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The letter was sent from 38 Gorse Street, Cwmgors, it is signed 'Will &
Sal' who were my maternal grandparents, William and Sarah Davies. I would date
it as just after Christmas 1917 since Hetty was not married until October
1919 and the war was still on apparently. Their brother Rees Jones was
killed in Salonica in October 1918 so I doubt that the letter would have
been written with such frivolity just after Christmas of that year.
It is
addressed 'Dear Sisters' which is a slight puzzle since he didn't have
any and one of Sarah's Jones two sisters, Hetty 'Penhow', is mentioned
in the letter itself. It also refers to 'both of you'. Sarah did have another
sister, Rachel (Ray Amer) and a half sister, Margaret (Peggy?).
It happens
that I also have a photograph of the latter two marked 'Best Wishes 1918' in
the form of a postcard addressed to Mrs Davies, Coffee Tavern, Cwmgorse
and printed by The Ideal Studios, London and Hove; I am fairly sure that they
are the two the letter was sent to. In my own mother's handwriting on the back
is marked 'Auntie Peg & Auntie Ray'.
The WH mentioned is probably William Henry Jones, a half brother known as Billy, he was in France in the war and married a Margaret White in London in 1919, another theory is that she is the Aunty Peg mentioned above.
Otherwise it would appear to be an attempt at a thank you letter in rhyme !
