Letter from Cecil Nevard to Emily

Recently married to Ethel, Cecil Nevard was working as a clerk at the district registry of the High Court of Justice and County Court Offices at Lowestoft at the time he wrote this letter to his sister, Emily Nevard.  
15 St. Aubyn's Road
Lowestoft
Aug. 27, 1915
My Dear Emily
I was pleased to receive your letter as I was wondering how you were all getting on.
Well Emily dear, as you see we are not at home. I think I told you that Mr. Cornish came down to Sax. on the Saturday and took Ethel home with him for a while. I was intending to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Wakeling at Number 15, St. Aubyn but as there were so many rumours about as to Zeppellin bombardment, which I don't for one minute believe, Mrs. Wakeling could not sleep at night. Fred, her husband, decided to get her away. So she left here with the children by the 5:15 Monday for Bungay. Since then Fred and I have been batching at his place together.
We were getting along so well that I wrote and told Ethel that as she was at home she had better stay another week and at the last moment (although she hates being away from me) her mother persuaded her to stay. Next Saturday, tomorrow, we hope to meet at Sax. Ethel leaves Liverpool st. at 1:00 pm and reaches Sax at 3:37. As I am cycling I hope to be at Louie's at 5:00, then cycle back on Monday morning. Of course if its wet I shall have to train.
You would smile I guess to see me head cook and bottle washer. Well the other day I made a cake and some jam tarts when I had the fire going to cook a joint. All turned out A1.
Last evening I cooked another joint (which we have cold for dinner) and made a rice pudding and a bread pudding.
Fred is on duty at 8:00 so I get up at 7:00, get breakfast, bacon, etc., then do a bit of cleaning up until its time to get to the office, then home to dinner. I have from quarter to twelve til one and Fred has from 12:00 to 1:30.
I've told you all we do and you see we shan't take any harm. Ethel calls herself lots of unkind names because she says her duty is with me but its no use her being here and having bad nerves and can't sleep, is it? One lady has been so upset she has had to be taken away to an asylum.
It has upset everybody and ever so many people have left the town. Mind you, I believe most of it is imagination. For instance, on Wednesday evening all lights had to be put out as Zepps were supposed to be about but we didn't see them. Fred and I went to bed (the best place). Many people walked into the country until it was light.
Certainly not Emily, the 2p for the vegetables was not wasted for Louie had the pleasure of the peas and beans and we've had most of the potatos here as it spares us buying. Fred and I put some money into a box and pay out of that (share alike).
Yes, I think Horrie will be having a great time at Sax for he love to get on the horse.
I heard of the raid on Walthamstowe and you don't get much news in papers as they are not allowed to print it. The report of our submarines sinking ten German warships in the Gulf of Riga is fortunately, quite true and good work.
Well it isn't so dull here as there are still plenty of people about.
Fancy 70 of the national reserve going away. You would naturallly feel very quiet. I'm not surprised to hear about Fred Denton. Fond love to dear Mother , Granny and yourself. From your ever loving brother, Cecil

1914 Nevard Wedding

This letter to my grandfather was written in great detail by his sister, Emily,

back in Lexden, Essex. Describing the wedding of their younger brother, Cecil Nevard to Ethel Nellie Cornish.

I was tempted to leave out some of the minute details of the pink helitropes and such
but thought at least one reader might find them of interest.





36 Straight Road Lexden,Essex
April 16, 1914


My Dear Horrie

Now I have some news to tell you I will write . I went up to London last Saturday and saw Cecil married to Ethel. It was a double wedding as her twin sister Alice was married directly after Cecil and Ethel. Of course one service answered for both.
The wedding took place at St. Mark's , Battersea at 1:30 p.m.
Mother went up with Cecil on Friday morning. Miss Dumm, Mrs. Cornish's aunt, went up with me. We met Will at Colchester Station and the 3 of us travelled up together. It was raining fast when we left here but by the time we reached Liverpool St. it had cleared up fine in time for the wedding. When they left in the afternoon the sun was shining bright. It couldn't very well shine on them in the church as the windows are high and the church is rather dull. Not so bright as Lexden church. The Rector of St. Mark's
married them. Our Rector, Mr. Evans promised Cecil he would go up and marry them and he fully intended to but two youngest girl Spurgeons wanted to be married on Saturday. The Rector tried to persuade them to put it off and tried to get another clergyman to take it but could'nt. You see a great many clergy object to marrying anyone on that day as they consider it Lent.
The service was fully choral. The organ played selections before the service during the time the people were assembling in the church.
We drove in style in a motor brougham. There were 6 motors employed for the bride's guests, etc. The service was very nice. The processional hymn was 281, Lead us heavenly father lead us, and the other was 578, O perfect love all human thought transcending.
The bride looked very nice dressed in cream crepe de chene with long trains. The dresses were trimmed with real lace.
They had white tulle veils and wreaths of orange blossom, carried bouquets of white carnations, lilac and white heather.
Ethel's two bridesmaids were dressed in very pale pink, almost flesh color crepe-de-chene and Alice's were in pale helitrope.
They all wore tunics (which is like a coat without sleeves) of cream lace tied around the waist with a girdle or sash. On their heads they wore little round caps of lace with a frill round. The ones that wore pink dresses carried helitrope lilies, and those that wore helitrope carried bouquets of pink carnations.
The reception was held in St. Mark's hall adjoining the church. It is a very large hall. You could put the institute inside it. There was a long table down each side of the hall. On one table the presents were arranged and the other was for refreshments. The large wedding cake stood on a table in the centre of the room. It was 2 tier, a large cake at the bottom and smaller one above, then a
receptable above full of lovely white flowers and smilax trailing down.

Mr. Cornish provided lunch for all the guests who cared to go to the hall before the service. We had ours at the house. The bridal group with Mr. and Mrs. Cornish and the 2 best men had their photo taken with the cake in center of group. There was plenty of nice dainties to eat, champagne,tea, coffee and other drinks. Piano and two violins played lively selections during the afternoon.

The brides and their bridegrooms changed their costumes in dressing rooms at the hall and each left in a motor about 4 p.m.

Cecil and Ethel for Lowestoft home, Alice and Bob, or rather, Mr. and Mrs. Duminel I should say, en route for Bournemouth.

We left the hall about 5 p.m. and returned to Mrs. Cornish's house again. We had supper and left just after 7 p.m.. Mr. Cornish provided a motor brougham for us to drive to Liverpool St.. We had a good view of London along the embankment. We passed St. Thomas' hospital, St. Paul's cathedral, Bank of England, and a lot of other places too numerous to mention. Mother,Miss Dumm and I came home but Will stayed on until Sunday night, being his first visit to London he wanted to see all he possibly could. We left a party of friends at the house.

Louie went to Sax station to see Cecil and Ethel as they were passing through. She took them some butter, eggs, bread and pickles. Cecil has a very nice house and nicely furnished. Mrs. Newton, his landlady, very sorry to part with him...............