Letter 42

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
← Letter 42 →
Recipient	Michael Tolkien
Date	12 January 1941
Subject(s)	Life in Oxford during World War II

Letter 42 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

Michael Tolkien served with a gun-battery during the Battle of Britain and had been injured in an accident during night training. J.R.R. Tolkien sent him many letters while he convalesced in a Worcester hospital. In this letter, Tolkien chatted about the weather and an amusing visit to a pub. He stated that air raid warnings were frequent but so far no bombing had occurred in the area. He believed that more hectic times were coming, since reasoning seemed to show that Hitler must attack Britain directly and very heavily before the summer. Tolkien invoked God’s blessing on his son, told him that he prayed for him constantly, and asked if Michael needed anything specially.