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Letter No 57 Friday July 4th

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

My sweet darling -

I wrote the headings to this letter at 9.0 o'Clock &
it is now 11-0. It is these ruddy air raids, & the interval
has been spent behind the blast-proof walls of my command
post. This is the penalty of a full moon. Last night
there was one, just after I was nicely asleep in bed. And
the night before, just before I went to bed, but that
time we were treated to the fine sight of a plane
receiving a direct hit, & coming down as a sheet of
flame. It was one of these Vichy French ones - they are
a dirty lot of devils, really.

I am going off tomorrow midday until Sunday evening, to
spend a short weekend with Arkin & his family at Naltanya,
about an hours run from here. I am told it is a very
pleasant place. I don't believe I have told you about
Arkin. He is a Jewish Officer, who was commissioned in
March & sent to me for training until his own Company
was formed. Now I have a Jewish Sgt whom I have
recommended for a commission to fill a vacancy in my
Coy. During the time that the Sgt has been waiting
for his commission & Arkin has been waiting for his Coy
I have come to like Arkin very much, both as a man &
as an officer - & the Sgt has been annoying me
rather badly; he is too much of a German - a Yeki.
And so I have managed to arrange with Col Leicester
that I keep Arkin, & to send the Sgt instead to the
other Coy. And there is no doubt at all that this