No. 70

Lieut. GS Andrews, RCE

Survey Directorate,

H.Q. Canadian Corps,

Cdn Army O/S.

England, 6 July, 1941.

Dear Jean:

It just occurred to me that in 10 days, Mary will be 2 years old. She is certainly getting to be a big girl. I have overlooked getting a birthday present for her. I guess I will have a lot to catch up on when I come home, in the way of presents for her, and for her mother. I get very little time for shopping, especially the kind which takes time, like trying to pick out something for the ladies of his family. I get to London every so often, but invariably it is a rush, to get the business done, and get back to the job here. Another thing is that things all seem to be so expensive here, and to risk having it go to the bottom of the ocean seems silly. I send you what money I can spare, and that seems to be the most sensible, because although it may be delayed, it cant be really lost.

In this connection, I just remembered that the £30 pounds which I sent in April, was addressed to you care of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Victoria. The official cheque No. was 6511, it was sent by "Dominion of Canada Dept of National Defence, OVERSEAS TREASURY OFFICE", Lancaster, England, and as sent by that office on the 21 April, 40, "on C.T. 5021a" These details are quoted from the official notice form which I received, which I found since last writing. If you have not done so already, phone the Bank of Nova Scotia, and if there is no trace of it, you better cable me, and I will start tracing it from this end. I know the officers in the Field Cash Office, who handle these things, and they are very obliging, and efficient, so the matter ought to be straightened out alright. I'm sorry that it has been delayed, no doubt you had counted on having the money long ago. I have given the authorities official notice of the change of your address to 20 Marlborough st, so that all your cheques etc of official nature will be coming direct to you soon. The details of the second remittance of £30 are as follows: Addressed to you at 936 Heywood Ave, and sent by the same office, on 21 June, cheque No. 9254, Forwarded on CD 5021a.
So much for money matters. I kind of get off on a tangent, Anyway tell Mary that her Poppy is really prowd of her, and he thinks the letters she writes are just tops, and those big hugs and kisses are certainly wonderful.

There has been no Canadian Mail this past week, so I am looking forward to something during the coming one. You must be getting better settled in the house now. Probably well enough to realize all the little things, and perhaps one or two big ones, that you really ought to have, If you like, make up a list of some of these things, which you don't need immediately, but would like eventually to ave, and I might be able to look around here for some of them. I think you ought to have the house-warming, you should throw a party, and then when I get back, we can have another celebration.

No 70 p 2.

I had a pleasant experience last week. Mr. Arthur Hinks, Sec'y of the Royal Geographic Society invited me to come up to his home in the country, at Royston, near Cambridge, for a day or two, as he was taking his annual leave there. So on Wednesday pm I went up by train, through London. Got to Royston about 5 pm, had tea in a little shop in the village, and thus fortified, started to track down "The White Cottage", and he calls his place. It was about ½ a mile outside along a country road, and a short distance up a byroad. I finally found it, after having passed it once, just in time to sit down in the garden for a chat before dinner. Mr. Hinks is a widower, his two sons, one my age and one ten years younger, are both in war work, one in the army and one in some official position in connection with foreign radio b'casts. So he was along there, with just a housekeeper. Most of the year he lives in London, just going to Royston for the week-ends, and his summer holidays. His main interest in life there is his garden, and he specialized in delphiniums. These were just in their full glory when I went up, and it was almost a paradise. He prefers blue shades, and is very discriminating, He pointed out to me surprising differences in the plants, which to my uninitiated eye, at first looked all the same. A very subtle difference in town, and arrangement of the flowers on the spike to him made all the difference between something especially lovely, and something quite commonplace. He had other flowers too, of course but just enough to set off the delphiniums, and to contribute to the interest of the whole effect. There was one plant which I should like to learn the name of, being one with beautiful delicate white 5-petal flowers, which come out new during daybreak, and by nightfall are gone, to be followed by a whole new set of flowers the next day.
You can imagine how interesting Mr Hinks is, having travelled extensively, and having known personally so many famous travelers, geographers, explorers, surveyors, and astronomers. Many of the plants in his garden, have been brought by him from odd and out of the way places in other lands. He had a good fund of anecdotes too, about many people I have heard about, and whose books I have read. He was supposed to have retired in 1939, and had been looking forward to spending two years at Royston, in his garden, and working up some calculations on geographic and astronomic projections, rewriting his books on the subject, and then going to Mt. Wilson Observatory in California for a year's study and consultation, to publish off and give practical tests to a number of his theories, and wind up a useful and interesting life. Due to the war, there has been nobody to take his place at the RGS so he has stayed on, working harder than he should for his age, and knowing that his Time is getting shorter and shorter, with the chances of completeing his life work getting more remote. So you see, the war has called for sacrifices from us all, and I think it is much more tragic for men like Mr. Hinks, than for us who have many happy and vigourous years to look forward to, after the war is over. He asked especially if I had any pictures of my wife and daughter, and of course I had, he thinks Mary is just right, and says she looks more like her mother than her poppy. I hope he will be able to come and visit us in Victoria.

You can use the address at top p. 1, it will save a little time in delivery. Things are going along,a nd am well and full of beans.
xox for Mary from Poppy. Heaps of love.

Ger.

xoxx for Jean!