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Francis Edward Story - Letters 1980

April 1980

To Nancy D-W.
MS is Teddy's mother (May Story) and RS is his father (Robert Story). APS is his brother (Arthur Patrick)
34 Octavius Place
New Plymouth
NZ.
April. 23rd 80
Dear dear Nancy
Many thanks for your A.M. letter of 16/4, I am enclosing this with the letters which M.S. kept through the years and gave to me in Picton.
Yes I remember A.P.S having fun with Mr. Askins, he must have taken over after I got to the old man down to Bingfield, then I had to go back to school! I well remember R.S. in his cups(?) sitting in front of the gas fire in the Mt. Salus dining room, handing out 2/6 each to any boy who would talk to him!
His worst effort - M.S. was at school in Dresden & one of her friends married a local doctor. So she was going over to stay taking Ralph when R.S. announced that he was going & he did although he had never met Fran Wengler nor anybody else there. So he comes home with Ralph & starts a terrific binge demanding champagne on top of the whisky as of course the Germans had given him tots of beer! & so on. I could tell more but - Requiescant in Pace!!
Actually he retired from 8th Cavalry I.A. with spinal meningitis & finally ??? & commanded the Cavan Militia, that's how he became a Lt. Col, his real rank was Brevet Major.
Yes we have heard from Binda & I have got in touch with numerous hotels & motels, I hope to show her the golf links I was there this morning & it's a picture just now with warm sunny days & no wind. I expect we will pay for it later! I'm afraid my writing has gone to pot I used to write a lovely hand but OLD AGE!
Esther will do up the parcel

Love from us both

Teddy

34 Octavius Place

New Plymouth

25 4/80

My dear Nancy

Yesterday I had posted off my letters to MS & RS & hope you will find some interest in them! Mostly they were written after the first war when the old way of life was changing & everyone was celebrating the victory & all that. Of course the I.A, had grown to about three million men - the largest paid irregular army the world had ever seen & of course that couldn't last. I might have found a place somewhere but I had just got back after a year's leave half of its sick leave with malaria & that would have told against me - also I was broke of course & a lot of my kit needed renewal. However it's all water under the bridge now!

Anzac Day today & I'm writing in bed at 5.30 AM. In a short while the dawn parade will start & it lasts about half an hour. Don't bother about it myself as I don't really qualify but they are glad of new recruits I hear! This afternoon will be a big day on the golf links!

Esther is well and goes out to a party tonight. Next month we are both asked to dinner by the deaf institute of which she is a Patron - I hope they bring their hearing aids! We have had days of lovely weather & forecast has its fine today & the next. I can get such a lot done outside & the garden really looks pretty now as I have painted various steps and things. I hope they don't open the letter parcel looking for drugs or a bomb as Esther took such trouble doing it up!

Have been looking for accommodation for Binda & of course the prices are staggering & I think a hotel within walking distance will be about right. A bed for one night costs $14 & breakfast $3.50 extra tea and toast will be $1.00. A nice zip-up sports coat cost me $57 the other day & I suppose by the time Binda reaches here everything will be even more expensive.

Lots of love to you all

Teddy

P.S. MS once told me she would have left RS but for us kids!

July 1980

34 Octavius Place

New Plymouth

July 2nd 80

My dear Nancy

Many thanks for your airmail letter of June 2. Glad to hear this letter arrived safely, I should have put them in order for you but as they are all dated you should have no difficulty. They should be of some interest being all about a kind of life that will never be again! Any questions?

All the lads at the Cadet College Quetta & the course before & after me would be in the surplus category. Of course I don't know how many would be going or staying but there were far too many category A. A* - This meant that the reporting officer, usually the Regimental C.O. was willing to have this "reportee" serving under him! Of course it's all very ancient history now.

You write that it's called on your longest day- so it was here only it was a shortest day & a cold south wind was blowing from over the mountain! Today he is not so cold & Esther has walked over to see a friend so I have a solitary lunch! We had, last month, a pretty bad flood in the town shopping area mostly but some private houses in the suburbs were also affected. A small stream flows under & through a culvert & with heavy rain this culvert can't cope & up the water comes - it nearly happened again yesterday but luckily the tide was out so the water got away.

I suppose we will know from Binda some time this month - I sent her our telephone number just before she left Ireland, I hope I was in time. There is a nice hotel quite close but the food is awful and the service ditto. We went to a V??? Conference dinner last week & it was a dreadful affair. We sat down to eat (about 180 guests) at about 7.45 when we left at 11.45 they were just serving the last course. One waitress to look after both sides of each long table, but there were plenty of waiters to sell bottles of white wine!

I have finished with golf now & amp trying to sell the clubs. A couple came yesterday to have a look & they told they had nine answers to their advertisement. Later the rang to say they had bought elsewhere. So I might advertise myself later on when the heat is ??!

All well here & garden is sitting quiet waiting for some warmth. Have put in red and yellow guava bushes & a passion fruit which doesn't like the cold but I can see tiny shoots just showing so I think all is well. But of course one cannot expect much this weather!

Let me hear how you like my boyish scribbles! - Love from us both

Teddy

* In cavalry, I don't know about the infantry.

September 1980

To Nancy D-W

34 Octavius Place

New Plymouth

NZ.

Sept. 9th 80

Dear Nancy

Just a note with two books which I thought would go in your Storyana collection. I have added a few notes to my "Baby's Record". On the Belfast to Ayre journey in July 1900 was my earliest recollection, the rattle of the cab on the cobblestones going down to the door! I must have been just nine months!

The other books speaks for itself but 1825 is a pretty long time ago! I think that is Ralph's writing the Story & Mair's Balance Sheet tho' I don't know what he was selling or where!

Spring is just on the way now & we are still eating last year's potatoes & carrots & parsnips! Cabbages are about ready too. Hope Binda got home safely, no doubt I shall hear from her shortly.

Love from us both

Teddy

Date	1980
Linked to	Francis Edward Story

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