Marshgate House
Richmond
Surrey
8th August 1915
My dear Eugénie
Thank you for a letter you wrote me before leaving home for Sydenham and please forgive my being so long in answering it. I hope you are getting good news from George and Cyril, when you write, give them my love and tell them I pray for them. Fred came back from France last Wednesday. We were glad to get him home again. Nancy was bombarded whilst he was there and one boy was injured, he says the French troops are being moved from the North to that district and are being replaced by some of ours. I am so glad Arthur is coming home this month. I hope his wife will get well through her confinement and have a strong and healthy child. How pleased you and Julius must be at the prospect of a grandchild. Fred has gone for a walk this afternoon. Florence has I think been sitting in the garden and I hope we shall be able to have tea out there. It is warm but cloudy. I hope you are feeling refreshed by the sea air you had lately. Harry is still at Bexhill and I don’t know how long he may remain there after all he was not able to go and see you at Eastbourne. Anna and Dalgarno are at Weymouth in the same house they went to last year, right in front of the sea and there are some children who were there last year whom he can play with which I am sure he much enjoys. I hope to go and be with them at Bexhill when Nurse has her holiday if Harry is still there, but we have not settled anything yet. Eleanor is staying with Mary and Ted. She is enjoying it very much, she revels in the lovely flowers, Mary says arranges them beautifully, she also finds she has such a pretty touch on the piano, last Sunday Miriel and Myfanwy spent the day with us for Lance was operated upon for adenoids, he has got over it so well and is now at Brighton with his father. I hope he may be as much benefited by the operation as Eleanor was. The Sunday before Kathleen and Jack came to see us so we did not have dull Sundays whilst Fred was away. Frank Butler seems to have gone to the Front very soon. On Wednesday evening Florence and I went to the Intercession at the Parish Church. The Mayor of Corporation attended, also the town volunteers, the church lads and scouts, the St Mathias Choir was with ours and Mr Hancock of Holy Trinity and Mr Harrison of St John’s were there – some firemen, there was not any room for us in the body of the church, the gallery was full but we got chairs in the chapel aisle. I was so happy to be there surrounded by Harry’s Lads and Scouts and feeling it was this part of the church in memory of my dear husband. I have never known the church so full on any other occasion, except at a double wedding, it was a most inspiring service, many stood all the time. I suppose you have all your girls with you now, also Mela. Have they begun to pick fruits yet? My nice Ellen is going to take Cook’s place – I think I will get on very well.
With my love to you all.
Ever your affectionate sister
Mary Anna Robinson
