17.2.18

Dear Mother & All,-

Well here goes for the last letter you will receive from me from England I am leaving for Egypt early tomorrow morning. We are handing all our equipment in this morning and getting our equipment for the East.

Up to the present I have not received your Christmas parcel so I suppose it will follow me out and I shall have the pleasure of eating your Christmas parcel in or around Cairo.

I do not go to church today because there is so much to do. All the Other Boys are sitting around the fire reading or polishing up. They are a nice bunch and I am indeed sorry that I have to leave them. The Boys you see here are supposed to be the best atleast they all have to have an education up to standard. Manners count a lot too and if they see you not doing or acting properly they soon tell you about it. They do not stand for much nonsense but just send you back to your unit.

How is Father getting along I hope he is well and enjoying life to the fullest. I had a letter from Mother yesterday dated 26.12.17 in it she was telling me about wading for her first time.

What is Leila going to do is she going to stay at home or start teaching again. She will feel rather lost around Midland.

I am glad you were all pleased with my Christmas cards. I thought they were very nice myself. Chas. Healey got some too but of a different type.

Well I hope you will excuse this writing for I am trying to writer this on my knee and from what I can see of it am not making a good job of it.

You can address my letters the same as on front of this paper until further orders. My mail will all be forwarded on. From now on I will have considerable trouble in getting my mail. As soon as I get my Commission I shall have all my letters sent to my Bankers and they shall forwarded it on.

Well I can hear the whistle going to fall in so I will have to close.

In closing my last letter from England. I wish you all the best of luck health & happiness the world can give.

With Love

Alfred