Oct 7 Bait Na'mah. Dearest Mother. Your letters of Aug 16 and 26 and Sep 6 arrived almost together. They are all still insufficiently addressed and so wandering about before they get to me. The last one came without delay but the vagaries of the post are so innumerable that it's best to leave as little possibility of error as possible. The amount of things you do takes my breath away. I was deeply interested in your account of the Newcastle party, and thank you so much for the report of Sir Arthur's address - very good, I think. Surely our Dean of Durham was rather foolish about the Somme pictures? they sound wonderful. The cheering reports about Elsa are an immense comfort. I wish Herbert had a newer and bigger ship - won't they give him one? I must tell you I've written to Marthe and asked her to make me two evening gowns - she knows what I like. I've got nothing that was made later than the summer of 1914 and they are dropping to pieces; perhaps that is partly the climate. If I had to go to India, or anywhere civilized I should not know what to do. I've told her to write to you about sending them out and I suggest that the good Captain Hall should once more be applied to. There are constantly people coming straight out here and he or the War Office would know of someone. Then my idea is that my clothes might be packed in a cabin trunk - which I should incidentally be glad to have - and sent out under the escort of a general; we get lots of them! Don't you think that would be a good plan? And I should like at the same time some thick silk shirts because I shall without doubt feel dreadfully cold when the thermometre [sic] drops to 80°. I suggest 2 of each of those I have marked in the enclosed advertisement. And please also a thick silk knitted coat, dark purple. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude.
Would you please send me also an umbrella with a plain bent cane handle. Get it from Briggs, St James St - his are the only ones I like. I would be very glad to have too my white serge motoring coat - if it is not clean may it be cleaned before it is sent - and the blue satin embroidered Chinese coat which I wear as a summer evening wrap - not the fur lined Chinese coat.