R.H. Gray S/Lt
Fleet Mail Officer,
Box 512, Kilindini.
Feb. 4.

Dear Phyllis;

I hope you will excuse me typing this but I think that maybe I can get more on and anyway it is good practice. I got one of these things from you the other day for which thanks very much. It was full of news and I got up to date on a lot of things. I was sorry to hear that Mother was having some trouble. It was the first I had heard of it. But fortunately you were able to reassure me that she was doing well and that the doctor was pleased. And as you said it was likely some- that has needed doing for a long time.++ I am always glad to get news of my darling God-child of course. You must take very good care of her until I get back to take over. But I expect I do not really have to tell you that. I was saying to Mother and Dad today that she will be a year old next month. How I wish I could see her. The best I can do is keep sending her my love. Give my regards to Ed too, please. I am glad to hear that he is doing so well. I keep wondering if this job in Kansas is likely to turn into something permanent. I hope not really for the sake of Mother and Dad as I am sure that they find Calgary even much too far away as it is. Still if it did turn out to be permanent it wold be a good advancement.-- You will probably get all the news I had to write about (precious little) in my letter to Mother so there is not much to say really. There is so little to do that I am afraid we sometimes have a [censored]. That actually is all there is to do. There are no women in town that are worth looking at twice so that source of entertainment is gone. So it seems we either drink beer or go to bed. Dont think from this that I am any worse than I used to be or that I am turning into a souse It is just that in a climate like this one must drink something and that might as well be beer.-- A friend of mine and I will be off in a few days time for some leave in Nairobi which is a much more reasonable sort of place and we should have a bit of fun there. At least it will be nice to get away from this frightful climate for a change.++ I get very worried about the mail situation at times as I am really writing quite regularly and yet you said in your last letter that no-one had heard anything for over a month. I wonder if they sometimes send these things by sea mail. Let me know how long they take. Give my regards to Len and Mye when you see them and ask Len if he has been writing me once a month. I expect they have a nice baby too but not quite up to Jane’s standard. -- Will you tell me if you have met Pauline’s boy and is he good enough for her. I am very interested in the whole thing and I shall be more angry than I can say if she goes and throws herself away. She is too good for that.

It was very nice to mention my gifts to you and Jane. Our Mother thinks of everything doesn’t she.

I shall close now with much love to you and Ed and Jane.

Hampton.

[Editor’s note: The envelope’s postmark has been used for dating the letter's year.]