[Received April 10, 1918]
[#37]
The Same
March 17, 1918
Dear Mother and Father:
I am so sorry that I have not written a decent letter home for so long. For the last two weeks I have been doing a lot of interesting things and they have kept me so busy and my thoughts so occupied that I have not gotten down to letter writing. I have had a good washout day, did my stunts over Whitings’ house in a Spad, and have toured England in a Spad, visiting Bedford, Huntington and Oxford.
Tomorrow I am going to Scotland for more advanced training. Herb and Frank Read are going with me. I have got to pack tonight so I will have to cut this very short. I have made a list of the things I want to write you about and as soon as I get the chance and the mood I will do it.
So I will just answer the two letters I acknowledged in my last and then pack up. My letter of Jan. 28 [sic] was #26, #25 was Jan. 26, #24 was Jan. 25, #23 was Jan. 24, Peahen.
I hope you will receive #21 & 22, about leave in London, my visit thru Sopwith factory, and St. Alban’s dance, and five photos of myself. That large Oxford group ought to come thru now. I sailed from Halifax as you know now from my remarks about the explosion and my girl in the cottage on the promontory. The lieut. that was going to meet me at the Peahen never showed up. I went to their officers mess and took dinner with him as we had first planned. He was a fellow I met at the dance at St. Albans. St. Albans is an old time country town, 22 miles out of London. More like Towson. They do not have anything so modern as a suburb in England. Very sorry to learn that Mrs. Bates is sick. Those are some meetings of the Friday Club. Glad you are getting all the flying dope.
Lovingly,
Parr
I believe Parr intended to write “Jan. 27 was #26.”
Perhaps Parr is misremembering writing about the explosion, or perhaps he did so in a letter that is missing.
See Parr’s letter of January 24, 1918, regarding the no-show lieut.