Cottage Hospital
Runcorn
July 26/17

Dear Miss Lola,

Many thanks for your letter received 13^th inst. I am sorry I have been so long in answering it but although I am in hospital my time seems to have been very full lately.

I am glad to hear that you, Edith and Bessie have been having such a jolly trip. We have some old friends who used to live at Saguenay? Michigan. Is it on the SaguenayRiver you speak of. If so I know that you have been in exceptionally pretty country as I have seen many photographs of that district.

I regret to say that I did not happen to run across your sister-in-law’s brother whilst at the LordDerbyHospital but as there about three thousand beds there this is hardly surprising.

It is so long since I wrote to you that I scarcely know where to begin. I have been in Runcorn about nine weeks now and having a better time each week I stay here. I have a very congenial companion in Millar, a school teacher who is in the Royal Fusiliers and has been wounded in the hand. I think I have told you about him in previous letters. We have become very friendly with some people near the hospital of the name of Meredith. The family at Runcorn consists of Mr Meredith, Grace, Hilda, Irene and a married brother Percy and his wife. They are all members of the tennis club you have heard so much about. We go up there two or three times a week and sometimes oftener. We are also very friendly with the Carters. Mr Carter is Treasurer of the hospital we are in and they are extremely nice people.

I have had two more trips home to Liverpool since I last wrote. The first time was on Friday July 13^th. Millar went with me. Mater has been away again to Wrexham in Wales so we had quite a bachelor party at home for dinner – Father Millar and myself. Father showed Millar and me around the town in the afternoon and pointed out all the recent improvements leaving us around 5pm. We then met Rene Sibbitt and Irene Meredith (who is working at the Liverpool London and Globe Insurance Company while the war lasts) and had tea together in town. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we repeated the programme the following Wednesday.

My sister was ordered away from home by the Doctor a few weeks ago so Father arranged for her to go to Blackpool so that she would be near my brother Ralph. Murie went with her so Ralph was particular delighted. They stayed near the camp for about a fortnight. Rene Sibbitt and her friend Edie Pike have gone up to the Lake District for a fortnight so shall not see them for a while now.

We still have the tennis days every Thursday. The Thursday before last we had a Tournament – men’s doubles. It was an American Tournament. Every pair played every other pair one game of thirteen points instead of a set. My partner was Aron. He is a Jew but a very nice fellow. He is suffering from a badly frostbitten foot and cannot use it at all at present. It was very funny to see him hopping up the court on one foot to get a short serve. However we won the tournament very easily with 43 points, the next people to us having 36. We only lost one game 6-7.

For the last four Saturdays the whole hospital has been on a picnic. The nurses go with us on these occasions and wear their civie togs which makes them look quite nice. We have a jolly good time together. There are a lot of V.A.D nurses here. They come for a few weeks and then take a few weeks off whenever they like. You see we do not need them all at once. They are mostly very nice indeed. The first and fourth of these excursions were to DelamereForest by Hoke[?] and the other two were boat  trips – one up the Weaver by steamer and the other up the BridgewaterCanal on a barge.

Last Tuesday week Father came to see me. He comes every week. He, Millar Hargreaves and I played bowls together all afternoon and then had tea together in town. I have only had tea in the hospital about three times in the last ten days. One of the nurses asked me yesterday if I had found new lodgings.

Last Sunday, a Mr. Polluck or Polly as we call him (a civilian) Grace and Irene Meredith, Millar and myself went up the Weaver in a rowboat to Frodsham where we had tea together. We found some wild cherries on the way up.

Last Monday we had a tennis party in the evening. Grace Meredith, Mrs Percy Meredith, Polluck, Percy Meredith, Millar and myself and had supper in the Pavilion. On Tuesday we had tea at the Merediths and another little tennis party.

Yesterday Millar and I went to nurse Westons to tea so you see we are having a pretty lively time.

The doctor is not satisfied with my progress and they are talking of a change of air. I do hope they do not send me away.

Hope you are having good weather and enjoying yourselves as much as usual at the Lake.

With love to all
Yours very sincerely
Arthur Turner.

P.S. An enclosing a few snaps. A.L.T.