London, 20/8/16,
Dear Ones All,
I have just come in after dinner and am going to write you a little line before going to bed.
The search lights are perfectly gorgeous to-night. They are one of the sights of London now-a-days for it is like a great display of fire-works every night- but they are unusually brilliant to-night as it is a clear night and they show for miles across the sky. The ones close at hand look like a great road of light spreading away out in the distance, and the ones father away look like great pointing fingers as they sweep from one place to another. There are dozens of them, if not hundreds, and it surely is a great sight.
Dr. Stuart McGuire came to the office to see me last Monday. It seemed so good to see him and also the other doctor from Roanoke who is over here with him. We have lunched and dined and gone to a show together since then. So far he has done all the entertaining but I feel that there is so little I can do for a man who has seen everything here, and moreover is so much better able to afford to go everywhere he likes, and, do everything he likes, than I am able to supply it for him . However, I am going to try to get him up for a joy-ride before he goes away. That is a thing that very few civilians can get- I mean a real, long ride in a military buss, not the little round-the aerodrome-flights that you get at Hendon for two guineas a time- and I think he is rather keen to go.
I do hope that May was able to go up the Lakes after all. I almost wept when I heard of little Jack taking ill just at the last moment. Good-night Dear Folks. With very best love to every one of you.
Yours as always,
Eric.
I almost forgot the very important news about my third star. It came out in the Gazette on Aug. 15th and is antedated to June 1st. That makes a big difference in my pay. E.