A Family History of the Illustrious, Notorious and Eccentric Lloyds of Birmingham, Brigstock and Pipewell Hall - Flipbook - Page 210
you don9t mind my letters but I always seem to enthuse 3 how can one help it in this country. Back again to the
f the Madonna della Stella looking enchanting now with the pale green of the chestnut trees. Today I went to look
Wild Children9 3 before I got half way up the hill There were shouts of 8TIMMI, TIMMI,9 from every direction,
wn the hillside ran the little barefooted creatures throwing themselves at me in a frenzy of delight, before I knew
was, two lire pieces were brought out of every ragged pocket, and Mario was sent to buy 8Vino9. Another party was
hed to pick wild strawberries and cherries. Within ten minutes they were all back with their presents, and sitting
me on the grass, talking all at once in broken English and pigeon Italian. Vito with his long unruly hair and dark
yes, little Antoinette, clutching a rag doll, and Dominica with his piglet on a long lead of twine. They told me that
had lost his father who was a prisoner in America, and that Giuseppi had gone to Benevento to work for the
h. So many little things that are life to these people. This valley to most of my associates is ugly and squalid, why I
think. To me it has a hidden beauty that is impossible to describe.
t it is dirty and squalid, but when you go deep down below to obviate these things, you find a simplicity and faith in
osphere that you could never call ugly. The people are strange, and at first rather hostile, but that is only because the
and of civilisation has never come their way before. Their happiness is a fundamental happiness that is given to
ving thing, and of course they resent the rude English soldiers commandeering their cornfields, and filling their land
ises of rifle shots and grenades. Wouldn9t we? No one hates being messed about more than the English, but I am
o say that the army never looks at the other person9s point of view.
r seems to be going almost too well to be true, doesn't it ? Did you hear the King9s speech on the wireless? I do so
u did, because I thought he summed up the feelings of all of us quite perfectly. There was no false praising of
ls and Statesman, just a simple call to all Englishmen. 8Let us hope that we shall do God9s Will, and not him
That (even though I have got the words wrong) is what we should all feel. Oh, how relieved I am that Rome has not
mbed and burnt. It is untouched. I have only passed through in a hurry, but it is a peacetime city even now, we have
t food to the Romans. They look and are happy, how unlike poor older people in Naples. How I long to be able to
ything properly. St. Peter9s with its Dome glistening in the sunshine, stately and dignified among the rooftops. Yes!
s the cradle of civilisation, and now let a new and level headed civilisation be born. No suffering is too great to bear
future peace and happiness of the whole world. The world is too beautiful to be wasted and spoilt by war. Never
must it happen. Freedom from Want, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Fear. The three things that thousands of
are fighting and dying for today. Something great and something worth living for must come out of this time of
and misery, and the right people will survive to see that it does come.
ll my love Darling Mummie . Will write soon. Tim."
une 1944
