General Headquarters
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
Still at an island
30 March –
My dear Gertrude –

This is really I believe the largest interval the which [sic] has passed between letters from you to me and me to you – bar the balck interval when you travelled Arabia and I Abyssinia – Since I wrote to you I have been to Athens – Dedeagatch – [?] returned to Egypt leaving me to my legitimate avocations and in a cruiser – now I resit on a transport and wait for their re-appearance – As for your delightful letters I have had as you know one batch – the which contained the ultimatum – My dear I have read it – god knows – But of that I cannot write – of other things I could have I suppose something to urge, but it is forbidden = I can only say feebly as all the world might that this is a very big job – and that the local colours are nearly all about it which I probably know more of than you – while the being of the show you know more of than I do – someday if we do not forget all about it we’ll talk of it –

It blows and blows – boat work is very wet and acrobatic, in and out of ships and so forth – I hear that Philip Graves is coming here – and you will see in your letters the little there is to hear –

You’ve been free of the world and so have I and I confess a censor seriously bores me – he cramps my style – I get so disgusted that much as I love being at penpoints with you, I have to stop – I hope that G. H. Q. will bring me back a mail from Egypt – Deedes is there with them, and a certain Col. Ward of the War Office who is over me

Oh – I wish I could write to you –

Yrs. Dick.