4/7/43.

Dearest Jill;

I received your letter of May 25 while in London on leave, last week and was so glad to get it. My mail was sent on to the Beaver Club during my leave and I hardly expected Canadian mail to reach me there so quickly.

Several interesting things happened while I was in town, first I managed to get in touch with Trevor, who wrote to me about three weeks ago. He is looking very well and seems very happy with his present job and since he has been here he has contacted quite a few relations, so he is pretty well on his feet. We had a good long chat for the afternoon, which gave me a few hours of home and don’t think that doesn’t mean something. I felt just as if I was wandering around Van. with you darling and I guess I felt kind of homesick for you too, but I’ve got used to that and it doesn’t make me so miserable – just gives me more determination to get home as soon as I can finish my job here, so that we can live for ourselves instead of everybody else.

The next interesting thing that happened last week came about like this. Leaving the Can Bank of Commerce in Lombard street, I came around the corner to the Mansion House, which is the Lord Mayors residence, and found myself in a crowd. On learning that Churchill was coming out from a banquet, with various other potentates, I decided to wait and get an eye full. While I was waiting a sergeant of the city police caught my arm and said, “Come with me – it’s all right I just want to show you something”. Leading me through the basement of the ‘House’ the officer took me up to a side entrance to the reception hall. To my absolute amazement I found myself standing within about four feet of Churchill, who was talking to Hore Belisha, Sir John Simon and two Naval Officers. Near-by Anthony Eden and his wife were talking to Air Marshal Tedder and two other men. Farther back Mrs. Churchill and her two daughters were talking with a group of guests, both girls looking very nice in their respective W.A.A.F and A.T.S. uniforms. It was all such an overpowering revelation to me that I can remember comparatively few of the people gathered in the beautifully appointed ball, but I do wish you could have seen it for yourself darling – I know it would have given you the same goosepimples of pleasure that I experienced. It all left me in a daze and as the guests started to leave I found myself wondering if it had actually happened. The sergeant finally touched my arm and said, “We must get away now,” so I returned to the street. And their you have the story of my debut into the upper class. I’ll continue on a new form dearest so here we go.