Item MAYHEW 1/2 - Letters from Mayhew to his parents, 1940-1941

Manuscript and typescript letters from Mayhew to members of his family, including his father, Sir Basil Mayhew and his mother, Lady Mayhew, at Felthorpe Hall, Norwich, mainly relating to Mayhew's service in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France during the Battle of France, May-Jun 1940, and including mention of his dissatisfaction with the capabilities of the British Army in France, the withdrawal of all British forces in France towards the coast and the subsequent evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk, France, May 1940. Correspondence also includes mention of his transfer to the Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) at Aldershot, Hampshire; his interest in entering the Ministry of Economic Warfare, War Office and his association with Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell (later Rt Hon) as Principal Private Secretary to the Minister of Economic Warfare; defensive preparations for a possible invasion of Great Britain by German forces; and detailed descriptions of German air raids and bombing attacks on British population centres, Aug-Mar 1941. 1 file.