THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

MRS. R. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
10 HANOVER TERRACE
LONDON, N.W.1

[18th July 1957]

Your flowers are absolutely lovely.  Thank you so very much.  We were so glad you were here for P.K.¹
Had all the dining room bulging with Press, & lots of sherry.  I note something will be in the papers all round tomorrow – including Crispin’s photograph!²
My father has to have rather a serious operation³ – So I’m going down to Mama tomorrow –
Ralph’s eye is almost decent again!
Did you leave a red jersey behind?⁴ I’ll send it off to you at home, when I hear.  Love from us both, & many many thanks, & for your letter.
Ursula

1. The Poisoned Kiss (Catalogue of Works 1936/4). The Royal Academy of Music put on a performance in early celebration of VW’s 85th birthday; this was the first performance with rhymed couplets by UVW replacing the original prose passages.
2. VW had been photographed in connexion with a protest by himself, Laurence Olivier, T.S. Eliot and others about the ‘dumbing down’ of the BBC’s Third Programme to Network 3.  Crispin was one of the cats. See also VWL3490 re the BBC and VWL3530 for the letter in the paper.
3. UVW’s father Robert Lock did not recover from his operation. See VWL3531.
4. The jersey was duly posted – see VWL3531.