D
earest Mother Le 4 November 1915
Just a few lines to tell you that I am coming home on or about the 15th for a fortnights leave. I cannot say if it will be the 14th,15th or 16th as our papers are not made out yet. But that is a fair idea of my plans.
We had a sing song last night I one of the wards it was quite a success. I sang with two other girls and one played, and an English subaltern sang Tipperary, which they all love,
I and several of them sang weird songs. As for Paris, it is lovely. We arrived on Saturday night and went straight to the Pension where Tim’s friends live. The one friend Mrs Proctor is a jolly middle aged woman who lives near Tim, and is a crack golfer: she was a lot like ET but better looking. The other was a lad who lives ¼ mile from Tim, and is her kind of Tommy Sandall he is awfully delicate and works at the Consulate. The woman is with the Red Cross. We went in uniform of course as it is so much easier. The Pension was awfully jolly: we had bedside telephones and telephoned for our brekker in the morning , Tim and I shared a room. We had hot water laid on in the room, such a luxury. When one is used to turning out early on a bitter morning and heating one’s own !!. You needn’t worry about my being critical: English food will be a joy after this greasy stuff and mess even if I only have roast beef and stewed apples And baths & hot water & open fires, after stoves it will be Lovely !! It drizzled on Sunday morning in Paris nevertheless we saw the Champs Elysees and the Etoile, the Place de la Concorde, the Madeleine and the Tuileries gardens, and the outside of Louvre, it was closed, not that it matters much as all the best things are packed up or stored in safe places some of the in the Midi, they told us. We came back by the Cours La Reine and saw Les Invalides and the Tour d’Eiffel with its wonderful wireless installation quite close. Sunday afternoon was sunny and we set off to Les Invalides. It is very interesting with all the new trophies, guns and aeroplanes etc. But it was beastly full of smelly people! After that we went past the Luxembourg to the Ile de la Cite where we saw the palais de Justice and Notre Dame. By that time it was dark and we were tired and hungry so we went to Rumpelmayers for tea. It is awfully amusing but not like the one in London which is much more select. The next day we spent nearly all the time getting papers from the French military authorities to enable us to return to Rouen as it is in the war zone and Paris is not !!
I must dry up now and work
Best Love
Your loving Dorothy.
About Alford 