November 7 1918

Dear Mother.

This is a brand new idea for me to write in pencil but after seven years of work, and the past three have been very rough on it; my old Fountain pen is broken. It happened by sheer carelessness and there is no one to blame but myself. I cannot get it fixed till I am in London again so I will have to give it a rest for a time. I don’t suppose I can do without one so perhaps I will get a new one on Saturday and sell it again after I get the other in working order.

I wrote Dad last Sunday night and gave him a list of some mail I rec’d after I wrote you last Friday. Since I wrote Dad things have been quiet but I received the sweater and one letter dated Oct 6. You enclosed a newspaper clipping about the Flu which I was not surprised to hear about visiting New West as it has been all over the world practically It has been bad in England in different parts since June 1918 over five months now. Around the London area the death rate has been increasing the last few weeks. I read in a paper about a week ago where Canada was getting her share in some parts.

There is a boy just came here to the door to say Germany had thrown up the sponge but I don’t beleive it. Give here a little while longer anyway. She is left alone to fight it out now so we should be able to handle her in another few months. I really don’t believe it will last long now though and I may be able to go to Crescent next summer instead of being on the Isle of Wight or at Bournemouth or any other English summer resort. The summer resorts here are very nice but give me the Pacific Coast. I don’t think there will be much excitement here when peace is declared because there was no noise at all when these other countries, Bulgaria Turkey and Austria dropped out. Everyone seems to expect it and receive it as they do any other news, very quietly. Of course in the theatres they make quite a noise but outside it is nothing

Well Mother dear I have no news this trip as I exhausted myself last week end. Five letters home and Geo Bryson and three or four other boys in Eng overworked my brain and I haven’t been able to think properly since. So please don’t encourage me to write too much. We have had lovely weather here this week, cold frosty mornings and bright warm days. It is a pleasure to get around these mornings but not too early. Well Bye Bye Mother dear with lots of love to all relatives and friends

Your loving son
Harold.