RH Gray, Lt.
Box 517
℅ F.M.O. Kilindini
Aug. 14

Dear Mother and Dad,

I have been having my regular Saturday afternoon nap this afternoon since it has been too cold and damp to go swimming. I got up about 4:30 and went in to have my tea (as I have explained before that meal is becoming something of a necessity with me) I was delighted to find a letter from you dated July 1^st and was glad indeed to get it. Don’t you ever think Mother that your letters are uninteresting. They are the most welcome things I ever get. I was so glad to hear that Phyllis is some better and I do hope that the expense has not interfered with their holiday. I am just thinking now that you may be all sitting together enjoying some beautiful August weather. My love comes to all of you. You put a note on the back about some snaps, Dad. I sent a couple a few days ago. They seem to have been scarce for the last while but I shall do my best to send some more soon. About money, I am trying to arrange for a doubling of my allotment to come sometime in September. In the meantime do not worry as I am getting quite a sizable bank account in the Post Office Savings Bank that is provided for us. It is now up to nearly 200 pounds and mounts higher each month so I am really doing better now than I often have in the past. – I hope it is not my friend Gaunt that you mention but it does sound like it. My friends initials were J.E. so if you could check up on that I would be grateful. I still have had no underwear except the two pairs in the Christmas parcel but I expect it may arrive sometime. I think ships take a long time to get to this part of the world. – That reminds me that I have been here now just about one year as we arrived last August. It is a long time and as I said to some of the chaps the other day that if I should ever take a world cruise after the war I would make very sure that the ship was not going to call in Kenya. – You asked me what it is like, Mother. As far as gardens go I would give all the gardens in this country for our own at home. It is really quite nice for a while but you soon get very tired of the countless numbers of palm trees and banana trees. It is different but I have long since got used to that and when I leave I shall be delighted. – We have been working quite hard this last week with night flying again and all the other things that I used to do at Kingston only now it is a bit more concentrated and specialized and we are all a good deal more proficient than we were in those days so I think we enjoy it more. Anyway we are all happy and enjoying ourselves. Speaking of income tax. I don’t have to pay any. It is not quite fair really because all the other chaps who make less money than I do anyway have to pay quite a bit of their salary back. Canada really treats her service people very well indeed. Canadians serving at home I believe have to pay 25% tax but once you get overseas that stops. So I am really making more than I deserve but as I tell the others it would be silly of I started to kick about that. – I have been in Mombasa for over a month and have not been into town in the evening yet so you can see I am leading a very quiet life altogether. Still I don’t mind and am keeping fit and happy.

All my love to you both once again,
Hampton

[Editor’s note: The envelope’s postmark has been used for dating the letter's year.]