“But what happened to hapless Dabby?”
Edmond “Dabby” Luff (AKA Dab-Foot) turned out to be the most tenacious of the pack. He cultivated friendships with Lucy’s family, went to Canada to find work ostensibly to earn a nest-egg to provide a good life for him and Lucy. His letters are pleasant, although his reserved manner may have not conveyed his devotion to Lucy until it was too late.
Dabby wrote to Lucy from his job sites in Canada. He encouraged Dick and George to follow him as well-paying work was plentiful. But Dabby’s letters were no match for the effusive Alex and his grand plans. Dabby the Realist vs. Alex the Dreamer.
In a letter from sister Julia to Lucy dated 26 Feb 1914 Ju writes: The piece of wedding cake that Dad advised is on its way has not arrived yet. I hope it hasn’t been seized by the Customs. Put a piece under your pillow and dream of Dabby. Many worse than Dabby, tho, - Poor old Dab Foot. - I wonder why we always end up by pitying him! Heard of him lately?
After Lucy cut Dabby free, he did eventually marry and settle down. They exchanged Christmas cards most years and had a cordial correspondence. When Lucy finally returned to London for a visit in 1929, she and Dabby met. Lucy made the journey to see her father and to show off her two little girls Betty and Grace. Lucy wrote about how she so liked Dabby’s wife and that they even stayed a couple nights at their home. Mrs. Luff was kind enough to watch Betty and Grace so Lucy could have a free day to visit friends.
In 1940’s after the war Lucy’s youngest daughter Grace and George’s daughter Patty took a bicycle tour through England. The girls stopped to see Dabby, he stood there struck still and mute by the appearance of Grace. He then welled up, choked out that Grace was the living image of Lucy as he remembered her, and then so overcome, excused himself and left.
That is the last record we have of Edmond “Dabby” Luff.
The house pictured above was from a Christmas card sent by Dabby in the 1930’s. That is Mrs. Luff sitting out front.
“Who is this Charles Young fellow that George mentions in his book Ready All?”
A few days before we were to go [to Australia]….a flame of Lucy’s called at the house…This young man’s name was Charlie Young and he was plainly full of Dutch courage [drunk], planning to pop the question to Lucy…we told him of our plans to emigrate to Australia [a popular place for the sport]. He mumbled about a…place called British Columbia. He said [his brother] was earning ten pounds a week sawing down trees, and assured us that we could do just as well.
Charlie left after a while and we sat around the kitchen debating what he had said. Someone suggested that “drunken men speak the truth, ” and with that bit of doubtful philosophy we changed our plans from Australia to Canada – Vancouver, B.C. – George Pocock, Ready All p. 20.
Sister Julia also writes of the incident in a letter to George dated 19 Sept 1913.
Charles Young is not a name that matches any of the letters saved amongst Lucy’s things. Charles may have made an impression on brother George, but apparently didn’t make the grade with Lucy.
