p.

Letter no. 36. Saturday 26 April.

Major J.H. Massey
6 Palestine Coy, The Buffs
Middle East Force

Sweetest darling. The socks
arrived today, and they are lovely - I really like
them very much, especially the tropical khaki
ones, which I am proudly wearing now. And
love in every stitch, you said - that is marvellous,
did you have to unpick much, darling?
And the book too, thankyou, sweet. I will certainly
read it, and do my best to understand it. I tried
Clive Bell's "Civilisation" before, if you remember, and
got a bit annoyed with it. Perhaps, after 18
months in the Army, and away from you, I
might appreciate it more.

I keep on sending off my weekly ration of
these things, in the hope that they arrive
quicker than the other Air Mail. But I hope
you find them more satisfactory to read than
I do to write. It is too much just to send
a message, as you do on the p.c.s, and so it
just becomes a sort of go between, from my
last letter to my next one. I have had 3
letters, via p.c.s, and a parcel from you this week,
which is wonderful. It has made me feel
much nearer to you, which is disappointingly
misleading, when I realise that I am no
nearer at all.

I wonder so much how you are darling
and just when the baby is going to come.
The war in the Balkans and N. Africa is
getting hotter and hotter. And I feel, gladly,

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that this will preclude any attempted
invasion of Britain. If you are going to
go the full time, sweetheart & if these cards
are what they are supposed to be, this
should come to you very near the time.
There is really so little that I can say,
my beloved darling! I know you will be
frightened, & I know you will be brave, as
only a brave & real person like you could be
But I feel certain, & know you do too,
from what Dr Nighy has said, & is
doing for you, because you are very healthy &
normal - that everything will be alright.
The last time was a dreadful mistake, &
you must not think of it. This time you
are being properly cared for, and such things
do not happen with a good doctor. And I
want a girl as passionately as you do
but if it is a boy, my darling, it will
be a lovely one, & we shall both love
him very much, & we shall look
foward to the day when we can try
again for another girl. You know that
I do not mind you being pregnant - you
know that very well, don't you darling?
I have loved you all the more, before,
& I will do again. I shall pray
for the cable to come through to
me quickly - & my reply to you, quickly.
And how I shall long with all