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Date: April 16th 1943
To
Mother & Dad - (Wilhelmina & John Gray)
From
Hampton Gray
Letter

R.N.A.S.
NAIROBI, KENYA.
April 16/43.

Dear Mother and Dad,

As you will see I have moved again and have at last got a really good job as I told you I was expecting. I have received some promotion too so that really I am quite satisfied with things at last. I am sorry that I can tell you very little about it but will be able to tell you more later. – Nairobi is the place I stayed on leave so you will have heard a bit about it from me before. I don’t like it much at all although it is the only more or less civilized place in East Africa. But there are some shops here run by white people which make it a bit more like home than some places. – I haven’t had any mail from anybody now for a long time, it seems but I guess we are all getting used to that by now, as long as we continue writing the letters get there eventually. – You will be getting some nice spring weather now, I expect. I envy you a lot. We get nothing here but continual sun with an occasional heavy thunder storm and shower. Very little variety indeed. But we did miss a winter in England so I suppose we must not grumble. Strangely enough they do get snow in parts around here on the mountains but even that is not the same. All they have are two or three peaks widely separated. Nothing at all like those beautiful mountains at home. How are Phyllis and her family. I still have only the snaps of Jane when she was pretty bald but I understand she is O.K. now and there are more snaps on the way. I hope they get here soon. And are you fully recovered, Mother. I hope so but I am waiting patiently for news. – Will you send me some underpants, Mother if you have not already done so. I asked for them before but the letter may not have arrived. The ones I have are very nearly in rags and although I can buy some here, they are not the kind I like. – I will tell you the chaps that are with me. You will have some of their pictures Brewer and Atkinson you will find. The others are Nelson-Gracie, a Royal Marine Captain, a good type who is Commanding officer. Brown, a Scot whom I think I have mentioned before, [Gerrish?], Cowan and [Narris?] and Hutton whom you will not remember. I forgot Broadbent whose picture you have. The Cowan by the way is not the one in the picture. That Cowan is dead unfortunately. We just got that news recently and were very sorry as he was a good friend of ours. Another rather sad thing is that his wife has just recently had a baby. – I can tell you no more I am afraid though I really would like to.

Well there has not been much news here but there really is little I can tell you. I shall close now as usual sending all my love to you both.

Hampton.

P.S. It is really beginning to look as if there is going to be an ending to this mess. I hope I am not being too optimistic, anyway it cannot end too soon to please any of us.

Original Scans

Original Scans

Page 1 of WWII letter of 1943-04-16 from Lt. Robert Hampton Gray, VC, DSC