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Date: March 22nd 1918
To
Mother
From
Harold Dean
Letter

No 2 General Hospital
Maitland
March 22/18.

Dear Mother

No doubt you have not had a letter from me for about three weeks but as you see by the address I have been moving around as a hospital patient.

Dont get alarmed as to my health as I am feeling better now than I have been for some months. I was picked out along with a bunch to come from East Africa down to Durban for a three months change and a short leave. Coming down on the troop ship I took a doze of fever and was put in hospital on reaching Durban. After six days there in hospital I was transferred by hospital ship down here to Cape Town and am now as a convalescent patient in this hospital about two miles from Cape Town.

We have a fine home here with plenty of good food and good attention. It seems funny to be back in civilization and see the people on the streets once more. I was down to Cape Town yesterday afternoon and felt kind of lost in the crowd and it wasn’t a big crowd either. The day before yesterday we went to a tea hop over to a Presbyterian church and the ladies sure looked after us fine. Plenty of home made cakes, candies etc. and a real sociable set of young people. The minister was an old gray haired man born in the United States but went to school and preached his first sermon in Hamilton, Ont. So we were quite at home after introducing ourselves. He has been here in Cape Town for seven years but he still holds the U.S. and Canada high in his esteem.

The climate here is not too bad but it being so much cooler than G.E.A. we felt a bit cold when we first came down four days ago. Even in the evening we have to wear an overcoat here. The town is just like any tropical place especially from the distance as all you can see is white houses and red roofs. It is situated just under Table Mountain and is scattered along a strip of land as a dozen little suburbs on their own.

Well I will get some post cards of the town and send you later on. I am sending some cards today of Dares-saalam and other places in G.E.A. also of the ship we came down on.

I will close now and get some supper as it is about six oclock. I will write again in a few days and send some cards from here.

Well Bye Bye mother and dont worry about my health. I may get to England some of these days if we are lucky. Give my love to all my relatives and friends. I have not send cards to

Your traveling kid
Harold

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