12/3/39
My Dear Mummy,
Thank so much for your letter. My name is also in the Times as presented by Brigadier General Wyatt D.S.O, an appointment. Wyatt is Colonel of the regt. Four of us wait up to the Levice on Tuesday, the C.O, the three newly joined subalterms and myself and also C.O's wife we travelled up by train in uniform. We went first to his club and had a drink and then walked across St. Jame's Park to the Palace. We walked through the main entrance where there was a brand of H.M. H.M. Grenadier Guards and also a Cos of Grenadier Guards who stood to attention as we passed. Then we went inside the Palace itself - I have ever see anything quite like it, it needs to be seen to be behind. The colour was wonderful and to

see all these beef eaters, life guards powdered headed fosterer, ______ etc all standing round like statues are thought are was looking at a picture or a waz works exhibition. Up a great flight of stairs we went along a wonderful corridor, gold leaf on the walls, mirrored doors, huge chandeliers lovely old paintings by famous painters and some ________ old clocks. The floor and woodwork is all highly polished walnut and the carpets were beautifully thick, and into a room where everybody was waiting some in ________ some in full dress, soldiers, sailors, airmen, diplomats, nobility etc.. I saw several chaps I knew. The room was decorated just like the corridor and in the rooms were members of the Kings Bodyguard in the most splendid uniforms. They are all colones or generals who have had command of some sort. One was V.C. and they nearly all had a D.S.O and M.C After a but we walked into another similar room with there

wonderful mirrored doors. Then we split up into single rank and walked round a small oral shaped room full of mirrors and with a wonderful old clock and into the actual throne room one by one where our names were read out by the Lord Chamberlain. Each man walks across the room a few paces turns to his right and walks out. The actual ceremony takes about 5 seconds but is quite an ordeal I can tell you. The king was in the full dress uniform of the Seaforth Highlanders or it may have been the Cameroons, I didn't have time to see. On the left was the Duke of Kent in scarlet with the blue ribon of the garter across his chest on the kings right was the Lord Chamberlian. To our right and facing the King was a Colonel of Beefeaters. There were many other personages with the king but that was all I could see. After that we walked out of the palace and the

other three subalters and myself took a taxi to Waterloo and came back. A very interesting day and are which I shan't easily forget. The party at the Sergts mess was very good farm we won a darts match against them but came ____ over the snooker. Yesterday we played them at nagger doram of us against thirteen of them and beat them 33 - 3, yours truely scored a try. That shock them up a bit so they asked us over to their mess last night to play them at billards and snooker. We went but we didn't beat them. I played my first game of snooker and didn't do too badly either. We are going to have them a return game of rugger also soccer and hockey games if we can fit them in. The T.E.W.T (tractical excercise without troops) went off very well. It was a long way off, the other side of Reading in fact. It

was beautiful day and I really rather enjoyed it. We did a A/T reconnosence report yesterday morning but that wasn't so funny so the weather was rather cold. Sorry to hear about the Home Nursing, I hope you will take it another time. Well am just off for lunch now, will finish this afterwards.

Have just finished lunch and when I finish writing this I am going to wait some motar cycle trials with the C.D. who is going one a lift in his car. I may go to see a Tom Walks, Ralph Lynam film this evening, though I am not sure that I havn't seen it. I am on a court of enquireing on Tuesday though what my duties are so yet so I'm afraid I don't know. Do you remember Stephen Ferguson at

Cheltemham, am A cadet in the tank corps. He came out to see me the other day and we want out to a flick. On Wednesday, providing he can get permission, he is going to show me all round the tanks that are in the Camp, which should prove rather interesting. Well I must close now. Please give my love to Grandma, Aunty Annie and wee Jean. All my love to you
Teddie