TRANSCRIPTION:
5 Leinster Square
April 16th
Dear mother & father
I have had crowds of letters from you lately since Harry arrived they should have been here before, several for Reg for his 21st birthday the parcels haven’t turned up yet, I always have to pay ¼ on them to send them to France I asked at the post office & they said I must. Harry & I sent Reg something. I had a letter from Reg about a week ago, - you wanted to know more about him well he cant say much, but he is in the firing line & when he come back for a rest he is near Jim Q – it is very lucky that Reg is in the Artillery & not the Infantry. The Artillery do have some sort of cover their gun is covered in & as each shot is fired the door is closed to hide the smoke from Fritz.
I had a letter from Jim today & he said he was expecting to see Reg in a day or so. Well I must get back to Harry I can tell you I did get a shock I was going downstairs & I met him. When he arrived in London late, they were all taken to the Imperial Hotel. Next morning (which happened to be my 23rd birthday) Harry came along & found out all about you people H - thought I hadn’t altered at all says I looked no older which was decent of him I thought he looked just the same. – you may be sure mother I’ll do all I can for him. He had a fair amount of business to do & only 3 ½ days leave, but we had a good time Harry got £12 his pay during voyage over the rest is to come after, they seem to think flying men are rich, H – & I went round to several banks looking for £40 which he thought father had sent, I said look here! Didn’t you send a p.c. saying you would have plenty & so father hasn’t sent it so that solved the mystery - terrible thing this morning H & I were walking past the National Gallery when we met Charlotte Russell who had just arrived from Germany & wasn’t she glad to get away, she looked half starved & so she was says all Germany is starving & has been for a long while snow & frost has spoilt everything – she says we don’t know war is on here. In the cities of Germany they are far worse off than the villages, they have a little bread, soups made out of some powder mystery & a tiny bit of meat once a week macaroni also once a week. The frost spoilt al the potatoes so it is true enough that they are starving, it looks as if they cant hold out much longer. Miss R - is coming here one day to give me all the news while we were both talking to her Donald Hardy (Johns brother came along he was just off to Egypt again he told us about John being in a hospital for an operation, so Harry & I went along to see John he was up, he is going out to Egypt in August I think, did you know he was engaged to be married a gay young bird isn’t he? He looks just the same & asked after you all.
I received £50 from father April 5th will divide Reg on it I sent him £13 out of the last lot & am sending £10 out of this is that right or do you mean giving him £25 I wish I knew, but as he expects me to send him things, he did ask me to send him something to eat every [illeg] but I haven’t been able to lately still he hasn’t done so bad. I didn’t get the money father sent for parcels how was it sent by letter or do you mean this cabled money will divide Reg on it. I wish I knew, anyhow I’ll send £10 & some food along. If you send food, cigarettes & sweets from N.Z. it must be air tight or it goes bad, cigarettes only keep if they are in tins, chocolate always goes mouldy & cake so socks & things like that are best from N.Z. Hal got a parcel from Dolly of shortbread etc & most of it was mouldy I thought I might as well tell you which was best to send. Reg is very fond of knitted socks. Cakes & potted meats are the favourites, of course it is no use you sending meat well I hope it was right sending the £10. & thanks very much for the money. I’ll give Aunt Marrienne the 3-6 right away. Well back to Harry, he is now at Reading & working very hard, it is terrific the amount of work, he has to do, they have got to know everything, he came up for the day last Sunday & brought his notebooks & put in the day studying in my room, they don’t seem to have a choice for a bit of quite. [sic] He gave me the notebook & I asked him questions & he seemed to have got hold of it alright he got through one exam, very well & I do hope he gets through these I saw him off at Paddington quite close here, he left a p.c. here for you, so I am posting it on to you. Henry has to travel first class, the N.Z. Government gave them some passes so that is good. H- had a nice letter from Uncle Fred. Well I could go on for a long time but I must stop, it is jolly cold. While Harry was up I did a hurried sketch of him on wood if it works out right you will it, just now, it is very like him. Tell mother I will do everything I possibly [illeg] for your bags with love to all from your loving daughter Edith

Give my love to Grandma you might give her this to read & please tell Mrs Mat Russell I will be very pleased to send the cakes to Alan I am waiting for Jack to send Alans latest address.