Frances Woodsford - Dear Mr Bigalow

review by Babs Simpson on show feb 2012
This is a collection of letters written by Frances Woodsford to Mr Bigelow in the 1950s/60s and is an absolute joy from start to finish. Frances lives in Bournemouth with her mother and brother, is in her early thirties and is working for the Town Council in the Public Baths department. Mr Bigelow from Long Island, New |York, is an elderly, lonely widower
who lives in isolated splendour in a fine house overlooking the sea.

Their correspondence started almost by accident after Frances was sent some clothes from friends in the USA (Britain was still under war-time rationing and the more affluent Americans couldn't believe Frances wore blouses made from parachute silk, etc.) Amongst the donated clothes was a beautiful brand-new gabardine jacket and skirt in a box with an unknown woman's name and address on it, so of course Frances wrote immediately to thank her, they became friends, and when mention was made of the woman's lonely father, Mr Bigelow, Frances thought he might appreciate a letter from England.

The correspondence that followed is really brilliant. The only letters that survive are from Frances and from them the reader gets so much pleasure, enjoyment and humour, as well as a perfect picture of life here soon after the War, the trials and tribulations of working with her ghastly boss, Mr Bond, the hilarious weekly Civil Defence Classes as the Cold War advances, her home life with her mother and ne'er-do-well brother and various holidays she takes in England and France.

Letter-writing is an art which Frances Woodsford possesses in spades and one can only imagine the pleasure that Mr Bigelow must have got each week when an envelope from Bournemouth arrived. I laughed out loud many times and was really sorry when I got to the last page. A truly glorious read which I cannot recommend highly enough.