'Mumbles Calling, Mumbles Calling . . . ' by Kate Jones
Over 80 years ago, in the first month of the Second World War, a small committee was formed in Mumbles under the chairmanship of Councillor Harry Libby. It was called the Mumbles Correspondence Committee (M.C.C.) and its aim was to send monthly letters to Mumbles members of His Majesty’s forces and the Merchant Navy (later extended to include all the women’s services, the Women’s Land Army and those unfortunate enough to be prisoners of war). Eighty-four Mumbles Letters to the Forces were written between October 1939 and August 1945.
Harry Libby
Canon George Wilkinson
The original committee consisted of Harry Libby; the vicar of All Saints’, Canon George Wilkinson; George Ace; Mrs Kathleen Heron and Arthur C. Stacey. Joined in February 1942 by Miss Betty Howard who wrote more ‘feminine’ letters to the girls in the women’s services, they were assisted by several other volunteers, including Peggy Daniels, Doreen Wright and Amelia Brock, who typed, duplicated and helped to distribute the letters. [Photos of Harry Libby; Rev. Canon George Wilkinson; OHA archive]
The first letter dated 2 October 1939 was sent to 50 servicemen. As more addresses were known and more Mumbles folk enlisted or were called up, letter numbers rose to 140 in November, to 170 in January 1940 and to 400 in July 1940. By November 1940 the scheme had become a victim of its own success and for six months the letters stopped. Harry Libby explained that this was nothing to do with the postman or the enemy but was because: “you decided to join up in such numbers, and then to change your addresses so often that our organisation went fut.”
Normal service resumed in May 1941 and 600 letters were posted that November. By November 1943, 1200 Mumbles men and women serving away were receiving a letter from ‘their extra friend at home’ written by Harry Libby and Betty Howard.
The purpose of the letters was threefold. Firstly, October 1939: “We want to assure you that you are in our thoughts and prayers and, if it is any consolation, your going away to serve has made those at home hold you in higher regard.”
Secondly, 30 November 1939: “If this letter writing is to be any good at all it must give you a bit of local news”. The March 1940 letter included a long poem entitled ‘Mumbles Calling, Mumbles Calling’* * and the first verse read:
“Mumbles calling, Mumbles calling, Chase away the blues.
Ask the war to “wait a bit” for you to read THE NEWS.
Whether you’re in navy-blue, in khaki or “the air”
If you’ve got a link with Mumbles, then we’re thinking of you there.”
[* The title was a ‘take-off’ of the infamous and much listened-to radio broadcasts by William Joyce, “Lord Haw-Haw”, which began ‘Germany calling, Germany calling’.]
As the months went by a vivid and topical picture of village life emerged. December 1941: “This is the M.C.C. Home Service … Here is the news and this is the same feller writing it. On the Southend Front Sammy Gammon and Ritchie are keeping up a stubborn resistance against winter colds, the younger element, Cox[swain] Will Gammon, Tom Ace etc etc are digging lug. GHQ varies between the Prince, the George and the Pilot. In the West Cross Salient some little advance has been made with the communal shelters and the advance is likely to be steady until the end of the war. In the Underhill Basin there is still some water, many seagulls and occasionally a match between troop teams. On the surrounding heights there is great restiveness owning to their being no bus to connect with the last train from town. In the Central Sector Dolly Smale only opens on Fridays and Saturdays and the White Rose blooms on a restricted basis. Elsewhere all is quiet including Jasper” [the foghorn].
Thirdly, as far as possible, letters were to pass on news of readers’ pals overseas. November 1941: “In characteristic Southend style, Stoker Matt Rovells asked for the monthly letter to be sent weekly; G.R. Challenger asks to be remembered to his old friends; Doreen Durose in the ATS has had her LS and GC stripe’; Bob Thomas of John Street has been knocking down coconuts in Malaya and knocked against Jack Francis; Laura Beynon in the WRNS doesn’t get seasick on HMS Duke; Alf Kostromin in the RAF has collared three stripes; there are sufficient Mumbles boys on the Repulse to start an Old Boys’ Association with Willie Rees as chairman, Bryn Balsdon as secretary and Fred Dawtry to make up a quorum; J.R. Davies, RAF, says that Professor Joad went to Cranwell but couldn’t explain why it is called ‘White Russia’ and not ‘Pink’; George Smale of Southend in the Middle East longs for colder climes to enable him to utilise the parcel of woollies from the Comforts Fund – and Bob’s your Uncle!” As war continued there was more to report. January 1943: “We hear Desmond Jones (Thistleboon) is a prisoner of war in Italy. That’s a relief from last month’s news. Dick Breeze (RAF) had a crash in Scotland and is in hospital. Heard from Will Dartnell, who should be home shortly.”
Without fail the letters struck the right note. They were amusing, creative, witty and full of information; although occasionally falling foul of the official censor. “Our January [1942] screed reached Albert Edwards in the Med. cut about like a patchwork quilt.” Libby often lamented that because of “this blue-pencil war” the letters were unable to report in detail: “Wish we could tell you more”.
The local paper was not allowed to report the weather in case it was read by the enemy, but the Letters did (it would have been very out of date weather by the time the enemy got hold of a letter!) The winter of January 1940 was exceptionally severe: “Very cold weather – like Finland at Southend and like the Swiss Alps at Newton.” In contrast, January and February 1943 were wet. “How’s 1943 going? It opened up here with a few snowflakes, developed into heavy rains, contained a splash of sunshine, plenty of
The writing could be very evocative. August 1942: “`Tis 11.20 pm Monday – last train gone up, puddles in the Station Square, calm tide and - September tomorrow” and also very moving – “Three years of war and nearly 900 of you away from here, and on the whole remarkably few casualties from Mumbles.” It is not hard to imagine the feelings of a far-from-home reader.
In February 1942, after the conscription of women, letters were also written by Betty Howard. Her letters to “Dear Lassie” were different in tone from Harry Libby’s, but just as amusing. Her journalistic skills were more specifically directed towards the girls serving away from home: “Dear Mrs, Misses and those who miss Mrs.” [Photograph of Betty Howard from private collection]
CHRISTMAS LETTERS 1939 - 1945
Successful letter writing is something of an art at the best of times; and this was probably the worst of times. The Christmas letters must have been the hardest of all but the writers excelled themselves.
In December 1939, appreciating the physical hardships men were experiencing (it was the ‘phoney war’), Libby wrote: “It’s a farce just to wish you boys floundering in French mud or squelching each side of a duck board or wallowing in half-a-dozen tides off Pentland Skerries, ‘A Merry Christmas’. But very sincerely do we say: ’We hope, all things considered, that Christmas will bring you a pleasure well beyond that which is your daily lot and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for playing your part in seeking to establish for mankind a Peace on Earth which the spirit of Christmas so grandly illustrates. Wherever you are, whatever you may be doing – ‘God Bless You – and Good Luck!’”
There was no letter for the second wartime Christmas (as explained above) and by the time the third Christmas came along in 1941 it seemed important to make light of the festive season. “Christmas has come and gone. No Horse’s Head, no good carolling, no good worrying. `Twasn’t so dusty. The Y.M. ran a couple of dances, a good concert and a party. Nobody went short here and Mumbles folk looked after the Forces in our midst.” The rest of the letter was full of news about those at home and away and finished with: “Happy New Year. Give our greetings to all your mates and tell ‘em THERE’LL ALWAYS BE A MUMBLES!”
In December 1942 “Christmas came up alright after all and no one went short. Plenty of grub about, very few turkeys and exceptionally few drunks. The Horse’s Head must have joined up, but the Herald Angels were harkened to ten times nightly even in King’s and Oakland Roads. The only thing that tended to disturb our peace was the Transport Company which put everybody’s back up by curtailing the issue of season tickets. Mumbles travellers have caught your militant spirit, and a big public meeting in the Regent Cinema didn’t half wish the Transport Company ‘A Merry Christmas.’ Ten to one on the travellers.” The letter reassures absent family members that there was enough food, despite rationing and shortages, and it was peaceful (no air raids). The absence of the Horse’s Head reminds them that they are missed too. One may suspect that Libby is showing considerable sensitivity in underplaying the joys and pleasures of Christmas at home even though so many are missing from the festive table. ‘You people have done well in sending letters and cards home, and the Xmas cards received make a fine show.” The anecdote about season tickets is an amusing distraction – everyone likes a good gripe about authority, in this instance the hapless Transport Company.
Sometimes the letters included postal orders. Parcels were also sent abroad. Back home, in November 1943, all the children of Mumbles Servicemen were entertained at the cinema to a special show, as an “alternative to sending their Daddies an Xmas Box.” The following Christmas, children of servicemen each received a toy, courtesy of money raised by the Scouts. Probably the best festive news for those at home and away were details of where men and women were serving, those taken prisoner and those able to come home either on leave or by other means! “Jasper Davies is a survivor of’ Charybidis’; Desmond Jones ‘did a bunny’ in Italy and is expected home. The other escaped prisoners, Captn. Ken Bangham and SQMS Trevor Thomas, have arrived. Percy Maslen is en route after 3 years in the Bermudas. John Howard is in Morriston Hospital. Ernie Kift of Underhill on embarkation leave and Harold Smale arrived today. All the very best for Christmas and a Victorious 1944.”
Back in March 1940 Libby had ended his poem, ‘Mumbles Calling, Mumbles Calling’ with the poignant lines:
Mumbles Calling, Mumbles Calling! She’s longing for the day
When the voice of Mumbles calling brings her children home to Stay.
After over six years of war, In December 1944: “Another New Year’s Eve. `Tis a far cry from the letter sent in December 1939. All through the divide you’ve been ‘soldiering’ on, and at last, please God, you’re coming to the end of the road, so that in all likelihood by December 1945 this old monthly letter will just be a wartime memory. Christmas has come and gone. Doubtless the outstanding happening was the receipt on Xmas Eve by relatives of cards from Japan … They all report being well. Next month we’ll give you some news about Prisoners of War generally.”
The Horse’s Head returned after the war. Here it is collecting for charity in the Prince of Wales in 1947, [OHA archive].
Victory. In August 1945: Harry Libby was able at last to write: “Well. `tisn’t easy to write the last letter … one doesn’t quite know what the dickens to say [But] Now it’s over I want to say humbly and sincerely, ‘thank you for fighting for me.’ To see all the lights on around the Bay and up on the higher reaches of Swansea has been a tonic; to realise that our prisoners in Japan will soon be home is another. To realise that the war is over seems profound. Aye, war brought its trials. It also engendered in Mumbles a spirit of comradeship and brotherhood.”
This spirit was exemplified by the Mumbles Letters to the Forces,1939-1945.
Acknowledgments:
The Mumbles Letters to the Forces; Radio Times front cover of 1942 from www.homesweethomefront.
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