April 21, 1944

                                                            April 21
Dear Folks: Nice day to-day. Got back from another pass day before yesterday. Went to London Monday nite and stayed at the Dutchess Club, a Red Cross hotel. It only costs 80¢ per nite for a bed and there is a good snack-bar there. Capt. Bush, Lt. Hay, & I told the lady at the desk that we were going out to Oxford to visit the university, so she phoned up there to arrange a guide and we went out on the train the next morning. Got here about noon. Our guide was a girl that worked at a hospital there. She had a day off so could show us around.
            It was vacation time at the university to we didn’t see many students. The college is composed of several original colleges. Of course everything is ancient but it is well kept and clean. The education system is very liberal, something like Chicago U. The students do things on their own time.
            The girl’s father is a professor in mathematics there. She took us out to her home for tea. They had 5 different kinds of cakes with the tea as well as home made jelly and bread & butter. After all the walking we ate like harvest hands. The family, besides Mr. & Mrs. Chaundy, were a 19 yr. boy, 16 yr. old boy and 13 yr. old twins, boy & girl, and our guide, who was 21. They have a lovely home with a big lawn & garden. The 4 youngest children were evacuated to U.S. during the London blitz and came back last fall. They lived with relatives in Boston. They were certainly not “reserved”, as the Englishmen are supposed to be. The whole family talked fast and we had to listen closely to understand what they said because of the accent. We came back to London that nite & stayed at the Duchess Club again. 120 U.S. girls, red cross workers, had arrived for the night. Ummm!
            Tell Willmans I got their letter and will answer later.
            Monday, April 24. Got your airmail letters of 11 & 13th & the cookies yesterday. Thanks. I ordered the flowers back where I saw Warren S. & they did the choosing. Heard you had a big snow again this week. Your V-mail of Apr. 14 came in 9 days.
                                    Yours truly,
                                                John
We just moved into a brand new hut & no lites yet & its so dark I can hardly see what I write