Summary

One of a series of seven letters written between Lucy Simmons and Stanley Hathaway between January and July 1938 before they married. Stanley was a mechanical engineer and had moved to Dagenham, a suburb of East London in January 1938 and then Coventry, West Midlands by July 1938 for work and to establish their new home. Lucy remained based in Thundersley, Essex, east of London (over 200 kilometres away). She moved to Coventry immediately after the wedding. Lucy and Stanley migrated to Australia in 1951. This letter (one of three contained in one envelope stamped 12 July 1938) was written to Stan in Coventry by Lucy in Thundersley. He has moved into their new home; Lucy refers her hopes that Stan arrived home safely after visiting Lucy, to the arrival of her wedding ring, wedding gifts and hopes for their forthcoming wedding and married life together.

Stanley and Lucy (nee Simmons) Hathaway and their daughter Hazel survived World War II in heavily bombed Coventry, England, remaining there until 1946. They attended the Victory in Europe celebrations there on 8 May 1945. The Hathaways relocated to Buckinghamshire (where second daughter Merle was born in 1948) and Hampshire between 1946 and 1951, finally deciding to migrate to Australia. Their application took nearly two years to be confirmed under the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme, correspondence indicating that Stanley's trade qualifications were not immediately accepted for the Commonwealth Nomination Scheme. They lived and toured England in a caravan until finally departing on the New Australia, 17 November, 1951.

The Hathaways first stayed at the Bathurst Migrant Camp in New South Wales before being relocated to a housing commission estate in Ballarat, Victoria. Within six months they had purchased a block of land in Wendouree, living in a caravan while their house was built. The family became active members of the local Ballarat community, with Lucy working for the newly established McCallum House Centre for Retarded Children at Sebastopol and continued her strong interest in the Brownies and Girl Guides associations. They later relocated to Melbourne and then retired to Buninyong.

Physical Description

Cream coloured paper consisting of one sheet folded and one single sheet to form a six page letter. Handwritten text on both sides. Addressed and stamped envelope.

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