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6. Hebrew, so I just was not there. I made my usual speech at the end, but it was all rather silly & awkward because instead of the party turning up to take a bow, they just disappeared, did not come back, & so I had to say "thankyou very much & we've all enjoyed it awfully" to nobody. Then they all came up to the Mess afterwards, which is the part that annoys me because Berstein, the secretary man, always seems to have about four hangers on who seem to have to come too & they always seem to be the ones who have the most to drink. However the men enjoyed the concert very much, which is the main thing. I have to give a performance on Friday - lecturing again - this time to the Royal Navy! I was let in for this by my friend Commander (Uncle) Warburton, I think I have told you of him. Two very spick & span destroyers have just come in, & their Captains are very anxious to have their landing parties lectured on "fighting." So Uncle rang me up & asked me would I do it, I went along to see one of the Captains oh his ship at 12-0 today, & had some lovely Plymouth Gins, & found out what they wanted, I was shown all over the ship. I really do feel a big bogus on these occasions, never having been within miles of anything so dangerous as fighting. And these people were in the recapture of Berbera, the mountains of Greece & Crete, & probably many other actions. But provided they can take it, it does them soome good - it is certainly good for me.
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7. There has been quite a change in my office position during the last few weeks, & you say you like hearing about the people I am with & so I will tell you all about it. On August 6th, this Coy will have been established for 6 months - & I shall have been away from you for 10 - & on or about that date they began changing British officers for Jewish, leaving only me, the second i/c & one British sub. By now, the new Jewish ones have arrived & the British ones have not deported & so I am 10 strong. A chap called Flohr arrived last week - he is 31, has a wife & a child, & was a farmer before joining. I don't really know much about him yet, having been too busy to find out - but he seems a quiet, decent sort of bloke, & intelligent & hard working. But i don't think very much guts or personality - but he is shy, & may come out. The other one has been a N.C.O in my Cop & was commissioned today. I took him over as a house Corporal, promoted him Corporal & Sgt, & recommended him for his commission. He is 24, & a South African Jew - his family were Polish, he was born in the Belgian Congo, & he is now naturalised British. His name is Gerald Kalk, & he is a very pleasant, steady & reliable young man. All chaps who have earned commissions from the ranks in the other Coys, have been posted to another Coy on becoming an Officer, but I decided I would prefer to keep someone I had trained myself
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8. rather than take a chance in somebody else's judgement. I think he will do very well. I also have an R. A. officer, attached to me for the purpose of a Court Martial, his Regt having broken up - a most frightful shit - ten years in the ranks in the Regular Army, & commissioned in 1939. And he is charged with borrowing money, under a compulsion, from the native tailor & shoemaker. Very wise? Not content with this, he has, during the last week, borrowed £1 from Solomon, & 50/ from a R.A.F. assistant Adjutant. And then, before I knew of this, having got weekend leave from me, overstays his leave, & stays at the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, about £3 a day. I was very rude to him yesterday morning, & confined him to barracks until his trial comes off. Blasted nuisance - it means all the more work for me, and had to do the sumamry of evidence & generally prepare all the bumf. I protested vigorously at the time, for not attaching him to a R.A unit, but was palmed off with another of these compliments about having so much more confidence in me. I wonder very much when H.Q pile all the extra work onto me, whether these compliments are real, or just to lighten the burden. However, H.Q. told me that the proceedings for this case brought forth a nice thankyou from the Judge Advocate Generals Dept at Force H.Q. who said that it was the best prepared, & therefore the easiest case with which
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9 they had had to deal for a very long time. So now I have two Officer trials coming up - this bloody man & my wretched Thornton: Thank goodness, a mans CO cannot also be on the Court. You said in your last letter darling, that you hoped all ths C.O business would not make me forget how to make faces & make you laugh. There is really no need to worry, my sweetheart. I shall always vow to make you laugh, feel pleased when I do - pull faces too. I do now into my mirror in my room. I think the responsibility has made me a bit more impatient & even intolerant of other people - but then my responsibility at Norths was at least as great as this, though my powers were not so absolute as they are now - what with Executive Directors & Trades Unions. I always feel & I do hope I am right, that I have changed quite a lot - for the better - that i have cut out a certain amount of nonsense, that I am more sensible of what is worth while. And certainly that my love for you & appreciation of you is deeper & even more sincere, & I hope, a great deal more understanding. I always hope that perhaps my letters may show this. But harping back to the C.O stuff again, it certainly seems a far cry from the days of Territorial camps with Vernon & everybody. Drunk every night, without fail, beating up the mess, & tremendous rockets from Mandleberg or Zag the next day. I went to a shop yesterday & bought for you a
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10 bracelet & a ring - both Yemenite work. The bracelet is an enormously heavy thing of some silver & very crude & I really cannot imagine whether you will like it or not: I think you will. It cost 13/ And the ring is the same metal, quite nicely worked, & with a big black onyx - genuine or not I do not know, but you cannot scratch it with a file. this cost 0/ This shop also had some really beautiful silk blouses embroidered by Yemenites they were frightfully pretty, I shall definately buy 2 or 3 to bring back home to you. I will post off the bracelet & ring tomorrow - Sea Mail of course. The war does seem to be going well for us now. I saw in the paper today, that the London Stock Exchange odds agains the war ending before Christmas had dropped from 10-1 to 7-1 against since July 1st. These seem to be very low odds to me, considering all things. If only it could be true darling. I am so longing for you, & it seems so utterly impossible to remain away fromyou very much longer. I really almost feel as though I am only realising for the first time how much I loveyou, that you truly love me - , how beautiful, wonderfully perfect you are. And I cannot wait to get home & begin this new & wonderful life. I'm quite convinced & sure that my hopes are built on solid ground - & will last forever. And I do want to see our little Maxie before he gets too big. All my deepest, dearest most passionate & everlasting love - my darling sweet. H. xxxx
