{"id":722,"date":"2013-06-12T04:36:38","date_gmt":"2013-06-12T04:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=722"},"modified":"2013-06-27T00:05:13","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T00:05:13","slug":"neil-mother-23-sep-1918","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=722","title":{"rendered":"Neil \u2013 Mother: 23 Sep 1918"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hornchurch
\n23-9-18
\nDear Mother,
\nI spent 12\/- this morning in cabling for\u00a0\u00a315. I decided to do it quite suddenly. I suppose you think I am dreadfully extravagant, but when everything is considered, things hardly look so awful. It is five months since I had the \u00a320 and I have been sort of half on leave ever since. And living is very expensive in Blighty in the ordinary way. One spends about 1\/6 per day in extra tucker, supper, coffee etc, which means about \u00a311 in five months.<\/p>\n

Then comfortable boots, strides, putties etc., cost me the best part of \u00a35. And tobacco and cigarettes at 6d a day amount to \u00a33-15-0 in five months. That leaves only about \u00a39, out of the \u00a320 + 5 months’ pay, to be accounted for. Items like watch repairs (7\/6), previously unsettled bet about date of leaving for Blighty (5\/-), photo (forgotten, about 12\/6), pipe (7\/6) much reduce the balance (also haircut, shaves, razor-setting, new strop, cleaning gear etc, etc) – the balance which must be accredited to theatres and such like riotous living. <\/p>\n

Anyway, I shall always be able to work and earn more when I go back, (there is very little fear of my being wounded now and having to depend on Bill Massey<\/a> for a pension), so it doesn’t matter if I keep fairly close to my credit. And I don’t suppose I shall ever have another trip to Blighty from N.Z. so I may as well have as comfortable a time as possible. And with the Sergeant’s pay in view and my allotment increasing to 3\/6 it wont take long for the N.Z. end of my finance to grow healthy again.<\/p>\n

I decided to cable and not write for the money, because we are expecting the educational scheme to close down for a week or a fortnight in three weeks time, and having only \u00a35 odd credit in my book, I’d have to cut things rather fine. <\/p>\n

A solution of the whole difficulty would be for them to make me a colonel on \u00a31000 a year, but I have not got them to realise that yet.<\/p>\n

The chocs and boiled lollies you sent seem to have gone west on the way. Trot got his over a fortnight ago, but mine have not yet turned up.<\/p>\n

They say there is another N.Z. mail in. Shall write again as soon as it is delivered.<\/p>\n

Yours prodigally
\nNeil<\/p>\n