April 5/19 Bombay
Dear Mother
No mail in yet, except a few papers of about Feb 20th which arrived last night- They had been up to M.E.F, & returned here, so I may get some letters by tonight’s post-
It’s rather warm here, in spite of sea breezes: a very sticky muggy atmosphere which I simply hate & it makes you feel very limp & unenergetic. 45 patients sailed for home this morning in the Syria, so the hospital is quite empty now, only about 40 or so left, but I expect we shall get some more in every day. Otherwise there’s no news, absolutely none. And there’s very little to do here really so the time passes none too quickly. I thought I’d be up before a medical board yesterday, but I did’nt go, so I hope to get one on Monday & see what they decide to do with me.
I had a line from Topher this morning, he seems to think he’ll be kept on for some time yet- And he wants to start farming, either at home or E. Africa. I should think the latter would suit him best. His letter was marked “E.E.F aerial post” so I suppose it came by Aeroplane – they are expecting a certain amount of “passive resistance” here tomorrow, the same sort of thing they have been having in Delhi lately- D.B [Drake-Brockman?] by the way is commanding the Delhi Brigade, it’s an awful shame giving that man anything except the boot!
All those lovely pictures of the navy & the “Vindictive” which were on view in London sometime ago are on view here now, I went to see them and really I thought they were marvellous, & so fearfully interesting. I have met a man here who paints portraits & exhibits them & other pictures at the Academy: his name is W.E. Gladstone Solomon, so look out for his pictures in this year’s Academy- one is called “The Passing” – a picture of a man being shot while digging trenches, an allegorical picture: & another a portrait of “Joan Heffer”: & we have arranged to meet when I come home: I must bring him down to Delaford someday. It seems he has often exhibited at the Academy & won the Gold medal there once, so he must be some good as a painter.
Topher tells me Jim got home: wish I could get some letters: my last were dated Feb 13th
Best love to all
yr loving son
Ted
I went to the zoo here a day or 2 ago: quite a good show with some really lovely lions & tigers who seemed to be quite enjoying life.
If the D-B is Drake-Brockman, who was Ted’s commanding officer in France, then this is the only example in the letters that I can think of where Ted is waspish about anyone; we expect this kind of remark from Paul or Richard, but not from diplomatic, patient Ted. It’s not otherwise surprising; Drake-Brockman was a very different kind of soldier from Ted, and his own account of his time in France in 1914-1917 shows a fussy officer, more concerned about drills, discipline and his own status than the effectiveness or morale of his officers and men.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Vindictive_%281918%29
http://www.artnet.com/artists/william+ewart+gladstone-solomon/past-auction-results
His father
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Solomon
Jeanne (exh. 1903-1940) sold for £2,750
The Bombay Revival of Indian Art (no date)
https://archive.org/details/bombayrevivalofi030817mbp
