march 10th 1916 hilda to clara ethel bushell

Birmingham to sparkhill, birmingham

3 miles

The Message

Dear Clara
Shall be very pleased to come on Sunday, weather permitting. We have not heard anything of Wilf so far.
With love to all from
Hilda
 

The Sender

There are no clues as to who Hilda is.

The Recipient(s)

Clara Ethel Bushell (1892-1971) was the middle of three children. Her parents were carpenter Charles Bennett Bushell (1865-1940) and Ethel Blanche Broad (1866-1940). In 1910 Clara was working in a chemical factory. Clara had an elder sister, Henrietta Madelaine (1890-1940) and brother Charles William Hubert (1894-1918). Clara did not marry. Henrietta married Charles E Hart in 1924. 1940 was not a good year for Clara as she lost both her parents and her sister.
 

The Places

Sparkhill, Birmingham

What the card says to us

The picture is a bit scary, with no indication on the card that this is a popular image of the day or from a series of Dickens cards.

The message starts out like a text but then takes another turn. This is 1916 and Britain is at war. Who is Wilf? Why is Hilda worried about not hearing about him. I dread to think.