England
June 16th.

Dear Miss Shand –

Was so glad to get your long letter telling about your lovely trip. It sounds as if you had enjoyed every minute of it and I am sure you did. What a lot of changes there have been at Queen St in the matter of furnishing. Looks as if you were going to stay awhile.

We have real summer now. - really hot to-day.  But it has a long way to go yet to come up to Salonika. We keep hoping and hoping that the rest of our unit may soon leave to come to England but it seems a vain hope. They have been packed ready to leave on two occassions only to unpack and again go to work. I think the trouble is the unwelcome presence of too many submarines in the Medetterranean (That is not spelt right I know).

I had my official two weeks leave in May and went to Scotland. We enjoyed it very much. It is quite different from England, is it not?  As it was rather cold yet we decided to stay in Edinburgh and visit surrounding country from there. It is a lovely city, so airy and clean. Our hotel was on Princes St with in walking distance of both Holyroad Palace and The Castle of Edinburgh. 

Do you remember Albert [Hagerman?] who used to come up to see Dr Cumberland. He is a medical officer here now and just at the present time has diptheria, but I believe is getting on nicely.

We had a pretty exciting time about two weeks ago. Our friends the Germans paid us another visit. I don’t know how we escaped at all as they were directly above us and bombs dropped on every side of us. I admitted ten victims into my ward immediately, three of whom died with in an hour. One hundred and twenty were received altogether in to the hospital. We had old men, women, children and even babies. A baby boy of three died during the first night. His mother is also a patient but is going to recover. 

Well I have finally made up my mind to cross the briny deep and have placed my name on the waiting list for transport duty. It only means that I may have about two days in Canada and have to go back on the same boat but I am starting my third year and am so homesick I feel I must see home if only for a few hours. I wish I knew some one on the other side who could get a week or two for me, but guess I will have to be content with a couple of days. Of course I have not the ghost of an idea how soon the summons will come for me to go but is sure to come some time. I thought about it a long time before I decided as I hate the ocean and am not afraid to confess I am not fond of submarines, but I have to get home then I will feel differently about coming back. 

I have said nothing to my own people yet as they would worry constantly about my crossing.

My nephew Harold Dovay is here now and is near enough to come to see me after. Have just been off duty for four days with another malaria chill. Don’t believe they are ever going to leave me. Each one leaves me feeling like a rag.

Have not heard from Mrs. Baillie so very lately but she was well when last I heard.

Must close now hoping to see you for a few minutes before long.
L.A.D.