ROYAL AIR FORCE,
OLD SARUM,
SALISBURY, WILTS
6-7-42
Dear Hazel Maude,
As I guess Mum keeps you pretty well au fait with the news (that’s French, lassie) this is justly way of being a note to thank you kindly for your two letters, which turned up a day or two ago. I wish the first one could have had a more cheerful subject, but neither you nor I had had any control over that.
I believe I have also to thank you for a parcel, which Mum says is on the way. Doubtless it will arrive safely, as they invariably take longer than letters. Thank you very much, Maudie; it is good of you to remember me.
Probably by now you have settled in properly at Hastings, with real shops just around the corner every day of the week. How do you like that after the cows, sheep and Miss Whatshername of Rose Bros., Tirau? I hope George gets along O.K. in camp; it’s not a bad life but is no place to go sick in so I hope he doesn’t have any floating kidney trouble there. It will serve the Army right if he does. Home is the only place where you can feel off colour when you like.
By the way, it’s a bit late now but maybe this will get here in time for next year. Give Colleen and Robin my birthday greetings. If I concentrate hard enough I should really be able to remember Colleen’s birthday “on time,” because my watch is that old, too, but I have no such check on Robin.
Well without duplicating, I can’t give you any more news because these days very little is happening to us and Mum will have told you about what goes on. The censor is responsible for my omitting some very funny stories, which might give information to Mr Hun and are therefore best left out; but after this war you’ll get a laugh out of some of our doings, I promise you.
In the meantime, love form your wandering brother,
Arnold G.