Kelsale Saxmundham

This post card sent from Kelsale, Saxmundham, Suffolk, U.K. to Canada in January of 1908 was sent by Alice Hall who would later marry Horace Nevard to become my grandmother. I don't know how they met as the Nevards were from Lexden, Essex. That is not so many miles today but in 1908 travel  was on foot, bicycle, or if you could afford it, train. Possibly Ernest Nevard, in his chosen profession of brick layer had a work project in Saxmundham, who knows? In any event, he met up with Mary Hall at Kelsale who later became his wife. From that point on it would not be too surprising if his younger brother, Horace (my grandfather) tagged along and met up with Mary's younger sister, Alice Hall in the early 1900s. Although they did not marry until 1918 after WW I ended.
It can be a complicated family tree to follow. Even more so when you consider that one  of  the  Hall girl's brothers, William, married the Nevard boy's sister, Louisa. Confusing  enough to follow? It is a good thing I have it all down on paper to refresh my memory sometimes.

A Little History From The Hall Side

I don't usually include "modern" letters in the Nevard blog but this one from 1980 covers some fairly old ground that might be of interest to family historians.

Horace Hall (born 1906) was a cousin to Dick and Bill Nevard. The son of Louisa Nevard and William Hall. He was living in Norwich, U.K. at the time he wrote this letter to Dick Nevard.

I have read your Narratives of the Nevards and much enjoyed it. A few points I recall....I knew that my Uncles, Arthur, Ernest and Horace went to Canada in 1903-06 before I was born. There was no work here but Grandmother was upset when they left. She said she would never see them again but did in fact see Arthur and Horace again.  I recall Aunt Daisy dimly, but not too dimly to recall that she gave me a box of toy sheep. Toys were not too plentiful at the time so I thought that she was great. I was about 4 or 5 but the memory of that gift remains. She was of course, Nurse Winstanley and her father erected the Winstanley lighthouse now known as the Edison off the Western approaches.
Aunt Alice I recall very well. Each year I used to have a week at Grandmother and Grandfather Hall's. I used to enjoy that as Grandfather would let me do things which father would not. Such as riding horses and getting up at 4 a:m and helping with milking. Aunt Alice used to put me to bed and sing an evening hymn. This during the first world war when I was a small boy. At the end of the war Uncle Horrie came back and went with Aunt Alice. I think I was a bit of a nuisance as I was told to walk ahead.
I recall Uncle Arthur coming to Lexden during WWI. He arrived in the middle of the night and I wondered at his strange accent, having never heard anything other than Essex or Suffolk. The next day he took me to town and bought me some sweets and we were ok then.  Uncle Horrie came along later and we got along fine. (Sweets again to start). He taught me a bit of boxing. Grandmother was very upset went he went off leave to the front. Anyway they both came back and went off to Canada. Uncle Cecil and Aunt Emily went to Horrie and Alice's wedding at Carlton Church. Aunt Emily went to Liverpool to see them off but was very upset because she did not see Horrie on the boat. She then came back to Euston station on a non corridor train and that took several hours in those days.
I recall father at Christmas 1920, when I was at Sternfield, telling Uncle Dick that "Alice has got a boy". The first I had heard of it but of course he meant Roy (Nevard).
There was a regular correspondence between Canada and Lexden. Aunt Mary was , I think, the chief scribe, and I recall a number of things. The Goffs were often mentioned. The cold weather was also a topic
A few details I recall of the Nevard family, which I understand derived from the French "Nevare". Grandmother's maiden name was Clayden. Her mother was blind and came to live with us from about 1910 until she died in January of 1916. Grandmother's brother was Robert Wagstaff. He had two sons and three daughters. One called May used to visit us. Lexden in those days was a small village and everyone was well known. Edgar Middleton was the Church clerk and was some relation of Grandmother's.

Dick Nevard Goes To England

Pte. Nevard R.A.
L154284, RCAMC
August, 1944
Canadian Army Overseas
Dear Bill
Well, the unexpected has happened and I am now on the high seas bound for the land of your birth I guess. I think from now I will give up trying to predict the future. That stiff medical at Debert never materialized. I guess that two or three weeks before you get this letter you and dad will get a telegram to say that I arrived overseas safely.
I expected to be quarantined on the ship for a week or two because Lambier broke out with measles yesterday but we have heard nothing so i guess nothing will be done.
(Next day)
Lambier's measles turned out to be something else so don't worry, I won't catch measles.
Our beds are three tiers high. They are of canvas stretched across an iron frame and I find them comfortable. The berth we are was reserved for corporals. When the corporals arrived they turned out to be privates. So in that manner we get better beds than some of the officers.
We only get two meals a day but they are pretty fair meals. We can buy chocolate bars and oranges quite cheap here on board ship. Oranges are seven for 25 cents so we have nothing to kick about. We wear life belts or preservers as a safety measure although there is no danger.
Well I have landed overseas and am quite ok. I had no sea sickness. I am in a camp but am not allowed to say where. We were told that we will get no leaves so there is no prospect of seeing our relations in England for a while. I will write to   Aunt Louie and tell her I am in the land of your birth.
The countryside was pretty and I admired everything. We would wave to men standing near the trucks and they would give us the thumbs up. I got a five dollar bill changed into english money and got a one pound note and a florin and a penny. We have quite a time talking about and figuring out the english money. Lambier is good at it but I think he is getting kind of annoyed because the boys kept coming over to him this afternoon when he wanted to sleep and asked him how much was such and such an amount until he got sick of it. Still I don't think it wiill take long to get used to once one forgets about Canadian money.
I was going to send a telegram but then they said that letters get there just as fast sometimes so I thought I would write instead. The quickest way is by air graph but I couldn't get any forms so that was out of the question. I sent my iron home because the current is different over here and so it would not be any use.
I think I will like it over here because I will feel I am doing my part in a more necessary spot than back in Canada. The meals are good and they are better prepared than most camps that I have been in in Canada. We had mutton and what do you think? We had peanut butter. That is something I never had in the army in Canada. I hear that we can buy bars two at a time for three penny which is as cheap as in Canada.
Well everything is alright so don't worry. My letters will be as long as usual because in the interests of security we must not mention anything about what we are doing. Just our personal life.
I wrote about six letters on the voyage so I am well up with my correspondence. I just have to post them.

Cheerio, your loving brother, Dick.

Dick Nevard with Uncle Will Hall, , cousin Muriel with her son Gifford Harrison.