Eastchurch Kent
Oct 26th 16

Dear Sister

Your letter of the 8th to hand today. I am still here but will be finished the first fine day that comes along. We have some air work to finish, that is, firing in the air at targets etc & the weather has been very bad. As soon as this is over, I will be on active service although this is a war station & I may be held here on the war flight but I hope not as they only see a German Mach once in a long time.

I saw my first naval funeral yesterday. A Flt Lieut killed flying a sopwith triplane here. Something happened close to the ground & it was all up as he was flying at a very high speed - 185 knots at the time. He was one of the best in the RNAS. The funeral was very impressive. Gun carriage & most of the officers and men of the station with the last post over the grave by bugle. They buried him in a small grave yard quite close to where he fell & all the time the funeral was under way, two machines flew over us at quite a height but you could hear the engines quite plainly. The naval calls are very fine and used much more than in the army. The bugle calls at sun down every evening & we stand at attention & salute until the flag is lowered no matter where you happen to be. Everyone turns in the direction of the flag & the officers salute.

The sopwith triplane is the pride of the flying world and it is the first time anything has gone wrong in the machine itself but they were trying a new engine with far more horsepower & it was not what they expected & it cost the life of one of the best pilots to find out.

Poor little Geo Watt has lost an eye. I don't know if you remember him or not but we used to go to the rink together years ago. He was often at the house.

I have lost track of Dalton but think he must be in France by this time. Only one of the boys I came over with is with me now. All the others are at different stations.

So Chad has a car at last. We see very few cars in England now petrol being too high for most people.

If this war ever ends there will be a big rush away from England you can be sure & I won't be the last if I am living.

You must thank Miriam for the Saturday Nights they are so kind to send me. They are just full of news & the best of the Canadian papers for news. All the Canadians ask me for them when I am finished & they pass through many hands.

It is beginning to clear outside so must get in some flying.

Lots of love

Pete