Prohibition

A young Englishman in 1920s Pittsburgh. 25 Autograph Letters Signed 'Dundas' from a young Englishman who has relocated with his family to America and is training with accountants Price Waterhouse & Co. To his English friend 'Smut' 'Meredith'.

16077 — The first five letters from London Forest Hill and Catford; the rest from Pennsylvania with 15 from 621 Kelly Avenue Wilkinsburg Pittsburgh. Between 1 March 1926. A total of 140pp. i.e. 98pp. 12mo; 40pp. 8vo; 2pp. 4to. One letter possibly incomplete unsigned the other 24 signed 'Dundas' with postscripts sometimes signed 'Das'. The three letters before the last addressed to 'Meredith' the other 22 addressed to 'Smut'. Of the 25 letters: 7 from 1926; 4 from 1927; 10 from 1928; 4 from 1929. The first five letters to 19 November 1926 from London three from 143 Como Road Forest Hill SE23; two from 406 Stanstead Road Catford SE6; the rest from Pennsylvania with 15 from 621 Kelly Avenue Wilkinsburg Pittsburgh and one each from 411 Pitt Street Wilkinsburg; 510 Mifflin Avenue Wilkinsburg; 839 E. Hutchinson Avenue Edgewood Pittsburgh; and letterheads of the Penn Albert Hotel Greensburg and the Penn Grove Hotel Grove City. Between 1 March 1926 and 6 June 1929. An interesting correspondence emphatically materialistic and enthused with the youthful good humour and bullishness of a young Englishman who is attempting to make his way as an accountant training with Price Waterhouse in the 'Land of Opportunity'. Dundas adopts American mannerisms 'Gee boy!' and 'O.K.!' and exhibits puerile humour 'We have been having an air polluting competition in the office this evening the chap next to me has won easily but I've cheated him for having a cold I couldn't smell him' and the characteristic casual racism of the period from New York he writes 'And the Hutoo. I've never seen so many at once in my natural.'. References in the correspondence reveal that 'Dundas' is an'Old Erithian' a former students of West Street School Erith Kent and of Scottish extraction and that at the start of the correspondence he works in an office in London. The recipient with whom Dundas was at school is in England training to be an actuary. Topics include: the passage over; New York 'the chap we're staying with took us downtown in his Dodge'; Prohibition; prices clothing rent chewing gum; Dundas's extensive amorous activities including 'heavy necking' with a number of 'girls' 'Gee boy! We've got a nice little girl in this house. . She is by no means slow In the pictures & in the car - Oh! Boy!!! - xxx'; hotels; his work travelling around the area surrounding Pittsburgh as an auditor; jazz; his studying at the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy; festivities in America; his acquistion of a piano; the climate; the relative qualities of American and English men and 'girls'; sports and recreations 'I am going to join the Minnetoska Club here. It is a canoe club tennis Baseball & swimming'; the motor car and 'autoists'; an account of a trip to Sligo 'a town so small that although it is only 100 miles away most Pittsburghers have never heard of it'; his efforts as a photographer 'I have now completed an album containing all the fellows pictures . I have orders for 14 of them now & will probably have orders for 20 or so more . For once photography is paying me'; radio broadcasting 'Did you ever listen to the "Gold Spot Pals" that was the broadcast of the Gold Spot Shoe Company'; road taxes. The correspondence begins with news of a dance with some clues towards the author's identity: 'There weren't very many of our old crowd there mainly people who left before we did. Have you see sic Woollatt just lately Gee! he has grown. . Bob Horlock Bell Harry Cameron Lilian Rayner Doris Knott & one or two others were there.' With the third letter 26 April 1926 comes an announcement: 'now hold tight - Dad & I are trying to get to America we have our names down for the next Quota and expect to go about Sept or Oct but of course there is nothing settled yet and there are many slips twixt the cup and the lip.' On 11 November he reports that 'we got through our Medical Exam O.K. & that we have booked our passage on the Carmania sailing on the 27th inst'. A month later on 14 December he writes from Wilkinsburg to describe the passage over 'On Saturday night we ran into a gale. Gee boy! didn't she rock! I'll say she did. Some of the people had the wind up. One chap at the table next to us got up dressed & put his life belt on.'. By 20 November 1927 his mother and 'Peggy' sister have arrived and he has already dumped a girlfriend 'She kept me waiting for 1 ½ hours one night because she had something to do & we were going to a dance.' enrolled on a course at the Pittsburgh School of Accounting and been to '5 dances in the last 6 weeks'. At the end of 1927 12 December he reports that he is 'still with Price Waterhouse accountants & working hard'. On 16 January 1928 he writes that 'Prohibition here is a big farce & in my opinion is doing more harm than good. It is very much like the "under 16" smoking in the old country. You know how many kids will start smoking at 10 & 12 just to feel big. Well here the high school & college people drink just because they are told they mustn't. Anyone who wants it can get as much as they want - and what stuff gee its poison. I smelled some stuff that was supposed to be whiskey if that was whiskey I'm dutch it smelled more like methylated spirits to me. Of course the good stuff can be bought but one would have to pay $5.00 & up a pint. . I saw one fellow being carried out of the movies on new years night he had been drinking bad liquor & he was all drawn up into a terrible shape.' On 15 April 1928 he reports that he is 'still with P. W. & Co. The boss hasn't officially confirmed that I am permanent but all the seniors seem to think I am. Added to that there are only six out of 35 temporary men left.' On 2 December 1928: 'I too am anxiously waiting the R100. Boy I hope she knocks the Grafs time into a cocked hat. I'd just love the opportunity to say "there see thats what the old country can do!"' On 24 February 1929 he can report that 'Things have broken pretty good for me in the office this year. I am now a ranking senior - that is for the busy season. Right after I came back from Huntington I received my first "In Charge" assignment. It was a large Department store & Mail Order House with 8000000 Capitalization. This entailed 2 stores in New York & 3 in Pittsburgh. . one heck of a lot of hard work for me for the three fellows they gave me were green I even had to teach them how to make a check mark'. The same letter carries a reference to 'Marion Robertshaw' who is 'now with the B.B.C.' On 3 March 1929 he reports that 'Dad is in the experimental Dept of the Hudson Motor works in Detroit and doing very well.' and asks: 'Who are you for in the General Election. Ramsay McDonald has all my wishes with Lloyd George running him a close second. I understand Ll. G. has a new idea for wiping out unemployment. I think if those two men could work together they could put England back in her place. I don't know whether you have realized it but England is certainly slipping badly and something drastic will have to be done for her to regain her place in the worlds affairs. Of course I am relying on American statistics for my assertion.' By the time of the last letter 6 June 1929 he is living a bachelor existence at 839 E. Hutchison Avenue Edgewood 'very comfortably situated in my room & liking it not so bad. At times it gets a little lonesome . life has just been one exam after another . By the way since Dad went to Detroit hes been getting on fine. He got into the experimental dept of Hudson Motor Co on some kind of special exhibition work they were doing & got them to adopt some ideas of his for saving them time & money & he has been made foreman. I was glad to see Ramsay McDonald went into power. Its tough luck he didn't get a working majority. All the papers here are watching the Labor Party closely to see what happens. Here's wishing them all the best. I think the best thing that could happen in England would be for the Liberal Party to be abandoned & join with the Labor.' The first five letters from London (Forest Hill and Catford); the rest from Pennsylvania, with 15 from 621 Kelly Avenue, Wilkins hardcover