Vicarage in the Blitz

by Molly Rich; Anthea Craigmyle

The Wartime Letters of Molly Rich London 1940-1944 Throughout the Second World War, Molly Rich, a vicar s wife in London, wrote hundreds of letters to a young Austrian refugee named Otto. The boy had fled the Nazis and became a much-loved member of her family, only to be deported for internment in Australia. The warmth and humour of Molly's letters sustained Otto through grim times, even as she and her family endured their own trials in wartime record cold, rationing, and the Blitz. Molly wrote from the heart of her community, the vicarage of St Nicholas, Chiswick. The old house overflowed with children, refugees, evacuees, lodgers, neighbours, and a menagerie of cats, dogs, rabbits and chickens. She kept her extended family clothed and fed while also volunteering, digging her allotment, and fire-watching, always with time to cheer everyone she knew. Hers is a story of bravery, selflessness, and love. introduction The letters of Molly Rich, my mother, were written to Otto, a 20-year-old refugee from Vienna who came to live with us at Chiswick Vicarage early in 1939 and quickly became part of the family. Fourteen months later, as Hitler invaded Europe, Otto was arrested as an Enemy Alien and sent to internment camps in England and then Australia. Released fourteen months after his arrest, Otto joined the Pioneer Corps (a military auxiliary) and then the Army, serving in England, France and Germany as the Allies fought to victory. Much loved by us four children, Otto was considered a fifth child by our mother, who wrote to him throughout the war. After Molly s death in 1974, I was lunching with Otto and his wife when he told me he still had all her letters. I was greatly excited, as Molly was a natural communicator, writing with charm and energy to her children away at school, her mother in Hertfordshire, her sisters in Kenya and extended family in Trinidad and America

Genres: World War II

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2013

Reviews

[Anne Zook]

An enjoyable, gentle book. Molly just takes all the vicissitudes of bombings, rationing et al in her stride and maintains her good humor. I've been reading everything I can find about the British home front during World War II and this book gave me an insight into life at that time that no historian can achieve. If you're interested in really understanding this turbulent period in history, this is a very good read.

[Kathryn Hoskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gift Molly's daughter Anthea gave to the world when she gathered her mother's wartime letters to Otto, the family's adopted refugee son and had them organized into a book. This collection of letters, giving account of the day to day life in England during World War 2, give a perspective unique from that of historians or novelists.
While being a quiet and gentle read, it also reveals the strain, stress, and sacrifice that were a part of daily life for thousands. As I read through the book, I found myself being more aware of the little things in my own life I often take for granted, things that in wartime were rationed, unavailable or difficult to maintain such as fuel, food, clothing, and shelter. At the same time, I had heightened awareness of those things in life which, as Molly communicates, we can choose to nurture no matter our circumstances such as love, humor, beauty, friendship, sacrifice for others, joyful work, and hope.
An epistolary read I can recommend.