The Royal Aero Club,
15th Oct. 1916.

Dear Ones All,

The world looks a great deal brighter to me to-day than it did a week ago. I am going back to have another shot at flying! I happened to catch the G.O.C. in a generous mood the other day and told him that I wanted to have another chance, and he came right across and said that I could. Moreover he said I might start right in at No. 2 R.S. at Brooklands where my old chum Millman is now one of the instructors and the C.O. is Capt. O’Malley who was with Neil Van Nostrand in France and is a great pal of mine too. So you see I have every cause to feel happy. I expect to leave London in about 10 days.

Of course, they may turn me down again but I know that they will give me every chance possible at Brooklands and that is all I could want. In case they do turn me down a second time, I’ll try to be content with a ground job with the practical certainty of never seeing any of the fun at all, but I’ll never be satisfied until I have convinced myself that I am unfit to fly- and I have never believed that yet. Millman came in to town last night and we had dinner together at “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese" on Fleet Street. He seems to be almost as happy about it as I am.

Please keep on addressing my letters to “Headquarters Training Brigade, R.F.C. Adastral House, Blackfriars. E.C. London" and they will be forwarded to wherever I may be.

Don’t worry about me, Little Mother- I’ll be all right and you can’t wonder if this big hearty son of yours is discontented with things as they are. Office jobs are all right for fellows who are wearing a little gold stripe or two on their left sleeves but not for fit men who have never seen the front.

Lovingly,
Eric.