Roger Senhouse's letter

[ecb]

I was just wondering whether the last page of Roger Senhouse's letter of 1960 concerning Peter's death still exists?  The letter (which is very interesting and touching) seems to leave off before the end.  Of course I own plenty of older letters which are missing pages so I could certainly understand that happening - just curious.

[andrew]

Thanks for pointing that out. The last page should be there - I'll check when back in Wales (I'm in London pro tem) and will post it up. It's a truly wonderful letter in my view - wish I'd known about it when writing my book - only found it after Nico died.

[andrew]

Page 4 has now been restored tio the database! Many thanks foir pointing out the error, and if you spot any more, please feel free to write. I'm currently revising the computer-generated captions for all material post 1921...

[ecb]

Thank you so very much!  I had wanted to say something about it for some time, but felt a bit of a "nitpicker"

The letter does end so beautifully too - "your family were endowed with perennial wisdom and grace."  Poor Roger - one's heart goes out to him as he was certainly reliving the sorrow of losing Michael as he thought about Peter's death.  He was at the memorial service (held the same day as Cynthia Asquiths.)

[andrew]

Had absolutely no idea that Peter's memorial service was held the same day as Cynthia's... how that must have pissed Peter off! I've often darkly thought that Cynthia winning the $64,000 TV quiz show might have contributed to his suicide (which notion made Nico chortle!)  On the subject of which... I arrived at Sloane Square tube station about an hour after his jump, aged 14 - and was furious that I'd missed the an event. Such was the ghoulish curiosity of this particular ex-teenager, tho' not unlike JMB's now I think on't ....

[ecb]

It was strange that Peter committed suicide so soon after Cynthia's death.  I had searched the online version of the Times (London) for information about Cynthia's death and found her memorial service.  Much to my surprise I saw that Peter's was held the same day (the vagaries of searching fulltext of a scanned newspaper had somehow NOT caught Peter's service although I had definitely searched his name - under all permutations - sometimes Davies sometimes Llewelyn Davies sometimes Llewellyn Davies!)  When I read Daphne du Maurier's letter to Nico concerning Peter's death (and boy are HER letters fascinating!) I noticed that she mentions her vision of Peter and Cynthia meeting in purgatory and having it out with each other - with JMB telling them where "he got off - and he has had plenty of time to find that out).  Then to the huge relief of Granny (who would hate any unpleasantness - take that nasty Mrs. du Maurier version from FN as played by the sublime Ms. Christie!) each would shake the others hand and Cynthia evaporate to her clan and Peter rushes to Aunt Sylvia's arms where he'd wanted to be for 50 years.

All the letters in this database are wonderful to read and make me ashamed of my own desultory letter writing habits.  These people really do come alive in their letters - and it is wonderful to see the original handwritings (or typings in Daphne's case).  However thank heavens Nico had a very clear handwriting - I do enjoy his letters to Mary Hodgson as well as Peter's.  What very different people they were.  Nico always seems to breathe an air of happiness and interest in the world, as well as just pure jollyness.

[andrew]

Lovely observations - Daphne's letters are gems, as indeed are Nico's.  He was a self-confessed letter-writing addict - his letters to Sharon and I most total 600+, and he kept up a vigorous correspondence with many others, notably Rupert Hart Davies. RHD's correspondence with his old Eton teacher George Lyttleton was published in 3 vols back in the 1970s, and when I asked him if he'd ever considered publishing his letters with Nico he said indeed yes - but unfortunately Nico had thrown away all his!
(One that escaped the flames is on the database)
This was very like Nico - he so rightly lived in the moment, and although (according to his daughter Laura) he loved his involvement with TLB (both TV and book) and seemed to delight in ransacking his memories, he clung to nothing. Often he'd send some jewel that had just dropped out of a forgotten book (e.g. Sylvia's devastating letter to Dolly Ponsonby after Arthur's death in 1907 - it's in the database) with an accompanying one of his own saying he didn't need it back....  Nico's attitude to possessions became contagious, and I too found it quite liberating when I gave the collection to GOSH. One day I'll get round to scanning all Nico's to Sharon and I, and (possibly) my side as well. Oddly enough Nico hung on to them, and Laura returned them after he died....  ah, but the TIME it all takes!
PS I've known the sublime Ms Christie off and on for many years, and received a letter from her last year craving forgiveness for accepting the part and pleading poverty as her (wholly understandable) excuse ...

[Christopher]

Thanks for this thread.  I had not noticed this letter before and you are right - so touching.