RH Gray Lt R.C.N.V.R.
Box 517,
℅ F.M.O. Kilindini
B.E.A.
Dec. 13/43

Dear Mother and Dad,

A week has gone past and again I have had no mail. But I shall get a big bunch all at once soon which will help. (I hope) It is getting still hotter here and I just do not like to think of Christmas being so hot, but I had last one here too so I should be used to it (I’m not). – I have had a short letter from Mrs. Sheldon which I was glad to get. She did so appreciate your parcel, Mother. She thinks like everyone else that you are a wonderful person. – I got another letter today which shook me for a minute. It was a letter from a firm of solicitors in Portsmouth representing Gieves and saying to hurry up and pay a bill of £67 or they would take action. It really shook me until I realized that it had come to me by mistake – I am glad I don’t have that bill as it was a pretty hard letter. – Have you ever played squash, Dad. I have been playing quite a bit lately. It is played on a court about thirty feet by fifteen feet which is enclosed. The ball has to be hit off the front wall above a red line. You play with a small rubber ball and a racquet about the size of a badminton racquet only heavier. It is a very popular game in England the only trouble being I believe that the court is quite expensive to build. But it is the hardest and most concentrated exercise I think I have ever had. In fifteen minutes you are sweating all over and can hardly stand. The thing I like about it is that even if I cannot play it at all well we still seem to have very long rallys which does not happen in tennis or badminton. It is doing me good. – The job I have is going just the same with no changes contemplated at the moment even though we are all thoroughly fed up with East Africa – But as I have said before any changes that do come usually come so quickly that noone is ready anyway. – We had a mess party the other night which was good fun. We had a lot of Wrens out. They are not much to look at but we had a few dances and it was a pleasant change. But even though they put in about forty fans we were still pretty damp by about 8:30.

Much love to you both,
Hampton.