June 25/16
Dear Mother
The mail got in just after I’d sent off your letter last week, so I did’nt have time to answer your letter of course. Thanks very much for it, dated June 1st. Yes, I’ve only lost that one mail so far, the Sussex one, & all the others have turned up, though sometimes 2 come in one week & then next week no mails turn up at all, though latterly they have been quite decently regular. Nell numbers all her letters to me so as I can tell if any get lost, & I’ve got them all except the Sussex ones, so I must have got all yours too.
So glad Mrs Quentin approved of Nell; she met Bunchie of course in town one day at the Harris’. Where is Bunchie now I wonder; I wrote to her once from Malta, but I never got a reply.
I don’t think the English tin helmets are very becoming, do you? They seem so flat & broad brimmed; the French ones look so much neater & nattier.
What a house party you had that week-end; I heard from Nance too & she said she had been over for the day; I hope they had good times at Bognor.
Such pouring rain here still, & thunder today, two most appalling crashes about midday, frightfully loud & frightening. I had a lovely swim this morning in a big tank we have in the mess, where we collect water for the garden. It’s only full in the rains, so we always use it as a swimming bath then.
Many thanks indeed for the number of “Land & Water”; most interesting & I’m glad to see the Indian Army’s work in France duly recognised. I have’nt finished reading it yet, & I will put it in the mess for a day or two for other fellows to read, but I shan’t leave it there. Also for the Pink papers, & John Bulls etc which have all turned up regularly, & make pleasantly light reading after a heavy day’s work.
You seem to have a lot of aeroplanes over nowadays; I see a picture of poor Col Lewis in one of the papers this week. Daylight saving seems a great success everywhere; I suppose they are sure to keep it on after the war.
This is just a scribble to answer your letter; I’ll write again before the mail goes this week.
Love to all from
Your loving son
Ted
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_helmet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodie_helmet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_and_Water
Again, it’s unclear whether “Nance” was Nancy Swan who was to become engaged to Paul early in 1917.
