Monday
23/12/1918

My dear Gertrude

Just a line or two at the end of a busy day, to let you know I am putting my application in for special leave, for January 15th. You suggest in your letter from Liverpool which I received at noon to day the middle of January.

I am glad to hear of your safe arrival. Very sorry to hear you did not have a better time & had the discomfort of lower deck & poor attendance. In those circumstances you would hardly appreciate a cabin to yourself.

However alls well that ends well & I hope by now you are feeling quite yourself again.

I wrote to Mrs. Chapple for Christmas, taking for granted you were not at home, & am glad I wrote in that way now. It was very nice for you & a help as you say for her, that you had such a good send off at Toronto. Am glad you spent a pleasant day with your friends in Montreal.

I hope you are not feeling the change to English conditions at all badly & I also hope all your English arrangements are all right. Please don't hesitate to go to Doncaster - either if it is more convenient for you to do so, or because you would like. They will be really very pleased to have you & will not make a visitor of you.

Please give my kind regards to your Aunt. I hope to be able to make her acquaintance soon & that some day we will be able to repay her for her kindness.

I hear rations are already very much easier in England, but I suppose you will have experienced some of their intricacies already.

I am in the middle of this week's Mess Accounts - an awful job Christmas week, so must get to them.

With all my love
Yours
Jack

We can count the days not whatever happens (D.V.) & in 60 days I can practically demand leave but of course I don't anticipate any such wait & if it should be so you will have to spend as much of it as you like in Doncaster. Give my good wishes to them all in your home when you next write.