Letter
The Hallé, Ida Carroll, Geoffrey Griffiths
1940

It's Geoffrey Griffith's first night on Auxiliary Fire Service at Ashton-under-Lyne. He was "far too busy thinking about you to concentrate on the talk" of the other men, he writes to Ida Carroll.
As it was "quiet above" (meaning no air raids?), they played darts and went for a walk, getting baked potatoes and bananas from a grocers at 1AM. He described the rooms of the pub that is their night time headquarters in detail, with "glaring lights, little tables and chairs, bell-pushes, truly astonishing pictures, and, emerging in the small hours, four camp beds."
He muses on the habits of getting dresses for bed when on night watch.

He's been singing in the choir at the Hallé but has been so tired that he doesn't "care two hoots whether I sing now or not." Sir Malcolm Sargent was in attendance at the rehearsal/performance and he blames his presence on the poor performance of the bassos, them being nervous.

Ref: CARROLL/IGC/3 GG
With thanks to the Ida Carroll Trust
Date is unknown.

Part of the #NSM2020 project "A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music" supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.