#16 Can Genl Hosp

Ward 36

Orpington

31/10/18 Kent. Eng.

My own darling Wife

I have been waiting day after day & week after week for a letter from you & I was beginning to think that something dreadful must have happened to you or the children when I happily received two letters to day you have no idea how glad I was to hear from you as it is over two months since I heard from you before. You will be glad to hear dear, that I am getting on fine, my wound is nearly healed up, except for one spot about the size of a ten cent piece that looks as if it would take longer than the rest of it to get better, I am afraid that this wound is going to give me a crooked shoulder, as all the neck & left shoulder muscles are torn pretty bad & I think my spine is affected as my back is very weak & quite painful if I do much walking or sitting in one position for very long, however, I am to be boarded for Canada & I appear before the board next week, after that it will only be a question of waiting for the boat, I might get away quickly or I may have to wait for two or three months, the doctor says I will be home by Xmas, but I am afraid that would be too quick however, one can never tell what might happen & I am sure living in hopes that I will see you all again before the year is out, how glad I will be, dear, to get home to you again, wont it be fine, all our troubles will be over then & we will make a fresh start in a new home & try to forget all the horrors that are past, it will be like getting married over again, I am only sorry that I shall never be as strong again as I was but that wont prevent me from working for you & loving you even more than ever before, if that were possible. I am so glad that I have a chance at last to get back home that I hardly know how to contain myself, what do you think about it, dear, are’nt you glad, don’t you think it will be fine to sit down together again at our meals, the old bald spot you used to tickle is bigger now & there are a few grey hairs as well, but I know you wont mind that, & I think you will like to have someone to snuggle into at night to get yourself warmed, the winter will be one & we will lie all the closer for that wont we pet, you bet we will. I was up to London the other day with a party of 50 from this Hospital, we were taken to a theatre, the play was called “A Female Hun” it was a spy story & was very dramatic & sensational, there were only wounded soldiers & sailors there, the place was packed, during the performance they gave us lemonade & cakes & cigarettes, after the show, our party went to the Beaver Hut on the Strand where we had a good tea, this Hut is quite a large building & was recently opened by the Y.M.C.A., after tea we all got separated & wandered about for a couple of hours looking around us before coming back to Hospital, what struck me most was a fruit shop I passed, there were apples in the window, just medium sized marked 4/6 each & smaller ones at 2/6 grapes 8/= a lb, oranges 6d & 1/=, shelled walnuts 6/= a lb, just imagine, & eggs 8/= a doz, I tried quite a few tobacconists for matches & could’nt get any, in fact, most places I went into thought I was joking; I was glad to get back to the Hospital again as I was very tired & I had to stay in bed all the next day as my back was very tired, there are quite a few nice trips that can be had from here & I am going to try to get on the next trip to Windsor Castle, I believe wounded soldiers are very well treated when they go there & besides I would like to see the place.

I am so sorry dear that George has been so sick & has had to go to Hospital, I sincerely hope that he will be all right now that he is out again, I will be glad when I get home so as to be able to help you with the children, you must have found them a very heavy burden this last four years, just imagine dear, four years since I left home, it seems a lifetime to me & I guess it does to you too. I am glad that you have had such success with your garden & poultry but it is too bad that you had to dig the spuds before their time, it is too bad that you should have been bothered so about your money, I cant understand how it is that there should have been so many mistakes made about yours, but it seems to have been a muddle all around & I will be glad when it is all over & I will be able to earn my own wages & pay them over to you myself in the proper way, I am sorry you have’nt heard from your brother, I hope he is all right & I am glad your sister is thinking of going to Canada, it will be good for her, I hope she will write to me as I will be very glad to hear from her. I suppose you have heard about the epidemic of Flu that is raging over here, it has reached an awful crisis & there are hundreds of people dying every day, the hospitals are full & they don’t seem to be able to check it, I hope you don’t get it in Canada, it is a fearful thing. I have not got the Popular yet but no doubt they will get here in good time. Well dear love I will close now, & I will write you again next week & let you know how I make out with the board. Give my darlings a kiss from daddy & tell them I’ll soon be home now & with all my love & kisses for you my own darling, I remain as ever & always

Your loving Husband. Jack

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