April 17, 1941

I am guard again tonight and thought it a splendid opportunity to dash off a few lines. I bought five packets of sweet pea seeds this morning and mailed them so perhaps you will get them in time for planting, if Adolph doesn’t plant the boat in the meantime. The weather here is simply grand and I don’t mean perhaps. I was up at seven this morning to find it bright and sunny. Many of the shrubs are leafing out and the buds are swelling to the bursting point on many of the trees.

Everywhere you go these evenings you see people digging up their gardens and, in many cases, land which lay idle last year. They all seem determined to do their bit to raise more food, thus taking a little of the strain off the navy.

I was on fatigue party yesterday which had a jo to do just outside the Chessington Zoo. During noon hour, we strolled through the zoo and saw all the sights. I was particularly amused with the kangaroos, one of which was riding in his mother’s pouch. As we watched, he climbed out and did a hop, skip and jump around the pen. We clapped our hands and scared the little devil and you would have laughed to see just how quickly he got back into the pouch, which he entered head first.

While I was on this job, the rest of the boys had a three-and-a-half-mile cross country run, which Art McLaughlin won by an easy margin. I really have to hand it to him, as he had no previous conditioning and kept on going when the majority had given up.

I think I told you I was going on leave on the twenty-fourth of this month, which is next Thursday. I have a good-fitting uniform and sent it to the cleaners today, so should look very smart, says I. I haven’t decided definitely where I will go, but intend to spend at least one day looking over the ruins of London. Well, I must close now for lack of inspiration but will write again soon.