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Hildegard Stephan's Letters Home
Here are three letters sent home by Hildegard Stephan during her visit to Reading from April to July 1949. The first two were probably received by us in the original envelopes - the third was in an envelope postmarked a month earlier than the letter.
In some places, the letters are hard to read or the words are unknown to me, so there are a few doubtful translations.
Hildegard
Stephan
c/o Openshaw
19. Amherst R.D.
Reading
Berkshire
Engl.
My dears,
Finally I get round to writing to you. I'm here with a very nice family. Now I will tell you a bit about my journey. At 11 o'clock I arrived in Hannover. We got on a bus and went to an English hotel "Hahnenburg". There an examination and customs check took place. The next day we went to the station again. Then we got on an English upholstered train and went back almost the same route. We travelled through Holland for a few hours. When we were in "Hook of Holland" we got on a big steamer which left at about 8.15 Dutch time. I wasn't seasick. There was nothing at all bad about the journey.
At 6 o'clock we arrived in Eng. We got in a train and went to London. When we were there, we sat in a bus and crossed London. In Reading I was received by my foster-parents, and now I went with them in their private car (2 ½ hours) to the sea where they have a summer house (bungalow). It was great at the sea. Until now I've had simply wonderful weather. It's very hot (warm). I have sunburn. Since yesterday I've been in the real family home.
On Friday I got a pair of sandals (crepe soles) and Easter chocolate eggs and a great jigsaw puzzle.
There is a young cat here. Today I was examined, measured and weighed and photographed with the other children.
Today I also saw Miss Siemons. She is frightfully nice.
Many hearty greetings
and 1000 kisses from
Hilde
Really special greetings to the
Füllings
Dr. Kehren Eberhard Luzel. Schisela wund????
My dears,
Just as I was about to go to school today, the postman put your letter in the letterbox. I was very happy when I got it. The other children had already had letters from home. No day is boring. Here there is a piano, a cat, a radio, and above all two little children. The little boy is 1 year old and the girl 4 years. The house here doesn't remind me of the house of anyone I know. It has 6 rooms, a bath and hallway. I sleep with the little girl in a nice room. My foster-parents are fairly young. Our house is not in the town centre. Outside the area is great. The lilac is blooming in every garden and it smells so much of spring. I am often together with John and his sister. They really keep company with me a lot. John shows me his films or we go for a walk. He also shows me around a lot, for example a [weir?] or "the water-tower". I was even invited to tea once. A few days ago I went for a two-hour car ride with Mr O. through Reading and the surroundings. I also go frightfully often to the park. In the days before I got three pairs of white socks and a bright red raincoat. It was bought specially for me. Yesterday I bought myself a lot of chocolate. Every week I receive 30 pence (half a crown). For a small bar of chocolate 5 ½ pence. But I can't buy that much, because letters, letters, letters. In the next few days I must write to my teachers. Oh dear! And for two letters I receive a bar of chocolate.
I can communicate well, I know what I want, I understand and to be quiet? In a roundabout way I natter all day. Now I'm really at school, since the 26 IV 1949, I can tell you it's marvellous. I learn cooking and baking. We have nine periods each day, morning and afternoon. Today we had three periods of French. B o .. r .. i .. ng like - only I didn't understand a word. Christa Rose is in my class. We sit together. When the others are learning, we look at picture books. The nice Engl. teacher looks after us. He knows German!!!
Today we had two hours of biology too .. a ha! I had a leaf to draw. I had two hours maths as well (Incomprehensible!)
When I come back to D.dorf you won't know me again. Every day I eat one-2 eggs (2) bacon, and I drink only Nescafé and tea. It's already very very late. Yesterday I did start writing a letter to you but I tore it up. Sometime be so good as to go down in the cellar. Down there in a chest there is a notebook with quite smooth paper. Send it please, I could get paper here too but I don't ask. My pocket money is too valuable. I'd rather buy a packet of Nescafé! Does that tempt you? I can't write on the paper what I received. The dog [can't translate]. Just don't feed it too much, I don't want to have a little piglet on the lead.
A
thousand greetings and kisses to you sent by your
Hilde
Say to everyone they should write to me. They'll get a piece of choc too.
[sideways] The sentence, many dear greetings from [?] Daddy is [illegible]. I would very much [rejoice?] about an embarrassing Br.
[normal, on the last page] Excuse the scrawl but I am terrib. tired. The 100 mistakes don't count, I haven't forgotten German spelling yet.
The journey to school is 5 min.
Many greetings to the Fülling family and to all who want to be greeted.
Everyone says "Oh, lovely" about my hair.
If I had a permanent wave I would look like a wild cat.
Many dear greetings from the foster-parents.
Please write real, real lots don't always wait for a letter fr. me.
19, Amherst
Road,
Reading
Berkshire
7. July 49
My dears!
Most hearty thanks for your lovely letter. In recent times you have really written very little. But I hope a lot that I will still get some letters.
Yes, a week today I'll be sitting in the train and must go back to Germany. The time really passed like lightning and it was lovely - very lovely. I still remember very well how when I arrived here, everything seemed so strange, and I thought … you're staying here now for three months. But the three months were like three weeks.
Yesterday I got a three-page letter from Mrs Horn, my class teacher, in which she writes that Mrs Köhler has broken her arm. But I enjoyed the letter very much.
I've also written to Joan, has Lilli calmed down at last? Mum and Dad write that when I come back there will be a big feast to celebrate. I really hope that pearl barley and peas won't be set before me. But a lovely Rhineland black bread, I'd enjoy that.
I've written to Aunt Toni and Gitti too. Oh, I've written 40 letter and still too few but now I have no time left and I've got to prepare myself for departure.
At school it was exams for the English children. We played board games. Last week the weather was boiling hot now it is a little cool. I spent Sunday once again at the seaside. I'm very sad that I don't have a bathing costume here, but when I get back I will drag Lilli to the baths and then she'll have to teach me to swim.
I'm still getting on well with Christa. We're always around in threes. Ursula another girl is often together with us. She is very nice. Yesterday I was allowed to arrange a little party. Do you know who was there? Fräulein Siemons. I enjoyed her lovely visit more than I can say. Ursel and Christa were there too. We were together for four hours and there was good fun. Mrs Openshaw had bought nice things cakes and fruit and that kind of thing and then I had also painted a few kind of table cards. Then we went into another room where we were all alone, had cheerful games, bottle running and so on [until we were falling about]. In the evening we drove into the town with Frl. Siemons and took her to her bus.
Today I'm going to see Frl. Siemons once again. I'm going into the town to Mrs Cusden. But I would like to see Fräulein Siemons again in Düsseldorf too. On Friday we have a farewell celebration at school. Now it's coming to an end. That's really a long letter, though, isn't it? And the last of all!!! Then I'll tell you everything else. The diary is much too small. Now I'm looking forward to seeing all my dear ones well again in Düsseldorf.
[sideways] The big fat Hilde greets and kisses you all.
And to the Füllings many greetings from Uhlchen.
Fräulein Siemons sends hearty greetings.
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12 March 2010