13 November 1938

Dear Dad:

Hope you have a big year - wish I was home for Christmas. I have increased my scope for conversation since last at home and also my capacity for good cigars!

Have a wonderful collection of pictures being developed and printed which I hope arrive at 1608 for Christmas.

Whenever you see pictures of Alexandria Harbour, the citadel in Cairo or the Gizah Pyramids where Napoleon fought his famous Battle of the pyramids - remember I have seen them all.

On one of our squadron trips we flew from Dekheila across Alexandria along the coast to Port Said (about 115 miles) turned south along canal to Ismailia and then west again to Abu Sueir (Britain's only F.T.S. abroad).

I hope I have told you of the dance held at Abu Suier and of our dining at the French Club in Ismailia before going on to dance at Abu Sueir.

Flying Officer Smith snapped a picture in the air showing one or two of our wide formations approaching the pyramids where King Tut resides. Very comfortable flying this in khaki bush shirt and shorts.

Next spring I believe we go to the south of France, Yugoslavia and Egypt. Will probably leave January 23 for Egypt on first cruise.

It's rather amazing living here inn such a small island as Malta - only a dot on the map - the sea is clearly visible on all sides and one has practically got to do a steep turn to keep from flying off one end of it. Actually there are four small islands here.

Gaza

Comino

Malta

Filfla

The ground here is too rocky for rugger. Only the die-hards turn out - actually I don't want an abrupt end to my career that much.

I am terrifically fit these days and could lick my weight in wildcats weighing about 195 - in fact my fighter runs some way before we are airborne! I have nearly had to give up the luxury of underwear to fly at all!!!

I am missing the thrill of crouching in a Spitfire at 400+ but this flying is actually more fun. A Spitfire and Hurricane is practically all straight and level because the body can't stand any aerobatics at that speed.

They take 5,000 feet in a loop and take thousands to come out of spins.

Actually our dear Nimrods will catch anything but a Schneider Trophy racer. Have I explained deck landing?

The trick is to land on the squadron in the shortest possible time. Four wires are stretched across the rear end of the deck.

You drag a hook - land with nose in the air, sinking on with the engine. Hook catches wire (we hope) and is pulled out to a certain tension hydraulically. Tricky business with fighters as we don't exactly crawl on to the deck.

Hook grabs and of course the tail rises and the prop comes within inches of the deck. Then you give a burst of engine to keep the tail from banging back on the deck too hard.

You release the hook and taxi forward onto the lift and down you go to the lower hangars and the lift comes up. Affirmative is flashed and the next machine should be crossing the round down ready to pop on.

American carriers have 888 feet to land on compared with our 480 feet. A babe in arms could land on an American carrier. I have seen a Swordfish miss the wires and the pilot go over the side - the aeroplane sank to the bottom but the pilot was unhurt.

Another pilot overshot the wires, used his brakes, and turned into the funnels, breaking the prop and a wing tip.

Glorious squadrons do night deck landings with the minimum of lights - so it is a fine art. Rather hard on torpedo spotter reconnaissance pilots who fly for four hours on patrol at night and are very fatigued to land on a deck that is probably heaving up and down. There has only been one death since Glorious left England in January and that was on the way out near Gibraltar. Pilot Officer Hever-Percy in a Nimrod single-seater was waiting to land on and watching the rest of the aircraft landing on and evidentially forgot he was also supposed to be flying and he let his speed drop in a turn, and presto went into a spin very low down and dove straight in to sea at high speed and was killed.

Well write soon and give me all the latest news.

Love
Bill