When I last wrote, apparently quite some time ago, I teased you about the story of Lalla or Belle. Now I've come to complete the story. Lalla lived into at least the 1960s, but Belle perished in the London Blitz. As far as I can tell the Blitz was basically in 1940, but I haven't found anything that says exactly when Belle died.
Ada, Gussie's sister, corresponded with Lalla and in a letter explained to Laura Leib about Lalla and her family. The following is an excerpt from Ada's letter to Laura.
The lady who wrote of it is my first cousin her mother was father’s sister. This girl is the one who painted the picture of our fathers’ home which you saw in our dining room. Her husband is dead but she lives near another cousin of mine named Mary and her husband is living. The Joyce who she speaks of is the only child of their sister who was killed in a raid during the war. She and her husband were both killed. There were three girls in this Croston family and mother liked them so well when she met them while in Europe.
There's more correspondence that I'll post another time.
