| Ref No | WEA/C/F/1 |
| Collection | Bernard Weatherill Papers |
| Title | Family letters from Jack Weatherill to 'everyone' at home, September 1940 - October 1942 |
| Name of creator | Weatherill, Bruce Bernard (1920-2007) Baron Weatherill, Speaker of the House of Commons |
| Date | 15/09/1940-12/10/1942 |
| Extent | 49 items |
| Description | Family letters from Jack Weatherill to 'everyone' at home, September 1940 - October 1942. These letters follow the training period of Weatherill's army career, both in England and India. He writes letters, usually on a weekly basis, of four pages or more to the whole family, or 'everyone'. They are often amusing and entertaining and his news usually centres around a small number of topics - the training, food, clothing, the difficulties of transport and how he has spent his leave and leisure time. He often assumes an ironic tone when giving details of the training he receives in Britain, particularily on the army's dictates about polishing boots and buckles. He discusses the merits of various regiments, but is clear that he wants to be an officer in the Indian Army. Many of his letters and envelopes have been numbered and once he is in India some have been marked with the date of receipt. From this it is clear that many of his letters taken six months or more to reach his family. He also does not receive any letters from England until he has been in India for five months. |
| Notes | Previous reference number: WEA/C F1 |
| Subject | Training |
| Food |
| Clothing |
| Army |
| Armed Forces |
| transport |
| Boots |
| Army officer |
| Regiments |
| Postal Services |
| PhysicalDescription | 49 documents. Most of the letters are written in ink on writing paper or airmail paper, though several are written in pencil. The envelopes with stamps have survived in most cases. The photographs are all black and white prints and small in size. |
| Related Organisation | India Army |
| Related Place | India |
| Associated Person | Weatherill family |
| Associated Place | Cowley Barracks, Oxford |
| Thorpe Mandeville, Northamptonshire |
| Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, India |
| Gulunche Camp, Nira, India |
| Merrow, Surrey |
| Category | Correspondence |
| Access conditions | This material is available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU (specialcollections@kent.ac.uk). |
| Copyright | Material within the archive may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Special Collections & Archives staff will assist where possible in helping trace copyright holders, but it is ultimately the responsibility of users to obtain the permission of the copyright holder for reproduction of copyright material for uses other than research or private study. |
| Level | SubSubSeries |