War has at all times called for the fortitude of women. Even in other days, when it was an affair of the fighting forces only, wives and mothers at home suffered constant anxiety for their dear ones, and too often the misery of bereavement. Their lot was all the harder because they felt that they could do so little beyond heartening, through their own courage and devotion, the men at the front.
Now this is all changed, for we, no less than men, have real and vital work to do. To us, also, is given the proud privilege of serving our Country in her hour of need.
The call has come, and from my heart I thank you, the Women of our great Empire, for the way that you have answered it. The tasks that you have undertaken, whether at home or in distant lands, cover every field of National Service, and I would like to pay my tribute to all of you who are giving such splendid and unselfish help in this time of trouble.
At the same time, I do not forget the humbler part which so many of you have to play in these trying times. I know that it is not so difficult to do the big things. The novelty, the excitement of new and interesting duties have an exhilaration of their own. But these tasks are not for every woman. It is the thousand and one worries and irritations in carrying on war-time life in ordinary homes which are often so hard to bear.
Many of you have had to see your family life broken up – your husband going off to his allotted task – your children evacuated to places of greater safety. The King and I know what it means to be parted from our children, and we can sympathise with those of you who have bravely consented to this separation for the sake of your little ones. Equally do we appreciate the hospitality shown by those of you who have opened your homes to strangers and to children sent from places of special danger. All this, I know, has meant sacrifice, and I would say to those who are feeling the strain: Be assured that in carrying on your home duties and meeting all these worries cheerfully, you are giving real service to the Country. You are taking your part in keeping the home front, which will have dangers of its own, stable and strong.
It is, after all, for our homes and for their security that we are fighting, and we must see to it that, despite all the difficulty of these days, our homes do not lose those very qualities which make them the background as well as the joy of our lives.
Women of all lands yearn for the day when it will be possible to set about building a new and better world, where peace and goodwill shall abide.
That day must come. Meantime, to all of you, in every corner of the Empire, who are doing such fine work in all our Services, or who are carrying on at home amidst the trials of these days, I would give a message of hope and encouragement.
We have all a part to play, and I know you will not fail in yours, remembering always that the greater your courage and devotion, the sooner we shall see again in our midst the happy ordered life for which we long. Only when we have won through to an enduring peace shall we be free to work unhindered for the greater happiness and well-being of all mankind.
We put our trust in God, who is our Refuge and Strength in all times of trouble. I pray with all my heart that He may bless and guide and keep you always.
12 November 1939 to Lady Helen Graham
Buckingham Palace
Dearest Nellie,
I cannot begin to tell you how glad I am that you are coming back in the spring for a ‘wait’. I really do not think I could bear to lose you altogether. […] I do want you to know how deeply grateful I am. In fact words can never tell you what I feel in my heart. All through these years, and particularly the last three years, when life became so complicated and difficult, your wonderful understanding and never failing sympathy, your courage and your sense of proportion, and your delicious & perfect sense of humour have made the whole difference to my days. I wish that I had your gift of words, so that I could put on paper how much I feel. […]
Yours affec:
Elizabeth R
PS This is not a farewell letter – it is just what I am thinking at the moment. ER
15 November 1939 to Viscount Halifax
Buckingham Palace
My dear Lord Halifax
I send you ‘Mein Kampf’, but do not advise you to read it through, or you might go mad, and that would be a great pity.
Even a skip through, gives one a good idea of his mentality, ignorance, and obvious sincerity. I forgot to ask you today whether you were comfortable at the Dorchester?
It’s so exciting, & sounds so rackety & gay!
I must ask Dorothy whether I may come one day to see you, & view your new home.
I trust with all my heart that you will achieve a day or two in the country soon.
Ever yours sincerely
ER
6 December 1939 to Prince Paul of Yugoslavia
Buckingham Palace
My dear Paul
[…] Everybody here has settled down to war conditions, and tho’ every single individual loathes this war, it has made them all the more determined to try & end aggression. It is really rather horrible, the way this all crops up every few generations – this time we must try & produce a more lasting Peace.
Bertie is in France,* & thank God seems well, & standing up to the strain & anxiety in excellent fashion. I am busy going round seeing things and talking to people – I feel that it is so important that the people can feel free and able to tell me anything they like. Their cheerfulness & courage sustains me to a great degree. It’s such a pity that Ribbentrop* only made friends with people like Lady Cunard† when he was here as Ambassador – do you suppose that he made his calculations of the British character & reactions to events from a study of her & her friends?
I do hope that you are keeping well, tho’ you must be going through an intolerable strain – the world is indeed in a miserable state.
Kenneth Clark is doing such excellent work organizing work for artists, giving concerts in the empty National Gallery, & such useful things.
Oh, and Paul, I am being painted by Augustus John! He has made the charcoal drawings, one lovely one, & starts the real thing next week. I shall be so interested to see what he produces.
I have bought a very attractive Duncan Grant‡ (St Paul’s from over the river) & have got a little Sickert, at last. […]
Please give dearest Olga my best love, & with much to yourself as well,
ever your affect:
Elizabeth
PS Poor old Aunt Louise§ was ninety one – it was a mercy really that she died.
PPS I am living here alone, & am the only member of the family in London!! Keep the old flag flying. Hooray!
1 February 1940 to Viscount Halifax
Buckingham Palace
My dear Lord Halifax
I am deeply touched and most grateful, that in the midst of your very busy life you have found time to send me ‘Ghosts’ (I love ‘em), and also to let me know about D’Arcy Osborne. I am glad that he is staying on at the Holy See – he loves Rome, and the Pope, & the Cardinals, and I hope that the good relations already established will continue to prosper. With my heartfelt thanks for your kind note, and for the book,
I am, Yours very Sincerely
Elizabeth R
1 February 1940 to Osbert Sitwell
Buckingham Palace
My dear Mr Sitwell,
I thank you with all my heart for your kindness in sending me your sister’s most lovely anthology.* It is indeed full of most wonderful things, and I enjoy her introduction so much. I am very ignorant about poetry, and her descriptions and explanations of different poems make it intensely interesting & illuminating. Do tell her what a joy it is giving me.
I am sending you the photograph of myself. I hope that it is the one you wanted.
Ever yours sincerely,
Elizabeth R
26 February 1940 to May Elphinstone
The Royal Train
My Darling May
I cannot tell you how refreshed, revitalised and better in every way I feel, after my 3 days in your and your
family’s company. The last few months have been such a ghastly climax to two anxious years, and sometimes one feels very depressed, tho’ not able to show it! My visit to Carberry was a marvellous relief – it is very healing to be with people one loves, and you are all so angelic to me always. Thank you a million times for all your kindness – I always love coming to Carberry. I love sitting lazily in bed in the morning, drinking good tea, & listening to the Elphinstones yelling at each other from their bedrooms, WCs or down the passages! And I love having a good laugh or a good discussion about interesting things.
It is marvellous the amount you have done, & are doing, darling. You have the pioneering spirit, and that is why you are a good leader. […] Everybody is most grateful for all you are doing. Did you talk to any of those old Captains & fishermen today? I hope so, for they were a wonderful lot. What courage. Curse those beastly Germans for machine gunning innocent fishermen.*
I felt so deeply for you when John remarked calmly that he was going to France. […]
Thank you a million times for my heavenly moments of relaxation at Carberry. Life in London is so intensely worrying & anxious that I was really longing for a change of thought & scene.
Goodbye darling, from your
very loving
Elizabeth
B and I got out of the train this evening, just before dark, & walked up a stubble field, & along a little road between beech trees. So quiet & refreshing.
1 April 1940 to Sir Alexander Hardinge
Buckingham Palace
My dear Alec
First of all, may I wish you many happy returns of today? One can hardly believe that 20 years* have passed since you entered these portals! At the same time I want to thank you from my heart for all you have done for us. We have had three very difficult and sometimes very sad years together – hardly any real peace, & certainly no peace of mind. One can only trust that better days lie ahead, tho’ I sometimes wonder whether we shall ever see them. But as long as our children do, then one can put up with anything.
Many thanks for your notes about the Y.W.C.A.† I don’t agree with all your points, but directly after I had written you a note last night, the King told me of certain projects in view at this moment. If anything comes of it, the neutrals won’t like it at all. We’ve got to beat the Germans, and I expect it will annoy all those countries who stay out, & a message in that case might do more harm than good.
It is obviously not meant for propaganda, and the reason why I think the Y.W.C.A. is the only organization possible to speak to at this moment, is that it is international in character, & is closely linked with us here. There is no other audience whom I would choose, and it is a very important one, with a great many working class members all over U.S. and Canada.
Of course the best way to do it, would be to have a reception at the Central Club in London, and I could say a few words, including a message of goodwill to our American co-workers. That would be most innocent, wouldn’t it. I shall probably have to go to something for them very soon, they are doing grand war work, & it would be an opportunity to link up with the U.S.
What a pity we didn’t have a birthday cake today! We will on the 25th anniversary. ER
1 April 1940 to Viscount Halifax
The Royal Lodge
My dear Lord Halifax
I am deeply grateful to you for the trouble you have taken over the message to the Y.W.C.A. in U.S. It seems such a very trivial thing to give even a moment’s thought to, especially at this moment. I would like to assure myself, before deciding to do it, that anything we intend to do in a warlike manner in the near future, is absolutely honourable and right.
Because I do not feel that I can talk of high ideals and the right ways of life, if at the same time the neutrals are accusing us of not keeping our word. We must beat the Germans, but the neutrals won’t like it whilst it’s going on!
If they mind very much, a broadcast from me might do more harm than good.
With my heartfelt thanks for your never failing sympathy & understanding towards us both,
I am, Yours very sincerely
Elizabeth R
17 May 1940 to Neville Chamberlain
Buckingham Palace
Dear Mr Chamberlain,
I must write you one line to say how deeply I regretted your ceasing to be our Prime Minister.* I can never tell you in words how much we owe you. During these last desperate and unhappy years, you have been a great support and comfort to us both, and we felt so safe with the knowledge that your wisdom and high purpose were there at our hand. I do want you to know how grateful we are, and I know that these feelings are shared by a great part of our people.
Your broadcast was superb. My eldest daughter told me that she and Margaret Rose had listened to it with real emotion. In fact she said: ‘I cried, mummy.’
These last few days have been so terrible in every way. Although one knew that carnage had to come, it is hard to sit here and think of those young men being sacrificed to Hitler.
You did all in your power to stave off such agony, and you were right.
We can now only do all in our power to defeat this wickedness and cruelty. It is going to be very hard.
With again my heartfelt thanks for all you have done for this dear country of ours,
I am,
Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
11 June 1940 to Eleanor Roosevelt
Buckingham Palace
My dear Mrs Roosevelt
I was deeply touched by your kind thought in writing me such a charming and sympathetic letter. I do appreciate what you said, and send my heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes one’s heart seems near breaking under the stress of so much sorrow and anxiety. When we think of our gallant young men being sacrificed to the terrible machine that Germany has created, I think that anger perhaps predominates, but when we think of their valour, their determination and their grand spirit, then pride and joy are uppermost.
We are all prepared to sacrifice everything in the fight to save freedom, and the curious thing is, that already many false values are going, & life is becoming simpler and greater every day.
It is very encouraging to know that the United States is gradually beginning to realize the terrible menace of the Nazi way of living. We who have lived near it for some years, to some degree understood the danger, but it is all far worse than our simple peace loving people could ever take in, until faced with the awful reality.
I must tell you how moved I have been by the many charming, sympathetic and understanding letters which I have received from kind people in the United States.
Quite poor people have enclosed little sums of money to be used for our wounded, or sailors, or mine sweepers. It really has helped us, to feel such warmth of human kindness & goodness, for we still believe truly that humanity is over all.
Sometimes, during the last terrible months, we have felt rather lonely in our fight against evil things, but I can honestly say that our hearts have been lightened by the knowledge that friends in America understand what we are fighting for.
We look back with such great pleasure to those lovely days we spent with you last June. We often talk of them, and of your & the President’s welcome & hospitality. The picnic was great fun, and our children were so thrilled with the descriptions of the Indian singing & marvellous clothes – not to mention the Hot Dogs!
The most wonderful relays of hospital comforts and clothes have been arriving here from the United States – we are so deeply grateful for such invaluable help.
Now that the Germans have started their bombing and destruction here, the clothes will be doubly welcome in the many little homes where all personal belongings are lost – blown skyhigh.
It is so terrible to think that all the things we have worked for, these last twenty years are being lost or destroyed in the madness of such a cruel war. Better housing, education, nursery schools, low cost of living & many others. But perhaps we have all gone too
hard for material benefits, & ignored the spiritual side of life. I do believe that there is a gradual awakening to the needs of the spirit, and that, combined with adversity and sorrow overcome, will lay the seeds of a far better world.*
In one of the nice letters I have had recently from America, a lady wrote of the sorrows of ‘your world’. It seems such a curious distinction, her world and our world are apparently different! I did not feel that at all when I was with you all last year.
Please give my kind messages to the President. We do so admire his great work & wise statements, and I hope with all my heart that we may meet again someday.
With all good wishes to you both,
I am,
Yours very sincerely,
Elizabeth R
24 July 1940 to Queen Mary
Buckingham Palace
Darling Mama
I have been thinking over your very kind suggestion about a birthday present, and the other day at Spink I found some very pretty enamel ash trays at £4 each – if you would like to give me a couple of those I would be delighted, or one. I have four here, and they are very charming.
I do hope that you have not been disturbed too much lately by air raids. It must be so exhausting. Mary [the Princess Royal] has arrived for a few days, & she will be our last guest for a few weeks, as I have arranged with George & Marina* to be away, & some of the housemaids are having their hard earned holidays. This house has been full ever since the War started, and as we have a depleted staff it is rather hard on the servants. Uncle Charles and Olav† seem to have completely settled down here! I am really a little worried, and have tried to get them to take a house in the country for a bit, as tho’ we love having them, it is rather a bore never to be alone. So far all efforts have failed but as Mary wants to give up Green Street, we thought we might rent it from her, and lend it to Uncle Charles. This is only an idea, & it may come to nothing of course. Both my footmen go quite soon, and as our pages take turns in looking after Uncle C & Olav, this makes another little complication. However, they are all being splendid, & working very well.
Counting One's Blessings Page 31