Sunday 5th October 1941

At No.5 Convalescent Depot, El Arish – somewhere in the Sinai no-man's land between Egypt and Palestine.

Extracts from a letter to England:-

“This is a marvellous place, although in the ubiquitous desert. The Libyan Desert is a sterile plain, many hundreds of miles of which are stony. There are few sand dunes or desert as depicted by Hollywood. This however is lovely. Real Kathlyn Rhodes, Joan Conquest and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. My stone-walled, rush-roofed hut is less than 100 yards from the sea's edge, in a long grove of date palms. Beyond the oasis are real Californian sand dunes! There are sweet smelling eucalyptus trees too... and tonight I know I'll fall asleep with the sound of waves and a high wind for a lullaby. I do hope – and I'll pray too – that you are as safe as I am...”