The Terry family archive contains many hundreds of letters, between the family, friends and business acquaintances.
Below is a sample of correspondence addressed to and from Noel Terry throughout his lifetime. A great many of them are from his eldest son Peter, who wrote to him and Kathleen very often while he was away at Bramcote School and Marlborough College. A few of the selected letters were between Noel and his siblings.
Letter from Peter to Noel and Kathleen, written from Marlborough College, 30th September, 1934.
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Letter from Noel's younger sister Betsy congratulating him and Kathleen on the birth of their daughter, Betty, 6th April, 1925.
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Letter from Peter to Noel and Kathleen, 28 October 1934. The letter was written from Marlborough College.
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Letter from Peter to Noel and Kathleen, written from Bramcote School, undated.
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Letter from Peter to Noel and Kathleen, 10 February, 1940.
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Letter from Peter to Noel and Kathleen, from Cambridge, 21 May 1939.
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Letter from Harold to his brother Noel, 31 October 1927.
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Letter from Noel to his brother Harold, 3 December 1928.
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The love story of Noel Terry and Kathleen Leetham (1910-1980)
Letter from Henry Ernest Leetham to Noel Terry, expressing his disapproval of Noel's advances towards Kathleen, 1912.
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Although initially prohibited by Katheen's father, Henry Ernest Leetham, from being in a relationship (as is seen in his directness in this letter to Noel) Kathleen and Noel still managed to engage in a romantic, secret courtship from 1911-1914.
This forbidden romance proved fruitful as their love was eventually accepted by family members, and they married in 1915. They remained together until they died within three months of each other in 1980.
The archive contains many hundreds of letters sent between Noel Terry and Kathleen Leetham both before and during their marriage. The surviving letters take up one travelling bag, and an additional box. We estimate there could be as many as 700 in total!
A sample of these letters can be found below.
9 May 1911: Noel to Kathleen (Kits).
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12 May 1911: Noel to Kathleen.
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3 August 1911: Kathleen to Noel.
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3 January 1915: Kathleen to Noel.
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