Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 398
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[Page 398]
2.
"he wasn't one of those flying men who indulge in terrifying nose-dives of 2000 feet!" And then I pass to your letter in which you calmly describe a dive of 6000 feet, & the wiping out of both observer & pilot, & the destruction of the machine before either of them or even your own observer could get a single shot in! It is absolutely the limit, and I feel tongue tied in trying to tell you what we all think of your performance. The dive was enough of itself, but to have the steadiness of nerve, after such a dive, to flatten out, & get right on to your target with a machine gun, within a couple of minutes, amazes me. To say I am proud of you seems mere "damn foolishness". After all, it was not for nothing that you & Roger made yourselves first-rate shots with the Winchester on our lawn here, & that you afterwards tied for first place in the All Schools Rifle Match!
We were so glad to get the cable from Auntie Mary that you were well & cheery, because we can only faintly imagine what you have been going through since the 21st March. She sent it on the 17th April, & we got it on the 21st, so I suppose it brought news of you up to the 14th or 15th.
The forty million war loan here will, I think, be oversubscribed. It closes tomorrow. Just to give it a fillip Anthony Hordern's & Farmer's combined to offer a series of prizes, running from £1000 to £5, to be distributed amongst those who take war bonds at either establishment. Selfridge's & Harrod's did it in London, & got in millions. Mother took two ten pound bonds, – one in your name, & the other in Peter's, – so we shall see what we shall see.
I think the recruiting convention, summoned by the Governor General, has come to nothing. This is only