Dear Ma, 

Thanks for the sandwich I ate it during the ride to Ribchester. The train was right packed with children and I almost lost me tag on the way. It was proper cold on the train. After what felt like centuries, I arrived at Ribchester it aint nothing like home its a huge valley with not many other houses. 

At last we got there, there were a whole crowd of women choosing which child they wanted. It were like the market on a Sunday morning. I got chosen as the one of the very last children. 

When I did get chosen I was taken by Mrs Smith who took me to her house south of Ribchester  which is a cottage in the valley next to a village.  She got a well in er garden . There’s a huge handle turn and a bucket comes up. First thing Mrs Smith Smith did was tell me to take a wash in er tub outside. It was right cold outside. She didn’t back let me The house till i were scrubbed clean.  She talks funny but we get along right well. 

My room in the attic is what she told me she never told me I was sharing a room with her daughter called Nancy she asked me if I was the girl who were sharing her room with and I said yes. Nancy’s right nice and is 1 month older than me. Mrs Smith told me that her husband was off in the war fighting like dad. She also has chickens in her garden. She assigned me to make sure the chickens are fed and are doing well.  She has rows of vegetables. I feed the chicken with some of the seeds.

You’d never guess but Mrs Smith has a cow called Bessie in a little fenced off area in the garden. She gives me small jobs to do. My favorite is feeding Bessie scraps like cauliflower leaves and broccoli stalks. One of my other jobs is to lock up the chicken coop so they can not  be eaten by foxes. I also have to collect the hens eggs so in the morning she gives me and Nancy a fresh boiled egg. 

The village next to the cottage is called Little Wood. I walk there often. There are only around 20 houses in Little Wood. The village is filled with green grass and there are apple trees that have a load of apples. Whenever I go there I always take one for myself and one for Nancy at home. 

Mrs Smith enrolled me in a school called Little Wood primary School. It is a 5 minute walk from me cottage. The class room is packed with other children. The class does have an air raid shelter but it is very small and could not fit the whole class but I do carry a gas mask with me. In the class it’s right cold. Our routine is to first sing save the King then pray for the country. I’m trying right hard with my handwriting and numbers.

Sometimes when it’s sunny we go out and sit and eat our lunch on the grass and normally Mrs Smith sends me with a dripping sandwich and an orange wrapped up in my school bag. Sometimes she sends me on my way with a  thermostat of soup as a treat. The boys and girls here are all polite and nice to me. We all play hopscotch together. When it’s raining we sit in the classroom which is right uncomfortable . 

I do hope you are doing well at home Ma. I do pray for you and da every night. I hope Da is doing well and will come back unharmed from the war. I will always keep you and Da in my heart. I will hopefully come back home soon. Please write back to me soon

Your loving daughter- Mary