10th May 1942: E.J. Rudsdale moves to Lawford

Up early, caught Bob, put him in the van, and went down to the station with Hampshire to meet a lady with a harp, for Hervey Benham.  He is organising a Sunday concert this afternoon, and she is one of the artistes.  The whole business was rather fantastic, as the harp, which travels in a vast case rather like a coffin, goes incognito in order to avoid railway charges.  What she consigns it as I could not discover.  The harpist was a faded, bespectacled female, very fussy, and was quite agitated when the whole “coffin” almost crashed to the ground through Bob moving forward a little.

However, we got it safely loaded, and I left her to Hampshire’s care to deliver it to the Regal and collect it again in due course.

I cycled on by Severalls and Langham to Lawford.  Langham Lane looks lovely.  It will all be destroyed if the proposed aerodrome is built there.  Had lunch at Lawford, for which I was rather late, and tea at the Belfields at Birchett’s Wood.  Penelope was there, lovely as ever, and a Pole and his wife.  The wife had only recently come out of France, but as she only spoke French and Polish I could not understand very much of her conversation.

Back to Lawford for supper, and then bed, lovely soft white bed.  Before I fell asleep I lay listening to rain falling in torrents.

E.J. Rudsdale now began lodging with Joy and Matthew Parrington at Sherbourne Mill, Lawford, near Colchester.  He had previously stayed with them for a week in March 1942 and prior to that had helped them with the harvest in August 1940.