Letter
The Hallé, Ida Carroll, Geoffrey Griffiths
Odeon (Manchester)
1941

Griff writes to Ida of his restless night made pleasant with thoughts of her. He muses that he was busier at Manchester travel agency offices than those of Ashton but seems to nap much more now. Well there is a war going on, so I think you can give yourself some slack there, Griff.
The area around Piccadilly train station has taken quite a beating in the war: "Tonight's alert found me at London Road station, depressed about a train that had just gone without me and thinking what a horrid spot London Road would be during an alert, with a large hole at the side of Mayfield and an even larger one in the midst of property (that was!) at the back of Mayfield!"
He'll have to miss a lot of card games in the coming months with his home front volunteering, "fire duties you know!!!" and likewise him and other bases at the choir are missing rehearsals with their war work.
He wishes to be a part of the Hallé chorus however as John Gielgud will be the orator for Arthur Bliss' "Morning Heroes" symphony, for its premiere in Manchester at the Odeon Theatre. "It will be a privilege to be associated with anything that he appears in, even my tiny back-row-end-of-the-firm role."

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.