From: Sandling, Kent
Sun. 29 Sept. 1918

Dearest Mother -

A couple of days ago I received your letter of Sept. 8 which you can understand I was very pleased to get, particularly as it contained those three nice snaps. I understand there will be three more in the next letter I get. I am very thankful that it was not this letter which was lost. I hope there was nothing very important in the two lost ones which I see now must have been yours of about Aug. 27 and Sept. 1. So, you received the letters I wrote on Aug. 10 & 18, which were the first ones I wrote from #6 Wing. I think it must have been in the letter I sent on July 30 that contained a little photo I had taken in London and a group photo of five of us at Hastings. I have never learned whether you received it in one of the letters lost but I wish you would let me know again and what you thought of pictures. I have not got the photos of Casey & I yet, they were not ready when I left Hastings and they have not yet sent them to me.

I like those three pictures you sent very much. You know I haven't had any photos of any sort, of any of you at all, with the exception of Gladys. That one she sent from Poole's Resort was rather poor but I like her fine in the pictures you sent. I am very pleased to be able to say that I find you looking much better & brighter than I feared might have been the case. That one of you and Gladys is so lovely. Had never seen you in white like that but liked it. I suppose, maybe, it is time that Harold was wearing long pants but hadn't somehow thought of him as being anywhere near ready to wear them. It was exactly the same Cecil that I saw in that "Labor Day" picture with the same old mischievous smile as tho he found it exceedingly funny and Arthur, of course, looks natural but I thought he wore too solemn and severe a look for the occasion. I find the greatest change in Harold as he was just at the point where he has changed into a young man. Gladys had passed that stage, Cecil is still the boy he used to be. Arthur wants to brighten up, life shouldn't be such a burden to him as it seems to be. Things are not so bad you know. Gladys is one of the best looking girls I have seen for a long time. Where did she get the Kodak?

The wing may not be moving to Shorncliffe after all, but anyway we are now practically thru with this part of the course. Next Friday, we pass out and go to the next place where we spend about 5 weeks before going somewhere else.

I believe there will be little or no drill & no rifles and bayonets in the next course, the whole time being devoted to lectures and exams. We had a final exam in topography & signalling yesterday - not the brigade exam we would have had, had we not moved but a test set by our own instructor. It was really a farce of a thing as he went over carefully before the exam just what was on it. Even so, I hear that five or six made less than 60% while about half, I guess made 95% or over. The signalling was the only thing that has given me any trouble but I got the test alright. We had 2 hrs. for our topography exam. When there was still half an hour to go, the instructor wanted to know if those who were done would like to try another question to give themselves distinction. Before he gave the question to anyone, he looked over his paper to see if it was all OK. He told some they had made a little mistake or something and had better go over their paper again. Funny way of conducting an exam wasn't it? He looked over my paper and gave me the extra question which I think I got right. We don't know yet how we did but I understand the instructor is very well pleased with the result! He has a reputation for being a good instructor and for passing out more cadets than any other and I suppose he wants to add to it.

The word "swank" is not really a proper English word but is a slang expression in quite common use and was even before the war started, I believe. I shouldn't be surprised though, if it came into good use as it conveys a meaning not exactly given by any other word. By the way, there is a host of so-called slang expressions which have come into common use among the soldiers, many of which will be retained in our vocabulary, I should say to its loss. We are all too apt, as you know, to incorporate into this language of ours, new and uncouth expressions which only go to make it more impure and complicated. Take good care of yourself. Love to all.
Yours sincerely,
Gordon