Previous letters pages can be found here.

Letters page from Volume 2, issue 16.
August 4th – 17th, 1954.

OUR

LETTER PAGE

 1. A letter from Elspeth Adcock, Berkshire
Dear Enid Blyton,
The Rooks are a small club of about 15 children. Together we collected 10s. since Easter. We wish it to go to the Sunshine Homes. We all live in the small village of Dorney. We meet every other Sunday, and have Bible stories, play games and sing songs. Then we are dismissed. Our badge is the Windsor Crest because we are supposed to be Castles of God, and there is a Castle on the crest. In the game of chess a castle is called a Rook and we get our name from that.
Yours sincerely,
Elspeth Adcock

(This is one of the most interesting letters I have ever had, Elspeth. What a fine club you have!)

2. A letter from Felicity Roe, Leiston, Suffolk.
Dear Enid Blyton,
I am writing to tell you about a blackbird that comes in a tree near our house. He sings the rhythm of the first line of “Bobby Shaftoe,” though sometimes he only gets as far as “Bobby Shaftoe’s gone.” When he can manage the whole line, he sings it over and over again.
Yours sincerely,
Felicity Roe.

(It must be amusing to listen to your blackbird, Felicity. I wish I could hear him!)

3. A letter from Carol and Michael Prime, Worthing.
Dear Enid Blyton,
I am sending the enclosed £3 1s. 6d. which I made by my sale for the dear little blind children. Will you please send it to the treasurer? I ran the sale with the help of my brother, who is four, and my friend and myself, who are both seven years old. And Mummy helped us. With all my love to the blind children.
Yours sincerely,
Carol and Michael Prime.

(Thank you, Carol and Michael and friend. It is not often that two seven-year-olds and a four-year-old can run such a successful sale !)

Two fundraisers in today’s letters, not surprising as those are often picked.

I haven’t heard of the The Rooks before, but from the letter I assume it is something arranged by the church as they are dismissed at the end of the session. I wonder if it’s something that was just done by the Dorney church or is it a club for members of a particular denomination?

I had to look up the Bobby Shaftoe song. I have seen it written but never heard it sung. I’m not very good at identifying bird songs, or what they supposedly sound like. I have heard the yellowhammer’s little bit of bread and no cheese, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a thrush sing mind how you do it. Now I’ll have to listen for Bobby Shaftoe too!