Delhi.

16.11.16

Dear Mother

No letter from anyone at Guildford last mail; only one from Ben at Weybridge; I suppose they have followed some erratic course as they often do nowadays & will turn up next week.

What about the Arabia being sunk; but what a mercy they were all saved. My friend Mrs Proctor was on board, & I knew a Major & Mrs Rait well too who were on board also. It must have been a jolly well run show to save them all, but she kept upright a long time apparently & took some time to sink. I’m afraid that week’s mails must have gone for good. I wonder if some rugs I was sending were on board.

We have quite settled down now, & are really very comfy here. The C.O. & I share a hired car, one simply must have one here, as there is a lot of getting about to be done & we are in camp 3 miles out of Delhi; I am learning to drive, but am by no means proficient yet. In fact I laid the car up for 2 days with a sprained tummy or something but it is going again now all right.

Heaps of people here now, as all the Army Headquarters people are down from Simla, & I suppose before long one will be sucked into the vortex, one simply has to do all that sort of thing here, as ours is a social job more than anything else, & soldiering is really a secondary thing. The war touches India very lightly, except in the case of regiments who have lost so many good fellows, & there are few who have’nt. But the general population of India is very little affected by it, & the same old life goes on just as before.

Bitterly cold down here now. I hope the British warm turns up soon, if it is still in existence.

The news is good again is’nt it. Funny, I got pink papers & the Daily Mirror weekly edn (I like that, it gives you such a comprehensive view of things when there is’nt much time to read) but no letters last mail. I am glad Topher’s C.O. can say such nice things about him; splendid, & you must be awfully pleased.

Bed time.

Best love to all

Yr loving son

Ted