Royal Flying Corps, Norwich
January 31, 1916.

Dear Ones All,

Such excitement you have no idea! We are in the midst of a Zeppelin raid and as I write I can hear the anti-aircraft guns way off in the distance booming away. Surely they can’t be "Archies" for I always thought that they were just small bore guns, while these- although miles away- shake the house a little every time they fire. Cap t. Cox is our Zeppelin pilot this week- they change around, you know- and in case the big invader comes within striking distance it will be up to him to go up and give the Hun a little run. I don’t envy him much for it is dark as pitch, raining and clouds about 300 feet up. Cox has Just come in. He says they are just ordinary “Archies” but they are firing from a town closer than I thought.

Outside the search-lights are shotting about in the sky. The landing flares are lit out on the aerodrome, but that isn’t because we are expecting to send a machine up so much as because we have been notified that there is a pilot up now who has evidently lost his way. Poor chap, he has a mighty slim chance of getting down safely in this night. It isn’t likely that we’ll see any more excitement than there is at present, to-night, as the Zepp will probably go farther inland and miss us altogether unless they happen to come back via Norwich.

I went to London on Friday night and went on from there to Gillingham next morning. The "Recess Screws Ltd" have a fine factory there, built after the English plan on very substantial permanent lines. P.L. has rooms right there at the factory and "sleeps on the job" like Kitchener at the War Office. Everything down there looks very prosperous the orders are coming in splendidly and they are making money. We went motoring on Saturday afternoon through Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Maidstone, fine old English towns nearly all of them so close together that one passes from one into another before knowing it. We explored them all and saw all over the Cathedral and the Castle at Rochester. That town dates back to Roman days and it was all most interesting. The Castle was built by Henry I 800 years ago and naturally has many historical associations.

Tuesday, Feb. 1
The papers tell about the Zepp raid this morning. There were six of them, it says. By the way, the pilot got down safely after being lost for five hours in the darkness. He landed about six miles from here.

Father’s good letter of Jan. 18 is just to hand. I am glad to hear such good news of all the family but I do hope Mother may change her mind and take that trip to Richmond and Charleston.

With best love to you all,
As always,
Eric.