p.

Letter No 78. Monday Oct 20th

Major J.H. Massey
6, Palestinian Coy, The Buffs
M.E.F.

My own darling Barbara

This has been a big day for me - your pcs of Sept
21st & 26th & Oct 6th all arrived together & also your letters 57 & 58
What a day - I have been reading & re-reading all afternoon &
evening & it is now 10.30. I really think pcs are better than
A.G.s The quickest A.G.s are no quicker than the slowest p.c.s &
no A.G. ever reaches here in 2 weeks, which pcs do from time
to time. You also sent a snap of Maxie lying on his back & you
bending over him & fixing him a kiss - the lively little sod.
He really does look sweet & such a manly little chap. If only I
could see him. I cannot see much of you sweetest, except
that you have got your hair in an enormous great bag!
How frightful though I suppose you have a cast iron
excuse, in not being able to get to a hairdresser on account
of feeding Maxie. And you sent Patricia's letter - & you
told me in a p.c. that she had just been to stay with you
for a few days. This C.O. business is really rather revolting,
isn't it? One by one they are bad enough, but a collection
of them is really too much. I don't really blame Dorothy
at all, she probably only went there in order to be
rude to them & out of curiosity. And I wish Patricia
would not stress the O'Neill side of the family - much as
I love Aunt Sarah - & also not forgetting our financial
possibilities from that part of the family. Possibly her
bosom prevents her from forgetting it. And you say she
now has a boy friend. I can hardly believe it & will
anxiously await further details in your letter.

In spite of my luck today, I feel in no mood for writing,
my darling, I have just come by a new book which I am
going to look at & then go to bed. The good Ben
gave this book to me & it is "The Handbook of
Palestine & Trans Jordan" by Sir Harry Luke &