Malleson, Constance [aka O'Niel, Colette], Letter, 27 November 1940

00001236-2.jpg
Description: 
to Bertrand Russell

Tabs

Case Study: 
“Life or Death of the World”: Letters from England and Scandinavia, 1939-1945
Creator: 
Malleson, Constance [aka O'Niel, Colette]
Source: 
letter
Date: 
27 November 1940
Place: Vehmersalmi, Finland
Collection/Fonds: 
Contributer: 
McMaster University Libraries
Rights: 
Copyright, public domain: McMaster University owns the rights to the archival copy of the digital image in TIFF format.

Identifier: 
00001236-2
Language: 
eng
Type: 
image
Format: 
jpg
Transcript: 

[partial transcription]
2
There’s been some fuss here about the English Volunteers (who came to fight for Finland), who didn’t seem very satisfied with the arrangements made for them by Finnish government (which includes free board and lodging): the tale went round of an air force captain going slowly out of his mind from being put to peel potatoes day in day out. But on investigation the real trouble seemed to be that the “officers” (who eat well in their mess) were not Old Etonians while the “men” (who eat less well – and are herded all on top of each other in bunks) were Old Etonians to a man! … they can’t get out of Finland. … (Paul Cadbury’s ambulance managed to get out: they took only 2 weeks to get from Finland via Russia and Turkey to Cairo – where they are working now.) The captain’s trouble turned out to be not so much peeling potatoes as that his wife had eloped with a younger man – poor fellow.