Homesick Letters from Eirian at Dole Farm, Lampeter, Wales,

There only a few cows milking so I haven’t anything to do until breakfast at 8:00

I feel quite businesslike in my rig-out. Can you send me some old brown stockings to match my boots, please. The maids and the farm labourer are very nice so I think will get all quite well, luckily as I shall have a lot to do with them.

I shall finish this note later. I was called at about 7.15 and was down about 7.30. There was nothing to do then. The first thing I did was to go and help that the disc-harrow on to some planks and then the maid and I went to get the cows out. I undid two of them; that meant walking between two cows very close together, then Annie and I cleaned the cow house. In the middle are doing this the letters arrived. I don’t want a dressing gown as there isn’t a bath though, only a tub affair. I’m afraid I shall splash the whole house. Mrs. Price last me whether I wanted a hot water bottle so I didn’t think I should be cold.

After cleaning the cow house we carried chaff to the cow house and then I hung out some blankets on the land with the two girls. I also got the rust off some horses so you see the work is not hard yet.

I want to go to college in September after staying here six months. I shall probably be able to stick it quite easily.

The maids have one night off a week and I think Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Price said that it would be nice if I could borrow a bike so I could go to Lampeter in the evening.

Annie, the maid told Mrs. Price I was doing very well and Mrs. Price heard her tell the other maid who is afraid of cows that I had untied two of them trying to give her little hit on her weak part.

Love Eirian

And my dear Auntie Winnie,

I am quite happy so don’t worry about me. Please thank Mama for writing straight away. Its was a pleasant surprise to see the postman with three letters especially as I was in the middle of cleaning the cowhouse and the rest from that with such newsy letters was topping.

I finished work today at 7.30 and I was down by 7.30 this morning. This afternoon I brushed a horse down and helped to harness it and got the rust of a good many bits. I thought they were bits, but have found that they were stirrups so you can see what a vague idea I have of farm work. Of course, I either keep quiet or pretend to understand everything they say so I don’t put my foot in it often.

Dr. Price said I had done a good day’s work. I’m sure you would like him. He’s always laughing and such a jolly laugh and often tells you to take the rest or go easy

I made inquiries in a roundabout fashion from the farm labourer when we took his tea out to the field, about the best hotel and he said it was Walters.

I was told that ploughing was awfully hard but I don’t think it is. I ploughed about 15 yards just to try and I managed ever so well, I think. Even I think that I did as well as the man but probably he didn’t think so.

Give my love to Mr. Davies and Tommy when you see them.

This place agrees with me. I eat heaps and heaps. You get so hungry being out all day.

You know how terrified I am of turkeys. I have been trying to cure myself of that funk. Yesterday I went within about five yards of it; today within three yards, perhaps tomorrow I shall touch it. I can remember a time I used to scream and run away when I saw one. I’m not going to learn to milk cows until Thursday. Today and tomorrow I am watching and then I shall try my hand at it on Thursday.

I do hope you’ll be able to come to Lampeter, some time for the August fair. If you don’t want to come soon after Easter. I shall probably get off work then quite easily on the fair days.

Please tell Dada that his gloves are ever so comfy and useful - just the thing.

I’m not afraid of going near the cows now, at least not much. I don’t show I don’t like them. I tackled the roughest this evening and tied them up.

Wednesday morning. Got up at 6.30. this morning and watched the cows being milked.

Love Eirian

My dear Auntie Winnie

I should get an overall like mine for working in the house and also clogs for Mama. I have made enquiries at Walter’s hotel for Bed and breakfast. It looks awfully nice when I passed it as I was driving the cow. If you arrive here at three o’clock I will come to me you and I will go back for milking. I could get permission to get off milking as there are not many cows to milk now

I have got a very good idea. When Gwynedd comes to Aber she will bring my bicycle here. The one she has a Cambridge and I shall cycle on Saturday night, after the milking and spend all day Sunday with her. It is only 29 miles by road

The maids tell me they have a fortnight’s holiday a year and one gets Sunday off every two months to go home. At least she goes Saturday night and come back on Monday morning.

Wonder of wonders! For the first time in my life I have been held up as a an example in some meeting for doing war work not for a godly nature or anything like that.

It is snowing very heavily so that we didn’t do much work this afternoon. I can milk quite well now. They weigh the milk 10 pounds is one gallon In the morning the cow gives about 9½ pounds and in the evening 6½to 7½ pounds. I can milk quite well now. I was awfully bucked with myself today. I milked 9½ pounds nearly one gallon. The usual amount milk by the girl and 7 pounds this evening. Milking is quite nice. The cow did not kick me today nor did the milk go up my sleeves as it used to.

We chaffed this morning and pulped mangles.

Could you send me my old pair of black shoes with low heels. I change my clogs during the daytime. It takes me 35 minutes to go to Lampeter.

If I do stay on for the winter I should prefer coming home and then I shall stay until March 1918 and is do war work as chauffeur until September when I go to college.

I helped with the engine this morning. They have a large engine affair for threshing.

Love Eirian

My dear Mama and everybody

I am quite at home here.

I arrived here quite safely after a pleasant journey.

I feel rather bucked as I have blubbed one tear since I left Dada and I also feel quite chirpy.

Dilys told me Doctor Banks Price has a gorgeous car so when I was met by a governors trap I wondered where it was. Dr. Price is charming. I helped him harness the little pony for carrying wood and I stuck some branches on top of this little trap while he was looking for more wood. I arranged this wood quite nicely and the horse moved and these logs all fell off and I only said "don’t to the horse so you see as yet I haven’t learned much about farm language but I have learned quite lot in other ways. I learnt that a ferret is an animal and not the bird as I had an idea it was; that a beagle or Beadle can mean both a dog used for hunting and also some kind of occupation in workhouse (David Copperfield’s time). I learnt all that without showing my ignorance as to what they were but I’m afraid I put my foot in it when I remarked, "What a nice turkey." It was a guinea fowl

Most of the land has been ploughed so there won’t the chance for me to learned ploughing.

There is a topping river, a distance of about 300 yards away, salmon and trout fishing. If I do learnt to fish and if I do manage to catch any I will send you some.

The working togs I have got to the most suitable. Please look after my roses. They will need pruning in a month’s time. Prune them moderately and please look in my garden book about pruning. It isn’t hard at all.

Please don’t worry about me. I’m quite happy and do please write often. Dr. Price is lovely and awfully cheerful and sensible he works on the farm when he is not a way

They have some awfully nice horses here. I’m not a judge of horses yet or all I can say is they look nice. In the Chronicle today was this: that a farm girl’s wages would increase if she could take a beast to market and sell it properly. I may yet be seen walking through Lampeter driving cows to be sold. I hope not though, because I should feel rather silly if one ran away and I had to run after it with my heavy clogs with much love to all.

Love Eirian

Return to Eirian on horse back.