CALDERGROVE.   TUESDAY  23/6/42.

My Dearest.
Actually out in the evening again! Course C is amazing. We are dumbfounded at this freedom. Last night free this evening free, and tomorrow afternoon off – to buy uniforms and evening off, but a lecture cunningly placed at 6 o’clock! I shall spend the afternoon in the Livingstone Memorial getting dope for a Uruguayan script and the evening here, maybe, in the library, writing it or a C.T. script. There’s a Unit Dance at Auchinraith, but women are such dull creatures now I have known you that I have no scruples nor regrets in coming here instead, I’ve wickedly put down a phone call to you, which will be along soon.  Couldn’t resist the telephone.

We spent this morning studying Water Supply, another Sapper activity. We had lectures first and then practical, pumps, filters, piping and what not. Oh, a good remark, quite serious. Fetched a roar from Class 10 which is crude of mind. “In the Field troops will drink no water that has not been passed by the M.O.”.

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Samuel Brown was worked on a little yesterday evening, to see if he could ever be revived and he showed signs of recovery. I then got Taffy the dwarf Welsh cook-assistant, who specialises in it, to take it over and he is working on it. When he’s had a good few hours at it I can judge whether it will come round. If it does I’ll get the Adjutant to approve the design – it may not be allowed having an extra loop to the Sapper’s Samuel Browne – and if he does then I’ll find a saddler to put in a missing brass stud, and them Taffy can have it for the next three weeks and bring it up to the standard I require. It fits excellently. The alteration to fit over a great coat won’t matter. It will probably be better than all the new ones, Taffy thinks so.

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Driving all the afternoon with half an hours delirious motor cycle riding. I   sat in a hedge most of the time, letting learners have the driving, reading G.B.S.’s Man of Destiny. Great fun.

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I may want dope soon from my files, on Stephenson and Nelson and Co.     Or I can get it from the library here, I want to get these six down directly I get the O.K. to my list. They wanted me to produce a revue here in three weeks time but I hedged and I think I’ve  got out of it with the promise of a couple of numbers, I’ve found them their title. — Bing Ho,     and one good chorus. A row of men in shower baths singing like blazes. But do the, whole show I cannot. I pleaded overwork, they thinking it was OCTU work, me meaning guinea collecting. I must collect hard. I think the market’s good. A bloke named David Sadler accosted me to-day, he’s in our class, his brother is a top-notcher one man revue merchant in the West End. The brother wants to meet me with a view to writing him some numbers. I might manage it. I’ll follow it up, anyhow. He’s a seventy five quid a week wallah, so I might get onto something useful, One tries.

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No letter today but two yesterday so that’s all right. I have nibbled the cake which is quite delicious. And when I put a stud in this evening I was swept by your perfume and felt all nostalgic. Heigh ho.

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My idea on the Saturday is to have you at D’s and I’ll come up by bus directly the train gets in between six and seven I think and maybe D can find us some breakfast or coffee, and then, we can pootle about all the morning. And to Kettering and then back to Great Alne. But with you that’s the great thing.

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We get eighteen pound fifteen when we leave here as advance of pay, and one week’s pay and ration allowance. You get two guineas a week because I’m over thirty.

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How are the gooseberries, the plums, the lettuces and all? How is Candy and your mother and you and Klaus? Poor you on Saturday, such migraine, but the mare and the foal cured you. Good.

Now bye bye, you’ll be talking to me soon if you are in.

Ever your. . .