100 Years of Cox

S3E8: SS Waratah turns turtle

October 29, 2021 Frances Season 3 Episode 8
100 Years of Cox
S3E8: SS Waratah turns turtle
Show Notes Chapter Markers

Frances reads six letters, written in September and October of 1909, by Neville, Cuthbert, Arthur, Vera, Edmund and Avice

Neville is back home from Africa; he writes about the journey and the cricket matches which were played between the first class and the second-class passengers. Cricket on a steamship. Quite bizarre. He also mentions the SS Waratah, which remains a mystery, as the ship simply disappeared in 1909.

Cuthbert has seen cousins Ka and Hester, and he tells a story about Ka bicycling at Cambridge, without a hat. How shocking. He has been spending his school holidays staying with the families of his Berkhamsted schoolboys, and there are anecdotes.

Arthur writes a fabulous letter about the chaos of opening a new school with 80 barbarians, two new teachers and many new domestic staff.

Vera and Miss Thompson (the nurse from Kota Kota) are on holiday in a pretty cottage in Surrey. They are managing without any servants and like the independence, but lock themselves out of the house, at night, whilst looking at the stars.

Edmund is very impressed with Vera, who plays golf for the very first time, proving to be an excellent player. And baby Leslie is a dear little chap - Edmund lights his pipe, puffs smoke in the baby’s face, and the baby loves it.

And Avice has been to visit her brothers at Plymouth and Hallam Fields and provides all the latest news from Tarporley.

0:00 Intro
3:05 Neville's letter, 6th Sept 1909
13:45 Notes on Neville's letter
23:09 Cuthbert's letter, 16th Sept
30:37 Notes on Cuthbert's letter
40:02 More notes on Cutbert's letter
44:22 Arthur's letter, 24th Sept
48:29 Notes on Arthur's letter
53:26 Vera's letter, 3rd October
59:26 Notes on Vera's letter
1:03:02 Edmund's letter,  13th October
1:08:24 Notes on Edmunds's letter
1:10:58 Avice's letter, 21st October
1:19:08 Notes on Avice's letter


You can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com
or Twitter - @CoxLetters

All content is subject to copyright and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.

Intro
Neville's letter 6th September 1909
Notes on Neville's letter
Cuthbert's letter 16th September
Notes on Cuthbert's letter
More notes on Cuthbert's letter
Arthur's letter 24th September
Notes on Arthur's letter
Vera's letter 3rd October
Notes on Vera's letter
Edmund's letter 13th October
Notes on Edmund's letter
Avice's letter 21st October
Notes on Avice's letter