July 17 1918/ No 21

I forgot to say I had a wonderful time

Dear Mother & Dad.-

Here I am again, just got back from my leave so have something to write about, I won't tell you all in this letter or I won't have anything for next time. Well begin with Tom and I went to London for Thursday and Friday, Saturday morning I went to Chatham and Tom to Taunton. I arrived at Chatham about noon and at Uncles 15 min. later. Gee they were glad to see me they certainly gave me a royal welcome. Uncle, Aunt, and Phoebe were all home. I was surprised with Phoebe, by her picture I thought she would be very homely looking and sedate and rather tall, instead of that she is rather good looking and lively and rather short she sure is a mighty nice girl and sensible. I'm proud of having a cousin like her, we get along fine together and went around together quite a lot. Uncle isn't feeling very well he has attacks of indigestion frequently, he has been working too hard as well, he gave me a great welcome, they all thought I looked very much like him. We went about together when Phoebe was on duty at the hospital. We were great pals had several glasses of ale together, Uncle is a good old sport. Aunty certainly made me feel as if I were at home, I liked her very much and oh the meals she made for me I lived like a prince. She isn't feeling very well, had a bad headache part of the time I also saw Nora who is very good looking, quite a dream in fact, and her husband, he seems a very nice fellow, though I didn't see very much of him as he was working most of the time, the baby is a happy looking kid but is very small which seems to worry Nora a lot it looks healthy though. Uncle and I went to Plumstead on Tuesday and saw Uncle Phil and Aunt [?] family, cousins Aggie, Annie, Phil, Joe, Florence, and a third cousin, Jesse.

Cousin Annie looks a lot like you and has the same voice. Oh, I also saw Annie's boy Phil, who is fourteen, he got off from school to see me, after spending 2 or 3 hours there we took the bus from outside the house to Aunt Annie's place off the old Kent Rd. Aunt Annie looks very much like you and it seems almost like being home to hear her talk met several other relatives there, her son Tom Buckle, who is a great [?] we would have had some time if we had had more time together also saw Harry's wife and three children. So you see I've seen quite a lot of our relatives Uncle and Cousin Tom came down to the train at Waterloo Stn to see me off. I introduced Tom to them there. Next letter I will tell you more minutely what I did and saw during the six days, it's too much to cram into one letter and besides I have a few other things to write about. Before we went we got paid our back money or most of it, mine accounted to [?]9 and I had about [?]2-10s of my [?] so I had more money than I know what to do with. I only spent about [?] 3 the whole week and that was nearly all in London, they wouldn't let me pay for anything in Chatham. I must buy them a little reminder of me and send to them. When I got back here I found 5 letters waiting for me, 2 from you, 1 from Bruce, 1 from Meg Sibbald and 1 from [?] Randell, I also got the parcel of magazines and tonight I received the 2nd parcel of eats that you sent, also got the M.O. for [?]1. Thanks very much fir everything they are all appreciated muchly. I feel like a millionaire with all this money, but I'll keep it till I get more leave, I don't intend to waste it. Will answer your letters in detail later.

Jack Jameson fell on the side walk in London and broke his leg or ankle. We haven't heard for certain yet. Will close now

Your loving son Walter