August 28, 1918 to Mother.

Sunday lunch at the country club:

…several English officers came in with a couple of girls and took a table near. Noticed that one of them was rather young to be wearing a Captain’s pips and also that he had a number of decorations. …it was the Prince of Wales[1]. Nobody knew about his coming in advance and, as they came in just like ordinary folks, nobody paid any attention until the news was passed around. He played golf after lunch and when he came back in the crowd was at tea under the trees in front of the club and, being then wise to who he was, “rubbered”[2] quite a bit. He seemed to be absolutely simple and unaffected and one thing I liked particularly was when a British General he knew came walking up, he chased over and saluted and shook hands with the General as if he were no more than a Captain.

“Hot weather” brings visions of getting “down to the coast and into the surf.” He’s still hoping to make good the invitation to Brittany though “the summer has just about finished.” There is the promise “of another officer as assistant some time soon” which might allow him “to break away for a few days during September.”

Well it was a year day before yesterday since I left Marion and I little thought at that time that I would not have been back as instructor before this time. However, my chances of going back as an instructor went glimmering when I was assigned to staff work and present prospects are that, if retained on my present work, I’ll be one of the last dozen officers to leave France after the war. However, in such case, when the job is finished, if I’m still doing the same thing, guess I’ll be able to get back for a while before returning here to cancel the leases and pay the claims, etc. That is all “on the knees of the gods[3]” as yet.

Went around to the Y.M.C.A. headquarters last week and inquired after Mabel’s friend, Miss Coker, but they had no record of her so guess she hasn’t lit yet.”

[1] Prince Edward (1884-1972) Future Edward VIII, afterward Duke of Windsor

[2] “rubberneck”???

[3] 1908 publication. See what relevance it has