Dear Sir, - I hope you can publish this letter in "London Life", of which I have been a reader of some little time.
I am 25 years of age, and for the last 9 months I have been a one-legged girl, having my right leg smashed in a motor accident, and I did not know that it had been amputated until a day or two after it had been taken off, when I was told that I was one-legged.
I am employed in the office of a large firm of shoe manufacturers, and I have been back in business six months since I became one-legged. It is impossible for me to wear an artificial or peg leg, and within a few weeks of the amputation I commenced to use a single crutch. I find it much easier to manipulate than a pair, and it leaves my hand free.
I cannot somehow reconcile myself to the fact that I am one-legged, as I am continually endeavouring to use a leg I no longer possess.
I certainly save on stockings, as I only require one at a time instead of a pair, and I wear the American roll type with a garter just above the knee. Also I am able to get from my firm a single left shoe whenever I require one - which, of course, is a consideration. Undies, however, were a source of worry to me until I discovered that by cutting off practically the whole of the right leg of my cami-knickers and panties, I was able to solve that empty dangling and flapping annoyance which so many one-legged girls experience who have been amputated similarly to myself.
I have always been inclined to be well on the plump side, but since I have had only one leg and a crutch to get about with, I have put on quite a lot of weight and now I turn the scale at just over 12 stones, although I am only of the average height; so you will readily understand that I am indeed plump!
My crutch is of the pole type, sprung under the shoulder rest and also at the foot of the pole where it fits into the rubber shoe, thus preventing the slightest jarring. The shoulder rest is well padded.
When I commenced getting about on one leg and crutch, I became very friendly with a boy, and he has recently obtained for me, through your kindness and courtesy, quite a lot of back numbers containing letters and photographs from one-legged girl readers and also stories by Wallace Stort, which I am having bound, as well as the six war Volumes published by you. I should, however, very much like to obtain some more back treble numbers before doing so, but they would have to be numbers prior to the last five years, as I think I have all since then.
I have found that these have helped to cheer me up and cause me to come to regard my one leg in the same light as I used to do when it had a companion, my boy friend has told me, however, that he prefers me as I am, so that, of course, is some compensation for being one-legged.
I am considered to be rather good-looking, and am a typical redhead. I have a flat fringe over my forehead and ears, and brush my Titian hair back in a long, smooth bob which reaches down to my shoulders. I also favour a vivid brilliant lipstick as bright as my ginger hair.
I suppose that I shall eventually become accustomed to having only one leg and a crutch; at any rate, I sincerely hope I do, because I fully realise that this is the only way in which I can go now through life. But if the time that I have known my boy friend (to whom, by the way, I became engaged this Easter) proves to be anything to go by, I feel sure that I shall soon recognise and accept in a natural way my one leg and its crutch companion.
Trusting that this letter is not too long, and hoping to be able to obtain some back numbers, as the others have given me many hours of pleasure in reading other one-legged girls' experiences.
If this letter is suitable, I will write again later and give your readers my further experiences.
I will conclude now with the best of luck to all one-legged girl readers.
Yours truly,
One Leg And One Crutch.