Author: Jean Lang

Military Career of WR Lang

This is a list of all the references to to William Robert Lang in the NZ Gazette 4/3/15 | GAZ 33 | 11th (North Auckland) Mounted Rifles | Sergeant Major William Robert Lang to be 2nd Lieutenant (on probation) supernumerary to establishment  dated  11th February 1915 #5 20th JAN 1916 | H.E. the G has been pleased to approve of the following appointments of Officers to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (9th Reinforcements) with the […]

Kauri kitchen table

  When we arrived in NZ in 1949 we stayed with Auntie Heath and the nurse who had looked after Lucy Spencer at home.  She had died not long before, and Auntie Heath had decided to continue with her company.  The family had been looking out for a house for us, and had found one in Epsom.  But it needed changes and renovation, and we stayed with Auntie Heath for about 6 months. During this […]

Letters to Margot Stringer in NZ from father William in Exeter

  16/12/53 My dear Margot, Here is a line to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Your mother is in normal form. The Le Messuriers are a long living family and though she is now 70 68 years of age her hair is just as it was when you last saw her. My own hair is quite white; that is just after I have washed it, but it is a […]

Letter from Eda LeMessurier to Jean Lang re Tourtel family history

This post is a letter from Eda LeMessurier to Jean Lang (her granddaughter) describing the family history of some of their mutual ancestors, the Tourtels. In particular, Robert Tourtel (pictured), who was Eda LeMessurier’s uncle. The letters are transcribed below. TOURTEL Now we come to the country people, engaged mostly in agriculture, & later building greenhouses for tomatoes and grapes & cultivating daffodils;  but even then rearing Guernsey cattle for American buyers.  Many men working […]

Letter June 1940 Evacuation of Guernsey Agnes Le Messurier – Alfred Le Messurier

Albecq King Harry Lane St Albans Herts   June 27. 40   My dear Alfred   Here I am, an evacuee.  I left home Tuesday by the night boat & arrived here at 2 p.m. yesterday.  Hilda & Mary came over last week & is staying at home with her people.  I hope Grenville will soon come over too, he & Dr Sutcliffe are living together just now.   I brought Mary’s cat over for […]

1941 Account of an escape from Guernsey sent to Eda Le Messurier

This is an undated  account of an escape under fire from Guernsey across the Channel to England after WWII started.  The account  was copied by Eda Stringer, and contains her  additional notes. Possibly escape was August 1941.  It is not clear whether this whole transcript is written by the same person, or whether it ‘morphs’ into a letter from Eda at the point where the group was taken to Scotland Yard. Note from Eda: From […]

Letter 1940 June Evacuation of Guernsey – Edwin Le Messurier – Eda Le Messurier

Note from Eda Stringer at top of letter:                                             Holme View, Aglionby, Carlisle  15.7.40 Failure to evacuate more completely must have been due, as he says, to the Guernsey authorities.  It looks as if they had not asked for sufficient boats, so I don’t think the Cabinet can be blamed!  Father had been told, you remember, that the Bailiff had gone jittery & that contradictory orders had been issued.  No wonder the island was in a state […]

Letter 1940 June Evacuation of Guernsey – Edwin Le Messurier – Alfred Le Messurier

Letter found in envelope addressed to A.T. Le Messurier, 27 Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, Chester. Here is a link to the wikipedia article about the Guernsey evacuation. Eda Stringer also copied the letter to send on, and annotated it, so there is the original letter from Edwin, and a copy by Eda.  Her annotations have been inserted in the appropriate places of the letter below: c/o J. Pierce Esq. Holme View Aglionby Carlisle 3/7/40 My Dear Alf It […]

Letter 1940 June (2) Evacuation of Guernsey – Eda Le Messurier – Margot Stringer

Monday Dear Margot Here is a link to the wikipedia article about the Guernsey evacuation. The latest news is that 2000 Germans (two thousand) landed in Guernsey alone.  This comes from the Waymouths.  Father was away during the whole of Sunday – 9 am to 7 pm – dealing with the children.  Someone, he forgets who, had had news of the Waymouths.  They have a very big bakery at L’Islet, in the Vale Parish, & […]

Letter 1940 June Evacuation of Guernsey – Eda Le Messurier – Margot Stringer

Note at top of letter: You know the two big posts at the gate, with the ramblers.  Father pruned them severely this year, & they are perfectly gorgeous, huge clusters of blooms as big as your head – the clusters, not the blooms. Saturday. Dear Margot Here is a link to the wikipedia article about the Guernsey evacuation. Thank you for your letter.  Either I missed out a comma! (Father’s pet) or else you missed […]

Next Page »