A third letter home

989689 L A C Rogers, T
S.H.Q R.A.A. Station
Wadi Seidna
Sudan
2/2/42

Dear Folks,
I was delighted this morning to get your two airgraphs full of the Xmas news. They were both quite clear and I think 20 lines of mother’s hand gives a good result. It must have been wizard on Xmas Day with Phoebe and all the family at home. I am glad the sugar and tea came to a good end. You refer to Ted shooting, Is he in the army or only in the H.G. and what is this flat Enid is fixing? Your reference to the Farnham visit last year has made me properly homesick for the "Happy Heron" (as Phoebe calls it). News recently mentions snow in England, did you have a white Xmas?.

Sorry to say I am writing this in hospital (what again! I can hear you say). In my letter last week I said I would write Ruth the same evening but as I did not feel too good I scrubbed round it and went to bed. Next morning I felt worse but managed to carry on with my work until lunch time when I went on a special sick report. As I was running a bit of a temp. the sick-quarters people put me to bed right away. Next morning I had the doubtful pleasure of an hour’s ride across the desert in an ambulance to hospital.

Apparently I have had a short attack of dysentery and can realise why Rhett Butler made all that fuss about it. However, it is now well under control and I expect to be back to camp within a day or two. Yesterday I was up for two hours and today for four, quite like old times. Tomorrow I expect to go to the palace for tea at the invite of the gov., apparently quite a regular thing here. Dont I get round? I do not quite know what sort of tea or company to expect but I anticipate being able to look round the palace grounds and they look very fine from the outside.

I have had good attention here and altogether the hospital is quite pleasant, although not to be compared with my So African homes from home. I have been scanning with doubtful eyes the monstrous blue uniform I shall have to wear tomorrow, complete with unbleached shirt and red tie- it should at least frighten the palace guards.

Mother seems to have a strong inferiority complex where her letters are concerned - why I dont know - anyone who can mention geese bigger than ovens and plum puddings as good as last year's has obviously grasped the right line to take with the troops, and I have certainly uttered nothing but appreciation of her letters. Now I must apologize for my own scrappy effort but plead lack of my usual facilities.
Aint I glad to be rid of my dys.

Love to all,
Tom.

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There are some explanations here about these letters: Ruth and the "Happy Heron" are completely mysterious to me, I never heard my father mention either of them. I never heard him mention Rhett Butler, either, but that one, at least, I can work out...