H.M.S. MALAYA.
c/o G.P.O.
Wednesday. July 4th
My dear Mother-
Many thanks for your letter- I wrote to you about receiving the clothes – lovely they are.
Ever since H[is].M[ajesty]. left we have had the most gorgeous weather – ever so hot – Tis a pity we did’nt have it like that for H.M.
I had a letter from Col Conway Gordon last night – he was invested with his C.B. when the King went there. Did you see that Gordon Campbell was promoted to Captain, extraordinary is’nt it. I suppose he must have done some more “mysterious” things – He’s only been a Commander a year. Comparing it with some promotions in the Army I suppose it looks nothing – but the average fellow in the Navy does’nt get a chance
You must buy the July Blackwoods magazine – there is a long account by Gen Willcox of “The Indian Army in France” – very interesting & nice to keep. It mentions the 2/39th.
Are you having a “Baby Week” in Guildford- Nance writes & says they are having big processions etc up at Spilsby – wheeling perambulators about an’ all.
Yes that Mesopotamian Scandal is perfectly awful I think. I am sure all the people concerned ought to be publically held up for people to throw things at & then locked up in solitary confinement to have a thorough good think over their misdeeds.
We had 2 promotions in this ship on June 30th – so we did rather well.
I sent Topher some Chocolate for his birthday – I hope he’ll get it allright. Do you know whereabouts they are now.
My very best love to you all-
from your ever loving son
Paul.
Nancy’s father was Colonel Charles Arthur Swan C.M.G., M.A., J.P., and Nancy’s mother was Ethel, only daughter of Colonel F.I. Conway-Gordon. Thier son, Nancy’s brother was Major Charles Francis Trollope Swan MC who was born in 1887 and her sister Marjorie was born in 1886. The links below suggest that there may have been two connections between the Swans and the Conway-Gordons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwood%27s_Magazine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausthorpe nr Spilsby
Roll of Honour in Sausthorpe village hall – Nance’s grandfather is second, Paul third
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lincolnshire/Sausthorpe.html
Col Francis Ingram Cosmo Conway-Gordon – Nance’s dad’s father-in-law
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ENG-LINCSGEN/2002-04/1018040061
The Conway-Gordons in The House of Gordon (1902)
https://archive.org/stream/houseofgordon00news#page/388/mode/2up