Poverty stricken Blyton will send books in return for food

[GloomyGraham]

Found this article in a Queensland newspaper - dated 11 July 1947 - and thought some of you might be interested:

Food Parcels Will Be Welcome

In a letter to Mrs. E. A. French,Nambour, Mrs. Enid Blyton, who is well known as an authoress of children's story books, written from Beaconsfield, Bucks (England), dated June 24, states: 'It is awfully kind of you to say you would like to send us food parcels, and for my children's sake I am most grateful. We are badly off here in England for such things as meat, fats, sugar and soap. I believe our meat ration (1/2 a week) is going' to be halved, so tinned meat is worth its weight in gold. I have never felt so poverty-stricken in my life — not for money, but for decent things to buy for the children. I should like to send Nancy and Dorothy my new books it's the only thing I can send in return ? Have they read 'The Castle of Adventure' or 'The Valley of Adventure'? They might like those, or does Dorothy prefer short stories? If so, I could send my new 'Green Story Book.' You are very kind and I feel as if you must be a personal friend after your generous letter.'

Mrs. Blyton also writes that she has an enormous public in Australia and New Zealand and receives some lovely
letters. 'It is astonishing that countries on the other side of the world would like my books, which are so
typically English. And now America is buying them too. which really is surprising because their children are
brought up so differently from yours and mine. I've written over 200 books so Nancy and Dorothy will have plenty to wade through'

[GloomyGraham]

The above doesn't seem to have been an isolated incident - Enid may have been stocking up her larder more than Aunt Fanny did during the ration years

This article from a South Australian newspaper (3 May 1953) refers to another food/book swap

Happy Christmas news for many South Australian children comes in a letter from popular children's writer, Enid Blyton, to Mrs. James Anderson, of Clapham.

Miss Blyton, who writes that -she has completely recovered from injuries received when a Labrador dog savagely attacked her in November, said: "It was almost worth having the accident to find out how much love and affection children all over the world have for me."

She received thousands of letters and, telegrams with get well messages, including many from Australian children. She also said: "It was a good job it wasn't a little child that was attacked because it would have been killed."

Miss Blyton and her husband, Dr. D. Waters, and their two daughters, Imogen, 16. and Gillian, 21, will spend a quiet Christ mas at home.

Mrs. Anderson has been corresponding regularly with Miss Blyton since she wrote to her seven years ago in an attempt to get one of her books that was out of print. Miss Blyton replied, sending a copy of the book.
Since then Mrs. Anderson has sent frequent food parcels to Miss Blyton and her family.

[pete9012S]

Very interesting GloomyGraham.

It seems to tie in with what Imogen wrote in her book, A Childhood At Green Hedges:

Regards

Pete

[pete9012S]

Oh, and your post also reminded me of Aunt Fanny's emergency larder from Five Run Away Together from 1944:

"Julian," said George, suddenly remembering something, "I know what we'll do! Mother has a store-cupboard in her room. She keeps dozens and dozens of tins of food there, in case we ever get snowed up in the winter, and can't go to the village. That has happened once or twice you know. And I know where Mother keeps the key! Can't we open the cupboard and get out some tins?"
"Of course!" said Julian, delighted. "I know Aunt Fanny wouldn't mind.

Julian shone his torch into the cupboard. It was filled with tins of food of all kinds, neatly arranged on the shelves.
"Golly!" said Dick, his eyes gleaming. "Soup—tins of meat—tins of fruit—tinned milk—sardines—tinned butter—biscuits—tinned vegetables! There's everything we want here!"

"My legs have gone." "Yes, me too!!"

As we know:

When did food rationing stop?

Fourteen years of food rationing in Britain ended at midnight on 4 July 1954, when restrictions on the sale and purchase of meat and bacon were lifted. This happened nine years after the end of the war.

Have they read 'The Castle of Adventure' (1946)or 'The Valley of Adventure'?(1947) They might like those, or does Dorothy prefer short stories? If so, I could send my new 'Green Story Book.(1947)

So Enid would obviously still be feeling the pinch after the war had ended in 1947.
Thanks again for sharing the letters with us.

Could it be the same Mrs A E French from Nambour?

FRENCH, E.(MRS)
13.05.66 3 E.A. French wins Red Cross award

http://www.nambour-chronicle.com/pdfs/namesfull.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GloomyGraham]

Oh, and your post also reminded me of Aunt Fanny's emergency larder from Five Run Away Together from 1944:

Yes. When I re-read the book in adulthood, I realised Aunt Fanny would actually have been a 'food-hoarder' which tended to be frowned upon during World War II.

[tiger76]

Oh, and your post also reminded me of Aunt Fanny's emergency larder from Five Run Away Together from 1944:

Yes. When I re-read the book in adulthood, I realised Aunt Fanny would actually have been a 'food-hoarder' which tended to be frowned upon during World War II.

I must admit I don't recall much rationing in the FF or indeed any of Enid's other works, if anything it appears to have been on the other end of the scale, with huge feasts of luxury items. It does make you wonder how the Kirrin's managed to supplement their supplies, even when they came into wealth, they'd still have been subject to the same rules as everybody else, and that doesn't even take into account the amount of packed lunches and picnics the Five enjoyed, not to mention the lashings of ginger beer.

Surely they weren't purchasing additional rations from bootleggers, that wouldn't have been very public-spirited would it.

[Fiona1986]

There's no mention of WW2 in Blyton's books - other than it(or indeed A war) having happened in the past in The Valley of Adventure and enemies with a 'crooked cross' on their planes in The Adventurous Four . There was no barbed wire or defences across the Malory Towers coast, Kirrin, Isle of Gloom or any other parts of Britain in the books set during the WW2 so I think we have to believe it didn't happen in her written world.

[GloomyGraham]

There's no mention of WW2 in Blyton's books - other than it(or indeed A war) having happened in the past in The Valley of Adventure and enemies with a 'crooked cross' on their planes in The Adventurous Four . I think we have to believe it didn't happen in her written world.

The Children of Kidillin also featured nazi spies didn't it? And I think a few other books briefly mentioned a character who had 'served in the war'.

I think Enid did gloss over it but many of the feasts seem to reflect post-war austerity with the luxuries often consisting of tinned pineapple, sausages or (yuck!) sardines. I don't think bananas were mentioned very often in a Blyton book - it all seemed to be apples and plums and strawberries which could be locally grown.

When I've studied post-war British migration to Australia, there are many comments in newspapers from kids, newly arrived in the early 1950s, who had never seen a banana before. When many of them, en route to their final destination in the Eastern States, spent a day in a Western Australian port, there were comments that many stared in amazement through the shop windows of green-grocers or butchers.

[Courtenay]

The Children of Kidillin also featured nazi spies didn't it? And I think a few other books briefly mentioned a character who had 'served in the war'.

Yes, it does — and there's a heavy implication of the war in the background of Smuggler Ben as well, with the children's uncle being on leave from active service and the mysterious foreign villains who turn out to be spies. Enid didn't refer to WW2 very often in her books, but it definitely comes into a few of them. I've always assumed she figured that her young readers at that time already knew more than enough about rationing, deprivation, blackouts, being evacuated, being bombed, losing loved ones... So she hardly ever brought those elements into her stories, since children didn't need reminding of them when that was what they were living with day to day. I would guess that's pretty much why she mostly chose to write stories where children roam about all over the countryside with complete freedom and have all the good food and treats they could possibly want and, no matter what villains or dangers they encounter, it's guaranteed everything will turn out all right at the end. She was keeping children's hopes up with tales of a happier world, rather than burdening them with more of what they were already going through. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I once read — was it shared here on the forums, or in the EBS Journal at some stage? — a statement from Enid herself in which she made clear she had no objection to her books being called "escapist", because that's just the effect she wanted to achieve with them and she saw nothing wrong with that!

[Jack400]

Oh, and your post also reminded me of Aunt Fanny's emergency larder from Five Run Away Together from 1944:

Yes. When I re-read the book in adulthood, I realised Aunt Fanny would actually have been a 'food-hoarder' which tended to be frowned upon during World War II.

Wasn't it explained that they might be snowed in for weeks at a time- so the food "hoarding" was not like the panic buying we've seen during the pandemic; merely a sensible precaution?

[GloomyGraham]

Wasn't it explained that they might be snowed in for weeks at a time- so the food "hoarding" was not like the panic buying we've seen during the pandemic; merely a sensible precaution?

That's certainly the justification for it in the books, but I doubt that excuse would have cut the mustard with the 'ration inspectors' (whatever they were called) back then lol

Even in stories where a group is camping and they 'get milk and eggs from a farm' during 1940-45 (and perhaps afterwards) I think all farms were expected to send all produce to central supply depots, not dispose of it as they saw fit.

In the 1948 Olympic Games, visiting athletes had to bring their own food supplies as the amounts allowed them under UK rationing were insufficient. Besides sending food parcels to the British team for months leading up to the Games, the Australian team brought to London a ton of food including 66 cases of tinned fruit and 12,000 eggs to be shared among competitors (with any surplus items being donated to hospitals).

I can see why Blyton glossed over some of these things during the war years. Besides providing an escape for kids, not mentioning rations, blackouts etc would also keep the books fresher for any future reprints rather than time-stamping them into a war of 10 years (etc) earlier.

[Daisy]

As a child during the rationing years, I can't remember ever thinking the meals the Five enjoyed were unrealistic - after all the adventures they were having were way out of our experiences too! People during the war grew a lot more produce than they had before - although I know not everyone had a suitable area in which to do that. I was in the north of Scotland for most of the war and we had chickens as well as fruit trees and bushes - black currant, red currant and white currant which my mother made full use of. My father grew vegetables and we were blessed with living in a fishing port where kindly fishermen used to give us fish on a regular basis. Later, in post war, but still rationed, years we all managed. By now we were living in Yorkshire. In fact as a family we sent food parcels to Germany (personal friends of my parents from before the war) and I remember my french teacher asking for food donations from us to send to France. I can still remember her eyes brightening as she received the quarter pound of Typhoo tea my mother gave me to take to school. Blyton books were a wonderful escape of course and avidly read by me as well as my peers - we used to lend each other the books as to own them was a rare treat. Libraries were well used too!

[Lucky Star]

Some wonderful memories there Daisy. I love reading about those years. Such a contrast to today's Give-me-everything-now attitudes. Even in the 70s I remember the joy of spending hours in the library and swapping books with friends. Each new book represented a whole new world to explore which is probably why even the sight of many book covers can induce intense feelings of nostalgia today.

[GloomyGraham]

As a child during the rationing years, I can't remember ever thinking the meals the Five enjoyed were unrealistic - after all the adventures they were having were way out of our experiences too!

I just think it's interesting. Even 'rich' Enid seemed to suffer from shortages during the war due to the system.

I acknowledge what Courtney said about 'escapism' but can't help feeling some of the feasts in the books would have made the stomachs of hungry readers growl even more. I can imagine what some of them might have done for a tin of pineapple, a bar of chocolate or even Sarah Stick's meat pies and jam tarts when their main meal most days might have consisted of bread and margarine. When I was reading about the Olympic Games food situation I saw it reported that a teenage British sprinter aspiring to compete in the Games was diagnosed with malnutrition in 1947.

My stomach growls even now when I re-read a story with a midnight feast or picnic lunch on Kirrin Island. And I have a fridge and cupboards full of food lol

[Anita Bensoussane]

I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I once read — was it shared here on the forums, or in the EBS Journal at some stage? — a statement from Enid herself in which she made clear she had no objection to her books being called "escapist", because that's just the effect she wanted to achieve with them and she saw nothing wrong with that!

Ah yes - Enid Blyton wrote to librarian Mr. S. C. Dedman in 1949:

It always amazes me when people deride books for being what they call 'escapist'. Any intelligent person must surely know, if he thinks about it, that a large part of our finest literature is escapist - take Treasure Island for instance. Escapist literature should only be scorned when it is badly written or conceived, not because it is 'escapist'. This has become the kind of cliché used by the less intelligent reviewers, critics or librarians.

All adventure stories are 'escapist' - mine among them. I cannot think why some people use this adjective in a derogative sense - such stories fulfil a very real need - and one of the finest, Eric Williams' The Wooden Horse, is better than any fiction.