HMS Glorious
Valletta Harbour

February 22, 1939

ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION,
HAL FAR, MALTA

Dear Mother:

Just a short line before sailing tomorrow with the fleet to Gibraltar.

Enjoy your letters very much. I now have three more pictures taken in Egypt while flying from Dekheila near Alexandria to Heliopolis outside Cairo. All taken over the desert. One depicts the three Osprey two-seater fighters beside our nine Nimrod single-seaters. Pictures are taken from a Nimrod by F/O Smith with a Leica camera (£50). One other - 2 Nimrods in open cruising order, and the other, myself approaching three pyramids, the largest of which is the Great Pyramid at Gizeh. The Sphinx also lies below these pyramids. Cairo is just south in the heat haze.

From this you can see the green vegetation on both sides of the Nile and also the clear-cut finish and start of desert just away from the irrigation. All the pyramids were built just outside this fringe to save valuable soil.

I am suffering from a slight attack of Malta Dog, in other words, a cold in the stomach. Everybody gets it - my second attack - horrible feeling while it lasts. It is caused by draft through open scuttle on my tender stomach last night.

Well enough for now and

Lots of Love

Bill