On February 10,1881, Eleanor Frances Bushby was born the second
child to James and Patience but she seems to have been always called "Lena". In 1906 at age 25,
she married Jabez Arthur "Jim" Carpenter who was the same age.
By the 1911 census, they had their family of 2
girls, Barbara Eileen and Patience Katherine who they nicknamed "Kitty". Jim was listed as a brewery worker and two of
Lena’s sisters, Myra (known as "Queenie") and Dorothy Bushby boarded with them and worked as draper's
assistants.
Five years after Arthur and Walter Bushby emmigrated, Elsie, her sister Gertrude and their father James left England for Canada in the fall of 1913. Keeping their special sisterly relationship alive with letter writing began.
1916 from Lena. The war is awful and things are so dear, one dare not think of luxuries. It is a good job I have and the two children or I do not know how we should live but as I have always been used to struggles, it does not come as hard to me as others.
In 1918, Elsie received a letter of sympathy on loss of her baby Emily Patience and Lena advises her not to let her husband go into the war as Jim has been gone many months with no word from him. The sentiment below from about 1920 is touching:
I was so glad to hear from you fancy only the week before you wrote me. I dreamed you tapped at the window and we both said hello. We had not seen each other for such a long time. I am sorry that you have had such a lot of trouble and hope this year will be brighter. What a little family you have already.
Lena and Jim lived in Harrow, a part of northwest London although they moved a few times over the years. She wasn’t one to always date her letters but the return addresses are there to help order them. The Carpenters were right in the middle of the bombing in World War Two and it must have been a terrible time, although she doesn't write much about it to Elsie. The end of the conflict brought celebration with it for the Carpenter family.
1924 - We have been very busy this year , all of us being in the Pagent of the Empire. It was held at the Exhibition Wembley a tram ride from us. I wondered if you would have come over this year as I believe there were cheap fares. I wish you could try to come next year. We went down into Somerset for our holiday, it was miserable. We could not get put up at Milton. Dorothy and Ewart came to stay for a few days to see the Exhibition he plays the piano nice.
Googling the Pageant of the Empire did indeed find information about this event which involved an incredible 15 000 performers whose aim was to celebrate the British Empire in the summer of 1924. The letter included below would have been written around 1930 addressed to Elsie's brother and sister-in-law Lou and Arthur Bushby as well.
I was glad to get a letter from you & I hope dear your foot is better, & take care of yourself, as you are needed with all your little family. I expect dear you do get tired and weary & a young baby is rather trying. Well Dear I went away with Kitty this last year as I knew we truly needed it, after what we have been through. Lou would not like Milton now & you would scarcely know it. All the old faces gone bar Mrs. Witt & Mrs. Hamp are all getting old.
The letter below from 1944 helps learn about Lena's children and grandchildren at that time. Three children were born to Barbara and her
husband James Andrew Baldwin - Jean, Diane and Jimmy. Another son Robert was born after the war. Middle daughter Diane Claire
became locally famous in the 50's as an Aero girl to advertise for the chocolate bar and there is an extensive online resource about it here. Diane was an artist who drew comics as detailed online.
Kitty and Henry Brown had 2 daughters - Gay and
Barbara. Kitty tragically died in 1947. Although Lena's letters mention photos she enclosed for Elsie over the years, they were not with the letters. I would gladly add a picture of Lena and her family to this post if anyone has one to share.
Thank you so much to Aunt Mary's family who passed the letters on to me this summer. I have spent many happy hours reading them and would love to share them with anyone interested!
