David to May                     Holzminden        Letter No 33                       November 1st 1918

My Dearest,

It will be nearly Christmas again by the time you get this, so will you be a dear little girl and buy yourself a present for me. Some fellows here would have one believe there is a possibility of our getting home for Christmas, in which case of course I shall be able to buy you something myself. Will you also please ask Mum what she would like and buy it for her. Please get the money from her of course. I am glad Maud wrote to you about her mother’s grave. Its about time she began to show you a little gratitude and be rather less self-satisfied. Its awfully good of you to go with Mum to see about my things. Perhaps I may be back again soon and be able to thank you really properly.

Below I am writing an order to Cox to pay Mum £40. This of course in addition to the monthly payments. Will you please let her have it. Will you please ask Mum on no account to stop sending me parcels, even if these peace arrangements that are in the air do come about, until she hears definitely from me to do so, as we may be here a considerable time after things are settled and if parcels stopped I would be stranded.

I have only had two of your letters while you were away, but your holiday doesn’t seem to have been as good as I hoped it was going to be. Things did seem to work against you. I guess you won’t be lonesome next time and we’ll have the best holiday we ever had. From your letter you seem to persevere very successfully with Ern’s Fine Old Jamaica and talking about bulls sitting on you, I suppose you haven’t seen any snakes have you? I haven’t room to put your bungalow on this card but will try to next time. I am still going out for walks and the woods round the camp for the last week or so have been splendid again, one mass of greens, browns and yellows. I wished numbers of times that you could see them, or that I could transport them to make bits of our garden that is to be.

Goodbye.

David