"Aunt Dis living with us so thay E—is not alone. when T am on duly, We alt sleep downstairs and have got used to it. Sometimes we can hear the bon ibs dropping and occasionally just too near. The doora rattle and the place vibrates but more often we Just get the drone of the planes erossing over to bomb London. It ly sometimes like incessant traflle on a busy road, One would be foolish to say that damage has been done but honestly, it is sometimes very much exaggerated. Just one instance—we et goods from a lot of firms in the City and are always sending orders for something to Newgate St, ete and we have had goods and answers ttle. Those of us who could stand the cold, which was bad. especially as the heat inside was terrific, tried fo stay out as much as possible all day, but the daylight was short, and ft was a "Black Hole of Calcutta" Inside, "Our officers and seamen were splendid, and did shifts, for we were in a very precarious position for forty-eight hours. There were not enough life beals which could be Iatinehed for us all. and three of ours en the deck would have to be floated off as the boat sank, no pleasant "There were some very very nice copie on board, and some the verse. It is true' that those who are selfish are still. even when shiperecked; but on the whole every one Was good. The officers and men of the little. ship were magnificent to us, and when or where they slept we seldom found out. I wes in the cabin of a boy of just 21, and turned out hhis drawers for clothes for thos without. cigarettes and chocolate lay in the drawer, and we were urged 10 fake ly all. Several of them, ineludjing this one. had been in the waler trying to get the people from the boat which overturned.
"It was great seeing firs, the islands north of Scotland and then the light house on the tip of Ireland. We were long time getting into the harbour, and were then mobbed by reporters, "We were driven to Glasgow, and Jatter buying some clothes f had" a bath and supper in the hotel. and just as T had almost given up hope of getting a sleeper one was turned in, and T'was in bed by 9 and didn't Jget up for twelve hours as the train was Into. T rushed across London. jand just had three minutes to spare for the train down here." in every case. The folks up there carry on through it all. We get de~ lays In deliveries of course but remember we get them and that is a fact and not a second hand. story. Then th our local district hundreds of bombs (not one or two) just drop in fields. There are the holes to soe '=ailles from any objective—and we are not China. There good the siren and T must be off, "Three days later, "Have just got back to this letter. Nothing much' happened on Sunday night and since has been quiet. We have hada few casualties here the result of dropping bombs in any old place.
"Business is always news as that all 1 do beyond ARP. work. We have had a fairly good year in spite of all troubles. There are a few irksome details and odd difficulties 10 put up-with but that ts to be expect ed. The public are not so depressed, however. that they do not buy any Household things at all and we still all curtains and covers, carpets and, odds and ends, but little fumilure we never have: sold much ire at U-——-we do not notice the difference.
"Sorry Goebbels"
T have done a tremendous amount of work in. a castle near here that has been rebuilt and we completed this year, It was of course started Before the war but (sorry Goebbels) the peerie hod the usual British at= titude that we should win in due course and just carried on. 1 have} sold them about £2,000 worth of car= pets and curtains. It has made a lot of work as Thave had to run the whole business alone since R——- went at the beginning of the war, R—is ft and well, I expect you know he got out of Dunkirk safely and after moves all over, is now fairly near us and gets home for odd days leave. He will
to him they are going to have a good be home for Xmas but according day from start to finish as the whole programme has been planned, G——is somewhere in Africa with the King's Royal. African Rifles. We do not think he is in the present grand effort in Libya, but he may be. We Feally do not know. What a great show they have all put up there and how old "Musso" must be scratching his head. 'The Greeks showed him just how to "get off the bus'. and good for them. They certainly know how to scrap. G——originaly. went to Somaliland and perhaps before long the Tialians wilt be leaving there themselves and quicker than they
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.