Letters of David Herbert Richards Lawrence to Dr. Andrew and Mrs Dorothy Morland

<p>See Mrs. Morland's account at DD/791/7 and Harry T. Moore's biography of D.H. Lawrence, 'The Priest of Love'</p>

Records are open for consultation, unless otherwise stated

Items deposited in Nottinghamshire Record Office by Mrs. Dorothy Morland of London NW1 8LA. 13 February 1978. To be held on indefinite loan from Mrs Morland and her son-in-law, Dr. David Davidson of London N.W.3

Acc. 2100

In Autumn 1929 S.S. Koteliansky asked Dr. Andrew Morland (who had succesfully treated Mark Gertler for tuberculosis) if he could visit D.H. Lawrence at Bandol, France, where he was then living, as Koteliansky, Gertler and others of Lawrence's friends were worried about his state of health. Dr. Morland and his wife Dorothy (the depositor of these letters) therefore agreed to take their winter holiday in the south of France that year and visited Lawrence in mid-January 1930. Mrs. Morland relates: 'After the examination my husband talked at length to Freida [sic.] trying to impress on her that what was needed was milk and proper nursing care under medical supervision. On the way back to the hotel my husband explained to me that Lawrence was ill not so much from TB although he did have some but from the effect of continuous bronchitis and general debilitation. Frieda's attitude was that of a large healthy woman who thought that most illnesses should be cured by a mixture of willpower, exercise, such as swimming at 6 a.m. and the application of various current fads like adopting a salt free diet. We found that the old gardener had a goat and we persuaded him to tether it in the Lawrence's garden and also to milk it, in those days fresh milk was very hard to come by in the South of France'

Dr. Morland stated in a letter to Harry T. Moore (reproduced in 'The Priest of Love'), 'The Mediterranean coast itself has a bad reputation for this type of case and the exposed situation of Bandol aggravated his bronchitis. I therefore recommended that he should move to a small sanatorium at Vence which is a well situated resort about 1,000 feet above sea level and some miles inland'. Whilst arrangements were being made, the Morlands stayed in Bandol and visited the Lawrences every day. 'Freida [sic.] took my husband out on one or two expeditions but I was also a TB patient and the journey had tired me very much so I stayed at the villa with Lawrence. The fact that we were both suffering from the same complaint was a big bond between us and I enjoyed long talks with him'. Mrs. Morland then moved on to Menton to stay with friends, her husband returned to England and on 6 Feb. Lawrence journeyed to the 'Ad Astra' sanatorium at Vence

Mrs. Morland continues, 'When the first letter [from Lawrence] arrived it was obvious that my husband had been badly misled as to the amount of medical care and nursing the clinic was able or willing to provide but he had gone back to London so there was nothing he could do about it'. Dr. Morland believed that Lawrence was 'needing bed rest of many months if he were to have a chance to arrest the disease'. One of the doctors from the clinic wrote on 22 Feb. (DD/791/5) that they had given him a complete rest. However, Lawrence's letters make clear that he was encouraged to walk about and to go up and down two flights of steep stairs for meals. 'I can walk to Jericho if I like - I wish I did like'. (DD/791/3/A). Lawrence also wrote that he received no milk at the clinic, although Dr. Morland had been very anxious that he should drink fresh milk

On 1 March Lawrence discharged himself from the clinic and he and Frieda moved to the Villa Robermond in Vence. He died there at 10 p.m. the following day. On 4 March Dr. Morland wrote to Koteliansky, 'How terrible it is that Lawrence is dead ... I wish now that I had not urged him to go to Vence as I am afraid my efforts only made his last weeks more unhappy'