Thursday
10/9/16
Dear Everybody,
Just finished lunch & reading the paper afterwards noticed that N.Z. mail goes out tomorrow, so having a half hour before parade I am getting this note off. Had another week-end in London last week, & found the Hoopers with the exception of Mr. Hooper, very well indeed. Mr. Hooper has had rather a bad turn of flue & it has taken a good deal out of him, & I think the awful strain of these last 18 months is just making itself visible in him. However when I left he seeded very much better.
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Had expected to meet Kate there, but unfortunately it did not come off, she had to go off on another jaunt to Havre. They are kept pretty busy these days. It would have been splendid if we could have met up there. Had a tip top time myself, just lay about Saturday night and Sunday. On Monday, Gwen & self went to Kew Gardens on to Hampton Court came back to Richmond by boat. The boat was late & we did not get to Richmond until 7 P.M. We had arranged before leaving in the morning to be back at Hoopers for dinner at 6.30 P.M., & then go back up to town to a
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Theatre. Needless to say the getting home for dinner did not come off, we rung up from Richmond instead, & arranged to meet Kathleen and a young fellow Trydall that is staying there jsut at the theatre at 8. o’clock. We just had time to dash into Regents Palace Hotel, have a wash & a brush up & got to theatre door at 5 minutes past 8. The thing did not start till 8.30 however so we were all right, & Kathleen & Tony Trydall were there. Up to this we had had nothing to eat since 10 o’clock so that was the next proposition. A taxi to a restaurant filled the bill, & we had a hasty meal,
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& arrived back at theatre only 11 minutes late. Altogether it had been a glorious day, & no mistake a very enjoyable ending. The piece was the “Bingo Boys.” The weather was perfect & old Kew Gardens were about their best; as for Hampton Court, well I am going there again some day. The run down the river in the evening too, was very nice indeed. On Tuesday I did some little things I had to do in London & came on to Tidworth in the evening. Tony Trydall who I have mentioned is a young fellow of 22 yrs who was out in France early, Oct. 1914. & was very badly wounded in the leg.
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For months it was a question of having to have his leg taken off. However it is getting on all right now & it is only a matter of a few more months & he will be fit for service again. He was a school pal of Collin Hooper’s & is such a fine young fellow. He too has taken Collins death pretty much to heart. Just before leaving for London on Saturday I finished our series of courses of instruction & up to present have not been put on any more. We have done in all 3 courses now & have got on pretty well. Reminds one of his school days when he had to go through the exams.
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With the exception of Topography the other two courses were in conjunction with one another. That is to say that one was a machine gun course & the other a course on a new instrument just patented for range finding. The latter was much the smaller instrument, but was a much harder course. I may be going on a course of bombing next, but in meantime am having this week to myself. When on these courses you are kept going all day & then have to write up and swat notes in the evenings, so that coupled with the work entailed in looking after the interests of the men we have over hear keeps one very busy indeed.
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I am expecting to spend Saturday afternoon & Sunday with Kate & Sister Patrick on Sunday. They are to come if possible, to a little village just near here, called Amesbury, & I am going to meet them there. This is of course if they are to be in Southampton over the week end. It is quite on the cards that they will, because they expect to have to put in for coaling about then. Last letter from Rothie arrived a few days ago & is dated 18th June, pretty good time isn’t it. You had just received my cable from Sling, & you
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guessed right. I did want you to address my letters direct, & hence their quick appearance. Fancy young Thompson having enlisted, what on earth are you going to do for men when ge gets away. Well now time is up & I must be off. News from all fronts very good indeed particularly Italy & Russia. In this mornings paper the Italians have take Gorianza & the Russians are still pushing on. Also a few days ago we had the news of the Turkish attempt on the canal, & the part the N.Z. Mtd Bde played there in. Love to all. Au Rêvoir
E.S. McI.
