inst. from Pietermaritzburg he got away from Johannesburg on Oct 18 and embarking at Delagoa Bay soon reached Durban, he has joined a volunteer corps of mounted rifles and is having a great deal of drill with other recruits. Hubert has I expect now joined the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, these are in Natal and form part of General Clery’s army for the relief of Ladysmith.
May and Mrs Wood have been collecting our side of the street and down to the mill for the war fund they have got £5-7-9 there are five other collecting districts including Aldington and Wickhamford, to-morrow evening we have a meeting to get all the money and books in and to decide how to dispose of the money, we have already paid the half year’s rent out of it of John Roberts' land and sent him a nice present of tobacco, and a pipe, for Xmas.
I cut Mother such a nice bunch of roses on Sunday and they look well still. I have sent Aunt Lizzie Fellows a few rose plants also some to Aunt Edith and some herbaceous plants for the latter.
I bought a couple of your fowls and sent to uncle George for his birthday together with some apples, I have not yet cleared all the apples out of the barn but am going to pack 20 pots to-morrow, I want to clear them off before any frost comes. The little pigs I had killed and sent up to the London meat market, Mother kept one but it only weighed 60lbs there will be no piggy for you these holidays.
With love to you both
I remain
your affectionate Father
Julius Sladden
