Letter 49c

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 49c
Recipient	Christopher Tolkien
Date	8 September 1943
Subject(s)	Wartime preprations

Letter 49c is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Background

In March of 1943 Tolkien had been appointed director of an English course for Navy and Air Force cadets, with the first course soon to end, the second group of cadets were due to arrive at the end of the month.

Summary

In a letter to his son Christopher, Tolkien expresses sympathy for the difficult time Christopher experienced the previous week and reassures him that a brief note would suffice during busy periods. Tolkien shares updates from home, mentioning the beautiful weather, an abundance of apples and soon-to-be-ready pears, and his own busyness with organizing a Royal Navy course. He notes the slim chances of working on his "Hobbit" writing project and offers to send fruit to Christopher's next location.